Le Tour de France 2016! - MN Peloton takes to the road again!

[thewheelscomeoff123]

Yes it's July almost, which means only one thing. The biggest, craziest, Frenchiest push bike race in the world. Three weeks of riding round France in multi-coloured lycra, sweating, swearing, playing poker on 380 wheels, tears of joy and frustration, in the saddle for about 5 hours per day, up and down massive hills, throwing the odd tantrum. Then going to bed, and getting up in the morning and doing it all again! Questions: Why? Well we just don't know. When? Starts on Saturday 2nd July with a flat bit from the beautiful Mont Saint- Michel on the Normandy coast to Utah Beach, and ends with the sprint finish on the Champs Elysee, Paris on Sunday 24th July. Where do they go? Essentially they ride for 2,200 miles around the edge of France, and wandering a bit into Spain, Andorre, and Switzerland. This is for the sake of going up and down the Pyrenees and the Alps. Which we know as the 'lumpy bits'. There's a route map coming up. There's always a route map. Is it tiring? Evidence suggests it might be. In the 3 weeks the riders consume the calorific equivalent of eating 252 McD's double cheeseburgers. Some of us are both proud and ashamed of the fact we could eat all of that in the 3 weeks without riding anywhere..... So who wins? It's the person who covers that distance in the shortest time. BUT..it's a team game and the winner cannot do it without all 9 team mates. The prize is 500,000 Euros, which the winner will partly hand out to his buddies. Is it on UK tv? Yes, ITV and Eurosport carry a lot of live action and both do a highlights package for an hour or so each evening. Is there a 'virtual' competition where you can 'buy' a team of riders within a budget and see how they do? I'm glad you asked that. here is a link to everything you will need to show off your directeur skills and have a bit of added interest for the race Do I have to know loads about pro-cycling to understand what's going on? Nope. Have a watch, have a read, ask anything on this thread and your layered knowledge will build and you will get so much more out of it. When are you going to shut up and show the route map? Now.

Did you see at the end of the highlights last night, they were saying that Cav might not make it over the mountains this year? I hope he does get another stage win in asap if that's a serious concern.

I have Porte, that was going to be my secret weapon win the game with my cheaper rider moment. Never mind eh .

I suspect the plan may be to pull Cav before the mountains because of his Olympic hopes, but I'd love to see him tearing up the Champs d'Elysee again.

I heard him say in an interview that it's all training and he'd be in the saddle whatever so he plans to stay but surely it's more dangerous being in the peloton?

This stage is presenting as a candidate as the most boring stage this century. Av speed 34km/hour - no-one stressed or bothered about chasing the lone ranger. Rolling lanscape. Even time to get on with some work!

But wouldn't Dimension Data, his payers, insist he stays. They've funded him and this is the biggest opportunity for a 'return'.

It'll be interesting to see what happens & whether or not he does stay. Unlike some of the sprinters he's quite good at getting over hills

Good point Pan. Sometimes I get so lost in the actual sport I forget that in reality they are just mobile billboards .

DS1 and I are making the most of the dullness to learn how to say 'I have a puncture' and 'where is the nearest bike shop' in French whilst planning routes for the holidays.

billboards. the romance of it has just evaporated.

MrSlant my DP also learnt lots of bike related phrases when we went away to France a couple of weeks ago, but was so annoyed that the man in the bike shop just spoke back to him in English Got a good ride up the Pyrenees in though!

Sorry.

So the sound quality on ITV is much better today. I know Millar sounds quite dull but he is very knowledgable.

Well at least he tried Felix . I'm afraid I'm taking DS1 to a rather flat portion of France but he's planning some 20/30 mile routes so he can have his bike fix without me losing all my hair worrying about him. I've promised him some decent rides one day, he'd love the Pyrenees, bet your DH did.

Twitter reacts to the slow pace of Tour de France stage three

So that was a bit close.

Yaaaaayyyy!!!

I love how the most boring stage imaginable can have that sort of finish.

Go Cav!!! I feel slightly sorry for Greipel thinking he had it, Cav must have really crept up on him?

Cav is so on message with the talk about team mates, sponsors and charity - so smooth. I mean, he's still panting over the finish but so impressively clear headed!

Cav always thanks his team mates though, doesn't he, it's one of the things that's so endearing about him. Although I'm not sure about having the kids there all the time!

I guess I can just watch the end of this when I get home, it appears I won't miss anything too compelling if I skip the first couple of hours
😀

Felicity I'd skip up to about 5 mins before the end unless you are having trouble sleeping .

So slow I had to bribe DS2 to pick his little brother up from his school trip or I'd have missed the end, honestly, by my calculations those lead out trains owe me £5.

Yay for Cav!!!

An exciting end to a not very exciting stage.

Love those twitter references - esp the LCL yellow bike playing hang man over Fonseca. I checked in at work v early and saw the 34km/hr and apparently it slooooowed after that.

For commentators who are surprised at Cav's re-emergence having 'lost his way' for a couple of years..he is parading on the podium the reasons why, surely..?