Tour de France 2015 - may contain nuts and SPOILERS

[The Couch]

So much for Nibali looking strong!

I am sticking to the "some illness is/has been going round in the Astana-bus"
With Taaramae stepping out yesterday, the sudden drop of "new leader" Fuglsang and Nibali seemingly improving (albeit not enough)

Mollema is already warming us for his aggressive game plan today:
(Stage 11... Wait for the final climb)

Have to redeem my slight sting to Mollema a bit, he did hang on to the favourites until the final climb and did attack on it
I was thinking if you're that far behind in time already, this would have been a nice stage to attack on the Tourmalet already... but there was a quite strong headwind in the valley between the 2 mountains
(still looking at the tempo the favourites had in the descent and the flat, someone going full steam could have been taking time out of them)


While yesterday I was pretty convinced a break-away would stay clear, today I am leaning more to the the peloton (Tinkof and/or more likely Movistar) maintaining a very high pace and I don't think the break-away will make it to the end

 

[suzeworld]

True, about social media etc .... and this is so sad ...

this is what I mean about the constant cynicism, and the fact that some of these sites like the clinic (which tbh I do not read, but deduce their content from what ppl in here say about them) seem to be full of full-time-cyincal- nutters with no real interest in enjoying the sport apart from fostering conspiracy and cheating theories .. which I reckon would haunt anyone who was at the top of the GC these days .. whichever team / rider it happened to be ...

cos lets face it, you cannot be at the top without some show of dominance, and that very show calls your honesty into question ..

 

[Adam4868]

Sadly when your that good,people are going to suggest your doping.For me when he can stay upright he's the best there is.It's old news being recycled to put some spin on it.Go froomey !!

 

[The Couch]

Just an observation... we didn't have many people in here defending/protecting Astana during their Giro performance as we now have people stepping in for Sky/Froome

Just saying...

 

[cd365]

your comments are exactly or very similar to what people wrote while defending Armstrong, for many its once bitten, twice shy....now for whats its worth I'm more than happy to believe Froome is clean but I'm also able to believe that Sky might be using "legal" supplements...who knows sometimes conspiracies become fact..
if riders or athletes are clean, I'm not sure Haunted would be right, irritated, annoyed, piiisssed off, bored of it, rarely are the innocent, haunted..

I also believe that Sky are doing everything within the current rules, that if they want to introduce something new (ketone energy drink) they get it approved first. Could what they are taking be banned in the future, possibly, does it make them cheaters now, no.
I do hope that I'm not proved wrong.

 

[smutchin]

Just an observation... we didn't have many people in here defending/protecting Astana during their Giro performance as we now have people stepping in for Sky/Froome

Just saying...

As mentioned earlier, Astana have a slight credibility problem. They shouldn't even have been at the Giro in the first place. That said, I still cling to the belief that Nibali is clean. Heck, maybe Landa and Aru are clean too.

Sky have been tainted by association with the likes of Leinders but not to the same extent.

If Sky are doping, it would make them even bigger liars than USPS.

 

[Captain Slackbladder]

Just an observation... we didn't have many people in here defending/protecting Astana during their Giro performance as we now have people stepping in for Sky/Froome

Just saying...

The weight of evidence in comparing Sky to Astana is miles apart though...

.Astana has slightly shall we say more of a blemished past and present than SKY..Vino/Armstrong/Bruyneel/Iglinsky twins and many many more

 

[robertob]

Froome will put the race to bed today... so let's roll on the Vuelta. Your picks?

Just kidding of course! Looking forward to this stage actually. Should be spectacular because the rest of the peloton has no other choice than to attack... or surrender of course. Movistar will certainly be aggressive. Quintana has to try something. Don't expect anything from TJ, Contador and Nibali... they'll be glad if they just can hang on on the final climb. Rolland should be aggressive today He's riding very well in the mountains so far. Is today his day? Wouldn't be surprised to see Majka up for a bit of fun again. The polka dot jersey is looming large on the horizon for him.

 

[w00hoo_kent]

Froome will put the race to bed today... so let's roll on the Vuelta. Your picks?

The Tour doesn't really start until the Alps anyway. :-)

 

[tug benson]

Monster stage today, really looking forward to it

 

[raindog]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1mqjDXemE8

 

[tommaguzzi]

What gives me a sense of deja vu is sky's domestiques also riding g.c. contenders off their wheels.
Porte said he sat up and let quintana go, supposedly spent after pulling froome up the climb and then just got back on it after been told to catch and and pass quintana to deny him the time bonus for 2nd place.
Then G sat easily in the next group not dropping off but not working so he didn't risk pulling the other GC contenders with him.
On another day sky could have got a 1.2.3 how would that have looked?
Just saying.

 

[raindog]

On another day sky could have got a 1.2.3 how would that have looked?

bad?

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Ready for the off

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Froome got a 6.30am wake-up for a dope control this morning.