Reply With QuoteOnly managed to follow cycling news text updates throughout the day whilst at work. But watched the TV highlights when I got home.
Love the following the Tour each year. But don't really follow the roadie season outside it.
Today the Tour had another memorable day.
Not just because the average speed was véry high but first for a pile up at high speed which saw an unprecedented neutralisation for a fall.
Do look that fall up on youtube. Frightening and the concrete post does not help.
Then at the finish Froome was not given the 2 seconds he finished after the winner and so is in the yellow with 1 sec. ahead of Martin.
Only managed to follow cycling news text updates throughout the day whilst at work. But watched the TV highlights when I got home.
Love the following the Tour each year. But don't really follow the roadie season outside it.
Froome rode strongly on the last climb, but look at Geraint Thomas he was ahead of froome and waiting for him, brings back memories of Froome being the domestique for Brad
I came in from work, put on the telly - only a few meters before the accident! Man, oh man what a mayhem!
Dutch newspaper sites are stating that Cancellara is not going back on the saddle tomorrow.
Menno
Yes scáry!!Originally Posted by thieuster
I was tensioning because of the pole. At that speed I was expecting them to hit the pole.
At first the historic decision to neutralise the race seemd odd but the reasoning was logical and entirely correct: The fall saw so many riders in ambulances that there were no more ambulances in the region available for the tour. As such the event HAD to be temporarily stopped.
It all demonstrates what incredible ´bikkels´these guys are. Imagine have a good part of your back grazed and a whole Tour yet to go. It makes me shudder and that is not by far the worst some suffered and are continuing with!
About the ranking Tony Martin now has two days he should have been in yellow but is not.
Back to today there is basically only the pavé, probably rainy, as complicating factor.
Didn't Froome finish 0.93 seconds behind J Rod so was given the same time?
This tour is shaping up to be as mental as the Giro was, just on an even bigger scale.
He seems to have been gíven 0.93.
Most timed him closer to 1.93.
Either way 0.0 is sour for Martin.
Whatever, it is the way it is.
What is too, is a véry entertaining pavé bit today.
Gerechtigheid!!!!!!
Well done Tony Martin, well deserved, took his shot and smashed it.
On a too small bike of his team mate when he had a flat after the last pavé. They then raced back to the leading group which was not exactly hanging about.
Impressive and indeed só deserved.
Great ride by Tony Martin. Caught them napping. Delighted for the bloke.
Especially as the last 20km or so he was on his teammates bike from what I can make out.
Very pleased for Tony Martin but overall a very strong day for the GC boys - other than Pinot who even at this stage, looks out of it now.
Froome looks strong and the gap he had means that it won't just be Sky doing the work.
So far, so good.........gonna be riveting for the next few weeks....
Still four possibly five strong candidates with not much between them. Even some outsiders this year. Lóve it when there is not a gleaming favorite.
Yes Pinot seems a flower with a broken stem. The way he responded to technical problems was thé most starkest contrast possible to Martin. He is most definitely out of it.
Though not the top favorites Valverde was very much on the ball yesterday and I was also surprised by Quintana. He stayed at the front over the pavé even!
As to doing the work it ís prize money the guys are pedalling for and controling the front may be work but that is what they dó. So yes trying to keep the yellow jersey early on is a double edged sword but also money in the bag nów whereas aiming for the win in Paris is a gamble.
Oh, lóved the photo of his bandaged Tour lion posted by Cancellara.
Very good fortune for Froome to get the yellow jersey when he did - having your car up front for the cobbles could have been priceless. I don't think they'll be too disappointed to lose it though. Takes a bit of the pressure of the next few stages which should be a bit calmer!
That's a very fitting analogy - he is a delicate petal. His head was all wrong yesterday and when the bike broke down (electrics failed apparently) he lost the plot like a stroppy teenager.
Was it Pinot that had a load of therapy a few years back to help him descend - he was petrified of going fast downhill? I think it was him. According to one of the journos at the tour, Bonnet's crash the day before affected Pinot quite badly too so his head was already in a bad place.
You can't see any of the big four getting that affected mentally and until Pinot sorts that side of his game out I'm not sure he'll ever be a real GT contender.
Martin out
After an odd fall in the last km. Martin has not ´just´broken his collarbone. It is a multiple fracture and one splinter pierced the skin making it a open fracture. The foolhardy among us know that even if you wánt to be stupid, this puts a stop to whatever you want. It is a NoGo.
I feel só sad for the guy. I was hóping it would be a ´simple´ fracture but this is a bád one.
Little solace that he has put on the yellow and that his team won the stage again.
That is two favourites out with serious injury.
Whát? No, that is two favorites wearing the yellow jersey out!
This ´tops´ even last year´s sad record.
Last edited by Huertecilla; 10th July 2015 at 10:42.
Well, not really, Martin and Cancellara weren't exactly favourites to win. Unless you just mean two of your favourite riders?
Contador, Froome, Nibali and Quintana (the "big four") are all still in the game - can't wait for the mountains!
Cheers,
Mark C
Big shame that Martin did not get to enjoy a few more days in yellow. However, we all know he would have lost it as soon as the tour hits the mountains.
Froome is looking good so far and maybe Thomas will replace Porte as his trusty lieutenant, an excellent first week for him.
I think it's more of a shame that Martin didn't get to carry the jersey into the TTT on Sunday - a big loss for Etixx and with OGE down to 6 (?) it's there for BMC or Sky to take. Although with three national champions, Movistar might be in with a shout... actually, I've no idea, like most stages in this tour it's wide open!
Porte is supposed to be off to BMC in the Winter, looking for more GC opportunities I guess. Thomas and Stannard have been excellent in this first week though - perhaps not idea for the high mountains but that's when Poels, Konig, Porte and Roche should come into their own.
Regardless, my point is that two top notch riders are out with serious injuries while wearing the yellow.
Froome already had a narrow escape from a gutter while wearing it so he should be ok, no?!
Extraordinary climbing from Froome today. Movistar doing a fantastic job of launching Sky up the road, again... After all the nonsense being talked about his power figures this morning the Clinic will be going mental about now!
It's going to take a pretty dramatic set of events to take the yellow jersey off his back now.
Fantastic riding by Chris Froome, great team support, let's hope if there is a chance for froome to let Richie Porte win a mountain stage.
Wiggins should have let froome go on a mountain stage when he won the yellow jersey?
Last edited by ml.williams; 14th July 2015 at 16:46. Reason: Auto correct Spelling
Great riding, great for Froome and team, great for his fans, less so for the fans of a close competition as indeed it will take some dramatics for a turns of events.
Ah well, the mountains will still offer a worthwhile cycling spectacle.
The climbs are incredible but the descents are just unbelievable - those guys must have balls the size of water melons.......!!
Renshaw tweeted yesterday evening that his max speed was 107kph......!!
Bardul (??spello) working through the cars & a cow on his way back had me hiding behind the sofa.....
big respect.........
I really enjoyed watching yesterday. As stated Barduil's descent of the Tourmalet was impressive. I rode the Tourmalet and Col d'Aspin last year doing it in reverse to what they did yesterday. Getting to the top of the Tourmalet is one of my all time cycling highlights!
Imo these pro cyclists are véry special.
Not only is their physical effort extreme, they take horrendous falls in their stride, they have incredible roadcraft etc.
They are top athletes, as tough as it come, with real courage and skills matching the lot.
I live in the south and see them doing all of this under the blazing andalucian sun which chases spectators into the shade. The roads here are at times plain horrible. They are something else these guys.
Last edited by Huertecilla; 16th July 2015 at 13:40.
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