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/

Awww, many congratulations to you both

Congratulations! I'm so pleased for you both.

Congratulations!

We could have a TdF theme for our outfits - the bride will obviously be in white - which is apt, as the best young competitor.

I don't really suit yellow, but would look OK in either polka dots or green.

Ha ha ha ha!

Many many thank yous for your good wishes all! Am overjoyed. And it's def the first and last time I do this!

She had no idea what was coming, and after 'dressing' the park bench in tarpaulin and blankets, I sang the song to her, and then when I started on the 3rd line of Cloths of Heaven, she started bubbling. Then it was down on one knee, explained that wherever we are together it feels like 'home', but I want us to have our home. Produced the ring and asked for her hand in marriage, having to say I didn't want just her hand. More bubbling and professions of love, and after about 45 secs I had to ask "is that yes, then" Of course it was. What woman could resist that??
And the ring fitted perfectly.

Ohhhh lovely!!

Do excuse me - I seem to have something in my eye. Ahem.

Well as a self professed hater of romance since recent events I obviously find nothing remotely lovely in that but I'm very happy for you both

SDTG I believe the beautiful future Mrs Pan will be wearing a sari to the big event so we could find her material that covers all TdF shirt bases then as bridesmaids (we are bridesmaids aren't we Pan ) we could have dresses in each of the jersey colours. I suit yellow so bagsy that.

Not to crash the happy but MrS junior no 3 came third overall in his first weekend of racing, whoop!

Congratulations

BTW, I suit green

OK, so MrS is wearing yellow, prettybird suits green and STDG would be happy with polka dots. Hmmm, I love green as well but since prettybird baggsied that first I might have to go with pink for the maglia rosa. Good job I like pink!

Vuelta next so we have a red dress up for grabs too, I may be willing to negotiate on that one for the yellow?

You recon that's the conversation Froome is having right now ?

Zut alors! Sacre bleu! A whole squad of sari-bedecked riders in the tours colours would be fabulous!
And yes MrS Frommey is probs reading this right now and thinking.."good idea!"

The STB MrsPan is massively impressed by the gentlemanly/sports-minded aspect of road racing eg stopping when the yellow jersey breaks down, the order of team riding, having retirees take a lap on the Champs-Elysee, the general cheering by the road side etc. La Vuelta will be her first tour, lucky thing!

And speaking of the big V, Bertie has announced he is hanging up his cleats after the Vuelta. That will trigger further rounds of musical teams as riders look to fill in on Trek-Segafredo?

and well done 'little' MrS on a podium finish! ---

Congratulations to Pan and STB Mrs Pan.

I am looking forward to the Vuelta but fear I may miss the first week due to being on holiday with my parents - I think their TV can get ITV4 but suspect we may be in the pub a lot. Am aiming for a Velogames team where nobody falls off or gets disqualified.

Thank you Pan, MrS junior was very pleased with his first podium. Well if very pleased covers 'not shut up about it' and 'insisting he has clipless pedals like the boys who came first and second'. I hope the future MrsP enjoys the Vuelta, lets hope the boys bring out all their best plays to entice her further into the sport.

I am scared to do a Velogames for the Vuelta. Now Steve Cummings has announced he also fractured vertebra during the race that gives me a 6 of 9 broken riders for the tour. I don't want to jinx anyone else!

In sensible cycling news is anyone really surprised by Contador's announcement? He's had a hard 18 months where nothing seemed to go his way. It must be very hard to go from the top of the game cheater to just not having the legs to be completely up there. It's not like he's a cat 2 rider now but he seems to be suffering, must be very frustrating.

MrS I have only one piece of advice for you regarding the Vuelta Velogames, and that is go for head instead of heart

No, not surprised by Contador's announcement. But he & his dancing pedals will be missed. He may not have been everyone's cup of tea, but he could certainly light up a race.

Oh, and very well done MrSJnr on his first podium.

I will miss the Contador of old very much, he was one of my favourite cyclists. I think I have that mothers "I am VERY disappointed in you young man" cross thing going on because I was/am still very fond of him. Watching him dance up a giant climb like it was nothing was always amazing. It's been horrible to watch him not quite having the legs recently. And all the falling off. I should just stop liking cyclists and enjoy it for the sport .

I took against Contador when he attacked Andy Schleck on the Port de Bales, when Schleck's chain came off. I have disapproved of him ever since. I am sure he has suffered under the ignominy of my disapproval!

Me too SDTG. I thought that was awful.

Did you see the interview with Andy Schleck during the Tour's first few days? He looked really happy. I think they said he runs a bike shop and café.

Yes - I saw that - it was a lovely interview.

I'm with SDTG on Contador. Have a very long memory for that sort of thing. That and the cheating.

Apparently both Yateses are maybe going to do the Vuelta. How will that work then? They'll have to ride all the stages! ;-) Unless perhaps they're actually secretly triplets.

Endo good point. Shame there's no young rider classification, that would have been interesting (although is it year of birth or age at the time? DS3 is year of birth and that's UCI so even though they are 25 now would it still count?)

I, umm, only liked Contador because of his Spanish accent and big brown eyes . Well and the whole dancing up a hill like a butterfly bit.

Just thought I'd post this here in case people haven't seen it - good news from Richie Porte.

mobile.twitter.com/richie_porte/status/896999128517009408?p=v

Here's the thread for the Vuelta if anyone is watching