The Official 99th Tour de France thread, 2012.

[Seagull over Canaryland]

That was seriously impressive. Bring on Sunday, Cav now looks in the mood.

Zut alors! French President chose the wrong day to visit the TdF, Brit Yellow Jersey and Brit Stage winner..........te he.

 

[Stoichkov]

Crikey!

I thought he was far too far back but - wow!

With Wiggins well placed to win tomorrow and then Cav on Sunday - will it ever get any better than this for the UK at the Tour? Who knows...

 

[teaboy]

Crikey!

I thought he was far too far back but - wow!

With Wiggins well placed to win tomorrow and then Cav on Sunday - will it ever get any better than this for the UK at the Tour? Who knows...

I can't see how it can, to be honest. Yellow Jersey for 2 weeks, 1st and 2nd place, wearing the Rainbow Jersey, 5 (possibly 7) stage wins from 4 different riders. There's only the points and mountains jersey missing.

What would be better?

 

[Stat Brother]

For newbies watching now and tonight, there's some great shots as to why Cav is so fast.

Compare his position on the bike with Goss (a proper sprinter) and Sagan a lesser sprinter.

Cav is incredibly low down over the handlebars, in a near perfect aerodynamic position.
whereas everyone else are so comparatively upright.

 

[Stat Brother]

I can't see how it can, to be honest. Yellow Jersey for 2 weeks, 1st and 2nd place, wearing the Rainbow Jersey, 5 (possibly 7) stage wins from 4 different riders. There's only the points and mountains jersey missing.

What would be better?

Me in yellow

 

[teaboy]

Me in yellow

That dog has more chance! ;-)

 

[Stat Brother]

That dog have more chance! ;-)

I'd never get him out of the Pyrenees, he cried all the way home, when we left The Lake District.

 

[Stat Brother]

Oh just in case it's been missed.

Chris Froome has been pencilled into the Vuelta.

So he'll be pitting himself against Contador and Andy Schleck.

 

[Driver8]

Here's British Cycling's anti-doping page from the website: Anti-Doping Update

Can you please point me to the FA page? I've searched their website, but don't seem able to see it...

You can't have searched very hard

The FA | My Football - VIDEO: Anti-Doping procedures explained

The largest anti-doping programme of any sport in the UK.

 

[Was not Was]

Cav today was astonishing. The camera view from the front fore-shortens, making gaps look smaller - and it still looked impossible!

 

[teaboy]

You can't have searched very hard

The FA | My Football - VIDEO: Anti-Doping procedures explained

The largest anti-doping programme of any sport in the UK.

I put 'anti-doping' into the search box on the website - nothing came up.

Who is eligible for testing though? ALL cyclists with a racing licence is eligible for testing (including me - and I'm slow!). If I play football socially (like I race bikes), am I eligble to be tested? Do ALL players in the pyramid (at any level) have to sign up to the code? (genuine question, btw)

 

[Driver8]

I put 'anti-doping' into the search box on the website - nothing came up.

Who is eligible for testing though? ALL cyclists with a racing licence is eligible for testing (including me - and I'm slow!). If I play football socially (like I race bikes), am I eligble to be tested? Do ALL players in the pyramid (at any level) have to sign up to the code? (genuine question, btw)

No idea, I assume it is just pros mainly but I guess the FA could test anyone playing in an FA registered league if they wanted? I didn't bother watching the video!

 

[Stat Brother]

No idea, I assume it is just pros mainly but I guess the FA could test anyone playing in an FA registered league if they wanted? I didn't bother watching the video!

The questions I can never get answers to are:-

How many drug tests are there, on each top flight player, a year?

&

What are the players tested for?

I think you'll find the answer to these questions will go some way to show why you think football doesn't have a drug problem and why I think you are naive, at best.




There's plenty written on this subject predominately in the 'Lance' thread.
I'm just about done, and don't want to carry it on, this of all weekends.

I clean British rider is about to do something that's never been done before, and cause for a massive celebration.

So you'll have to forgive me, for not engaging any more with you, here, on this subject.

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

The questions I can never get answers to are:-

How many drug tests are there, on each top flight player, a year?

&

What are the players tested for?

I think you'll find the answer to these questions will go some way to show why you think football doesn't have a drug problem and why I think you are naive, at best.

This. I'm sure there's a lot of internal testing at football clubs to ensure players are forewarned. They are never going risk assets like that.

 

[Barry Izbak]

Slightly O/T but I smile every time they advertise the bike cleaning product during the ad breaks

Muc-Off

Juvenile sense of humour? Yep

 

[Indurain's Lungs]

Tight in the fantasy league. Pantani has lost top spot but looks to be saving transfers for the final weekend.

 

[Stat Brother]

Tight in the fantasy league. Pantani has lost top spot but looks to be saving transfers for the final weekend.

I thought, Le Tour was a week long race, is fantasy still going



I dropped Roy, yesterday, and gifted today's result by picking Griepel.

 

[Barry Izbak]

Mark Cavendish

 

[Stat Brother]

stage 18 result:-

1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling 4:54:12
2 Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
3 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale
4 Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Rabobank Cycling Team
5 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale
6 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Sharp
7 Borut Bozic (Slo) Astana Pro Team
8 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
9 Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team
10 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne

Points classification:-

1 Peter Sagan (Svk) Liquigas-Cannondale 386 pts provisional WINNER
2 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Belisol Team 264
3 Matthew Harley Goss (Aus) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team 238
4 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Sky Procycling 175
5 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky Procycling 146
6 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Sky Procycling 124
7 Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky Procycling 108
8 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 100
9 Daryl Impey (RSA) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team 98
10 Sébastien Hinault (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 93

Lanterne Rouge (the only 'battle' left):-

146 Aliaksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Katusha Team 3:33:21
147 Albert Timmer (Ned) Argos-Shimano 3:33:44
148 Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Garmin - Sharp 3:34:50
149 Julien Fouchard (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 3:36:14
150 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Orica GreenEdge Cycling Team 3:39:25
151 Tyler Farrar (USA) Garmin - Sharp 3:43:58
152 Jan Ghyselinck (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne 3:48:24
153 Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Saur - Sojasun 3:49:09

 

[Pantani]

Tight in the fantasy league. Pantani has lost top spot but looks to be saving transfers for the final weekend.

Indeed, four transfers for me leaving a team of:

Wiggins, Froome, TJvG, Velits, Grivko, Voigt, Iziguirre, Urtasun and Simon

Pretty confident of a 1,2,3 and three other points scorers.