TDF 2018 - Rest Day 1 - ****SPOILERS****

No_Ta_Doctor

So, first week done.
Flat, flat....endless flat...HILLS! MUR! Flat, flat, COBBLES!

What's up for discussion?
The daft bonus seconds, of no use at all to the sprinters due to the TTT?
Cobbles in GTs yay/nay?
Time gaps through crashes, riders in form, Thomas V Froome, Movistar Hunger Games?
Is Cav finished?
Drafting team cars V drafting motos?

Who has come out of the first week in good shape and with a decent team still rubber side down?

rick_chasey

Yes this feels like the least GC form revealing opening 9 days in memory.

It's a very back loaded Tour in terms of parcours, so very hard to tell.

Have been surprised by how expensive the first 9 days has been. So many badly timed mechanicals.

ShutupJens

Yeah the first week hasn't been selective at all, but with all the stress for GC riders it still feels like a classic first week of the tour. Finally some hills to tackle on Tuesday before it all kicks off again Weds. Can't wait

tailwindhome

iainf72 wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

GC times relative to Froome


2 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky - 59 secs
4 Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step Floors -52 secs
5 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team -11 secs
6 Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe -10 secs
7 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team -9 secs
8 Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
9 Adam Yates (GBr) Mitchelton-Scott
10 Mikel Landa (Spa) Movistar Team
12 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida +6
13 Primoz Roglic (Slo) LottoNL-Jumbo +15
14 Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo +16
15 Tom Dumoulin (Ned) Team Sunweb +21
16 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo +23
17 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale +50
18 Warren Barguil (Fra) Fortuneo-Samsic +55
19 Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Katusha-Alpecin +60
20 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) Bahrain-Merida +66
21 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team +68
22 Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale +71
24 Daniel Martin (Irl) UAE Team Emirates +100

So in summary, all the actual GC contenders are already behind Froome.

Depends what you mean by GC contenders I suppose.

If you narrow it to likely winners well that's just Froome if we're honest.

Guys with a legitimate crack at the podium, I'd have thought Jungels, Thomas and Valverde all fall into that category.

Interesting to compare expectations with results, who's up and who's down.

lettingthedaysgoby

How Sky play the Froome/Thomas bit will be interesting, but yeah, other than that you have to say Froome is in a very good position there.

Vino'sGhost

i thought it had been attritional but laregly uninspiring until yesterday, and then a rest day AGGHHHHHH

mrfpb

A nondescript stage one route caused more problems in the GC ranks that the "brutal carnage" of stage 9.

RonB

Landa is doing ok. Only missed the podium by 1sec last year and he could finish higher than either Uran or Bardet from here.

Wouldn't rely on Movistar's "3 Amigos" working in his favour though.

blazing_saddles

The first week.

kleinstroker

Can hardly believe Porte is out already. Somebody should really get his bone density checked out as he seems to be as frail as a 75 yr old woman. No offence intended but his bones seem to fracture in a stiff breeze

onyourright

The cobbles were good but I was disappointed they didn’t produce a showdown between the GC guys. Dumoulin and Froome each had a go but their attacks were half-hearted and short-lived. No-one else tried to my knowledge.

The French TV commentators talked about Froome’s “lack of elegance” in driving hard while Bardet was chasing on for about the third time. Maybe Froome didn’t have the heart to provoke more of that sort of commentary. Dumoulin is a media darling so can get away with a lot more in the “lack of elegance” department, but he complained of a headwind.

Vino'sGhost

froomes an elegant rider said no one ever....

onyourright

To their credit, they weren’t talking about how he looks on a bike …

No_Ta_Doctor

Frome the Stage 9 thread

Milton50 wrote:

I always get the feeling that Thomas hasn't got the ruthlessness to be a champion in his own right. He's such a solid, down to earth bloke. Great team mate no doubt but when push comes to shove I don't think he will take his chance.

Do we think it's going to come to pushing and shoving?

I see Sky playing the "two leaders"/ "leader plus plan B protected rider" card a good while longer - barring major time loss anywhere. Froome can attack and Thomas can mark wheels. If the gap is reversed, then Thomas can do the attacking.

I don't see Sky needing to force the issue.

Pross

No tA Doctor wrote:

Frome the Stage 9 thread

Milton50 wrote:

I always get the feeling that Thomas hasn't got the ruthlessness to be a champion in his own right. He's such a solid, down to earth bloke. Great team mate no doubt but when push comes to shove I don't think he will take his chance.

Do we think it's going to come to pushing and shoving?

