Tour de France 2017

Quite a show by Chris Froome today...

Yeah, that was a seriously tough performance. Sad to hear the boos as he battled back.

Bruce

JamieWednesday posted:

Quite a show by Chris Froome today...

I actually was even more impressed by the winner Bauke Mollema, his performance was impressive.

The opposition of Froome was kind of not professional, they should have made better use of the situation.

Bruce Woodhouse posted:

Yeah, that was a seriously tough performance. Sad to hear the boos as he battled back.

Bruce

I really don't understand the disrespect shown to Chris Froome. He is a truly outstanding athlete; the effort expended to catch back up with the other GC contenders after he made a rear wheel change from a team mate's bike was amazing. But the top four are all within 29 seconds and there's still another six days to go. Let's hope the spectators can show respect to the yellow jersey, whoever wears it.

Clive B posted:

Bruce Woodhouse posted:

Yeah, that was a seriously tough performance. Sad to hear the boos as he battled back.

Bruce

I really don't understand the disrespect shown to Chris Froome. He is a truly outstanding athlete; the effort expended to catch back up with the other GC contenders after he made a rear wheel change from a team mate's bike was amazing. But the top four are all within 29 seconds and there's still another six days to go. Let's hope the spectators can show respect to the yellow jersey, whoever wears it.

Indeed. If the French want to have a more exiting tour, they should change the tour itself instead of shouting 'boo' all the time.

Froomy is as a person also much more interesting to listen too since he is also showing his weaknesses. I prefer him much more than the look-at-me guy Aru.

Ardbeg10y posted:

Clive B posted:

Bruce Woodhouse posted:

Yeah, that was a seriously tough performance. Sad to hear the boos as he battled back.

Bruce

I really don't understand the disrespect shown to Chris Froome. He is a truly outstanding athlete; the effort expended to catch back up with the other GC contenders after he made a rear wheel change from a team mate's bike was amazing. But the top four are all within 29 seconds and there's still another six days to go. Let's hope the spectators can show respect to the yellow jersey, whoever wears it.

Indeed. If the French want to have a more exiting tour, they should change the tour itself instead of shouting 'boo' all the time.

Froomy is as a person also much more interesting to listen too since he is also showing his weaknesses. I prefer him much more than the look-at-me guy Aru.

I have much respect for Froome as an athlete, competitor, and sportsman. He comes across as very congenial and well-spoken in his post-stage interviews. Easy to like and root for. OTOH, this is a brutal race, not a congeniality contest, and the combatants will learn humility along the way as the race takes its tolls. The best competitors use boos as fuel and those boos only reflect on the onlookers.

Bruce Woodhouse posted:

Yeah, that was a seriously tough performance. Sad to hear the boos as he battled back.

Bruce

Agree on both counts. He was a bit hard to like for a few years, but he's turned that around (for me, at least). I admire his determination and he's nothing but classy in front of a microphone.

Agree Winky and Joe,

Froome is a superb Grand tour rider and hope he gets his 4 th TDF.

But I think the TDF will be one by a much smaller time margin this year.

He definitely has a riding style.That grinding out his tempo on the climbs with the head looking down is very Froomey.He comes over as a nice chap on interviews.

Go Chris !

Maybe those weren't BOOs. Maybe the crowd was cheering  "FROOME" ?

Tabby cat posted:

Agree Winky and Joe,

Froome is a superb Grand tour rider and hope he gets his 4 th TDF.

But I think the TDF will be one by a much smaller time margin this year.

He definitely has a riding style.That grinding out his tempo on the climbs with the head looking down is very Froomey.He comes over as a nice chap on interviews.

Go Chris !

 

Described by some commentator as' like an octopus draped over a climbing frame', a description that has stuck with me!

Bruce

joerand posted:

Maybe those weren't BOOs. Maybe the crowd was cheering  "FROOME" ?

They weren't Boo'ing, they were Moo'ing - in support of his Bull Ring!  

Christopher Froome  DOB: 20 May 1985 is a Taurus : )

Stage 16 - Tuesday 18 July 

Interesting looking stage profile today. A shorter distance than average with [again] lots of descending.

It maybe exciting to watch the start to see who wants to attack and break away from the get-go!

Debs

TV on when broadcasting starts and coding JavaScript for work ...

