Tour de France 2014

I'd put Wiggins in the Vuelta without Froome:

1. Put the debate Froome vs. Wigginns to bed, especially if Wiggins cracks on some of those steep ramps the Vuelta usually has
2. as a last hurrah for the knight as he rides off into the sunset in either another team's colours or onto the boards as a solo artist 

Am looking to see how well the Porte-Thomas axis works, would love to see G given the opportunity for a stage but that seems remote now. 

Also, getting great pleasure seeing Jensie still smashing it in his 17th tour. 

Just like that Vos biddy, she's crap on a bike

A QUESTION IF I MAY

The Sky Team colours have always been very dark(dark blue/black). When riding a hard mountain stage with the temp in the 80s would it not help the riders if they switched to a much lighter colour of top like white,or does it make no difference. Would like to know.

Mista h

Red top and yellow journalism would be my choice for team Murdoch

Doesn't make much difference. If the climbs are hot, they tend to ride with the jersey unzipped and pour water over themselves to keep cool. White would perhaps be a bit cooler, but there's not much in it. 

Thanks for the reply Winks

Big stage today. Contador and Nibali fenced at each other on Saturday but will surely have more of a set too with the steep summit finish. Nibali confident but his team may well be weaker. Michael Rogers leading out a Sky-style high temp climb will leave Contador to have a blast on the final section I suspect. Will Nibali just limit his losses or go toe-to-toe?

I note it has rained every day of the Tour so far-except  last week in Yorkshire.

Bruce

Contador is out of the T De F now. Is it me or are there more crashes this year?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/

Defo turning into a mobile disaster area. Bad weather. Fewer drugs. Perhaps.

I'd say there have been fewer crashes than usual.

It's just a coincidence that the high profile riders have ended up with serious injuries.

So what do the numbers say? I can't find anything on the subject.

Part of bike racing but it does seem a shame that amongst the 18 to have withdrawn are one of the favourites for the green jersey and the two biggest favourites for the GC. There are usually a bunch of crashes in the first week, remember Wiggo fractured his collarbone in 2011 when expected to be a big contender.

Good luck to Nibali. He showed in the filthy weather of the Giro last year that he is hard and strong. Hope he stays lucky.

Froome should be back for the Vuelta but I doubt Contador will be as he has what sounds like a tibial plateau fracture. Amazing that initially he gets back on his bike and pedals up the road for a while before quitting.

It has been a dramatic Tour so far, can it stay this interesting?

Cancellara has pulled out now to 'prepare for the world championships'

Have to say watching todays stage the camera guys have got things down to a fine art.

A great days racing. What does worry me however is how close they get to the riders on the downhill stages. A rider has only got to crash and the motorbike is going to go straight into them,and at speeds of up to 60mph rather them than me.

Mista h

Have to agree, the camera work is superb.

They are definitely a special breed, top notch cameramen, very fit, very strong and a little crazy.

Five hours filming from the back of a bike doesn't seem like fun to me.

What a great TdF this is.

We may have been 'denied' the anticipated three way fight between Contador, Froome and Nibali but so much too enjoy; and some of it precisely because riders like Majka, Rogers etc are not just working for their team leader any more. So many different stage winners in the mountains, and indeed on the sprints where Kittel has dropped away and Sagan has scored well yet not won a stage. We've also had a flurry of other young (largely French) riders rising through the ranks. Feels like a few others of the old guard are on the way down too.

Throughout it all the quiet, calm and confident Nibali has never missed a trick. Hugely impressive, he has dominated by attacking not just happy to sit and consolidate, and much has been down without great support from his team once the road has gone upwards. He will be a worthy winner.

Not suprisingly I hear Contador is out of the Vuelta. From what I gather about his injury I wonder if he will be quite the same again?

I hope Froome can show us some form in the Vuelta.

Bruce

Bruce,

i couldn't agree more, despite bad luck disappointments of some of the favourites in the first week this has turned out to be a very exciting tour this year.

And we’ve not heard the Dreaded four letter D word mentioned yet …let’s hope it stays that way.

Looks like Nibali has nailed it this year but the time trail stage will be very interesting and sort out who will end the tour in second and third.

Fantastic performance from 24 year old Rafal Majka, and based over the past 3 days I wonder if we see a future TdF winner in the making : )

Debs

Majka seems a real find, and a bit of a character too.

I wonder if he can time-trial adequately?

Bruce

I have absolutely no idea what that icon means!

Twice in the Pyrenees Majka winked at the TV cameramen, so I think it alludes to that.

I agree it has been a great tour to watch.

Tomorrow’s 54k time trial stage is fairly flat which tends to suit the more muscular powerful riders who can maintain speed and concentration.

At 62kilo Majka has a great power to weight ratio for climbing but not so good on a flat road time trial.

But i think he’ll do okay tomorrow [to finish in top 15..?] because he has something to race for, but don’t expect to see him on the podium, or winking for that matter ; )

This could have been Chris Froome’s stage win if things had been different.

Debs

All this racing, and...it is still beautiful and sunny in Yorkshire.

Hard, hot ride yesterday by me over the hills and far away-and even on my quiet and well chosen routes there are definitely more cyclists here than usual.

Bruce

PS Oh, it is winking! Get it now.

Job done Vincenzo!Great performance on Tour after Pantani 16 years ago.

Can anyone on this thread supply me with any numbers for the tour,as what goes on behind the scenes must be mind blowing. In yesterdays T/T each rider had a car following them,so thats 150 + motors. Then you have the motorbikes/mechanics with trucks/race officials,the press etc,etc.

How do they all find fuel for their motors. Then for 21 nights you need maybe up to 1,000 hotel rooms at each overnight stop. The numbers must be mind blowing !!

If anyone can post figures i would be very interested.

Mista h