Le Tour 2019 MN Peloton rides out.

[MrPan]

Mesdames et Messieurs, a votre service.

Anyone watch La Course? That was an exciting finish.

It's a bit crap though isn't it, they get a few laps round the time trial course in the morning. I'm sure TdF could make a bit more effort towards a proper women's race. TdYorkshire does better.

I wish I didn't believe Alaphilippe to be a doper. :(

To be fair it wasn't DQS that had a delivery of a dodgy jiffy bag containing drugs, or hired Henao and his dodgy bio passport ... that being said doping is rife in all sports and I don't think any of the teams at the TdF have an unblemished history. And Patrick Lefevre hasnt ended up in a police cell after a doping bust (looking at you Dave Brailsford) ... on the other hand there is Dr Ibarguaren so ... I hope you are wrong.

YeOldeTrout I hope not, that would be really :-(

No time for La Course on the ITV4 highlights. Not even a couple of minutes to watch Marianne Vos go up that last hill.

twitter.com/MarkCavendish/status/1152217314605064193

I would love to be wrong, too.
Too vivid a memory of Pantani's TT in 1998. :(

Tour de Yorkshire is ASO as well, just with more of a shove from a certain ex-king of Yorkshire who wanted to make a name for himself in the cycling world and saw it as an easy win. So... Basically it can be done but costs so much that most times it's deemed "not worth it".

To be honest, if I only supported cyclists who I felt 100% confident were not doping, I couldn't watch the sport....

I just adopt the fingers in the ears, humming and going 'I'm not listening' and try and blank all of that from my brain. Works for so many things.

I would be vey suspicious of Alaphillipe if he did well today going on his previous form in high mountains, hopefully he just threw everything he had at the TT in one last hurrah before we get to the serious business of getting very skinny men up steep climbs.

And poor, poor Van Aert it looked like he impaled himself on part of the barrier, horrifying. Apparently nothing broken and he's all stitched up now but OW!

Oh the scenery today. Just stunning.

I sort of believe all are water only until it's proven otherwise. But still watching Alaphillipe destroying G's time raised an eyebrow unfortunately....

Insanely beautiful. Just decided that I can't not visit that mountain in my lifetime.

Now, will Alaphillipe crack in the next few K...

He's doing really really well..

Pfft. AHEM indeed!

The thing is, because so much has gone on before, suspicions get raised whenever someone does well. And especially if someone does really really well.

(Puts fingers in ears and sings a happy song)

Placemarking now I've found you all! Just watching today's stage on Eurosport, then will have a proper read through.

Watching Alaphilippe and listening to commentators saying how we've never seen anything like this from him before etc etc makes me cringe.

On another note, G looks vulnerable doesn't he?

I like this. There is a special crew on le Tour who have the job of spotting painted willies on the road and rendering them into things-that-are-not-willies.

twitter.com/nedboulting/status/1152805639837667329

Oh buzzkill, man. It's the little.death by paint. Who knew??

I've watched them in action, if it wasn't so outing I'd post a picture of my Bil next to, what we called, Voekler's Cock on the Alpe d'Huez (first mention Pan if you are still counting) which we took the night before after a team of intrepid painters appeared outside the hotel on the next days route and painted the national hero's name inside an (they were VERY well organised). It was quite disappointing when an hour or so before the peloton came through a team of even more organised painters appeared and turned it into a daisy.

Started a new abacus MrSlant

Thought of this when I recalled the Stage 13 from four years ago...

And my first stage witness was in Gap. A gazillion years ago.....

Sweaty ride into work this morning. Nice....

When I go up a hill (and we have lots of them) I dance on the pedals and imaging I'm going up the Tourmalet or the Alpe.

Brilliant, but uterly pathetic.

Nimes looks gorge too.

Sunflowers now about 7 foot and faces forming.

And there was some riding too today. Ewan is looking hot. But sad for Fuglsang.
Is G made out of rubber??

G falls off so much he just bounces now.

I spent my year in France as part of my degree in that part of the France. I've loved getting a sense of the region again