TdF is the perfect summertime program. I look forward to all the castles escapes.

I think the French distaste for Froome is less about him individually and more about Sky and their longstanding scepticism about the team's achievements. As I understand it, it's partly a French preference for individualist panache and a disdain for Sky's rather grinding team tactics which are designed to overpower the opposition. It's also a particular view of British hypocrisy and a suspicion of Sky's success at all costs approach, and about which they wonder where the boundaries lie. The saga of the jiffy bag and the TUEs of course fuels such suspicions. Added to which it's been a long time since a French rider won the Tour. Froome did look vulnerable when he lost the yellow jersey last week, though he looked very strong after his wheel change the other day. But it seems that Ag2r La Mondiale  are trying to match Sky's team strength and Romain Bardet could yet win the Tour.

Clive

I'm not aware of the French booing or (in the past) throwing urine over any Team Sky rider other than Froome ?

Clive has a point. It was there with Armstrong too. Even more I think.

Cdb posted:

 It's also a particular view of British hypocrisy and a suspicion of Sky's success at all costs approach, and about which they wonder where the boundaries lie.

If any team is found to be cheating, then the non-British-dominated cycling authorities would be very happy to punish. And quite rightly so.

Neither Team Sky nor Chris Froome have  been found guilty of cheating, and as such, the behaviour of some French individuals (as well as their gutter press) stinks of rank bad sportsmanship.

Sorry, but the French riders are just not good enough.

Wugged Woy posted:

Cdb posted:

 It's also a particular view of British hypocrisy and a suspicion of Sky's success at all costs approach, and about which they wonder where the boundaries lie.

If any team is found to be cheating, then the non-British-dominated cycling authorities would be very happy to punish. And quite rightly so.

Neither Team Sky nor Chris Froome have not been found guilty of cheating, and as such, the behaviour of some French individuals (as well as their gutter press) stinks of rank bad sportsmanship.

Sorry, but the French riders are just not good enough.

I think you should read what I said more carefully. I didn't say that Sky were cheating nor that the French have any evidence that they are cheating. It's (a) a matter of style and (b) about pushing at the boundaries of the rules without breaking them. The use of TUEs is an example of the latter and is not simply a matter of French sour grapes.

Ardbeg10y posted:

Clive has a point. It was there with Armstrong too. Even more I think.

Yes, as I indicate above, this is personal. The French were abusing Armstrong long before he was found guity of anything. Although he was ultimately found out to be a cheat, the French appear to be such bad losers.

Wugged Woy posted:

Ardbeg10y posted:

Clive has a point. It was there with Armstrong too. Even more I think.

Yes, as I indicate above, this is personal. The French were abusing Armstrong long before he was found guity of anything. Although he was ultimately found out to be a cheat, the French appear to be such bad losers.

Bit off-topic, but when I studied Harpsichord, I asked my teacher for guidance in interpretation of French Baroque Music (Rameau). My teacher looked at me for a few seconds and then he said: 'Ardbeg10y (well the real name), remember: only a Frenchman can play this right'.

I think it was the most eye-opening thing I learned that year.

Stage 17   (Wednesday 19th July)

Today and tomorrows stages may produce the most exciting racing of this years Tour.

Today is the first of two back to back mountain stages in the Alps which have the highest climbs in this years tour.

Thunder storms are on forecast today, with a high possibility of rain, just to add to the drama.

By the end of tomorrows mountain stage we will have a far more confirmed idea who really will be the 2017 Tour winner.

Stage 18  (Thursday 20th July)

Congrats to Roblic. As one with Slovenian heritage I was happy to see a first-ever Slovenian stage win.

I continue to be intrigued with Mikel Landa. He filled G Thomas' void without missing a beat and looks like a future team leader.

While there's an under riding blandness to this Tour due to Froome's apparent dominance, we have Stage 18 upcoming and two riders still within 27 seconds. You never know.

 Bland!?!?

Struck me yesterday that Froome was pretty active on the climb and actually had a fair attack with a view maybe to going for the stage, and that he has attacked at some point on most of the uphill stages.

Rigoberto Uran however has been almost invisible, just following along all the way through.

Froome may not be flamboyant but it has not been a totally defensive performance-and not in previous years either.