Tour de France 2017 ***SPOILERS***

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Thinking of going over if Bardet gets yellow. £219 for CDG flight ? As far as Marcel is concerned. Meh. Cmon Matthews tomorrow FTW.

Yeh, CDG from Edinburgh with Air France - 8.40am out and 8.35pm back

If it's anyone else but Froome I might just go.

And no way "meh" to The Beautiful Marcel

 

[Starchivore]

A great couple of stages, very nice to see the GC race back on

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

A great couple of stages, very nice to see the GC race back on

Maybe the race organisers have got it right?

Maybe what a Grand Tour needs is more "dull" stages to allow the GC riders fewer opportunities?

Perhaps it is the parcours we have all been waiting for and just don't realise it.
(I am being serious)

 

[brommers]

I'm thinking of maybe going over - arrive morning, depart late evening - but then again I think about it most years...
£219 return at present. Which would be worth it just to see The Beautiful Marcel.

No your not

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

No your not

I am thinking about it, it's unlikely I will. I think about lots of stuff that I never do. Like awarding you lots of extra points in PTP for being punctual and usually first to post your choices. I was thinking 1000 points.

 

[brommers]

I am thinking about it, it's unlikely I will. I think about lots of stuff that I never do. Like awarding you lots of extra points in PTP for being punctual and usually first to post your choices. I was thinking 1000 points.

Have a safe journey and have a lovely time in France

 

[mjr]

Enough discussing Pass The Pigs, already!

not arguing about the rules, more the spirit of the thing, it's like diving in football or arguing with the ref, gamesmanship at best

If they're chasing so slowly that someone can overtake, pull in line and decelerate without them simply swinging past them, were they really chasing full gas? If they were trying to play some calculating game where they ride just hard enough to catch the leader near the finish and scalp them for the win, or just catch back enough time to keep the GC comfortably, then that's really gamesmanship so don't they deserve to get disrupted?

 

[SWSteve]

I am thinking about it, it's unlikely I will. I think about lots of stuff that I never do. Like awarding you lots of extra points in PTP for being punctual and usually first to post your choices. I was thinking 1000 points.

u wot

 

[Bonus]

Wow! Yesterday was a fantastic day to be at the Tour!

So many things to tell . . . . We were at the Team Paddock when the busses rolled in.

Had a chat with Louis Meintjes :-) Was great to see him again and he is very cool, calm and collected for a guy who came in 5th yesterday and is 10th overall in the Tour de France! Will post some pics later - it made Mrs Bonus' day, she considers herself to be South African because she lived there so long - I think she wants to adopt him!

Saw Bertie and Nairo when they rode to sign in. NQ shows no emotion, ever. He was very concentrated his morning (I know why now) and was escorted to the sign in stage by a Movistar mechanic on an MTB. I cheered for Bertie as he rode past and he gave me a smile.

Saw RJVJ and Jaco at the DDD bus but they weren't chatting much which was a shame after the nice chat we had with the guys in the support van the day before. I did get to talk to SC though. We couldn't see Daryl Impey but we did have a good look at the Orica bikes.

Froome had a car escort him to sign on and he looked pretty chilled. Nice to see Sky actually engaging the supporters a bit more nowadays.

Then we drove out to 4km from the end and waited.

We had no phone service so what came next was completely out of the blue!

NQ was leading the break when they past us and they were flying! There was quite a gap and then in quick succession came a solo Dan Martin, who looked like he was burying himself - very impressed with him again this year - then a single rider I didn't identify followed by the yellow jersey group with Froome, Aru etc. after that there were some long gaps between various groups before the final rider past us.

We were on a slight down hill so they were all moving it. I took some vids. I'll see if they are good enough to post later.

A great day out.

It seems like Bertie and NQ always get together and go full guns when I turn up to watch! The same thing happens at Stage 15 of the Vuelta last year!

 

[brommers]

then a single rider I didn't identify

Simon Yates in the Young Riders Jersey - probably the reason you didn't recognise him. Love your updates @Bonus - sounds like you're having a great time.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

...who looked like he was burying himself

One of the things that has always struck me when I have seen pro races is just how much they do bury themselves, something you don't really pick up on the TV. The power and effort really is "something".

 

[brommers]

I'm thinking I should of picked Tommy V for today, one of his last real chances for a stage victory.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I'm thinking I should of picked Tommy V for today, one of his last real chances for a stage victory.

Still time to change your pick...

 

[Bonus]

Simon Yates in the Young Riders Jersey - probably the reason you didn't recognise him. Love your updates @Bonus - sounds like you're having a great time.

Aaah nice one. He went past fast. I was trying to watch him and see who was coming next, and cheer, and wave a flag :-)

#multitaskingfail

 

[brommers]

Still time to change your pick...

I'll do it