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About that timing issue for Froome....Hmmm.
Anyway, Thomas the Bike was the best out there. Rode steadily, attacked when it made sense, and marked it all from then. A worthy winner, and a great interviewee as well!
Very pleased for Dan Martin, too. Along with Alaphillipe, he lit up the race. The latter also deserves praise for being such a good sport.
On the ITV4 Highlights show they explained the Froome timing issue,a Gendarme stood on the mat & stopped the clock with a few metres to go...
,
a Gendarme stood on the mat
Odd. That's never happened before, has it?
Froome’s smiling handshake with Dumoulin.
Froome’s smiling hug with Thomas.
Froome saying he’s annoyed about that one second, he doesn’t know what happened there, and he’s going to have to see where he can improve.
Sometimes in defeat you show your class. No whinging, no negativity, just a hunger to do better next time. Well done. Other ex-champions have not been so magnanimous.
Thomas and Dumoulin also came across as a credit to the sport, so a good podium.
Bit of a TDF newbie fan here so sorry if a stupid question but...
It's convention not to attack the yellow jersey tomorrow, so Geirant has now won it, but if it was only by a few seconds would that convention still stand? What if he has a crash tomorrow , would they all wait for him if necessary?
Also would 2nd and 3rd place still be raced for or is the 2nd and 3rd standing from today's stage left as it is for tomorrow?
Best thing of all is how many tea cups will have been thrown against the wall in the Hinault household. 3 British winners since he was used his failed to let the best man in his team win. 🙂
interesting contract negotiations coming up for G. Froome defends the Giro and G the tour ?
I'd say the otherway around. Froome will want his fifth TdF, maybe Brailsford will pitch the Giro at G - didn't he go for it a couple of years ago and crash out? Froome won't do Giro again net year as it's obviously taken too much out of him for the the TdF unless he decides he wants to win that one multiple times as well, but I'm thinking he's got unfinished business with the Tour De France.
Not sure if Vuelta suits the 'engine' type rider as much - the purer climbers seem to be betterer suited for that one.
It would still stand. After THE most famous 1989 fnish of fignon vs lemond, where the organisers decided to run the TT on the last day, and Lemond overturned a deficit 50 seconds to WIN by 8 seconds over France’s hero, they’ve not done it since! Lots of folk law, but Lemond ran some aerobars and fignon was suffering with serious saddle sores
So now the Tour is decided. The last day is a celebration parade to Paris followed by some staged circuit racing and the most famous finish for sprinters. Demare tomorrow I think will pip it.
the agiro and Vuelta do the same. In fact there was NO racing in this year’s Giro as the stage was deemed too dangerous by the riders.
Expect to se some nice fetching bikes and colour coordinated bar tape etc.
Bit of a TDF newbie fan here so sorry if a stupid question but…
It’s convention not to attack the yellow jersey tomorrow, so Geirant has now won it, but if it was only by a few seconds would that convention still stand? What if he has a crash tomorrow , would they all wait for him if necessary?
Also would 2nd and 3rd place still be raced for or is the 2nd and 3rd standing from today’s stage left as it is for tomorrow?
The final stage is almost always a bunch sprint - I can't remember a tour with only a few seconds between the leaders (apart from the Fignon/Lemond one and the final day was the time trial, so that different) so I'd say possibly there would be something to play for, but I think the sprinters teams would make sure the GC riders weren't in contention and they'd all roll over the line in the bunch with a few raised eyebrows possibly.
2nd and 3rd won't be raced for either, mainly because of as above, but basically the last stage is a celebration and a small glass of fizzy en route probably. Peace reigns over the peleton and relief all round for getting the whole way through.
I agree with breatheasy, Froome will want another TdF win so I reckon he will focus on that next year and not do the Giro. So G may do the Giro. It would seem unnecessary to have them in the same race from now on (though their one-two trick did work better than Movistar's one-two-three). I'm wondering who is going to be in the Vuelta.
Oh and that Lemond/Fignon time trial. Apart from the aero bars, Greg had an aero helmet whilst Laurent with typical Gallic flair sported a pony tail flowing in the breeze.
Oh and that Lemond/Fignon time trial. Apart from the aero bars, Greg had an aero helmet whilst Laurent with typical Gallic flair sported a pony tail flowing in the breeze.
Yeah, I remember reading an article in one of the magazines shortly after that going through the entire list of things Fignon should have done properly. Short of having a lit Guitane hanging out of the side of his mouth he didn't really go for any aero advantage did he?
Most of the aero comments on that day are myth. Figmon was pretty aero too on a lo-pro bike. It was more likely the saddle sores and general discomfort that cost him 8 seconds. Lemond had a helmet, but bald head is actually more aero. He was not expected to lose. All of France was ready to celebrate. I stilll recall watching it.
http://bikeretrogrouch.blogspot.com/2014/07/tour-de-france-bikes-1989.html
GC and lantern rouge will not change tomorrow. Lawson Craddock rides into history too.
I feel a bit sorry for Latour. Current young rider in white jersey, but I don’t think anyone thinks that he’s more deserving than Bernal. Next year Egan.
Dan Martin wins the overall combativity prize, so another great result!
is G the first brit to win using proper round chainrings ?
Bit of a TDF newbie fan here so sorry if a stupid question but…
It’s convention not to attack the yellow jersey tomorrow, so Geirant has now won it, but if it was only by a few seconds would that convention still stand? What if he has a crash tomorrow , would they all wait for him if necessary?
Also would 2nd and 3rd place still be raced for or is the 2nd and 3rd standing from today’s stage left as it is for tomorrow?
Apart from the Lemond-Fignon last day time trial, the closest winning margin in recent years was 23 seconds in 2007 between Contador and Evans (in fact that's the second closest margin and the closest with an 'open' final stage).
The job of the domestiques for this stage is to protect the leader, they'll keep away from the sprints up front (Wiggins in yellow leading out Cavendish is a notable exception) where crashes usually happen. If there's a crash in the last 3km then those involved get the same time as the riders in the group they were with at the time. This is why on earlier stages you'd see the non-sprint based teams up near the front until the 3km mark before slipping back.
While the GC contenders don't "race" each other they do keep an eye on where their nearest challengers are and since everyone in a bunch finish gets the same time they just have to finish in that bunch. Looking at the top ten the gaps are all greater than 30 seconds so it's unlikely anything will change. If Team Sky do their - roll across the finish in a line holding arms - then they'll all lose a few seconds but it won't be enough to affect the result. They'd have to cross over a minute after the *front of the bunch for Froome to be knocked off the podium for example.
*timing gaps are calculated between the fronts of each distinct bunch.
I wonder how Sky will manage Egan Bernal. He's currently 15th in the GC, but without his multiple crashes at Roubaix where he lost 16 min, he would/could have been in the top 10 above Quintana.
In the last few stages he showed he's the real deal, but is he too young for GT leadership?
Presumably the Vuelta is too soon, but maybe next year? The trouble with the Sky way of doing things is that he is too valuable as super-dom
So, that’s the first Tour win by a British born rider then I think
I'm baffled as to why anyone would think that important enough to mention.