Only if Moscon takes sides.

kleinstroker

From INRNG

Ag2r La Mondiale's Alexis Vuillermoz abandons the Tour, team down to six riders now. A spectator stepped into the road yesterday to take a photograph and he crashed, breaking his shoulder blade

Hope not a sign of things to come in the mountains.

F'idiots!

tailwindhome

By my reckoning - quickly scanning through Pro Cycling Stats and taking off Vuillermoz

AG2R & Katusha down to 6

Sunweb, Movistar, BMC, Astana, Lotto and Trek are on 7

Everyone else still with 8

DeadCalm

Pross wrote:

No tA Doctor wrote:

Frome the Stage 9 thread

Milton50 wrote:

I always get the feeling that Thomas hasn't got the ruthlessness to be a champion in his own right. He's such a solid, down to earth bloke. Great team mate no doubt but when push comes to shove I don't think he will take his chance.

Do we think it's going to come to pushing and shoving?

Only if Moscon takes sides.

Chapeau.

mididoctors

i think its a fair test for the best all rounder... individual and team.

mididoctors

big blow for bardet....

hypster

I find it amazing that anyone gives credance to the whole Sky "dual leadership" nonsense. The only reason Thomas is being touted as a leader is because it was looking at one point as if Froome was going to be excluded from riding in the Tour. I'm sure in Dave Brailsford's mind there is only one leader of the team and that's where all the effort will be focussed at the appropriate time.

I'm also sure G himself doesn't even really believe he can hold onto Froome's shirt tails when push comes to shove.

m.r.m.

Team Sky will have data on how fast each of them is capable of going up whatever climbs etc. and I'd reckon Thomas can never really stay with Froome, so it's all just smoke and mirrors.

rick_chasey

I want Movistar to treat each mountain day like Quick Step treat one day cobbled races.

pblakeney

lettingthedaysgoby wrote:

How Sky play the Froome/Thomas bit will be interesting, but yeah, other than that you have to say Froome is in a very good position there.

Hedging their bets till yesterday was over.
Normal service resumed come tomorrow.

pblakeney

Rick Chasey wrote:

I want Movistar to treat each mountain day like Quick Step treat one day cobbled races.

I have my doubts about Quintana ever winning a GT. I think he'd be better off chasing the polka dot and stage wins. Less prestige but a higher chance of success. Happy to be proven wrong though.

adr82

TailWindHome wrote:

By my reckoning - quickly scanning through Pro Cycling Stats and taking off Vuillermoz

AG2R & Katusha down to 6

Sunweb, Movistar, BMC, Astana, Lotto and Trek are on 7

Everyone else still with 8

inrng saying Bernal "reportedly has broken fingers" from his BMC team car crash yesterday, in which case Sky might soon be down to 7 as well. I certainly wouldn't want to try riding in the TdF peloton without full use of my hands! Just asking for more crashing surely...

salsiccia1

PBlakeney wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

I want Movistar to treat each mountain day like Quick Step treat one day cobbled races.

I have my doubts about Quintana ever winning a GT. I think he'd be better off chasing the polka dot and stage wins. Less prestige but a higher chance of success. Happy to be proven wrong though.

He's already won 2 and been on the podium 4 other times, so I wouldn't be writing him off just yet

RichN95.

Sky have been quite clear that Froome is leader and Thomas is the back up. The team will ride for Froome but Thomas won't be expected to contribute.

pblakeney

Salsiccia1 wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

I want Movistar to treat each mountain day like Quick Step treat one day cobbled races.

I have my doubts about Quintana ever winning a GT. I think he'd be better off chasing the polka dot and stage wins. Less prestige but a higher chance of success. Happy to be proven wrong though.

He's already won 2 and been on the podium 4 other times, so I wouldn't be writing him off just yet

Hangs head in shame and wanders off muttering that I still do....
:oops:

rick_chasey

RichN95 wrote:

Sky have been quite clear that Froome is leader and Thomas is the back up. The team will ride for Froome but Thomas won't be expected to contribute.

It gets more complicated if Thomas is in yellow.

If you’re Thomas this is your best shot.

Complicated for Froome to take yellow off Thomas without a Thomas collapse or crash.

takethehighroad

Rick Chasey wrote:

RichN95 wrote:

Sky have been quite clear that Froome is leader and Thomas is the back up. The team will ride for Froome but Thomas won't be expected to contribute.

It gets more complicated if Thomas is in yellow.

If you’re Thomas this is your best shot.

Complicated for Froome to take yellow off Thomas without a Thomas collapse or crash.

Not so complicated then lol