It’s nothing to do with motorhomes, as such, it’s to do with rich teams being able to buy an advantage over poorer teams.

It seems like a spectacularly arbitrary thing to object to though, compared to the other ways financial advantage favours the big teams, the cost seems fairly minimal.

The stuff about cameraderie and tradition strikes me as a bit daft and blinkered and I’m struggling to imagine that many people pick their hotel based on where the pros stayed. Maybe that’s just me though.

Gap’s coming down reasonably fast now incidentally.

God, this stage is making me want to go on holiday…

Update:

Fedrigo – Bretagne Sache’ and Van Bilsen – Cofidis out in front at 11mins with FDJ on the front of the pel’ with 53k to go.

8)

Nice to see the grand tradition of various Frenchies chasing down French breakaways continues.

Green from sagan to Gripel 🙂

Movistar seem to have done a lot of pulling today. A Plan?

Movistar seem to have done a lot of pulling today. A Plan?

Yep, pull the break back and send Nairo up the climb to claw back some time? Can’t see any other reason.

P&S were talking about time bonus for 1,2&3 but the rules I found said only on stages 1-8 anyone know better?

Lovely scenery today. Fantastic advert for France. Haven’t been to that region years but really want to go back now.

Well wikipedia and inrng say time bonuses for all road race stages, though I’m sure I also read only for first week somewhere.

As part of a restructuring of the points competition, Tour officials reintroduced time bonuses for the first time since eliminating them for the 2008 edition. Finish-line bonuses of 10, 6, and 4 seconds will be in the offing in the opening nine days of racing, but do not apply to the stage 1 time trial nor the stage 9 team time trial. The remainder of the stages, dominated by the Pyrénées and Alps, will not see bonuses in play.

Read more at http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/10/news/tour-de-france-resurrects-time-bonuses-reshuffles-points-competition_350373#E3wYRqM1wqyTD0vp.99

Bit more searching

Le Tour site also says stages 2-8 only (here).

3’49 for the break at the foot of the climb. Nowhere near enough, surely…

No way – Quintana wants to make up time and Pinot wants the stage, that’s why their teams chased them down from 11 mins

WoooHooo…. proper racing!

Pinot Noir for the WIN..

Or Quinty..

Nah..

Pinot, go on son grrrrrrrr, dig deep, grrrrrrrr

I reckon Valverde to have a dig and see if Sky chase…

Garmin at the front too, Dan Martin perhaps?

Boom….. some dick measuring at the front?

ITV4 are in an ad break, obviously…

Martin, Talansky and Bardet all out the back.

Pinot out the back door!

Pinot’s gone

Text book French climbing out front, shirt open, pendant swinging, casual gurn, gaurenteed to get caught before the summit, beautiful to see

I **** hate the yellow lotto jerseys!! I got all excited then…

Pam’s let herself go.
RM.

Jesus, Pinot has lost a minute already, impressive.

Nibali Gone!

Nibali and Uran dropped.

Nibali gone, pecking order properly showing now, it’s going to be a brutal 2 remaining weeks!

Nibbles nibbled & Uran urinating??

Looks like they’re going to get dragged back to the group to me.

Or not.

I think Nibbles had a post-2012 Wiggins style winter.

That’s a very select group up front.

And at the other end, Nibbles looks shot to be.

Wow. What. A. Day.

Gesink looks like he’s hurting, can’t see him holding it out on his own.

My prediction – about 5k to go, Quintana goes, Froome goes with him and shadows him until the line. AC dropped but loses a relatively small amount of time.

Nibbles looks like he’s in a world of hurt.
RM.

Boom, Valverde has gone for it, Sky chasing, the old 1-2 I reckon.