http://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/...its-terrible-blunder

This re Froome. It seems reasonable too. We shall see what the next few weeks bring but it seems that Froomey is damned before he starts and nothing this article or the governing bodies say will clean his slate. It is a shame it took them 9 months plus to come to this conclusion. So far as I am concerned, I would be very happy if he wins. I  also hope that GE is right there with him.

Froomey does have these odd little crashes.

Perhaps he needs one or two Oops! moment crashes on each grand tour to enable his dynamic and hone in the winning formula?

And meanwhile, no rider of the TdF deserves boos or disrespect - it says more about the spectators doing it IMO

Debs

Breaking news

Just heard on ITV4 that Richie Porte will be joining team Trek-Segafredo 

If true this is fabulous news for Trek, they've been down on successes since Alberto retired.

I guess we'll have to wait until later or next year before we see Richie Porte supping a cup of Sega,

this year he's still wearing the BMC shirt : )

Debs

Stage (2)

1 Peter Sagan

2) Sonny Colbrelli

3) Arnaud Demare

Sagan takes the Yellow Jersey....... Tomorrow is a 35.5km team time trial around Choket

I enjoyed watching the team time trial yesterday, i know not everyone appreciates TTTs but i see them as a fine spectacle and a  necessary [evil] event thrown in to add another cycling discipline sometime at an early part of the tour. Yesterday was kind of perfect, it didn't rain, no one crashed  [don't think so anyway]  the course was good - not too long not too short. The time differences so close with the top teams and fortunately not a huge amount of time lost for the slower teams who tend to have the lighter wight specialist climber riders who will be looking forward to some pay-back later in the mountains : )

Tour de France 2018, stage three: Cholet – Cholet (35.5km, TTT)

1 BMC Racing Team, at 38-46
2 Team Sky, at 4s
3 Quick-Step Floors, at 7s
4 Mitchelton-Scott, at 9s
5 Team Sunweb, at 11s
6 EF Education First-Drapac, at 35s
7 Bora-Hansgrohe, at 50s
8 Astana Pro Team, at at 51s
9 Katusha-Alpecin, at 52s
10 Movistar Team, at 53s
11 Bahrain-Merida, at 1-06
12 AG2R La Mondiale, 1-15
13 Team LottoNl-Jumbo, at same time
14 Trek-Segafredo, at 1-16
15 UAE Team Emirates, at 1-38
16 Groupama-FDJ, at 1-42
17 Fortuneo-Samsic, at 1-46
18 Direct Energie, at 1-51
19 Lotto Soudal, at same time
20 Dimension Data, at 1-52
21 Wanty-Groupe Gobert, at 2-24
22 Cofidis, Solutions Credits, at 3-23

Read more at https://www.cyclingweekly.com/...#tljWEWB6CUKzfswf.99

Stage Four Result - Stage Finish Sarzeau

1) Fenando Gavira

2) Peter Sagan

3) Andre Greipel

G.C.

1) Greg Van Avermaet

I notice that Trek-Segafredo are sporting bikes with disc brakes this year, don't know if any others are (?)

Bauke Mollema:  “It might take a few seconds more to change a disc wheel, but I really think it’s worth it. I am already on discs for the whole season, the Émonda, the climbing bike, and I will be also riding the new Madone in the first week of the Tour de France. For me, the better braking makes a big difference. On the descents, I just feel safer and also in the rain, especially in the corners. If you have a flat tire, maybe a few times a year it will cost you a few more seconds, but for me, the advantage of the disc brakes really makes up for that.”

Debs,

Here is Sagans S works Venge for this years tour...Discs have come of age......very tasty looking bike

^ Sagan's bike is very nice, the colour scheme is in far better taste than John Degenkolb's flash harry...

I expect the UCI weigh limit rule of 6.8 kilo is easily matched or in need of weighting with conventional brakes, so may as well bung a pair of discs on. Still lots of bikes with old calliper type brakes but i bet by next year every grand tour bike will have discs + straight through axles : )

Stage 5 -  204 km  - Stage Finish Quimpar

1) Peter Sagan

2) Sonny Colbrelli

3) Philippe Gilbert

G.C.  Greg Van Avermaet  BMC

Sagan looking in tip top form with yesterdays stage with some sharp climbs out on the road

Disc brakes? I get they're better for the consumer, especially with better wet-stopping power. I enjoy mine. Weight benefit on a TDF bike? Not sure I see it as there's a minimum weight limit to begin with. The real downside of disc brakes on a tour bike comes when there's a flat or tire change needed. Are you getting neutral car service and if so will the disc align to your bike? Even from team service, tough to keep the alignment consistent to avoid brake rubbing. This probably means more total bike changes as opposed to direct tire changes. In the end I suspect that caliper brakes, for their more practical and interchangeable consistency, will remain the norm.

Todays stage ends with a 3rd category climb,

if the 5 man breakaway gets wound back into the main peloton [ my prediction at 100 km to go: it probably will ] 

...then there could be some interesting finishing among the favourite GC men which should result in a major shake-up of GC positions : )

Debs

Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) finished in the group at three seconds to maintain his race lead.

