Tour de France Spoilers thread 2014

pblakeney

DonDaddyD wrote:

If Nibbles keeps the jersey all the way to France or wins it, it'll have been a rubbish tour.

I suppose it has been a rubbish tour then as they have been in France for a few days now.

jonny_trousers

Delighted that Sagan blew it today. I just can't like the bloke and his little interview with Ned Boulting in the highlights show did nothing to change my opinion of him. He comes across as charmless and arrogant.

antsmithmk

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Delighted that Sagan blew it today. I just can't like the bloke and his little interview with Ned Boulting in the highlights show did nothing to change my opinion of him. He comes across as charmless and arrogant.

But in his defence he isn't an English speaker.... Could you charm someone in Slovakian?!

jonny_trousers

antsmithmk wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Delighted that Sagan blew it today. I just can't like the bloke and his little interview with Ned Boulting in the highlights show did nothing to change my opinion of him. He comes across as charmless and arrogant.

But in his defence he isn't an English speaker.... Could you charm someone in Slovakian?!

I think if I spoke Slovakian to the degree he speaks English I could come across as less arrogant, yes. I get why he's arrogant: he's a sportsman and he's an incredible cyclist, but I just can't warm to hi, I'm afraid, so I can't support him.

First.Aspect

First Aspect wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

The one time I posted in Pro-Race I got banned from the site for a week...

He's alive!

Now, can I just say that when I posted this, it was a large and spectacular picture of Brian Blessed in full Hawkman battle garb, to celebrate DDD's return to the forum.

Daz555

TailWindHome wrote:

I think Nibali would be happy enough to see someone else in yellow for a bit.

if he loses yellow it will be to Contador or Porte. He'll never be in yellow again.

He knows he has to hold on.

jonny_trousers

Daz555 wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

I think Nibali would be happy enough to see someone else in yellow for a bit.

if he loses yellow it will be to Contador or Porte. He'll never be in yellow again.

He knows he has to hold on.

Agreed. He's going to do everything in his power to hang on.

jonny_trousers

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Daz555 wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

I think Nibali would be happy enough to see someone else in yellow for a bit.

if he loses yellow it will be to Contador or Porte. He'll never be in yellow again.

He knows he has to hold on.

Agreed. He's going to do everything in his power to hang on.

Um, how do you delete posts again? :oops:

Daz555

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Daz555 wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

I think Nibali would be happy enough to see someone else in yellow for a bit.

if he loses yellow it will be to Contador or Porte. He'll never be in yellow again.

He knows he has to hold on.

Agreed. He's going to do everything in his power to hang on.

Um, how do you delete posts again? :oops:

Lol. Yeah didn't see that one coming. Looks like he'll be out of yellow for a day. Just hope Contador doesn't end up in yellow next cos then Nibs really won't ever get it back!

Kieran_Burns

I have to admit I did enjoy watching Tony Martin time trialling up and down a mountain.

jonny_trousers

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I have to admit I did enjoy watching Tony Martin time trialling up and down a mountain.

+1. He always comes across as such a nice bloke and thoroughly deserves a stage win. Just a shame his victory will barely be noticed in the sports pages of his country's newspapers.

As an aside, I was really put of David Millar as a result of his little interview with Ned Boulting on the ITV4 highlights show last week. He came across as arrogant and the feeling sorry for himself for being forced to dope routine's wearing a little thin. I'm sure I saw his nose grow when he talked about the time trial stage in the tour that he won clean, just to see if he could.

rubertoe

Die Panzerwagon is Fricken Awesome

vimfuego

To refer back to a previos "thread" on here - looks like Wiggins will be staying with Sky next year (article on the cycling weekly site today) focusing on Paris-Roubaix and the Hour.

+1 on the Tony Martin comments, the bloke is a machine & works hard for the team rather than just being a one trick TT pony. Great to see him take the stage.

vimfuego

WOW

Bye bye Bertie (broken frame?!)

