Tour de France 2012 (with SPOILERS)

[thom]

Interesting insight into the Froome Wiggins tension here. Froome's girlfriend claims he executed a rope a dope move going up to La Toussuire. I'm surprised by the resentment of Wiggo (well of Cath Wiggins' comments, who subsequently killed her twitter account...) so perhaps there is a bit more Hinault-Lemond than Indurain-Delgado to the situation.

 

[Noodley]

Soap Opera Tour.

 

[thom]

Soap Opera Tour.

Indeed - Sean Yates has first dibs on the shifty cockny part :
http://video.cyclingnews.com/video/sean-yates-on-wiggins-and-froome-23n6nic3RtRin

 

[Noodley]

Whatever the soap operas behind the racing...I am loving the Tour, loving the Brit victories, loving Wiggins...and amazed that on Bastillle day the stage route is dull.

 

[thom]

Whatever the soap operas behind the racing...I am loving the Tour, loving the Brit victories, loving Wiggins...and amazed that on Bastillle day the stage route is dull.

There's a cheeky 20% section at Mt St Clair, 20km from the end to liven things up - Chavanel, Gilbert or Sagan ?

 

[smutchin]

Jeremy Roy

 

[johnr]

I think Sky will want to help Cav get rid of a bit of that excess weight by dragging him up the hill and kicking his b@m all the way to the line

 

[PaulSB]

Sorry if this has been asked already but I haven't been able to follow the thread.

What's the position if Wiggins/Froome go into the final day or two 1st and 2nd and become unassailable at some point, even in the last few kilometres.

Does Froome let Wiggins win or would Sky simply let their men battle it out?

 

[Steve H]

Back to a flat day and hopefully a bunch sprint, unless of course the wind along the coast splits the peloton.

Cav's been the water-boy for a few stages now, so I'm thinking he'll be absolutely itching to kick those legs today. Sky will want Wiggo up front to avoid being caught behind in a peloton split, so I think Cav will get dragged to within 1km of the line. He then just has to figure out who to follow to the line.

My money is on a Cav, Griepel one-two today.

 

[raindog]

Back to a flat day and hopefully a bunch sprint,

It might not be with Mont St Clair near the end - watch out for it. I very much doubt Cav or Greipel will get over it with the leaders. I'm hoping the first guys over the top will be able to form a group and get all the way to the Cap.

And please watch out for the helicopter shots of them going through Séte with it's canals and boats.

Still not decided where I'll be yet, but I'll be wearing a flourescent badger suit with Y fronts over the top.

 

[yello]

Sean Yates doesn't sound convinced does he? I hear what he's saying, and respect the 'play your crards' line (he's right of course) but I don't hear ringing endorsement for Wiggins. I get the impression he feels Froome is the 'better' rider (whatever his definition of that might be).

 

[yello]

I've never seen a fluorescent badger. Not sure whether that'll make raindog easy to spot or not.

 

[Noodley]

Today's not-very-intersteing fact: There have been 31 French winners of a stage on Bastille Day since the first tour in 1903...and there have been 2 British winners on Bastille Day: Cav in 2009 and Barry Hoban in 1967. There have also been 16 rest days on Bastille Day.

 

[Peteaud]

Froome v wiggins for the TDF.

Now if you printed that a few years ago you would be locked up in the nuthouse.

2 Brits could be 1st and 2nd in the TDF

 

[yello]

Today's not-very-intersteing fact:

I thought it was going to be that Bradley Wiggins was born in Ghent.