Tour de France stage 8 – Pau / Bagnères-de-Luchon – Pyrenees number 2

great Brailsford interview at end of stage, real fighting talk “if they want the points come and do some of the work”. “tell that Boardman we got it from Obree” or something like that.

They got it from Sagan…. And everyone else who descends on their top tube.

what next Dave? Indexed gears? F.o.

I don’t like sky.

I haven’t seen anyone pedalling whilst sitting on the top tube. I think that’s what DB was referring to.

smokey_jo – Member
So given that it’s easy to build a bike below the UCI weight limit and all the riders descend on the top tube now – why not use a dropper post?

Nibali sometimes has a height adjustable post on is bike with 20mm of up and down, there more to deal with comfort over the day and easing muscles than descending prowess

because you don’t really need to get over the back wheel when descending on a road bike you don’t need a dropper post in the mountainbike way of things

Indeed – that’s a new one for me.

Has anybody commented on it being a day of 3s for the Brits*? 3 stage wins in a row, 3 jerseys.

*if we assume for the sake of argument that Froome is a Brit

I tried out the aero tuck this evening on a quiet and gradual descent. **** me it’s terrifying. There’s so much weight over the front wheel that it’s very sensitive to weight shifts. You feel like a projectile, with only limited control/stability. I was only going 30mph or less, not 90km/h but never again.

^^^ 🙂 my thoughts exactly and I’ve never tried it and no interest in doing so !

Comments from Froome that he picked a bigger gear and post on here about the aero wheels hinting at a downhill attack. I thought it was genius to go just before the peak when other riders will be switching off a little.

Sky need to defend yellow now but from what we saw today as a team they look far stronger, 6 vs 3 from Movistar. Killer move tommorrow ?

I think sky will just defend the jersey as the others need to do something before the time trial. Quintana to try an attack to break froome and fail. Froome to perhaps win a little sprint just to prove a point?

I thought it was genius to go just before the peak when other riders will be switching off a little.

Genius??? Pretty sure that must be tried and tested behaviour? Certainly was what I was taught to do racing xc in the mid nineties, easiest way to get a gap and I can’t believe it’s taken 20 years for it to cross disciplines!

Brit dominance in the TdF, Brit dominance in the Lenzerheide DH, great stuff, hope Grant Ferguson is inspired in the xc later!

Has anybody commented on it being a day of 3s for the Brits*? 3 stage wins in a row, 3 jerseys.

Or 5 out of 8 stage wins?

Or 2 DH World Cup wins?

Or 3 out of the top 4 in the womens DH World Cup?

Or the top 3 in the womens DH World Cup overall?

Or 9 out of the top 20 in the mens DH Word Cup overall?

😯 😯 😯

This will not do! Brits aren’t supposed to excel at sport!!!

Dropper post wouldn’t make any difference, the point being to get the head and shoulders in front of the bars – arse wasn’t anywhere near the saddle.

That and the fact the mechanics will go bananas at the rate they have to service the damned things 🙂

I haven’t seen anyone pedalling whilst sitting on the top tube.

People have been doing it for a while. Matej Mohoric did it for miles in the U23 World Champs a few years back. And that certainly wasn’t the first.

I can’t believe it’s taken 20 years for it to cross disciplines!

Attacking over the top has been a tried and tested tactic since wooden wheels.

Sagan won world champs last year by pedalling on his top tube,

But ohhhh no it has to have been sky that invented it… Along with the wheel probably!

It wasn’t just the fact that he sat on the top tube, it was the way he descended flat chat that was the most impressive. It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone attack the corners so hard, and with so much commitment.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone attack the corners so hard, and with so much commitment.

Check out Bardet’s win at the Dauphine last year for an attack over the top and some properly committed descending.

Sagan won world champs last year by pedalling on his top tube,

But ohhhh no it has to have been sky that invented it… Along with the wheel probably!

The irony of that comment is that people attribute anything Sagan does as being ground breaking in exactly the same way 🙂

Attacking over the top has been a tried and tested tactic since wooden wheels.

That was my point, it’s not exactly the genius move Jamba suggested

I had a brief go on the club ride this morning. It was surprisingly stable, the front wheel stayed dead straight ahead. I think my moobs hanging down either side of the stem had some kind of pendulometric dampening effect.

I didn’t say it was it was unique did I, he read and executed it perfectly

That was my point, it’s not exactly the genius move Jamba suggested

Dear god! You guys take pedantry to all new levels.

Yes, it was a genius move: It was perfectly timed and very well executed. It’s irrelevant if it’s been done before.

I just like winding up Jamba-leaver 😆