The Official 101st Tour de France, thread.

[Pantani]

P&P were reporting Mr Lotto saying Griepel lost his bottle yesterday, touching his brakes a couple of times, in the last corners.

I have heard that too, makes you further question why Lotto are doing any work. He needs to get his head right soon or he might as well go home, a sprinter who is afraid of going fast is not a lot of use.

If Demare backs out of it today he might be worth a punt tomorrow.

He is one of the outside punts I was considering for tomorrow. Terpstra being the other, though he has fallen off twice today so perhaps not. All depends on the prices though.

 

[Pantani]

Lotto using the right tactic now, no one on the front. Strange way of going about it though...

 

[Pantani]

This wet doesn't look good for Greipel, even Sagan has been down.

 

[Pantani]

AHH! F***ing Robbie McEwan again, every bloody day. What is wrong with these two.

 

[strings]

Kittel = a machine.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Kristoff was a great effort. Having to lead them all out that far out in the spint and to just get overhauled by Kittel.

 

[Stat Brother]

An odd lack of celebration, they made it seem closer than a 'never in doubt' half a bike.
Demare had a 'moment' a couple of hundred metres back.

Did anyone notice Sagan following Kittel's wheel, there was a gap Kittel shouldn't have made it through, let alone Sagan behind him.
It was just after Phil said, 'Sagan is miles back and out of this one'

Tomorrow is going to be MESSY.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Kristoff was a great effort. Having to lead them all out that far out in the spint and to just get overhauled by Kittel.

He was angry with himself though wasn't he, slapped his bars as he realised he had a great chance then, perhaps gave Kittel too much respect?

 

[Bold Seagull]

An odd lack of celebration, they made it seem closer than a 'never in doubt' half a bike.
Demare had a 'moment' a couple of hundred metres back.

Did anyone notice Sagan following Kittel's wheel, there was a gap Kittel shouldn't have made it through, let alone Sagan behind him.
It was just after Phil said, 'Sagan is miles back and out of this one'

Tomorrow is going to be MESSY.

I'm thinking Sagan is looking at this tour as picking up the intermediate sprints that Kittel doesn't seem interested in, then just get his wheel and finish as close behind him as he can. He definitely seemed content today to just follow him in - although that seems a feat in itself.

Not sure the lack of celebration is just exhaustion for Kittel, I think he genuinely didn't have anything left then, and as Tyrone said I think Kristoff knew he could have done better had he not started his sprint so far back - thats the way my inexperienced eye saw it anyway.

 

[teaboy]

It was closer than Kittel wanted it to be, hence the lack of celebration I reckon. He looked wrecked at the end too. Lotto and OPQS are both doing far too much work considering one team has a sprinter who won't and the other has one that can't. It's difficult to see anyone other than Kittel winning any of the sprint stages from now on, especially with Henderson out.

Bring on the pavé!!

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

Can't help thinking that was a sprint for cav. Kittel had to go from a long way out and was rope for a burst off his wheel!

Anyways, tomorrow should be interesting!

 

[Stat Brother]

Can't help thinking that was a sprint for cav. Kittel had to go from a long way out and was rope for a burst off his wheel!

Anyways, tomorrow should be interesting!

Where would Cav have been as Kittel had 'borrowed' his lead out man!!

 

[Bold Seagull]

Just watched the highlights, if Kristoff could have just got 50m more out of his lead out man that was his. Not sure if they'll be sitting together on the bus or not as perhaps his team mate went too hard too early rather than leading him in a bit further than he did.

 

[1066familyman]

Only one bet for today Coquard £1 at 20-1 e/w and on the nose. I don't think anyone else believes that they can beat Kittel, I don't really think Coquard can, but at least he thinks he can do it.

It is probably heart ruling head though, he is my new favourite sprinter.

I like your style P, bet on riders you'd like to win, even when your head says they probably won't. I'm prone to that, especially with young riders, Frenchies, or breakaway merchants.

I'm liking Coquard too, and he is worth a punt, but you know you're pretty much betting on a crash to beat Kittel. I checked back on my Danny Van Poppel bet for last years stage one as was basically betting on the crash - the £1 e/w @200/1 returned £51. You'll never get odds like that on young Danny or Bryan now though.

Agree with what everyone else is saying - sprint teams are just gifting it to Giant Shimano by doing all the work and letting them just do the last 3k or so. Not saying Kittel isn't head and shoulders above the rest of the sprinters, because he is, but we're yet to really see how good he is at jumping onto other trains if the wheels fall off his own brilliant one. Cav has always proved he can do that in the past, but it's a bit of an unknown for Kittel I reckon.

 

[1066familyman]

Just watched the highlights, if Kristoff could have just got 50m more out of his lead out man that was his. Not sure if they'll be sitting together on the bus or not as perhaps his team mate went too hard too early rather than leading him in a bit further than he did.

Possibly. I'm convinced that if he hadn't had to swerve around the Cav crash on stage one then a top 3 was his on his birthday. I had him at 25/1 for that stage too

 

[Stat Brother]

If Cancellara ends up doing all the work.
Or him and Sagan mark each other out of it, there's some money to be made.

http://www.oddschecker.com/cycling/tour-de-france/stage-5/winner

I'd have liked GVA, if he wasn't so far up GC, and only 12's ish.
Boom at the bigger end is interesting.
Summeren or Paolini?

 

[1066familyman]

Haussler seems to be in good form. Surprised he's as long as 66/1 for tomorrow. There's a cobble section only 6km from the finish, so whilst Canc is up the road leaving everyone eating dust it could be carnage behind. Haussler could just be the man to lead in the best of the rest. More likely the likes of GVA, Degenkolb, Demare, Sagan & Co. but their odds are not great for this.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Haussler seems to be in good form. Surprised he's as long as 66/1 for tomorrow. There's a cobble section only 6km from the finish, so whilst Canc is up the road leaving everyone eating dust it could be carnage behind. Haussler could just be the man to lead in the best of the rest. More likely the likes of GVA, Degenkolb, Demare, Sagan & Co. but their odds are not great for this.

That section 6km from the end, is it the Arenburg Trench? If so that is more than just a section of cobbles, it's THE section of cobbles.

Having had to pull out of going to Yorkshire, [MENTION=225]Hamilton[/MENTION] will be at the trench. He has taken Mrs Hamilton and a bike, and has told me he intends to make Mrs H ride the cobbles.

Not the way to encourage a happy marriage.

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

That section 6km from the end, is it the Arenburg Trench? If so that is more than just a section of cobbles, it's THE section of cobbles.

Having had to pull out of going to Yorkshire, [MENTION=225]Hamilton[/MENTION] will be at the trench. He has taken Mrs Hamilton and a bike, and has told me he intends to make Mrs H ride the cobbles.

Not the way to encourage a happy marriage.

Mrs IL would be livid if I suggested that. She's hurt her knee and can only do the occasional bit on the bike rather than running..... My god, you'd think I was personally inflicting torture!

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Mrs IL would be livid if I suggested that. She's hurt her knee and can only do the occasional bit on the bike rather than running..... My god, you'd think I was personally inflicting torture!

Mrs PM would laugh at me. And shake her head.

She would then carry on with whatever she was doing beforehand.