Cancellara and Sagan have got history. Sagan sits on and Cancellara sits up. Happens everytime. Great ride by Nibali.

Should be an easy day today but if there’s cross winds someone will push on. However I cant see Kittel not winning.

Most of the crashes seemed to be the roads though rather than the pave. The high pace and the rain were the problem. Sure it was a tough day but it was going to be.

I’m not a fan of Froome it was a shame to see him go out so early. All the same a spectacular days racing which can only make the rest of the tour more interesting. Can the rest of the gc boys make it up? Nibali seems to be on form after all.

Cancellara is the obvious choice for this so i’ll go for him. By the end of the day I’m putting Sagan in Yellow and Nibali to gain time over the other gc contenders. But anything could happen. Looking forward to it. Hope I get to see it.

That was awkward finish. The lead outs seemed to momentarily stall before it kicked off again. Kittels timing was perfect though.

[quoteLove the video of the guy getting his phone slapped away [/quote]

That lad is apparently a friend of a lad who works for me. Soft get.

Dont think that slightly slopy finish is perfect for Kittel. But who else. I though Griepel had found some form this year but it appears not. Kittel it is then. Gc boys are going to need to be there so it looking like a hectic finish.

Hope everyone made it.

That was perfect from argos shimano. They are like HTC used to be with Cav and Renshaw.

Great weekend. Spent the day up Cragg Vale. Really good atmosphere, loads of people a good weather. Somebody managed to get a Mexican wave going. A couple of beers and some good food. Then a bike race went passed as well.

Managed to miss thr results all day and watched the race late evening with more beer.

Nibali’s attack was strong and well timed. Good ride by Sagan but didn’t really see the point of Froomes attack so close to the top of that climb.

Looking forward to tour of yorkshire.

Ro5ey you may be right about Kittel. Good chance for Cav. Although Vivianni has had the better of him a few times this season.

What the hell is Sagan doing with his hair?

Rode up on sunday with the kids. Couldn’t believe the amount of cyclists riding up. There was a real atmosphere building even then. Going to try and get away early from work on Friday and ride up again see how it’s going. The wife saw Omega Pharma Quickstep on Elland bypass this morning with cars and motorbike escort. It’s all very exciting.

Real shame. 70 years old. Not young but certainly not old. He lived the life. RIP

Or are you considering him beating espoirs in a second rate race in the US as a sign of world grand tour form?

Tour of California may have been second rate in the past but not now. A good field this year and a good win by Wiggins. Plus his performance earlier in the season in the Paris-Roubaix.

I dont care whether froome wins or loses, I want to see exciting racing.

Agreed.

Wiggo is on form at the moment. People saying he isn’t clearly haven’t been taking notice. In Switzerland he was ill and crashed.

Froome is poor tactically. I find him frustrating to watch. I think Valverde and Contador will have the measure of him this year.

I’m hoping Nibali will find some good form soon. With so many riders on form this year it should be a good one. Froome will be made to suffer for bad tactics.

FWIW I simply cant understand why Wiggins is considered a poor climber. He may not be able to put in explosive attacks but he can ride with what are considered to be the best climbers in the world and loose little to no time. You cannot win tours or be a GT contender without being able to climb.

Not sure what make of it really. I thought Contador and Froome had made a tactical pig of it but Froome looked cooked at the end. Be intresting to see how Wiggo does in Suisse.

Rode about 12 miles today with the kids on the canal bank. No helmet or gloves or padded shorts. Arse a bit tender so lesson learned.

Thats reet funny that is.

That was definately worth a few hours of my life. At last a result for my fantasy league as well.

Nothing neutralised about this. Classic stuff. Quintana is not going to like this.

My wife got me a small one from a shop in Ripponden. Much as I appreciate the sentiment it feels a bit like advertising the fact ive got expensive bikes in the house. Probably a bit paranoid. I will put it up though at some point.

Also as well as the reasons mentioned above having a break up the road can control the bunches speed and force certain teams to chase. Theres lot of reasons really.

Some riders manage to stay away most dont. Was it Jan Bakalants who managed to stay away by a few bike lengths in last years tour? Very exciting when this happens.

Yes the racing had just started at that point and at about 10km to go nobody is going to wait.

hopefully it isn’t a tour-defining stage as it doesn’t deserve to be

I agree but unfortunately Purito is almost 10 minutes down so cant see a podium place for him. Evans is in a great position and used his head today. Only the first week though.

them Italian roads don’t like rain do they

The first rider to go down today had loads of room around him so no need to panic brake but his back end just slid out wildly. Really greasy all week.

Well that was disastrous for quite a few. Good ride by Evans and Mathews. Rodriguez now almost 10 minutes down on gc and looked very uncomfortable. Caruso did not look good at all. Can’t find any info about him at the moment.

Nice one whippersnapper. I’m down as bobs speckled boys. How hard is that to get the people you want for 100 points?

It may not go all Kittels way in the sprints with Buhanni riding. Also Viviani was really fast in the Tour of Turkey.

I’ll go for Rodriguez but would really like Dan Martin to win. Haveny seen the route yet so may all be bollocks.

It certainly looked like his tub rolled. The chasers were going just as fast and managed to avoid him. Some mechanics going to get it tonight.

Gerrans and Valverde are both really fast this year. Two to watch in the tour.

I use eurosport player. £2.99 a month for 12 months or £4.99 for a single month. Steephill.tv will probably have some coverage but I find the picture fairly shoddy.

Could be another day for Gilbert tomorrow.

Loads of info including riders here Steephill[/url]

Edit due to Rocketdogs post.

Does anyone know anything about the pills found at the side of the road last week in the Paris Roubaix? I heard British riders were implicated.

The badger thread is hilarious.

I enjoyed this one.

Arse wiping

I dont agree with his doping, cheating and bullying, but I do agree that you should always check the inside of the tyre.

Had the macro out again recently with the weather warming. Been trying out some new gear. Second hand bracket with an old flash the father-in-law gave me and tubes or reversed lens on a 100mm macro. So actual money spent about £35. Thus greater control of the aperture and larger depth of feild.

Who was going to expose themselves to get him back? At that stage with those riders it would almost be impossible to get away. Wiggo had a go and thats as much as he could do. Having said that 9th is bloody good.

Just looking back at the point Terptra attacked and nobody chased. Cancellara would never have got away at that point.

That is some front group.

Sagan latches on.

This is the move. Cancellara will attack straight through sagan if hes any sense.

This peloton is going to explode when they get back together.

Wow. That gap went down fast.

Tom Boonen looks really strong. The road furniture is horrendous.

Does anyone know what happened to the woman who was hit last week in the tour of flanders?

This is my favourite race of the season. Im going to go for Cancellara again. He was so strong last week. From Wiggos interview it sounds like hes taking this quite seriously. Sagan will be isolated again. Still plenty of potential winners and whatever happens it will be dusty an bloody.

That was an excellent race from start to finish. Normally get a few things done while its on but not today. Geraint Thomas in eighth. Think Wiggo may have actually finished..

Roll on Paris Roubaix next week