Rest day 1 *spoiler*

mulletmaster

Not sure what all the fuss about Cancellara pulling out is about? He either pulls out now or hangs on for the TT and therefore goes all the way.
What else is he hanging about for? Luxury domestique for a Schleck GC assault!? He isn't winning any other of the stages and he is too big a fish just to muck around in the autobus for 9 days.

iainf72

Rick Chasey wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

I reckon here he's saying Nibali has learnt to use lipids as fuel, which there are a few articles about. Sky do it a lot with their fasted rides etc

Any explanation or links?

Check the articles on the right side - Ketones and low carb stuff.

Macaloon

inseine wrote:

a propos of nothing......but nice.
Can be found at http://crayonfireshop.bigcartel.com/products

Thanks for that. "A GC ding-dong through the back streets of Sheffield". That was great.

Macaloon

deejay wrote:

Christ I'm getting to sound like a new FF but I have been watching Nibali this year with his slow and deliberate progress towards a TDF victory just like the old fashioned way. (well some did it this way in the past)
He didn't show to the other TDF - GC riders his form that he kept hidden in Romandie and the Dauphine where it seemed to me he was riding easily to his own plan and not Vinokourov's.
He then shook them all on Stages 2 & 5 where he set the GC standard for 2014 that others could not follow.

Forza Nibali, he is not a Jumped up single day racer trying to suddenly win a GT as he has won the other TWO.

I think this is spot on. He's looked as dominant and in control here as at the 2013 Giro. He hardly needed afterburners yesterday, just eased away. I think his 2012 Tour level was undermined by a full classics program. Maybe he was underestimated: Froome and Contador let him ride away at the Dauphiné. He'd be a handful for Quintana on current form.

rob churchill

Macaloon wrote:

inseine wrote:

a propos of nothing......but nice.
Can be found at http://crayonfireshop.bigcartel.com/products

Thanks for that. "A GC ding-dong through the back streets of Sheffield". That was great.

Not that I have anything against one-legged cyclists, but that is a one-legged cyclist.



(also, his top tube appears to connect directly to his handlebars.)

Macaloon

rob churchill wrote:

Not that I have anything against one-legged cyclists, but that is a one-legged cyclist.



(also, his top tube appears to connect directly to his handlebars.)

What a ride

Mad_Malx

The ITV4 highlights show was good tonight, worth watching on catch-up I'd say.

tailwindhome

Anonymous

Who's the fat one on the gold bike? Vino? Presume VN on the TT bike to get out of that awful Nat champ top!

Edit: yes. Pic from inner ring

joelsim

mulletmaster wrote:

Not sure what all the fuss about Cancellara pulling out is about? He either pulls out now or hangs on for the TT and therefore goes all the way.
What else is he hanging about for? Luxury domestique for a Schleck GC assault!? He isn't winning any other of the stages and he is too big a fish just to muck around in the autobus for 9 days.

Tomorrow's stage is just his kind of stage. He was 4th fav at the bookies before he pulled out, albeit behind Sagan and Gerrans.

DeVlaeminck

iainf72 wrote:

inseine wrote:

How to people feel about the top two riders being out?
They're not necessarily the most exciting two riders (one especially, some would say) so there's no reason it can't still be a great Tour. Maybe just a shame that Nibali has such a good lead.

There aren't many riders more exciting than Contador and Froome when they're riding for the win.

With all the names lining up, a lovely route it was being billed as a great Tour. But it's not going to be. It'll have good stages but the likelihood of it being a classic are very slim

Contador is exceptionally exciting when his back is against the wall as is Nibali though usually with less of the ability required to pull it off. I'm not sure I'd put Froome in their class as far as excitement goes. If you think about Contador and the solo attack over the Telegraph, with the Galibier and Alpe still to come, his attack on the descent of the Sarenne last year, his attack earlier this year in the Dauphine - they were rare moments when a rider has gone for broke and risked their position on the podium for an outside chance of the win - similar when he beat Rodriguez in the Vuelta.

I'm not sure I've ever seen Froome do anything like that - he launches multiple attacks on the final climb of the day when he is fairly sure he's the strongest - as much as most riders do but nothing to set him apart. To be fair to Froome he rarely finds himself in a position where he has to take big risks to win the race because he is so strong and I suspect his natural instincts are reigned in a bit by his team - I'd love to see him having to really go for broke.

ddraver

rob churchill wrote:

Macaloon wrote:

inseine wrote:

a propos of nothing......but nice.
Can be found at http://crayonfireshop.bigcartel.com/products

Thanks for that. "A GC ding-dong through the back streets of Sheffield". That was great.

Not that I have anything against one-legged cyclists, but that is a one-legged cyclist.



(also, his top tube appears to connect directly to his handlebars.)

One of them Look bikes innit - must be a Cofidis rider in embargoed kit...

ic.

So what did Oleg get up to yesterday. Flying round the equator backwards in his private jet as fast as he could?

frenchfighter

TailWindHome wrote:

Still got it.

tailwindhome

OPQS

TailWindHome wrote:

That's my boy!

frenchfighter

Interview with the KOM podium lady:
http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/page/inte ... 8ZdVfldVQ0

mulletmaster

Interesting interview that cheers for sharing.

frenchfighter

According to the idiotic Vayer, it is a good thing Contador and Froome are out:
http://www.lemonde.fr/tour-de-france/ar ... 16918.html

He is saying Contador climbing that stage he finished 3secs ahead of Nibali is evidence of him being able to ride the mountains as fast as he did in 2009. That was a 5min climb.

mfin

Did I hear Simon Yates right on the ITV4 rest day highlights saying he'd picked up a bit of flu in the last couple of days? Well, he sounded absolutely fine so that must be the biggest man-flu exaggeration ever. Was funny. Sounds like a nice bloke though.

Macaloon

Cycling podcast on the Astana rest day press conference - Nibali flanked by Scarponi and Vino - no doping questions, transparently.

RichN95.

Macaloon wrote:

Cycling podcast on the Astana rest day press conference - Nibali flanked by Scarponi and Vino - no doping questions, transparently.

And Kreuziger having just been busted for the period he rode for them (and was developed alongside Nibali at Liquigas for five years).

tailwindhome

frenchfighter wrote:

According to the idiotic Vayer, it is a good thing Contador and Froome are out:
http://www.lemonde.fr/tour-de-france/ar ... 16918.html

He is saying Contador climbing that stage he finished 3secs ahead of Nibali is evidence of him being able to ride the mountains as fast as he did in 2009. That was a 5min climb.

Google translate lolz

stud monster Tony Martin

.

above_the_cows

TailWindHome wrote:

Google translate lolz

stud monster Tony Martin

.

I hear he is off for a little holiday after the Tour, where he will have a lovely time in a field with a lot of lovely female horses.

dish_dash

RichN95 wrote:

Macaloon wrote:

Cycling podcast on the Astana rest day press conference - Nibali flanked by Scarponi and Vino - no doping questions, transparently.

And Kreuziger having just been busted for the period he rode for them (and was developed alongside Nibali at Liquigas for five years).

Apparently none at the Sky one either. Brailsford actually said something along the lines of 'what, no doping questions?'