[Closed] TdF Stage 22 - Fin

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RealMan

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And so we come to the 19th hole, our 22nd stage. It's all gone so fast! Lots to share for you to read while you get over your hangovers and tour withdrawal. I warn you now, this is quite long, very picture heavy, and contains the obvious spoilers.

Photos:

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[url= http://www.steephill.tv/2014/tour-de-france/photos/stage-21/ ]Photos from Stage 21[/url]

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[url= http://www.steephill.tv/2014/tour-de-france/photos/ ]Steephill photos from the entire three weeks[/url]

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Heroes. All of them.

[url= http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2014/07/tour_de_france_101st_edition.html ]The Big Picture tour photos, part one[/url]

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[url= https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.777881345597063.1073741860.168474856537718 ]OGE's Facebook photo album[/url], there's even a fat bike hiding in there somewhere..

[url= http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/gallery/show/martin-wins-tdf-tt/916 ]OPQS's gallery here[/url], full of wonderful (if perhaps slightly biased pictures), including this gem

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Pretty sure Martin was running a 58t chainring, and obviously he can push it. So how fast do you have to be going before you aero tuck instead?

We were told it was his last tour last year, and now we're being told it's his last tour this year. I have a feeling this really is it though. Please god someone give him a commentary position. One of the biggest legends in cycling ever, he will never be forgotten.

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http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance/features/full-interview-jens-voigt-the-tour-makes-you-laugh-makes-you-smile-makes-you-cry

Well there were doubts, but not from him. A classy sprint from a fairly messy finish. I can see Kittel beating Cavendish's records.

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[video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VySU6s2Cyzc [/video]

http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance/tour-de-france-2014-the-three-minute-movie - [b]always enjoyable[/b]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/robert-millar/robert-millar-coming-up-short-at-the-tour-de-france - [b]Millar calls it like he sees it[/b]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pinot-and-peraud-bridge-30-year-gap-at-tour-de-france

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali-joins-elite-club-with-tour-de-france-victory

http://road.cc/content/news/125010-vincenzo-nibalis-tour-de-france-numbers-how-astana-rider-made-history

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-director-christian-prudhomme-thrilled-with-2014-race

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-shorts-nibalis-yellow-bike-martin-celebrates-with-a-burger-and-fries

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/geraint-thomas-signs-team-sky-end-2016-131464

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cheng-becomes-the-first-chinese-starter-and-finisher-of-the-tour-de-france

http://www.bikeradar.com/us/road/gear/article/time-trial-gear-part-1-21-days-of-tour-tech-41873/

http://road.cc/content/news/125105-tour-de-france-tech-2014-peter-sagan%E2%80%99s-green-machine%E2%80%99-cannondale-supersix-evo

Tour giving you road bike fever? Thinking of giving it a go? Might be worth having a read of this

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/humour-tips-for-becoming-a-roadie-14451/

...if a mountain biker says a ride is 'technical', you can assume that there is loose shale, several ledge drops, high-penalty (e.g., death) exposure on one side of the trail, or slick, mossy roots twisting along the singletrack. If a roadie calls a ride 'technical' on the other hand, it most likely means that there is a roundabout somewhere in the ride.

Also if you enjoy that article, you'll probably enjoy this one too..

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/humour-so-you-want-to-be-a-mountain-biker-14501/

Now as I understand a lot of you may have never tried racing. Well hopefully today you'll have a bit of time, so I suggest watching this

[video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkQJ4hS9G50 [/video]

It's a lot easier than you might think - 4th cat racing is a walk in the park if you've got any fitness whatsoever, and you don't need Dura Ace and carbon wheels. It is a HUGE amount of fun. It's a bit scary starting out, but you won't regret it.

A few useful links

[url= http://www.steephill.tv/tour-de-france/ ]Steephill[/url]
[url= http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2014/us/classifications.html ]Final Classifications[/url]
[url= http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2014/us/withdrawals.html ]Withdrawals[/url]
[url= http://www.velogames.com/tour-de-france/2014/leaguescores.php?league=28182017 ]Fantasy League Standings[/url]
[url= http://www.velogames.com/tour-de-france/2014/leaguescores.php?league=29121638 ]Loser League Standings[/url]

As for the fantasy and loser leagues it all got a bit chaotic - who could have seen Froome, Contador, and Cavendish crashing out so early? And Sagan not winning a single stage? Nibali performing as well as he did?

It turns out Chef's Choice by The Swedish Chef and Witton Weavers by Craig saw it all coming (or may claim so), and they have taken the fantasy and loser league wins, respectively, both by a respectable margin. Well done to both of you, and I hope to see you defending your wins next year!

And while it's great to look backwards at what has happened in the past few weeks, it's always good to look forwards as well.

http://www.letour.fr/le-tour/2014/us/grand-depart-2015.html

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I can imagine it will be a great tour - I think Holland will be an amazing grand depart (maybe not as good as the UK mind), and a lot of young stars will really be coming into their own. I'm wondering if someone is finally going to emerge who can challenge Sagan for green too. I'm also wondering if the UCI are at last going to get off their asses and bring the weight limit down.. I want to see some lightweight bling.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-shorts-lalpe-dhuez-back-in-2015-nibalis-big-bonus

http://inrng.com/2014/07/tour-de-france-stage-22-preview-utrecht-2015/

Along the way a lot of you have expressed your appreciation for the threads - I may not have always acknowledged these messages, but I did read them all, and each one made me smile, thank you for all the kind words. I've really had fun doing these threads, and I hope you've all enjoyed this year's tour as much as I have. Go get riding!

If you'd like to show your appreciation then chuck a couple of quid [url= http://www.papyrus-uk.org/donate ]this way[/url]. I lost my best mate last year, and another good friend last week, so it would mean a lot to me. Alternatively, donate to STW, as we wouldn't be able to do these threads without this website.

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