Le Tour de France 2015

"green" tarmac is always like that - recently laid tarmac with a light shower of rain and the oils just rise to the surface like a skid-pan. The ASO normally recommend any re-laying work on the roads to be completed a couple of months in advance of the race, to give it some time to "rain in" and for the oils to leech out of the tarmac, but, well - the local authorities don't always get the work done on time... We got lucky last year in yorkshire, because I rode most of the First Stage about a week before the race, and there were at least five miles of the route that was still getting fresh surfacing done. Some of the roads would have been lethal after a shower or two.
 
Slippy tarmac is awfull, on the motorbike its bad enough, like wet newly painted white lines....fooock....

or stupid f*wit councils that put manhole covers in the middle of the road on corners....
 
Mr Bump said:
Slippy tarmac is awfull, on the motorbike its bad enough, like wet newly painted white lines....fooock....

or stupid f*wit councils that put manhole covers in the middle of the road on corners....
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or the "overbanding" - where they pour tar into the cracks in the road and just "squeegee" it over leaving a 2" wide slippery tar strip that again always seems to be on the apex of a bend...
 
or truckers and spilt diesel, filthy people.....oooooo don't get me started....
 
Nod said:
Does look a bit odd but I suppose that arm muscle is to a large extent excess baggage on a cyclist. Veins just look pumped after strenuous exercise - presumably the editor used that shot precisely because it does look a bit odd.
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I believe that was at the presentation ceremony, so no exercise involved. Point is the riders are getting to extreme levels of weight loss, and suspicion is that specific regimens are required to do that. It's not alleging anything special on Froome - the others I'm sure are training in an equivalent manner, whatever that may be. It's a worry though - set the sport aside, is it safe for the riders? That's where the governing body comes in - if the UCI do nothing about Armstrong from his first test fail in 1999 onwards, the message to the rest of the peloton is that they also need to dope, or accept they have no chance of progressing in their chosen career. It's a really tough path to be pushed down, and requires a very strong governing body.

What a shame today for Tony Martin, although looked to a large extent self-inflicted. Seems a really nice guy, and awful to go down in yellow like that. Hope he's okay, but looked bad.
 
Mr Bump said:
Slippy tarmac is awfull, on the motorbike its bad enough, like wet newly painted white lines....fooock....

or stupid f*wit councils that put manhole covers in the middle of the road on corners....
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Well, as much as I hate to defend sodding manhole covers, they have to be on corners since that's where the underground conduiting changes direction. One of my personal pet hates are the lumpy yellow lines across the road on (usually) roundabout approaches. Slippery as hell (especially in the wet) and bumpy enough to upset the suspension even at a relatively low speed.
 
Ivan Basso out of the tour, diagnosed with testicular cancer.
he bashed his parts a few days ago and had pain for days so had it checked out.

he is on his way back to Italy for urgent surgery.
 
Well first day in the mountains and Froome destroyed the opposition. Incredible performance. Reminded me a lot of some of Armstrong's stage wins.
 
Thread tidied, not the best idea to troll in a thread heavily frequented by the staff...

As to today's stage, the performance of the day was from Titchy Ritche.... Even though he's offski at the end of the season, to ride up there solo and mug Quintana before the line to deny him a few seconds time bonus was above and beyond imo.
 
TheBigYin said:
Thread tidied, not the best idea to troll in a thread heavily frequented by the staff...

As to today's stage, the performance of the day was from Titchy Ritche.... Even though he's offski at the end of the season, to ride up there solo and mug Quintana before the line to deny him a few seconds time bonus was above and beyond imo.
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And let's not forget Geraint. Another stellar performance.
 
Poignant day today. The Col de Portet d'Aspet features, where Fabio Casartelli was killed 20 years ago. Today is a perfect stage from Quintana, Contador or Van Garderen to attack. Nibali might as well get a bus home.
 
Yeah Poor Nibali 7 mins down, blimey didn't see that coming and as the Yin says Ritchie Porta knicking those few seconds off Quintana I wonder how much that hurt.
 
