Tour de France 2016 **SPOILERS**

[HF2300]

Wow. Contador's abandoned!

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

And that's it for Dirty Bertie. All over.

 

[Bollo]

Doesn't look like a good day for Dirty Bertie...

Tinkoff's sport director Sean Yates told Francetelevisions from his team car: “Alberto [Contador] had a bit of fever this morning. He told us at the beginning of the race that he wasn't feeling super and it's obvious. We've told him to stay quiet. Now the peloton is going slower, which is better for his recovery after the fast start this morning.”

Contador's abandoned

(3rd!)

 

[brommers]

Wow. Contador's abandoned!

Bragging right for the fastest post

 

[Crackle]

All is not good in Tinkoff.

 

[Booyaa]

He looked totally done (Contador) shame for him but he was not going to feature at the sharp end anyway.

 

[rich p]

Makes you wonder why he went on the early break.

 

[HF2300]

All is not good in Tinkoff.

Seem to be a lot of internal divisions in the GC teams, Sky excepted.

 

[HF2300]

Pinot rides like the clappers and totally fails to get past De Gendt

 

[HF2300]

Cav's straggling again. Bernie Eisel looking after him.

 

[Crackle]

Seem to be a lot of internal divisions in the GC teams, Sky excepted.

You're right, GMC with two jokers, Movistar with Valverde, Astana, though that one's largely resloved by dint of Nibali being a bit shoot this tour but Tinkoff are all riding for themselves.

 

[Bollo]

Cav's straggling again. Bernie Eisel looking after him.

Do you think Cav's having problems because he's henched up for the track expecting to abandon before the mountains, but now he's got a taste for it and wants to reach Paris?

 

[rich p]

Do you think Cav's having problems because he's henched up for the track expecting to abandon before the mountains, but now he's got a taste for it and wants to reach Paris?

I suspect he hasn't been doing the endurance training he normally would

 

[Bollo]

All is not good in Tinkoff.

Dead team walking. When I saw the Tinkoff team car sail past in stage one after Bertie's crash, Oleg just looked completely dafodilled off. The phrase "Billionaire chewing a wasp" came to mind.

 

[HF2300]

You're right, GMC with two jokers, Movistar with Valverde, Astana, though that one's largely resloved by dint of Nibali being a bit shoot this tour but Tinkoff are all riding for themselves.

It was said yesterday that everyone was chasing Froome flat out, but it seemed to me he was catchable - or shouldn't have got away in the first place - if BMC and Movistar were really working properly. Boardman and Millar seemed to feel the same in commentary. Valverde's 'more than my job's worth' comment lastnight was telling. The split in Astana may be less critical but it's got to affect things. In hindsight if Bertie had put his stamp on things from the start the team might have pulled together around him, but after the crashes and uncertainty it seemed Kreuziger and Majka were pinging off on their own and there was no real focus. Can't help feeling that if they don't take responsibility the other teams are going to hand this to Sky.