The Official 101st Tour de France, thread.

[Hamilton]

Not a fan of riders being dropped out the back because the roads are so narrow. Real roads please.

Nobody has really been dropped though have they.

They look like real roads to be. Tarmac and stuff like that.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Nobody has really been dropped though have they.

They look like real roads to be. Tarmac and stuff like that.

Riders shouldn't have to be stopping and getting out of the saddle like that so often. Not in the biggest cycling race of the year.

 

[Bladders]

Riders shouldn't have to be stopping and getting out of the saddle like that so often. Not in the biggest cycling race of the year.

You mean someone stopped peddling!!!

 

[Stat Brother]

I would imagine the noise and intensity of the crowd near the summit as the ''lead riders'' come through is something else ?

At last years ToBritain's last stage in London, Cav won sprinting down towards Downing Street.
The side of the road was jammed 5-10 deep for 750m.

You know how Hollywood enjoys a good 'shockwave' spreading out from the epicentre.

Well that's the only way I can describe the noise of that final sprint.
I couldn't see as I was holding Jnr steady on a green telecom box, but I could certainly sense where Cav was.

The noise surrounding him as he sprinted down the road was almost visible.

I have never experienced anything like that at any football match.

 

[1066familyman]

Nobody has really been dropped though have they.

They look like real roads to be. Tarmac and stuff like that.

Some interesting names in the second group which to be fair probably was caused by a peloton split because of narrow roads and huge crowds at the KOM intermediates. Pinot, Purito, Horner, Riblon & Navarro to name a few. Cav has lost Petacchi from his train too and of second tier sprinters, Modolo is off the back as well. Of course, some of those might just have been dropped for any manner of other reasons.

 

[Stat Brother]

Sherwin and Liggett aren't going to last much longer on Stat TV.

 

[Bladders]

At last years ToBritain's last stage in London, Cav won sprinting down towards Downing Street.
The side of the road was jammed 5-10 deep for 750m.

You know how Hollywood enjoys a good 'shockwave' spreading out from the epicentre.

Well that's the only way I can describe the noise of that final sprint.
I couldn't see as I was holding Jnr steady on a green telecom box, but I could certainly sense where Cav was.

The noise surrounding him as he sprinted down the road was almost visible.

I have never experienced anything like that at any football match.

Londoners being told they have to wait to cross the road cause of some man on a bike, can get very rowdy....

 

[Hamilton]

I put those riders being in that split down to poor judgement as much as crowds. Wrong place wrong time and all that.

I do hope the riders/teams don't start blaming the crowds for poor performance. That would be just wrong.

 

[Stat Brother]

Cav being reported in second group.

 

[1066familyman]

Cav being reported in second group.

Where you reading that?

No such reports on the official ticker or the other forum.

Someone getting him confused with Petacchi perhaps?

This is the very latest from the official ticker:

Six riders are still off the back: Viviani (Cannondale), Petacchi (OPQS), Delage (FDJ), Ji (Giant), Cimolai and Modolo (Lampre). That might impact the preparation of the sprint for Sagan, Cavendish, Démare... and Modolo.

 

[Stat Brother]

IL's mate, Will Fotheringham and others on twitter, reporting French TV
[tweet]485425000418381825[/tweet]


Plenty of back tracking now though, panic over
[tweet]485426241009643520[/tweet]



[tweet]485434350700601344[/tweet]

 

[1066familyman]

Twitter!

Look what a mess that made in the Giro

 

[Pantani]

Sherwin and Liggett aren't going to last much longer on Stat TV.

Who is on Eurosport commentary? I have not checked yet, but it could be the equally risible Carlton Kirby. Such a shame that these clowns still get the gig as there are some decent commentators and pundits working on the lesser races.

Also, can we take the Cycling Geeks attitude to trolls and just ignore them on this thread? They will soon get bored if we do not rise to it.

Just checked, it is Kirby. What a shame.

 

[Pantani]

Gerrans? Phil and Paul, really! Do stop just talking about the four or five English speaking riders you know about. They still talk about Kittel like he is some newbie outsider, rather than the favourite.

 

[Stat Brother]

Keep going P, I can't do it, I know once I start it'll be impossible for me to stop.

 

[1066familyman]

Blimey!, the cast list of those off the back reads like a who's who of Italian second/third tier sprinters

Cimolai
Petacchi
Modolo
Paolini

Viviani was out the back too but back on now.

Richeze there as well doing his bit for the Argentine cause this afternoon.

 

[Hamilton]

Getting tasty now. Lots of movement and jostling.

Why do I have a feeling it's going to be carnage in the last 200m?

 

[Stat Brother]

I'm now getting very 'last minute penalty' nervous.

 

[1066familyman]

Spartacus going nutter!

 

[Bladders]

Spartacus going nutter!

I'm tempted to turn over to see what that means!!