The Official 102nd Tour de France, thread.

[Pantani]

OK, so what are they going to do about Sky? BMC, Taxo and Movistar need to hit at the bottom of the penultimate climb and try and test Sky and Froome, surely? Otherwise this is all over already.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Valverde has looked the strongest of the non Sky riders. Perhaps he tries something.

 

[pb21]

I don't think anyone believes they can beat Froome, they are racing for second.

 

[Stat Brother]

That looked pretty brutal.

Although I'm guessing Porte and the quite magnificent G reacted the same as me (us) whenever anyone went off the front:-

'nah he hasn't got it'.

The only time G looked under pressure was when Froome attacked him

 

[Stat Brother]

Stage 12 result

1 Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Team Katusha 5:40:14
2 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team 0:01:12
3 Romain Bardet (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:49

General classification after stage 12

1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 46:50:32
2 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:02:52
3 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 0:03:09
4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:03:58
5 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:04:03
6 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:04:04
7 Robert Gesink (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo 0:05:32
8 Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto Soudal 0:07:32
9 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:07:47

 

[Brixtaan]

Geraint Thomas is heading rapidly towards the British sporting legends hall of fame if he's not there already.

 

[Triggaaar]

Geraint Thomas is heading rapidly towards the British sporting legends hall of fame if he's not there already.

Indeed, he's a machine.

 

[Stat Brother]

Tour de France 2015 Stage 13: Muret - Rodez, 198.5 km





Stats & Facts

Rodez hosts a Tour stage finish for the second time. The first was in 1984, when Pierre-Henri Menthéour won.
After 106 kilometres, halfway between the villages of Mousquette and Mouzieys-Teulet, the Tour reaches the 2,000km mark for 2015.
The last 10 Tours have seen 32 transition stages (between the two main mountain ranges). These have seen 16 bunch sprints and 16 successful breakaways.

Prognostication

 

[pb21]

Sagan for today?

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Tommy V for today if there is a breakaway group...

 

[Pantani]

Could be anything today. Absolutely no idea. I'm going to guess Dan Martin. Cannondale will definitely be looking to get someone in the break, Sky will not chase the break, Sagan would be favourite from a bunch but there is no way Saxo will chase all day either. So I think the break will stay away again.

I've backed my hunch with 50p on Martin at 40-1, and the same on Simon 66-1.

 

[teaboy]

Could be anything today. Absolutely no idea. I'm going to guess Dan Martin. Cannondale will definitely be looking to get someone in the break, Sky will not chase the break, Sagan would be favourite from a bunch but there is no way Saxo will chase all day either. So I think the break will stay away again.

I've backed my hunch with 50p on Martin at 40-1, and the same on Simon 66-1.

Nah, Dan Martin will come in 2nd and bang his bars again. It's his thing, like Cav stopping sprinting just before a line to come 4th...

 

[armchairclubber]

That looked horrible for Peraud, plenty of deep cuts and road rash and not much left of his shorts

 

[Stat Brother]

Jeeez nasty one for Peraud, all that blood and x rated shorts.

 

[Stat Brother]

Stage 12 Result

1 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team 4:43:42
2 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo
3 Jan Bakelants (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:03
4 John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:00:07

General classification after stage 13

1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 51:34:21
2 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:02:52
3 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 0:03:09
4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:03:58
5 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:04:03
6 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:04:04

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Stage 12 Result

1 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team 4:43:42
2 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo
3 Jan Bakelants (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:03
4 John Degenkolb (Ger) Team Giant-Alpecin 0:00:07

General classification after stage 13

1 Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky 51:34:21
2 Tejay Van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team 0:02:52
3 Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team 0:03:09
4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar Team 0:03:58
5 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky 0:04:03
6 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:04:04

In the stage result, you stopped at fourth, missing the unbelieveable list from 6th to tenth: Froome, Nibali, Contador, Valverde and Teejay. Who would have predicted that?

 

[banjo]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/33578004

Richie Porte makes 'punch' claims in 2015 race.

 

[Stat Brother]

In the stage result, you stopped at fourth, missing the unbelieveable list from 6th to tenth: Froome, Nibali, Contador, Valverde and Teejay. Who would have predicted that?

Is it really unbelievable?
I'd say it's possible, even probably, every stage result from Thursday to Paris will look like almost identical.

1st - 4th Stage win chancers.
5th - 10th The GC guys in a blanket finish.
11th on wards - The rest.

It'll only be 'news' if Froome gets dropped from the GC'ers, or the GC'ers lose a minute to Movistar.

 

[Stat Brother]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/33578004

Richie Porte makes 'punch' claims in 2015 race.

It's strange how that report quotes Porte verbatim but omits the part where RP got stuck into media, placing 100% of the blame on their shoulders.

I can't say enough about just how excellent The Telegraph Podcast is.
There probably isn't much benefit to catching up on the PM shows, but 'Kilometre 0' is a superb listen.
It's the first ever 'behind the scenes', 'rye look at', 'beginners guide' that has ever been any good, and it's considerably better than just good.

 

[Stat Brother]

Tour de France 2015 Stage 14: Rodez - Mende, 178.5 km





Stats & Facts

Mende hosts a Tour stage finish for the fourth time.
The climb just before the finish, the Côte de la Croix Neuve, is the steepest classified climb of the whole Tour, at 10.1 per cent, just ahead of the Pyrenean Col de Portet d’Aspet, which is 9.7 per cent (but longer, 4.3km compared to the Croix Neuve’s 3.1km)
The Croix Neuve used to be referred to in the Tour literature as the ‘Montée Laurent Jalabert’ but this appears to have been quietly dropped since the 1995 stage winner here was linked with an alleged positive test dating from 1998.

Prognostication

More of the same, maybe Kristoff will be involved today.