[HistoricWarwick]

Each day on live on ITV4 Player.

That is my productivity down for three weeks...

Can anybody see Froome get beaten this year?

[JonB]

Every stage live from start to finish instead of the usual picking up part way in.....Sky Go may take some hammer these next three weeks. Tuned in briefly earlier to watch them ride on the Spa race track....interesting watching them go through Eau Rouge and getting a view of how steep the drop in and ride out are that you dont see with the F1 cars. Then after that they've ridden the full length of a country going through the full length of Luxembourg i think!!

Think Team Sky and Froome will get the "attention" of the French fans as usual and possibly worse than normal with the claws already out over the kit they wore for the opening time trial!! They are the strongest team and Froome is pretty fresh having not ridden much. Potentially only a crash or injury that can stop him.

This post has been edited by JonB: 03 July 2017 - 02:40 PM

[mr. smith]

it will never shake off the drugs scandals.

[HistoricWarwick]

JonB, on 03 July 2017 - 02:39 PM, said:

Every stage live from start to finish instead of the usual picking up part way in.....Sky Go may take some hammer these next three weeks. Tuned in briefly earlier to watch them ride on the Spa race track....interesting watching them go through Eau Rouge and getting a view of how steep the drop in and ride out are that you dont see with the F1 cars. Then after that they've ridden the full length of a country going through the full length of Luxembourg i think!!

Think Team Sky and Froome will get the "attention" of the French fans as usual and possibly worse than normal with the claws already out over the kit they wore for the opening time trial!! They are the strongest team and Froome is pretty fresh having not ridden much. Potentially only a crash or injury that can stop him.

By the third week the French may have their claws out as they won't have won a stage by then. Even the organisers have set up a short mountain stage on Bastille Day to give them a chance. Being Voeckler's last tour hopefully he goes for it.

I thought Cav looked quite strong yesterday so I am hoping he can take on Kittel tomorrow.

[JonB]

Stat of the day....of the 108 stages ridden since the 2012 tour 68 of them have ended with a british rider wearing the Yellow jersey. Shared around Wiggins, Froome, Cavendish and Thomas.

[HistoricWarwick]

mr. smith, on 03 July 2017 - 04:24 PM, said:

it will never shake off the drugs scandals.

TDF riddled in scandal?? Never....

Cheating, shortcuts, tacks on the road, riders being beaten up, signs moved, red wine and brandy, amphetamines. All long before the 1960s....

You either get it or you don't.

[JonB]

Can say the same about Athletics and probably a few other sports when it comes to drugs. Think its fair to say they've had a massive push on it in Cycling and plenty have been caught. As mentioned the Tour has had plenty of issues over the years and will have them again whether its drugs or something else....probably pushed by the french media not happy at the Brits doing well in their big race!! They've already started this year after one stage moaning about Team Sky kit!

[HistoricWarwick]

Be interested in views on the flick of that elbow....

[JonB]

Seems the flick of the elbow, which I've not seen yet, has led to Sagan being kicked off the Tour!

Peter Sagan kicked out of Tour de France after causing dramatic crash with Mark Cavendish - The Independent
https://apple.news/A...nQ7WYtakJfBDy-g

[HistoricWarwick]

Watching again tonight I feel sorry for Sagan.

I think the jury were thinking of knocking him down a peg or two.

[JonB]

Having seen it briefly I can see why they've done it as it doesn't look good. Goes across him and blocks him with the elbow for good measure. Interesting bit is them not doing the French lad for a similar change of line which they mentioned on the highlights when going on to win. Loss to the tour that both Sagan and Cav are now out but opens it up to some other sprinters.

[HistoricWarwick]

JonB, on 05 July 2017 - 07:26 AM, said:

Having seen it briefly I can see why they've done it as it doesn't look good. Goes across him and blocks him with the elbow for good measure. Interesting bit is them not doing the French lad for a similar change of line which they mentioned on the highlights when going on to win. Loss to the tour that both Sagan and Cav are now out but opens it up to some other sprinters.

Sagan isn't a sprinter but he is that good he thinks he is which is part of the problem.

If he was a sprinter he wouldn't have been in that position or at least his spatial awareness would have been better.

However the more I see it the more I see that it was to balance himself.

There is an argument that Cav got his position wrong and lost the wheel of the Demare.

Shame as he looked back to his best and another 2-3 stages could have been his this year.

Will he beat Merxx? I don't.

[HistoricWarwick]

'Twas some stage today but I can't help thinking the descent of Mont du Chat was too dangerous

Anyone see Richie P's crash? Horrible.

[JonB]

Just finished watching the highlights...horrible crash on a not very clever descent by the looks of it.

[Sabreman]

It Is a shame for Porte as he was looking good but the crash was his own fault, he tried to undercut the corner as close to the edge as possible but misjudged it, taking Dan Martin out in the process who did amazing to get back on and finish as close to Froome as he did.
I am gutted for Geraint Thomas who was looking good,Contador looks a spent force, Quintana just doesn't look in any form at all. No one can touch Froome in the Tour, no other team is strong enough to challenge team Sky.
I can understand the unwritten rules the riders have with respect to the yellow jersey but yesterday when Froome had some mechanical issue with his gears they should have attacked him. Instead an initial attack was quickly quashed by the unwritten rule. That annoyed me, racing is racing, things happen, they have to take any opportunity they get to attack Froome who was exposed yesterday but proved yet again he is to strong.

[HistoricWarwick]

Didn't see that today but that finish was brutal up the airstrip

[Sabreman]

HistoricWarwick, on 13 July 2017 - 08:52 PM, said:

Didn't see that today but that finish was brutal up the airstrip

Great stage today, we now have a proper race on our hands. If they had known Froome didn't have the legs today and attacked sooner he could be minutes behind now instead of eight seconds. Team SKY may have a chink in the armour for the first time in about three years, I think today was the first time he has had the yellow jersey taken off him in purely racing terms.

[HistoricWarwick]

Sabreman, on 13 July 2017 - 09:15 PM, said:

Great stage today, we now have a proper race on our hands. If they had known Froome didn't have the legs today and attacked sooner he could be minutes behind now instead of eight seconds. Team SKY may have a chink in the armour for the first time in about three years, I think today was the first time he has had the yellow jersey taken off him in purely racing terms.

This weekend was mad as well.

Aru making a Horlicks of a kicker and the French team piling on the pressure yesterday.

Makes for a race but, the Commissaires' decision on the water bottles was a farce. Penalise two riders but when the top French rider is caught, out comes a trumped up excuse.

Froome is getting his usual stick from the French fans and I can only see it piping up more this week.

[JonB]

Had missed the stuff about the water bottles...fiasco springs to mind!! Love how it all goes away when the great French hope gets involved.

[calvin plummers socks]

Froome- one of the UK's greatest ever sportsmen.
Brilliant