bob sagan binned it on the DH but did finsih . 4 mins down
Great stuff from G- well happy! Fingers crossed he can stay upright til the end- cant see anyone beating him otherwise.
Would today have been different if there was 100km of flat stuff first? I dont think so
Would today have been different if there was 100km of flat stuff first? I dont think so
probably not, the only difference is the race starts 2hrs earlier
Well, from the start to finish it looked like my predictions did nothing more than waste clicking time and server space 🗣👣
Yet I’m scratching my head as to why Fromage lost time, not a few seconds but about a minute or so wasn’t it?
Yeah, so his pale complexion does indeed look like a ripe Brie and rightfully adorns the moniker of Fromage.
Mr Thomas for the win if he stays upright then tomorrow eh??? Or is Fromage sandbagging?
Good to see Tom Dumoulin up into second, he should do well tomorrow so might claw a little bit back on Mr Thomas.
Was it a good stage to watch? Or did it lack the excitement predicted by the grid start line ?
ITV4 is where I will be tonight.
Nairo was overcome with emotion after that win.
*genuine Pre-Colombian stone statue.
Or is Fromage sandbagging
my accuracy at predictions is about the same as your (i.e. not very) but that didn't look like a man 'pretending' not not have anything left in the tank to me.
Mr Thomas for the win if he stays upright then tomorrow eh??? Or is Fromage sandbagging?
Yeah obvious sandbags there. Caught most of it, froome covered the attacks to him, gt covered the ones that mattered.
ol' Nairo can't be ignored again, if he goes again over d'Aubisque on friday he could make the podium
Why is everyone talking about tomorrow, it's flat. Friday is the day then the TT on Saturday.
Egan Bernal looks special. He was immense winning the Tour of California, but to boss some of the best climbers in the world on big mountain climbs in the third week of a grand tour at the age of 21 is just extraordinary.
Yet I’m scratching my head as to why Fromage lost time, not a few seconds but about a minute or so wasn’t it?
Oh I dunno, a really simplistic explanation would be that he couldn't keep up with the other bicycle riders on a long, steep hill. Maybe the Giro chickens are coming home to roost.
Tdf official twitter had Sagan finishing just inside the time cut looking very broken.
That wasn't as much fun as I thought it might be.Happy with the result though in term of the GC.
I do wonder if it's a bit like T20 cricket - it took a good few years before they learnt how to play a short match and to start with it was like a one day game, just shorter.
I'm coming to the conclusion it's not healthy to have one team (Sky) so much more dominant than the rest - not in so much in terms of leader(s) but quality of domestiques. No one who really mattered attempted to get away from Thomas and Froome because I suspect they knew it would be pointless as the sky train would just pull them back.
. Maybe the Giro chickens are coming home to roost
Is this the point where having had to race two grand tours make a difference, TD has forced the game, Roglic was part of it today. There hasn't been a sky destroy all around stage yet. At no stage did the 1-2 look secure.
All the way from GT nabbing a few seconds at the start it's he has been on the front foot.
Yet I’m scratching my head as to why Fromage lost time, not a few seconds but about a minute or so wasn’t it?
Semi serious answer - if you suffer from asthma and you are racing in thin air at the top of one of the highest climbs and you are petrified to use you puffer as much as you used to.....
"Tdf official twitter had Sagan finishing just inside the time cut looking very broken."
seems your right - **** knows what ITV 4 were smoking.
Is this the point where having had to race two grand tours make a difference,
Not only that, Froome's won the last three grand tours back to back and it's hard to know what the cumulative impact of that must be. Plus, it wouldn't be unreasonable to think that riding back-to-back tours has probably changed the way he trains.
Whereas Thomas has simply been honed for a single major race, Froome's had to aim for multiple peaks. Plus at the point where Thomas will have been sharpening for the Tour, Froome presumably has been mostly recovering. So it makes sense that he seems pretty strong, but less punchy when it really comes down to it.
Also, today's finish was high enough that you'd properly start to feel the altitude. I don't know how altitude impacts on asthma sufferers, but even if you're not asthmatic, it'll be something you can feel. And I'm guessing the actual acclimatisation benefits of any pre-Tour high altitude camp will be pretty much minimal by now.