Moadib said:
Froome is looking....strange. History is not going to look back well on this era of cycling.

Froome_arm.png
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He does tend to grip the hoods a massive amount. I ride 50 plus miles most Sundays and my forearms although not like this have pretty pronounced veins that never popped out at all before I took up regular cycling to work and Saturday/ Sundays with a club. When you spend that much time on a bike I can understand why skinnier riders look like this!
 
Ricardodaforce said:
Good race eh? Roll on tomorrow!
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It's a shame that Tejay went out today and Martin earlier. You want the best riders to be able to get to Paris. Geraint Thomas aka Granite is a solid team player. Sagan looks immense, Greipel's sprinting power when he's in the frame are awesome, White jersey Quintana looks about 40 and's only 25!
 
Froome looks great this year and what a team he has around him
 
Did Nibali take an unfair advance today or was it just a coincidence?
 
huffy said:
Did Nibali take an unfair advance today or was it just a coincidence?
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Well I think he looked back at least twice. BUT he wasn't really a GC contender so I think Froome over-egged the significance of it. What was really ugly were the scenes of abuse towards Froome.
 
Maybe I'm jaded, but seems just the same stuff that used to be written about Lance and US Postal - Chris Carmichael, special training, oxygen tent, yada yadda. In a few years I firmly expect that we'll find UK Postal's methods have been no different - same as the 70's, 80's and 90's, just updated for the pharmacology of the time.

For me this is a more representative piece - explains why Froome/Skye being booed on the road, and the (admittedly deplorable) antics against them by fans.
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/viewtopic.php?p=1774547#p1774547
 
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Moadib said:
Maybe I'm jaded, but seems just the same stuff that used to be written about Lance and US Postal - Chris Carmichael, special training, oxygen tent, yada yadda. In a few years I firmly expect that we'll find UK Postal's methods have been no different - same as the 70's, 80's and 90's, just updated for the pharmacology of the time.

For me this is a more representative piece - explains why Froome/Skye being booed on the road, and the (admittedly deplorable) antics against them by fans.
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/viewtopic.php?p=1774547#p1774547
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Whilst I regard myself to be quite cynical about all kinds of athletic performances, I do not bother to read the "Clinic" in Cycling News, because everyone there seems to believe that NO athlete is clean anymore and that is clearly a ludicrous stance to take IMO. The "clinic" is populated largely by ex Lance "fanboys" who cannot bear seeing anyone else win. I think that having watched this Tour, most of the riders are clean, because you only have to look at the way some of the top riders - Valverde, Contador, Rodriguez, Nibali - are having really bad days.
 
BillN_33 said:
Worth a read, and put some of the current arguments in perspective

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/cycling/33661977
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This is one of Team Sky's main reasons for their success on mountain stages, and why it enabled Brad Wiggins to become a climber.

http://roadcyclinguk.com/sportive/t...-your-bucket-list.html/11#KuioqmOx7shZfdRE.97

They used to (and probably still do) loads of repetitions on this climb, and it is absolutely evil - 37 kilometres, a bit like a lunar landscape.
 
Only just seen this thread. :rolleyes:

A fascinating penultimate stage today. I thought Quintana and Valverde had it in them to a job on Froome, and then when all the other Columbian riders appeared near the end, I thought everything was going Quintana's way. Because of Froome's style, it looked as though Quintana was getting further away than he was. Great stage. :clap:

I must admit I'm no aficionado of Cycling, though I have watched it on terrestrial TV since Channel 4 in the 80's. but I must say that the treatment of Froome has been deplorable. I've never heard a rider getting booed in the TdeF, in any race, and there has been some despicable characters over the years. Obviously it goes without saying that riders getting things thrown at them, and assaulted is crossing a line. :mad:

Thought the 'fans' on Alpe dHuez today were the worst I had seen yet. I was waiting for someone to knock off, get in the way, drop a flag in front of one the riders. God know what would have happened if any of that had happened to Froome, and Quintana would have got the time he needed. :eek: It is only a matter of time for something like that to happen imho. What do people get out of running alongside? :thinking: :mad:

I hope Froome and Team Sky are clean. And all the other riders too. Only history will tell for certain though.

