Tour de France 2015 - may contain nuts and SPOILERS

[HF2300]

This is feeling like the calm before the storm...

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

A celebration, a sprint fest and a spectacle.

Zzzzzzzzz, lets see some action!!

 

[coffeejo]

A celebration, a sprint fest and a spectacle.

The laps round the Champs-Elysée is a race. Nothing processional about it. I'm still grinning at Millar's breakaway two years ago.

 

[Wafer]

They must have slowed a fair bit - Geniez has put more time on and he's not going that quickly

Apparently maxed at about 93kmh on the descent, sounds quite quick!

 

[rich p]

I would cycle up it for a basket of puppies.

puppies and chips? I'm shocked Jo!

 

[HF2300]

The laps round the Champs-Elysée is a race. Nothing processional about it. I'm still grinning at Millar's breakaway two years ago.

I know he was upset about being dropped last year, but I always felt that was a perfect way to bow out (as I think Millar did, in hindsight)

 

[coffeejo]

puppies and chips? I'm shocked Jo!

I'd need a whole dog basket's worth to recover

 

[rich p]

The laps round the Champs-Elysée is a race. Nothing processional about it. I'm still grinning at Millar's breakaway two years ago.

Oh yes, a race within a race, but the GC is a glass of bubbly before the mayhem of the Champs.

 

[Saluki]

A celebration, a sprint fest and a spectacle.

I suppose so but if Quintana finishes within breathing space of Froome, would he seriously not give it a bash? I seem to remember back in the 80s LeMond nicking the win from Fignon at the 11th hour

I used to race horses (motorbikes and land rovers too as it happens) and, over distance races you kept trying to win until the very bitter end. Tradition & spectacle is all very well but surely the aim is to win and not say - the day before the end - 'heigh ho, I was only 10 seconds adrift so I suppose that I'd better just give up gracefully'.

 

[rich p]

I suppose so but if Quintana finishes within breathing space of Froome, would he seriously not give it a bash? I seem to remember back in the 80s LeMond nicking the win from Fignon at the 11th hour

I used to race horses (motorbikes and land rovers too as it happens) and, over distance races you kept trying to win until the very bitter end. Tradition & spectacle is all very well but surely the aim is to win and not say - the day before the end - 'heigh ho, I was only 10 seconds adrift so I suppose that I'd better just give up gracefully'.

If you read back upthread after yesterday's stage it was discussed in full

 

[coffeejo]

I know he was upset about being dropped last year, but I always felt that was a perfect way to bow out (as I think Millar did, in hindsight)

Think he's said that in a couple of interviews.

 

[coffeejo]

If you read back upthread after yesterday's stage it was discussed in full

And on the "last day of the TDF" thread.

 

[rich p]

And on the "last day of the TDF" thread.

I had the good fortune to miss that entirely!

 

[HF2300]

I suppose so but if Quintana finishes within breathing space of Froome, would he seriously not give it a bash? I seem to remember back in the 80s LeMond nicking the win from Fignon at the 11th hour

I used to race horses (motorbikes and land rovers too as it happens) and, over distance races you kept trying to win until the very bitter end. Tradition & spectacle is all very well but surely the aim is to win and not say - the day before the end - 'heigh ho, I was only 10 seconds adrift so I suppose that I'd better just give up gracefully'.

The Lemond vs Fignon thing was an individual time trial which they don't do anymore. As @smutchin said yesterday, in practice if they do race it rarely if ever results in a change of leader, so the tradition of relaxing and leading it to the sprinters has evolved

 

[rich p]

Funny interview with Lemond re 1986 just now.