Tour de France 2013 *spoilers*

[The Couch]

"Contador is not the rider he was before his ban..."

Nothing new in that statement ... still like his attacking style though

 

[Herzog]

Nothing new in that statement ... still like his attacking style though

Indeed, on descents and climbs - it's always nice to see and shows he's willing to race!

 

[Andrew_P]

PEN's (Perfromance Enhancing Needles) Ban him!


" Drastic measures for regeneration! This better help! Also had needles in many other places.... Now good night everyone"

 

[Crackle]

When you look at the times up the Alpe second-time around, the suspicious figures are not from Froome or the stage winner, Riblon (who was actually relatively slow at over 43 minutes), but Quintana and Rodriguez. They are also more remarkable than Froome because they seem to be getting better during the race not dropping off in performance (which Froome clearly is) or trying to ride into better form and failing (Contador). That's not to say that are definitely on something - Rodriguez, for example, has clearly been saving himself for the final week, if such a thing is possible. Mind you, no-one this time was anywhere near the best times of Pantani (under 37 minutes!)...

His performance looks right, he's come in in top form, the others haven't and it's cost them, Rodriguez wasn't targetting the Tour. In terms of suspicion, as you say, Quintana ranks higher than Froome on yesterdays performance but again, as noted, the times were credible.

Yesterdays stage was excellent and Riblon's win one for the annals of Tour history, one he won't ever forget either.

 

[Crackle]

Just read Voight came in 15 minutes down and he was still, what, 2 mins ahead of the Yellow Jersey at 12K? I can't quite recall and he suddenly disappeared out of comentary, so I was wondering what happened to him.

 

[MisterStan]

Just read Voight came in 15 minutes down and he was still, what, 2 mins ahead of the Yellow Jersey at 12K? I can't quite recall and he suddenly disappeared out of comentary, so I was wondering what happened to him.

He didn't make it back to the Team Sky car for gels?

 

[Strathlubnaig]

Meanwhile, a scandal is brewing....

 

[rich p]

Another early TV start and no Li'l George today. I'll get back to work on Monday, honest!

 

[Strathlubnaig]

go Elvis !!!!

 

[smutchin]

My right field guesses for today: Fedrigo (my French guess) and De Clercq (patriotic desperation)

Ha! I nearly went for Fedrigo myself.

Trivial anecdote about today's route: on the way up the final climb of the day, they pass through the village of Manigod, which I passed through many years ago while cycling in the Alps with a couple of mates. We spent the afternoon in the bar there, chatting up the local ladies, RichP style. Schoolboy error. We thought we had loads of time in hand but we'd underestimated the distance between A and B, so we ended up camping near the top of the Col de Croix Fry (today's final summit) - really didn't fancy descending in the dark... We asked at a hotel if we could pitch our tents in their grounds and they said yes, albeit very grudgingly. But then in the morning they brought us coffee and freshly baked brioche for breakfast, free of charge... Dammit, I flipping love cycling in the Alps. Want to go back there.

 

[rich p]

I'd have stayed the night with the ladies, Smutch!

 

[rich p]

Apart from that day in the Pyrenees, Richie Porte has been a very impressive lieutenant to Froome.

 

[Strathlubnaig]

Stats time.... alpe climb times (2nd ascent)
1. Nairo Quintana (Movistar) 0:39:49
2. Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) 0:39:52
3. Richie Porte (Sky) 0:40:55
4. Christopher Froome (Sky) 0:40:55
5. Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) 0:40:59
6. Alberto Contador (Saxo) 0:41:52
...
9. Roman Kreuziger (Saxo) 0:42:08
13. Christophe Riblon (AG2R) 0:43:01
21. Bauke Mollema (Belkin) 0:43:50

Quite a slow time for the winner on the day.

 

[smutchin]

I'd have stayed the night with the ladies, Smutch!

There was one young lady I was chatting to in particular... can't remember her name now but I do still remember her shapely posterior, which she wiggled provocatively at me as I rode off up the slopes, never to see her again... It wouldn't have taken much at that moment to persuade me to stop there for the rest of my holiday. *sigh*

I'd have missed the cracking descent off the Croix Fry the next morning though. Not the one they're going down today - we went down the other side towards Chamonix. Not at all technical, just very, very fast...

 

[jifdave]

anyone got a telly link or radio link for today, im confined to my office upstairs so need to stream something.