Whilst Bardet has impressed me a lot with his attacking riding, and I have been rooting for him, I'm glad he hasn't had the yellow jersey so far. The combination of yellow jersey and brown shorts would have been just too much for me. He'd look like a bruised banana.
Got something to say or just want fewer pesky ads? Join us... 😊
The Official 104th Tour de France thread
- Thread starter Pantani
- Start date
Whilst Bardet has impressed me a lot with his attacking riding, and I have been rooting for him, I'm glad he hasn't had the yellow jersey so far. The combination of yellow jersey and brown shorts would have been just too much for me. He'd look like a bruised banana.
1066familyman
Radio User
- Jan 15, 2008
- 15,185
Stage 19
Temping then Trig?
I wonder where Pantani went. Perhaps he's been beaten into boredom by the Sky train as well?
Pogue Mahone
Well-known member
- Apr 30, 2011
- 10,733
I've really enjoyed the Tour this year. Yes, the Sky train is dull, but it hasn't been as all-powerful this year. If Rigo has a great day tomorrow, the final outcome may even be undecided as yet, and the top 6 all within three minutes going into the final weekend is almost unheard of.
And Dan Martin. Would he have made the podium, as I ludicrously predicted, if Porte hadn't taken him out?
Postman Pat
Well-known member
Stage 19
One for the sprinter left in the race, or more likely a breakaway win today?
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
Fancy another Bossan-Hagen / Matthews tight one on the line, Hagen with a familiar slap of the bars as he narrowly misses out again...
Yeah I thought I might as well post if no one else will. I'm not bored by the Sky train, I'm just constantly impressed. The work those guys put in is as impressive as winning the tour. Perhaps the difference is that I gave up watching the tour many years ago because of all the doping, while maybe the regulars are more used to superhuman efforts, and mountain sprints.
The big disappointed for me this year (aside from Cav and Sagan crashing) was the lack of any effort to challenge Kittel. And I don't mean the sprinters themselves, who simply couldn't match him, but their whole teams that refused to even try something different. Pathetic. However, given how well Matthews caught up in the points race since the earlier Kittel wins (not to mention how well Barguil has done), there's obviously no criticism of Sunweb, and maybe Lotto–Soudal couldn't be bothered as Greipel just isn't up to it this year.
As for the yellow jersey, has it ever been this close?
Probably a typo but there does seem to be pretty much only 1 sprinter left!
Don't get taken in by 1066's 'blindspot',
when it comes to the Sky Train, tbh over the course of 3 weeks I don't think they've been that controlling, definitely going for quality over quantity.Just like last year Froome has livened up the race while is Uran is third, a mechanical tomorrow away from winning, while he or his team haven't had their nose in the wind for more than 10 seconds all tour.
Yet many people would 'love it' if Uran pulled off the win.
I agree about the sprints, I thought they would be shared out among x riders (and fantasied accordingly) not expecting total dominance from 1 rider.
That said he did do it in various styles so beyond Bodnars flying off the front, there doesn't seem like much that could be done.
Despite the criticism I think the parcour has been pretty good.
The sprinter stages weren't sneaky, 'ah sprint today, I'll be back at 4'.
Sure a 4 man break is pretty disheartening but all the other stages have had something about them.
Indeed.
I'm not sure he'd have won 5 if Cav and Sagan were there. If Kittel kept winning, Sagan wouldn't have just sat back and watched, he'd have at attacked during the stage etc. Cav hadn't been in great form, but he's enjoyed taking Kittel's wheel in the past, so may have managed to beat him once.
Not that I didn't enjoy Kittel's sprints, he was ****ing immense. But seeing no one even attempt to stop him was depressing.
1066familyman
Radio User
- Jan 15, 2008
- 15,185
Don't get taken in by 1066's 'blindspot',
Just like last year Froome has livened up the race while is Uran is third, a mechanical tomorrow away from winning, while he or his team haven't had their nose in the wind for more than 10 seconds all tour.
Yet many people would 'love it' if Uran pulled off the win.
I agree about the sprints, I thought they would be shared out among x riders (and fantasied accordingly) not expecting total dominance from 1 rider.
That said he did do it in various styles so beyond Bodnars flying off the front, there doesn't seem like much that could be done.
Despite the criticism I think the parcour has been pretty good.
The sprinter stages weren't sneaky, 'ah sprint today, I'll be back at 4'.
Sure a 4 man break is pretty disheartening but all the other stages have had something about them.
A blind spot you say.
You might enjoy watching SPL football but it's no fun for me and millions of others.
So, not a lot happening on the road, and they're discussing the unwritten rules, and Aru attacking Froome when he had a mechanical. They're also adding in the fact that there is an imbalance due to the different budgets within teams, as if that makes it then ok.
IMO, the problem is that if you decide that actually it's ok to attack someone's mechanical, then the whole race will be about whose bike doesn't fail. Every time someone has a mechanical, everyone will attack. That would also favour a well funded team, as at least Froome would have a group wait to collect him (or take the bike of a teammate), whereas Aru would be completely dumped if he got a mechanical. Is that really what we want the race to be?
They might as well attack on Sunday while Chris and the team are toasting Champagne.
IMO, the problem is that if you decide that actually it's ok to attack someone's mechanical, then the whole race will be about whose bike doesn't fail. Every time someone has a mechanical, everyone will attack. That would also favour a well funded team, as at least Froome would have a group wait to collect him (or take the bike of a teammate), whereas Aru would be completely dumped if he got a mechanical. Is that really what we want the race to be?
They might as well attack on Sunday while Chris and the team are toasting Champagne.
Think whole thing with the unwritten rules is inconsistent approach. Don't have a problem with it myself but all the riders need to be going by the same standards. No point having half the riders thinking it is ok and half thinking it isn't. Either everyone knows it is fine to capitalise on crashes or mechanicals or no one should do so.
That's not really what happened though, is it.
Aru and Quintana, knowing they weren't up to the race, thought 'oh I can take advantage of this', while everybody else said 'show some class'.
Nobody is mentioning Froome's wheel change as AG2R carried on drilling at the front.
At no point did either of those 2 step up with Bardet, because they couldn't.
It's because AG2R were already attacking and didn't launch an attack to specifically capitalise on the yellow jersey's misfortune. There is a nuance to the situations. Like I said I have no problem with the concept of it but all the riders need to be going by the same unwritten rules.
There's your answer
Not really, there's competition and exploitation.
You've lost me, I wasn't asking a question.
There isn't nuance, there aren't too many grey areas, and there certainly isn't a half and half split as to who does what.
Aru's move was wrong, every including Aru knew it, as it's all he had to force an advantage I don't really hold it against him.
I just don't understand why it's still a 'thing', esp when AG2R showed how it's done completely undermining Aru's whole arguement.
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
Genius.