Tour de France 2016 **SPOILERS**

[smutchin]

Front of the race | 137.90 km to go | 9 riders including: VAN AVERMAET, Greg (BMC), PAUWELS, Serge (DDD), SICARD, Romain (DEN), GAUTIER, Cyril (ALM), GRIVKO, Andriy (AST), HUZARSKI, Bartosz (BOA), VACHON, Florian (FVC), DE GENDT, Thomas (LTS), MAJKA, Rafal (TNK)

GVA, Grivko and De Gendt now a minute clear of the other six, and nine minutes up on the peloton. 105km to go - only 30km until it starts to get interesting...

 

[brommers]

McLay in the top 10 again.

He was probably in awe of the big stars in the first couple of sprints and didn't get that close, but in stage 4 was much closer. He should take inspiration from the fact that he has a win over Bouhanni this year.

 

[brommers]

On the official Tour commentary they thought that there may have been a crash but I reckon they were changing bikes with different set-ups for the climbs

 

[HF2300]

GVA, Grivko and De Gendt now a minute clear of the other six, and nine minutes up on the peloton. 105km to go - only 30km until it starts to get interesting...

Now 15 minutes up - and GVA and Grivko are much less than that behind on GC. Getting interesting.

 

[Bollo]

Sky being made to work to keep a bead on Majka.

 

[HF2300]

Grivko's dropped.

 

[smutchin]

I reckon the main antagonists are more likely to be Etixx than Sky or Movistar though

Shows what I know! Movistar are annihilating the peloton.

 

[HF2300]

Vichot out the back

Off to read Camus.

 

[HF2300]

Fuglsang and Nibali out the back!

 

[iggibizzle]

Has Sagan got any chance of winning the race?

I rather like the way he comes over on the telly, so if Froome doesn't win, Sagan is the rider I'd most like to see succeed.

No chance. As can be seen just now. Can't climb when compared to the others.

 

[HF2300]

So Majka attacking over the summit - interested in KoM points?

 

[jarlrmai]

This climb is really hurting.

 

[smutchin]

So Majka attacking over the summit - interested in KoM points?

Or just going up the road to help Contador on the final climb? Must say Contador looks like he's coping surprisingly well with the brutal pace.

ETA: of course, still two tough climbs to come, so it will also mean Majka is in a good place to put Plan B into effect if Contador does start to suffer.

 

[jarlrmai]

Movistar are trying to break the other teams early.

 

[HF2300]

Or just going up the road to help Contador on the final climb?...ETA: of course, still two tough climbs to come, so it will also mean Majka is in a good place to put Plan B into effect if Contador does start to suffer.

Thought about that, but it didn't seem necessary to attack his own group in that case, unless he wanted to gee them up a bit or get a bit of space - or get the points.

When I started watching and found he was in the chase group my immediate reaction was 'he's up the road for Contador'; and of course we saw those tactics used to very good effect by Astana in the Giro.