Tour de France 2018 general classification after stage six

1. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team, in 22-35-46
2. Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky, at 3 secs
3. Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing, at 5 secs
4. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors, at 6 secs
5. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors, at 12 secs
6. Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step Floors, at 18 secs
7. Rigoberto Uran (Col) EF Education First-Drapac, at 45 secs
8. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) Movistar, at 51 secs
9. Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe, at 52 secs
10. Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, at 53 secs

14. Chris Froome  (Brit) Team Sky at 1.02 ; )

Read more at https://www.cyclingweekly.com/...#q6R2k5tYvams0gi1.99

I think Dumoulin will be especially gutted. The Stage 1 crashes had given him a real advantage in GC that might have inspired him post-Giro to go for it at least in the first few climbing stages. Looking a lot more even now.

The Tour has not really kicked off yet for me.

Bruce

Bruce Woodhouse posted:

I think Dumoulin will be especially gutted. The Stage 1 crashes had given him a real advantage in GC that might have inspired him post-Giro to go for it at least in the first few climbing stages. Looking a lot more even now.

The Tour has not really kicked off yet for me.

Bruce

I think it was a bit unfair Tom Dumoulin getting a 20 second time penalty after his mechanical delay.

They could have overlooked that naughty bit of team car draughting : (

Today is Friday the 13th and Stage 07 :

Fougères to Chartres, the longest stage of this years tour; 231 km

Just one 4th category climb mid route, but otherwise fairly flat and a fast finish for the sprinters. [Sagan?] 

Incidentally, rider number 13 is Lawson Craddock  (Team EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale)

Presently contesting the lanterne rouge  in 170th place. He had a nasty crash during Stage 01, nearly put him out of this years tour but he's determined to hang on in there.

Lookout for him in the bunch, wearing one of his 13 race numbers upside-down, presumably as a superstitious dispelling of bad luck gesture? : )

Indeed, US coverage has had several emotional interviews with the American Lawson. Cut under his left eye and riding with a broken scapula. He's donating money for each stage he completes to a cycling velodrome in his native Houston, Texas damaged by a last year's hurricane, and his on-line campaign has raised over $40,000. 

A good guy to pull for staying within elimination time. As Deb says, easy to spot with his upside-down number 13 and pink helmet/jersey of Team Education First. Another example of the 'race within the race' that makes the TDF always so interesting to watch and root for at various levels.

Groenewegen won yesterday and today. Remember his name, he has a nice story and is a kind guy.

Dylan Groenewegen equalled Fernando Gaviria and Peter Sagan as he bagged his second stage win in Amiens. In six sprinters’ stages, the three top sprinters of the 105th edition have scored twice. Greg Van Avermaet extended his lead by one more second ahead of the much anticipated stage including cobblestones.

170 riders started stage 8 in Dreux. Marcus Burghardt (Bora-Hansgrohe) was the first man to escape from the bunch but his only intention was to stop on the road side to applaud the peloton. It was all together on a slow motion at km 5 and until Laurens ten Dam (Sunweb) launched the first attack at km 23. He was quickly rejoined by Fabien Grellier (Direct Energie) and Marco Minnaard (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) but he decided to sit up and wait for the peloton at km 36.

Winner of Thursdays stage 06, Dan Martin loses over a minute due to a crash, his GC position falls to 31st place = 02:47

General Classification after Stage 8

Froomey now at 12th place = 01:06 ...and biding his time, keeping out of trouble, waiting for those mountains  : )

Debs

Brilliant Report Debs.Looking forward to tomorrows cobbles its going to be hot and dusty out there...

Tabby cat posted:

Brilliant Report Debs.Looking forward to tomorrows cobbles its going to be hot and dusty out there...

I'm looking forward to Stage 09, it's going to be very tuff [ a Sunday in Hell ] there will be blood...

But hopefully no one will get seriously injured!

and will be interesting to see what machinery the riders use, so called fangled gravel bikes all round maybe?

<>

A blast from the past -

never mind the race, or spooky male choir music, check out that funky cafe wallpaper! 

Despite going too early in the final sprint today and maybe having spent too much in his previous sprint stage wins, Sagan benefited greatly in the green jersey standings from the declassification of Greipel and Gaviria.

Soon to embark on Sunday, Bloody Sunday. Could be the most decisive non-mountain stage of the Tour. Despite the dry weather, I anticipate some significant readjustment to the GC standings. Narrow roads and distance from team cars will be a big factor on the cobbles. Better for contenders to have a teammate nearby that can pass their bike in the event of a fall or a flat. Probably the most mentally taxing stage for the riders, technicians and team managers. 

Looking forward to today’s stage. Hoping for a bit of rain, that will make it even more exciting.

Last time the tour went over the pave in wet conditions Nibali gained a significant amount of time. He seamed to glide over the cobbles when most others got bogged down.

You’ve got to fear for Thomas, the most clumsy/accident prone rider in the peleton. Although if he doesn’t crash out he’ll have a good chance of winning, the fear of falling off won’t slow him down.

Correction - Ritchie Port, the most clumsy/accident prone rider in the peloton.????