Le Tour de France 2017

[FelicityLemon]

The stages

1 Individual time trial Saturday, July 1st
Düsseldorf / Düsseldorf 14 km
2 Flat Sunday, July 2nd Düsseldorf / Liège 203.5 km
3 Hilly Monday, July 3rd Verviers / Longwy 212.5 km
4 Flat Tuesday, July 4th Mondorf-les-Bains / Vittel 207.5 km
5 Hilly Wednesday, July 5th Vittel / La planche des belles filles 160.5 km
6 Flat Thursday, July 6th Vesoul / Troyes 216 km
7 Flat Friday, July 7th Troyes / Nuits-Saint-Georges 213.5 km
8 Hilly Saturday, July 8th Dole / Station des rousses 187.5 km
9 Mountain Sunday, July 9th Nantua / Chambéry 181.5 km

• Rest day Monday, July 10th Dordogne 10 Flat Tuesday, July 11th Périgueux / Bergerac 178 km 11 Flat Wednesday, July 12th Eymet / Pau 203.5 km 12 Mountain Thursday, July 13th Pau / Peyragudes 214.5 km 13 Mountain Friday, July 14th Saint-Girons / Foix 101 km 14 Hilly Saturday, July 15th Blagnac / Rodez 181.5 km 15 Hilly Sunday, July 16th Laissac-Sévérac l'Église / Le Puy-en-Velay 189.5 km
• Rest day Monday, July 17th Le Puy-en-Velay 16 Flat Tuesday, July 18th Le Puy-en-Velay / Romans-sur-Isère 165 km 17 Mountain Wednesday, July 19th La Mure / Serre-Chevalier 183 km 18 Mountain Thursday, July 20th Briançon / Izoard 179.5 km 19 Flat Friday, July 21st Embrun / Salon-de-Provence 222.5 km 20 Individual time trial Saturday, July 22nd Marseille / Marseille 22.5 km 21 Flat Sunday, July 23rd Montgeron / Paris Champs-Élysées 103 km

The league is here www.velogames.com/tour-de-france/2017/leaguescores.php?league=682378015

Grab your wine and French (and German) snacks and enjoy.

Also not forgetting the real heroes of Le Tour
twitter.com/lesvachesdutour

www.lesvachesdutour.com/

Oooh.

Well that livened things up a bit.

Shame it wasn't Steve Cummings Day.

Oh wow! Well, we wanted exciting didn't we, and we got it. Great stage, but what a shame Stevo couldn't manage to stay away.

Now the yellow jersey has changed hands it should really liven things up.

My Velogames team is looking healthy I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts

Do Astana have the ability to defend yellow though? If Sky can bank on Froomey doing a good TT then surely Astana will have to do the work of trying to open up a time gap in the mountains.

Well, that was entertaining from start to finish

Ds has just made the wicked suggestion that Simon Yates can stay fresh because he and Adam swap "roles" every day, so he gets extra recovery days (and vice versa last year )

I mean, has anyone seen Adam Yates this last fortnight?

Love it prettybird. Nope, I haven't seen Adam recently either .

Much more exciting now. Happy, happy TdF days.

Yes, much more enjoyable now. Today was fun

So much for those that thought that this TdF would be boring

It's a fascinating game of strategy - and so close this year!

Prettybird - I have the same theory. Didn't they do the same last year but "Adam" was riding?

Today was interesting.

Yup - "Adam" won last year and it looks like "Simon" will win this year.

.....maybe the podium girls were closer to the truth that they realised when they said, "Hello again"

but I'm sure the authorities do check

How would they check? Do they make the other twin prove their whereabouts?

Dr Hutch helping with ITV4 commentary today saying they had a competition in one of the magazines he writes for to spot which Yates was which. Only one person got it 100% and she was their mother...

It's suddenly become a really interesting tour, very much enjoying it/fascinated by all the twists and turns. Hurrah!

They're fraternal twins so not identical

Ah, so they could DNA test. Not that I'm suggesting Adam is really hiding behind a tree on the tough stages so he can jump out and swap in....

Oh what a lovely thread to find! Fellow cycling fans

Everyone in real life wonders why I spend 5 hours of my day off watching the cycling, I'm just trying to explain how exciting it was. Yesterday I could barely watch Froome trying to get back on the wheel after puncture gate- it was torturous.

Who does everyone what to win? I am massive team Froome- I know he's not hugely charismatic or a good media character but I know people who've worked with him and all only say good things, he's just a normal guy.

Good article on the Yates brothers

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/twin-engines-up-close-with-the-yates-brothers/#

Hello and welcome to the thread Beep! Love your username.

I want Froomey to win, mostly cos I can't bear Aru. I am really hoping Geraint Thomas comes into his own at the next race, hopefully the Vuelta? I'm loving Dan Martin and wonder what he could have achieved if he hadn't had that crash and I'm also hoping the Yates brothers will continue to improve. They're so young,I think they've got loads of potential.

I was wondering if G would have a go at the Vuelta.

I would be quite happy for Froome to win, I just don't want him to win easily. I want him to win with some difficulty, to make it more interesting.

I notice I am now Lantern Rouge of the MN velogames league. Hardly surprising really as much of my team fell off / got sent home.

G was on the phone to the ITV4 team and I think he mentioned the Tour of Britain. I think starting another grand tour would just be too much for him after his luck this year. How amazing if he won that in his home city?

I hate the penultimate rest day, it makes me remember how funny the first few days feel after the TdF finishes. I am such a saddo.

Welcome to the friendliest corner of MN Beep .

Hmm. Just wondering if I can cancel all my plans for tomorrow. Possibly not, my son might never forgive me if I missed his Leaver's Assembly to watch some people cycle up a big mountain.

I know, work is so inconvenient, it gets right in the way of watching the tour

I just want to make an apology to all the cyclists in my Velogames team. I didn't realise I was cursed and am so sorry you are nearly all broken now. Ooops.

Ah stuff the leaving assembly Endo, they just make you all tearful in public anyway.

Is anyone watching La Course?
What's with the weird format? And although Lizzie Deignan is a fellow countrywoman, i'm actually super happy to see Van Vleuten doing so well after witnessing that horrible horrible crash from the Olympics. I honestly thought she'd have life changing injuries from that.

And why no team radios? Or any way for riders to know time gaps?

Was a bit odd. Would have been more exciting if they'd started on the same time, perhaps.