My prediction is that sky boost up the d’Allos riding *tempo*, CF and RP do their ‘thang’ and drop everybody to the top with another 100+ rpm attack.

Sir Dave is halfway down the otherside with a big stick in case anybody isn’t having another ‘bad day’ like they were told to and tries to actually descend the damn thing…

😀

Break forming on the climb, Sag’s is in it so too Cigar boy.. 😀

I’m gonna say one of the Yates brothers for a stage win today, OGE have been pretty quiet with injuries and so on.

Also hoping there is repeated attacks from all 4 of the other GC contenders, my thought is they all need to be at it today and try however difficult it may be to chip away at Sky and try and brake them down.

Blimey, some early skirmishes. Tejay out the back already?! 1:20 down on the peloton apparently and the gaps getting bigger. Le Mond still wittering on, need to get to the coverage!

Speaking of Le Mond, he seems to be under the impression that Sky are saying that oval rings give you 6% more power. i thought he was more tech savvy.

Well looks like I have cursed Tejay. Team just confirmed he’s sick (and not in the DH mtb sort of way.) Already a few mis down.

Shame to see a contender out through illness though it’s part and parcel of grand tour racing, I guess.

Interesting situation – Porte and Roche in the 28 man breakaway which is currently 2’22” up on the peleton.

tdf web site says break of 28 @2:20 with Roche and Porte in it. Dave got a plan?

tdf web site says break of 28 @2:20 with Roche and Porte in it. Dave got a plan?

Common move to put a couple of your lower-placed riders in the break. They can sit in, do nothing and then when the break gets caught, they’ll be right up there well placed to help the leader.

Or, if the break looks like it’ll stay away they can contribute to it and hopefully sneak a stage win for the team.

I think Tejay ill could be significant as previously Sky had a team in BMC who might have helped close down Movestar & Saxo attacks, not anymore, it is all up to Sky.

Interesting Porte and Rocha are in the break, suggests they wouldn’t have been able to hold on if in the peloton.

Aside: Hope BMC don’t think Porte is going to win them GT’s in 2016 ‘cos if so they are wasting their money.

Common move to put a couple of your lower-placed riders in the break. They can sit in, do nothing and then when the break gets caught, they’ll be right up there well placed to help the leader.

Sure but it is not something Sky do

suggests they wouldn’t have been able to hold on if in the peloton.

perhaps this

Was going to say earlier that Porte, Roche and Thomas would be glued to Froome until the last climb… so eyebrows definitely raised here!

Interesting Porte and Rocha are in the break, suggests they wouldn’t have been able to hold on if in the peloton

Sorry, don’t follow the logic of that. 2 minutes up on a peleton they’re too slow to stay with?

Sorry, don’t follow the logic of that. 2 minutes up on a peleton they’re too slow to stay with?

Once you’re actually in the break and it’s established, it’s pretty easy to just sit there. The difficulty is getting into it in the first place, it can often mean an hour of breakneck attacks until something sticks and the bunch are happy to let it go.

That said, it’s better than hanging on for grim death in a hard-chasing peloton all day.

The suggestion is that they’re getting a headstart so that if things kick off, when the leaders catch them, they’ll then be able to help CF whereas if they’re with the leaders, they’d struggle to stay with them when the attacks start.

Good tactics if the remaining Sky riders can stick with CF long enough (and with G’s form so far, you wouldn’t bet against it).

Porte and Roche in the break and Van Garderen dropped is ideal for Froome, couldn’t be better. GC contenders will want to distance Van Garderen so they have a chance at a podium place so their teams will be pulling on the front, Porte and Roche can work in the break to keep the tempo high and are well placed if the peloton catches them.

don’t follow the logic of that. 2 minutes up on a peleton they’re too slow to stay with?

As well as the point noted above about sitting in, it gives you room to slide backwards later on in the stage as you tire, plus you are not subjected to trying to hang onto the attacks of the main contenders.

Or they could be covering the movistar riders in case quitanarama tries something

Contador is trying to get a gap but looks like Movistar are closing it

Feel sorry for poor TJ, he’d only just rejoined after a herculean effort to get back on and suddenly, BANG, it all kicks off again!

Peleton is strung out and they have dropped Van Garderen

TJ looks in terrible shape.

G in 4th overall as things stand then?

Edit: not yet but TJ is going backwards quickly.

I went out for lunch (burp) clearly took my eye off this and come back to Porte and Roache’ up the road??

Eh?

Valv’s moved up a place in CG and Berties dropped one?

Pinots on a charge?

Wheres me little French fellas and “BeGorra”?

🙄

TVG Oooot lads 😕

Disappointing for Van Garderen, that was hard viewing and I feel his pain.

Is there more illness than usual this year? It’s almost like the cholera has swept through the peloton.

Tejay abandoning. Feel very sorry for him. Had a very solid ride so far, think he was a credible podium chance.

Is he in the car? We’re on a break here in ITV4 land.

Ooo

Is all I have to say currently.

Oh and I feel bad for TvG – crap way to go out.

Poor bugger, work so hard to get to this point and you get sick…

Van Garderen has finished!!!. Just got in his team car

They are after Froome…nutter Barguil has gone off front ready to take everyone out on other side!!

shame about TJ

Tejay, bless. Horrible to get so close with a good position.

Poor TJvG, he looked devastated. 🙁

Sorry to lose TJvG, I regard him as new guard, helping to displace the tainted ‘old guard’.

This is shaping up nicely!
My desk is now cleared…

Sorry to lose TJvG, I regard him as new guard, helping to displace the tainted ‘old guard’.

Yet oddly he doesn’t seem to find it odd that his training partner from time to time is Lance Armstrong. Lance rides with him and motorpaces him when they’re both in Colorado.

That Lemond “recon” of the descent looked a bit hairy. Good for him that he’s still going for it

Rear wheel skid from Lemond followed by a close inspection of a crash barrier 🙂