I guess what would be interesting is whether, if he focussed on a single race again, Froome would be back to his 'normal' condition. Or if at 33 he's starting to feel the impact of age. Hasn't made much difference to Valverde though, so who knows.
froome can get back in his box now i think.
Not sure where all this 8mplied criticism come from Froomes done nothing but support G.
I posted this on the general thread but...
Anyone else see David Miller (on the rest day) pointing out Sky are carrying whales (Wales) on their backs this year?
I’m just waiting for a wry smile from Brailsford as he says “It was there in plain sight – did you not work it out?”
Anyone else see David Miller (on the rest day) pointing out Sky are carrying whales (Wales) on their backs this year?
nope but I've had to listening to him fellating chris froome for 2 and a half weeks
More classy behaviour from a French fan 🤨🤨
https://postimg.cc/image/yqa4y344r/
[url= https://s33.postimg.cc/yqa4y344r/Di-_J49_YXg_AEPd_Y4.jp g" target="_blank">
Only thing i can assume is GT said “I’ve got it, no worries” and let Bernal help Froome out.
Don’t forget that Froome in a podium position is worth way more to G than Froome out of contention. Having two riders on the podium means double the attacks have to be marked by TDM/Roglic and anyone else who fancies a podium. Whereas in the last km, all G needed to do was avoid losing time to the others.
Even though I’d love to see GT win a GT, I’m still kind of rooting for Froome, and I wouldn’t put it past him. Remember the Giro? Froome was out of contention even half ah through the third week and we know how that finished. In the TdF there are a few times when he’s had bad days (that runway finish a couple of years back) and still been in fine form for the next stages. So I don’t think you can read too much into CF’s form.
Obviously he’s running out of time for this TdF but I just can’t see him putting his aspirations aside and being GT’s bitch. I reckon a mid range solo jaunt on the last mountain stage is a tempting prospect - TDM will still have to cover any moves and G has loads of time in hand so can sit back and watch them both explode if Froome is bluffing, or Froome is actually feeling good and goes for the win. That way he can still ride for himself while also providing a service to G. Just a thought.
Nice clear photo of that **** who grabbed G. Hope they find and shoot the dipstick.
Thoughts from today and the tour in general...
julianne allaphillippe is rider of the tour for me. Great riding and classy behaviour towards Yates.
froome looked tired and I think he is, there's no other reason to concede second.
gutted for Bardet.
pleased for Quintana
i think there have been less summit finishes this year? It feels like the gc has been less animated than the past couple (so not just the sky train dominance).
i have real fear that Thomas will crash on the TT
th grid Start was silly. Should have put a decent time bonus 2km up the road to encourage a cx style charge off the line!
I see Fromage had a run in wiv da fedz on his decent back to the bus, plod pulled him off his bike and Fromage has a proper go at him 👋👅
Rattled he is.
This could be the turn around point for him... makes me think he’ll punt off the front tomorrow...💍
Taxis, more here.
https://twitter.com/kareldezoete/status/1022187261172035594?s=19
julianne allaphillippe is rider of the tour for me. Great riding and classy behaviour towards Yates.
Yes! A proper sporting gesture. Chateau!
The grid start was utterly pointless. The short, sharp stage, however, yes please.
Not sure what stage it's actually from, but this photo is too cool not to share.
[img] 
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This one too, althought fascinating for entirely different reasons.
Both are from today's stage.
Both are excellent!
PhilGils tattoo rainbow bands do look rather cool on him...
Didn't realise Didi was back. I've not seen any shots of him in the highlights.
Any chance that this was sky's plan all along, knowing his form wasn't quite there so using Froome as a distraction tactic to support Thomas, while also being as backup in case of a melt down or crash?
Not really, otherwise Bernal would’ve followed G
Didi has never been away, I read ASO were concerned he was getting too famous so they made a decision not to film him.
Didi was sponsored by Wiggle I think for a year or so, so ASO made sure not to film him to avoid free publicity.
He was also ill that year he was sponsored. It was not a great arrangement and I think he had to have surgery effectively missing the tour.
Nice to see him in that picture. Really great shot.
