Tour de France 2015 - may contain nuts and SPOILERS

[Louch]

Dint get why people are reading the nonsense on this clinic site

 

[col1888]

Why no accusations of doping against the other GC contenders today ? Cos they all managed to keep up with Froome today ! Such a difference in their performances today, why no suspicion ?

 

[smutchin]

Dint get why people are reading the nonsense on this clinic site

Amusement.

Also, I'm actually interested to get a broad view of the case against Sky - just on the off chance someone says something genuinely insightful amid the current tide of hate against Froome and Thomas that might give me serious reason to shift from my position of believing them to be clean.

Unfortunately, nothing so far.

The broad gist of the Clinic talk is of a 'transformation' in Thomas from nobody to 'GC contender' (is he really a GC contender though?). Those of us who have been following his career closely since the Barloworld days and were tipping him for greatness as long ago as 2009 aren't so surprised. If anything, it's more of a surprise that he hasn't performed at this level before.

 

[raindog]

Why no accusations of doping against the other GC contenders today ? Cos they all managed to keep up with Froome today ! Such a difference in their performances today, why no suspicion ?

Froome didn't really attack. I reckon Brailsford has told him to throttle back out of respect and to calm all the talk down, but I predict there'll be another hamster-wheel display in the Alps to bag another stage.

 

[smutchin]

"If someone is fraudulent in a business, wouldn't they be facing a prison term? I don't see how riders taking drugs to win races and lying to their teams is any different. Bang them up and throw away the key!"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A38643546

I'd call that fairly unequivocal. OK, so he's older, more experienced and probably less naive now, and he wouldn't be the first cyclist to allow his idealism to succumb to professional pressures, but I have faith that he is stronger than that.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

"If someone is fraudulent in a business, wouldn't they be facing a prison term? I don't see how riders taking drugs to win races and lying to their teams is any different. Bang them up and throw away the key!"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A38643546

I'd call that fairly unequivocal. OK, so he's older, more experienced and probably less naive now, and he wouldn't be the first cyclist to allow his idealism to succumb to professional pressures, but I have faith that he is stronger than that.

He was right about Cav too...

 

[smutchin]

Interesting reading from the archive...
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/geraint-thomas-and-tdf.117555/

Thomas was looking very capable in the mountains in the TdF last year [2011].

Geraint is said to have one of the best engines of any rider, he can climb and will improve with a few less kg to drag up the mountains.

 

[Berk on a Bike]

This thread warns of containing nuts. Here's one...

 

[Incontinentia Buttocks]

That was brilliant, good God I do so love the Tour de France.

 

[400bhp]

The talk of doping is boring. They have only done just 3 mountain stages FFS. And in only one of them did Sky put the hammer down. Very clever, they basically scared the rest of the GC shatlass into not attacking yesterday and today.

But they must be doping cos [insert absolutely any reason one can think of, be that from pretending to hold back on a stage to no-one seeing them stopping for a pee mid race]

 

[Crackle]

Tremendous ride by Rodriguez today. 2nd stage win, just when I thought he was past his best, shows what I know.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

We're catching up now, Phil just queried Jens on whether he felt the breakaway would still be caught at 12 mins out and 75k left. We so desperately wanted him to reply "Shut up Liggs" this may become our catch phrase every time Jens is asked anything from now on...

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Notably absent in the attacks was Teejay. I've just started wondering whether he's simply tagging the Sky lot, and not responding to attacks. Whatever, it's not doing him any harm.

 

[jarlrmai]

He's closest to Froome, stay on his tail and hope for a cockup.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

He's closest to Froome, stay on his tail and hope for a cockup.

I was wondering whether it was more a question of simply staying in touch - ignore the attacks because the likes of GT will drag things back without a sudden change in tempo. So while we've pretty much forgotten about him, all he needs is a decisive attack in one of the last stages of the Alps.