Fingers crossed for Cavendish tomorrow, but I think this year's sprinter has been Andre Greipel, in a very mountainous tour. Depends on how all the sprinters have faired over the mountains though. :thinking:
 
I bet you there was no mention of doping in the French press after Pinot won yesterday. It will be entirely down to his wonderful training and fitness!! Hypocrisy is alive and well in France.
 
I'm all for lifetime bans for people who are caught doping - and I mean lifetime - banned from participating in the sport in a coaching, managment or DS role as well... Mind - it'd make a few teams a bit thin on the ground, wouldn't it... for example, three of the other three main contenders teams...

Tinkof Saxo

41 CONTADOR VELASCO Alberto
(heavily implicated in Puerto, Banned for clenbuterol)
42 BASSO Ivan
(suspended for "attempted doping", re Puerto)
43 BENNATI Daniele
44 KREUZIGER Roman
(worked with Dr Ferrari, suspended on abnormalities on Bilogical passoport, case eventually dropped)
45 MAJKA Rafal
46 ROGERS Michael
(chinese Clenbuterol - case dropped)
47 SAGAN Peter
48 TOSATTO Matteo
49 ANDERSEN Michael Valgren
(managed up until recently by Bjarne (Mr. 60%) Riis)



Astana

1 NIBALI Vincenzo
2 BOOM Lars
(low cortisol at start of tour)
3 FUGLSANG Jakob
4 GRIVKO Andriy
5 GRUZDEV Dmitriy
6 KANGERT Tanel
7 SCARPONI Michele
(suspended for working with Dr. Ferrari)
8 TAARAMAE Rein
9 WESTRA Lieuwe

(managed by Vinokourov - Banned for Blood Doping)



Movistar

51 QUINTANA ROJAS Nairo Alexander
52 ANACONA GOMEZ Winner
53 CASTROVIEJO NICOLAS Jonathan
54 DOWSETT Alex
55 ERVITI OLLO Imanol
56 HERRADA LOPEZ José
57 IZAGUIRRE INSAUSTI Gorka
58 MALORI Adriano
59 VALVERDE BELMONTE Alejandro
(suspended 2 years, Puerto)

(DS's include Neil Stephens (EPO/festina))


Maybe if people knew that if they were caught they were screwed for life - not just for a "2 year suspension" that you can keep tied up in the courts for 18 months of (or end up getting the case dropped if your Managing Oligarch's tame legal team are good enough!) , and keep riding/earning for that time - so effectively a short 6 months "extended training camp" and come back to the sport - then they'd think more seriously about it.
 
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Gaz J said:
I bet you there was no mention of doping in the French press after Pinot won yesterday. It will be entirely down to his wonderful training and fitness!! Hypocrisy is alive and well in France.
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This interview with Richard Virenque (French mountain specialist, Festina affair - doping) gives an idea of the French attitude to doping.

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/1...ointed-to-be-attacked-by-Bradley-Wiggins.aspx

Even after being found guilty of doping, Virenque was still revered and loved in France. If a British athlete from any sport had done that, then they would have been torn apart by the media and public.
 
Yes, even with all the (alleged) doping Virenque and Jalabert couldn't manage to win the tour. They did manage the mountains and green jerseys, but the French want yellow from their boys and are not concerned how they achieve it. Think this is what peeves les escargots more than anything. They haven't won by fair means or foul so they will denigrate everyone else.
 
mickledore said:
Yes, even with all the (alleged) doping Virenque and Jalabert couldn't manage to win the tour. They did manage the mountains and green jerseys, but the French want yellow from their boys and are not concerned how they achieve it. Think this is what peeves les escargots more than anything. They haven't won by fair means or foul so they will denigrate everyone else.
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Same with the Yanks, they were really peeved when LA got busted and now take it out on everyone else.
BTW, nothing alleged about Virenque, he got done fair and square, and Jalabert also got done for EPO on the samples tested later from the 1998 "Festina affair" TdF.
 
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