So Brailsford was clearly right not to take Wiggins. Froome would go better without him & he'd never live with Contador in the mountains...... oh hang on .....

meanredspider

Ref Bertie's bike - there must be a few twitchy butts at Spesh - a frame failure taking out one of the favourites wouldn't be great publicity

CiB

meanredspider wrote:

Ref Bertie's bike - there must be a few twitchy butts at Spesh - a frame failure taking out one of the favourites wouldn't be great publicity

There's a picture & a few words here in the paper's live blog http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/others ... -live.html suggesting that it wasn't the frame, unless he swapped bikes and replaced what looks like the number on the seat post. (scroll down to the entry at 15:40)

tailwindhome

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Daz555 wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

I think Nibali would be happy enough to see someone else in yellow for a bit.

if he loses yellow it will be to Contador or Porte. He'll never be in yellow again.

He knows he has to hold on.

Agreed. He's going to do everything in his power to hang on.

Um, how do you delete posts again? :oops:

Yeah.
Never a bad idea to let it go to someone who's not a real threat.
Let their team do the work and let them do the interviews.
When you think how important recovery is, even an hour a day delay in getting back to the hotel soon adds ups.

pblakeney

CiB wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

Ref Bertie's bike - there must be a few twitchy butts at Spesh - a frame failure taking out one of the favourites wouldn't be great publicity

There's a picture & a few words here in the paper's live blog http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/others ... -live.html suggesting that it wasn't the frame, unless he swapped bikes and replaced what looks like the number on the seat post. (scroll down to the entry at 15:40)

According to reports on the highlights - He had two crashes and was on Roche's bike for the second.
Allegedly, his hands slipped off the bars and down he went.
Broken tibia if I heard correctly.

Daz555

meanredspider wrote:

Ref Bertie's bike - there must be a few twitchy butts at Spesh - a frame failure taking out one of the favourites wouldn't be great publicity

They are safe. Contador was not riding the broken bike in the pictures - for a start it is spotlessly clean - well dirty enough to have been sat on top of a team car at most.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/07/ ... ash_336328

jonny_trousers

We'll I didn't see that coming! Poor Contador!

I almost feel sorry for Nibali now. He's in great shape and it'll be viewed as the Tour de France without competition.

How's Nibali's TT form?

jonny_trousers

Just to add a chapeau to Alberto Contador for riding up a mountain with a broken leg before calling it a day.

rower63

from (almost) the horse's mouth...
http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-s ... 31225.html

tgotb

Thanks, interesting reading...

rick_chasey

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

We'll I didn't see that coming! Poor Contador!

I almost feel sorry for Nibali now. He's in great shape and it'll be viewed as the Tour de France without competition.

How's Nibali's TT form?

Porte's probably a bit better, but that's about it really.

macleod113

All I can hope for now is attack, attack, attack.

with so many Frenchies in the top 10 it would be nice to see them go for it, but like the insanely funny ITV podcast most of them will just be happy trying to get on the podium and wont attack Nibali at all.

could be a good day to 'work at home' today to watch it...

rubertoe

Porte put over 70 seconds into Nibili in the last comparable TT that they did. I'd expect the same this time.

jonginge

rubertoe wrote:

Porte put over 70 seconds into Nibili in the last comparable TT that they did. I'd expect the same this time.

Don't think the gap will be that big. Nibali only lost 20s to Wiggins in the lumpy 54k ITT in last year's Giro

jonny_trousers

JonGinge wrote:

rubertoe wrote:

Porte put over 70 seconds into Nibili in the last comparable TT that they did. I'd expect the same this time.

Don't think the gap will be that big. Nibali only lost 20s to Wiggins in the lumpy 54k ITT in last year's Giro

But Wiggo was ill, wasn't he?

Could be an exciting TT if Nibali fails to maintain a big gap.

jonginge

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

rubertoe wrote:

Porte put over 70 seconds into Nibili in the last comparable TT that they did. I'd expect the same this time.

Don't think the gap will be that big. Nibali only lost 20s to Wiggins in the lumpy 54k ITT in last year's Giro

But Wiggo was ill, wasn't he?

Could be an exciting TT if Nibali fails to maintain a big gap.

True. Still well enough to finish second in the TT but point taken.
Nibali may have been injured during that final 2012 TdF TT, though*, so I'm not sure a 70s besting by Porte is representative of current form.

I hope it's still a contest but I fear it's not. I don't particularly care who wins but I want exciting stages.

* complained of a strained calf muscle after the Peyragudes stage

jonny_trousers

^ agreed. In a way I wish G Thomas could be let off the leash to go for a stage win, but then I've no idea if there is a stage left that could suit him.