Tour de France 2016 **SPOILERS**

[Pro Tour Punditry]

The lad who sits next to me at work is a mate of Dan McLay.

We put an iPad Mini between us and put the Eurosport coverage on, and today we were terribly excited at the end, obviously.

To be finishing where McLay has been this week is all the more remarkable when you consider that he hasn't got the support from his team that the big boys have from theirs.

Chapeau, indeed.

Just imagine how much excitement there would be if you also had a bloke called Mick Cravendale!

 

[Dec66]

Just imagine how much excitement there would be if you also had a bloke called Mick Cravendale!

I'd feel compelled to milk it...

(Coat)

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I'd feel compelled to milk it...

(Coat)

So many options. I am going to rename myself....

 

[brommers]

Great to see Cav back to winning ways

Huh? He already had won 2 sprints - it's not like he hasn't won a stage for 5 years.
Confused of Tunbridge Wells.

 

[Asa Post]

Ok, I probably ask this every year, but I am only now able to watch this year's Tour 'properly', so where can I get a live lead.... WITHOUT the adverts..... Just the entire thing as it is filmed??

I thought I had found one online.... Except that I then discovered it has the bloody adverts too..... I can't think of anything more utterly moronic!

Anyway, thanks.

If you're willing to spend £7 (it's asking a lot of a Scot, I know) you can get a month's subscription to EurosportPlayer.
Not only do you get Eurosport's own coverage, with adverts and excellent commentary () by Carlton Kirby and Sean Kelly but you can also choose to watch on UCI's own channel - which has the same pictures, but NO commentary and NO advertising that I've seen.

 

[philk56]

Huh? He already had won 2 sprints - it's not like he hasn't won a stage for 5 years.
Confused of Tunbridge Wells.

I meant winning several stages close together

 

[rich p]

I'm surprised that Tom Dumoulin hasn't performed better. Given that he dropped out of the Giro early, I'd assumed that he would be in the GC hunt. He's either not fit enough or is going stage hunting. Whichever, is slightly mystifying.

 

[HF2300]

I hadn't quite taken in his position, just that he wasn't appearing in the lead groups; but at 19 minutes down on GC, there's something more going on than just keeping his powder dry. Giant have said he's using the tour as a build up to the Olympics, and he's aiming at TT gold, so perhaps they're using it to build his endurance without exhausting him

 

[rich p]

Giant have said he's using the tour as a build up to the Olympics

I hadn't read that but if it's true, I'm not sure what Giant get out of it?
He'll be doing the Rio ITT in the Dutch team kit.

 

[SWSteve]

I'd feel compelled to milk it...

(Coat)

Just imagine how much excitement there would be if you also had a bloke called Mick Cravendale!

He's the creme de la creme of the sprinters

 

[fimm]

Just imagine how much excitement there would be if you also had a bloke called Mick Cravendale!

I'd feel compelled to milk it...

(Coat)

He's the creme de la creme of the sprinters

Someone's going to have to explain this one to me...

 

[SWSteve]

Someone's going to have to explain this one to me...

We're all having a Bardet of it, sorry

 

[HF2300]

I hadn't read that but if it's true, I'm not sure what Giant get out of it?
He'll be doing the Rio ITT in the Dutch team kit.

There's always been a bit of give and take between team, national and personal ambitions (in many sports, not just cycling). I suppose Giant might also feel that having a leading Olympian, perhaps Olympic medallist, in their line up brings added kudos and useful marketing opportunities.

 

[SWSteve]

There's always been a bit of give and take between team, national and personal ambitions (in many sports, not just cycling). I suppose Giant might also feel that having a leading Olympian, perhaps Olympic medallist, in their line up brings added kudos and useful marketing opportunities.

He also rides a giant bike at the olympics

 

[Archie]

29 riders have gathered to form the front group after 50km: Vassil Kiryienka (Sky), Gorka Izagirre (Movistar), Vincenzo Nibali and Alexey Lutsenko (Astana), Jan Bakelants and Alexis Vuillermoz (AG2R-La Mondiale), Paul Martens (LottoNL-Jumbo), Fabian Cancellara and Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo), Oliver Naesen (IAMCycling), Matti Breschel, Alex Howes and Sebastian Langeveld (Cannondale-Drapac), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Stephen Cummings (Dimension Data), Simon Geschke (Giant-Alpecin), Paul Voss (Bora-Argon 18), Kristijan Durasek (Lampre-Merida), Angel Vicioso (Katusha), Jurgen Roelandts (Lotto-Soudal), Sylvain Chavanel and Antoine Duchesne (Direct Energie), Tony Martin (Etixx-Quick Step), Dani Navarro, Borut Bozic and Luis Angel Maté (Cofidis), Daryl Impey (Orica-BikeExchange) and Pierre-Luc Périchon (Fortuneo-Vital Concept).

I've missed out on the punditry for this tour, but I reckon today's stage has Nibali's fingerprints all over it, and probably explains his moohassive time gap to Le Lioran.