Tour de France *Spoilers*

[Shadowfax]

The main question that needs discussing from yesterday is was that an appropriate stage for the Tour ? Cancellara and Terpstra are both saying it wasn't. I have to agree.

Cos they were beaten by a cyclocrosser,mtber and some bloke from a sunny country down by the Med. ?

 

[mr messy]

Given Thomas appeared to relish the cobbles, I don't see how a fit Froome would have finished anywhere else other than on his wheel with Porte and still nearly 2 minutes down!
Outstanding Nibali and Astana team performance. Maybe they done their homework, practised and embraced the stage instead of crying like little girls.....

 

[ColinJ]

I live on a cobbled street and riding 150 metres of that to get to tarmac is enough for me! If you have never ridden on cobbles then give it a go some time and think about what it felt like next time you see pros racing over them ...

Froome with damaged wrists wouldn't have stood a chance of controlling his bike on those wet cobbles yesterday. He would have kept crashing until he smashed himself up really badly. I suspect that his wrist was pretty badly damaged from the day before but he was hoping that he could limp through the stage.

Chapeau to those who did well yesterday!

 

[jarlrmai]

The arguments as I understand them are "the winner needs to be an all round good rider, can stay with the sprints, climb well, TT well, and ride a good hard classics style stage with bad roads and weather, not just a smooth road sunny weather VO2Max monster" versus "A stage like that is a lottery which can end a good riders tour by pure bad luck."

 

[raindog]

Chapeau to those who did well yesterday!

and even to everyone who didn't do particularly well, but simply finished

by the way, Simon Yates finished in a big group with Kristoff, Greipel etc at 18 minutes
he's been thrown into the deep end a bit with a stage like that on his first GT
well done, lad!

 

[JBGooner]

I think both are true.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Former riders quoted in the Torygraph today

“Two words,” tweeted disgraced former champion Lance Armstrong. “Riders Union.”
“Some people say cobbles are dangerous, but they are a part of cycling,” shrugged the great Eddy Merckx. “They are very special. If you want to be a complete rider you have to pass through the cobblestones.”

 

[raindog]

Former riders quoted in the Torygraph today

I respect Merckx absolutely, but I'd be happy with no information at all from LA.

 

[mr messy]

Some more views:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/07/news/cobblestone-chaos-tour-peloton-reacts_335295

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Sorry I know the weather was bad yesterday but that was not a bike race, it should have called off or the cobbles circumnavigated, as to Frome, it was inevitable after the day before it was only a matter of time.

Alan...

 

[Dave Davenport]

but that was not a bike race.

It looked like a (bloody good) one to me!

 

[raindog]

Sorry I know the weather was bad yesterday but that was not a bike race,

Well that would mean Paris-Roubaix isn't a bike race, yet it's one of the most famous and most celebrated on the calendar

 

[laurence]

on DNS for today - stage 5 really did decimate* the Tour. Degenkolb has an injury too.

*yes, i know what the word means, this is a tongue in cheek post.

 

[laurence]

i was interested to read Thomas' reaction to Froome going out. he heard it over the radio.... seems odd given that the leader had been on the deck already. as previously mentioned (sorry, can't recall who said it), it looks as if the team had split into groups and Froome didn't have everyone with him for help. maybe they had realised he was unlikely to finish due to the injuries he received the day before (on the non cobbled, flat, transition stage). if that is the case, then all the talk of how dangerous the pave was and that it has no place in a GT is moot.

Prudhomme said this "The cobbles are part of the heritage of the north (of France) and are part of the heritage of the Tour de France. A Tour de France winner has to be able to ride on every kind of road.... There were many crashes on the asphalt, but not so many on the cobbles. The métier of a cyclist is exceptional but difficult. What they have done today contributes to their legend, being admired by people around the world." (according to cyclingnews).

now. onto etape 6. allez allez

 

[Booyaa]

i was interested to read Thomas' reaction to Froome going out. he heard it over the radio.... seems odd given that the leader had been on the deck already. as previously mentioned (sorry, can't recall who said it), it looks as if the team had split into groups and Froome didn't have everyone with him for help. maybe they had realised he was unlikely to finish due to the injuries he received the day before (on the non cobbled, flat, transition stage). if that is the case, then all the talk of how dangerous the pave was and that it has no place in a GT is moot.

Prudhomme said this "The cobbles are part of the heritage of the north (of France) and are part of the heritage of the Tour de France. A Tour de France winner has to be able to ride on every kind of road.... There were many crashes on the asphalt, but not so many on the cobbles. The métier of a cyclist is exceptional but difficult. What they have done today contributes to their legend, being admired by people around the world." (according to cyclingnews).

now. onto etape 6. allez allez

Re your point of Thomas, he said that the "final" crash that knocked Froome out happened right behind him and he heard the crash so he was probably protecting him at the time and had dropped back a bit to do that. IT does seem odd that they were so split up but I don't think anything too odd as they were obviously very much in touch at the second crash.