Tour de France *Spoilers*

[Stonechat]

a shame that contador is now not in the tour as he makes the race more exciting to watch with all of his attacks but nibali also attacks but i dont think anyone will be able to attack him and stay away on a mountain.

Well Gallopin got time out of him the other day so it can happen. OK I know the team will chase down more dangerous riders but nothing is certain

 

[coffeejo]

Well Gallopin got time out of him the other day so it can happen. OK I know the team will chase down more dangerous riders but nothing is certain

Gallopin wasn't exactly a threat to the competition overall so it probably made a nice break for Nibali knowing that the Frenchman was highly unlikely to hold onto the yellow jersey for more than 24 hours.

 

[Ganymede]

Apparently Cancellara has quit the tour today.

This seems odd to me. It just looks like he's got bored and wandered off. Does he think it's not worth staying if he can't win or something? I don't really understand this, surely if he wants to rest up for challenges later in the season he shouldn't have started - maybe someone else would have liked his place on the team. Am I just missing something really obvious here that true aficionados are aware of? (perfectly possible, as a bit of a noob).

 

[screenman]

I am glad to see Contador who is a convicted druggie out.

 

[Dave Davenport]

I am glad to see Contador who is a convicted druggie out.

I'd rather have seen Nibbles beat him fair and square.

 

[Saluki]

It isn't normally so bad when you are riding solo because you can scan the road ahead for hazards.

The worst thing is when you ride down fast twisty descents on sunny days under tree cover. Scattered shadows are very good at disguising potholes!

and cow poo, as I discovered not so long ago Hubster didn't want me to get back in the car for the trip home.

 

[screenman]

I'd rather have seen Nibbles beat him fair and square.

So would I but I am sure his past would reflect on his performance, but who knows.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

BBC Radio 2 have just said that Geraint Jones is doing well in the Tour. Anyone heard of him?

 

[Saluki]

I can forgive most things, but the naffest of naff 'thumb-sucking' celebration as Nibbali crossed the line was too much for my delicate sensibilities.

What was that about?

 

[HF2300]

Apparently Cancellara has quit the tour today.

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jul/15/fabian-cancellara-withdraws-tour-de-france-2014

 

[Ganymede]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jul/15/fabian-cancellara-withdraws-tour-de-france-2014

Yeah, see what I mean? No real reason. Surely if he's started he should finish unless bad health or crashes put him out?

 

[Crackle]

This seems odd to me. It just looks like he's got bored and wandered off. Does he think it's not worth staying if he can't win or something? I don't really understand this, surely if he wants to rest up for challenges later in the season he shouldn't have started - maybe someone else would have liked his place on the team. Am I just missing something really obvious here that true aficionados are aware of? (perfectly possible, as a bit of a noob).

As Tom Jones said, it's not unusual… ..

Trek, his team, have no real objectives left in the race and their leader is way down in the GC. Cancellara probably has few stages left he can target, plus he's had a hard season already, as he targets the classics early on. He'll re-focus for the Worlds in September. There may be other reasons too but I've not read anything yet………… . Is my guess.

 

[Ganymede]

As Tom Jones said, it's not unusual… ..

Trek, his team, have no real objectives left in the race and their leader is way down in the GC. Cancellara probably has few stages left he can target, plus he's had a hard season already, as he targets the classics early on. He'll re-focus for the Worlds in September. There may be other reasons too but I've not read anything yet………… . Is my guess.

Thanks Crackle, that makes sense. (See? I just don't know anyfink.)

 

[ColinJ]

I was whizzing down a Pennine descent this afternoon at about 55 kph. The surface was bumpy, with the odd pothole. It struck me that it was similar to the descent that Contador was doing when he crashed, except that he was supposedly doing 60 kph (I have since read maybe 70 - 80 kph!) at the time, and obviously was surrounded by lots of other riders. I toyed with the idea of taking one hand off the bars to see what doing the descent one-handed felt like, but thought better of it. At that moment my front wheel hit a large rut that I hadn't spotted ...

I know those guys are great bike handlers, but sometimes I think that 'familiarity breeds contempt'!

I've seen riders get the sleeves of their jackets caught in the front wheel on descents. I actually think they wouldn't lose much time just stopping and putting on/taking off the jacket safely.

I've even seen riders who had tried to adjust front wheel computer magnets on descents and lopped fingers off!

 

[Stonechat]

I was whizzing down a Pennine descent this afternoon at about 55 kph. The surface was bumpy, with the odd pothole. It struck me that it was similar to the descent that Contador was doing when he crashed, except that he was supposedly doing 60 kph at the time, and obviously was surrounded by lots of other riders. I toyed with the idea of taking one hand off the bars to see what doing the descent one-handed felt like, but thought better of it. At that moment my front wheel hit a large rut that I hadn't spotted ...

I know those guys are great bike handlers, but sometimes I think that 'familiarity breeds contempt'!

I've seen riders get their jackets caught in the front wheel on descents. I actually think they wouldn't lose much time just stopping and putting on/taking off the jacket safely.

I've even seen riders who had tried to adjust front wheel computer magnets on descents and lopped fingers off!

Yes they'll take off leg warmers while riding