Tour de France - This Friday!

[Pan2]

Okay, time to clip in, or out...fill those bidons, and get our merde together.....we roll out from Wonderful Copenhagen for the biggest push bike competition on the planet.
Not sure where velogames are actually up to, but nevertheless we go on Friday. Will set up the league later today. Time to consider options........and who we will curse with selections...will post the link shortly..

They just go for it, don't they!! And are unbridled in explaining, forcibly, exactly how feelings are being experienced.

Am back in maillot jaune. (Claude). Am sure I will be unstintingly generous with the jersey before the week is out.

I'm casting my usual cloud of doom over my team, with Amanda Spratt out already. 😥 I think for La Vuelta I might actually pick an entire team of riders I don't like much and see if i can curse them.
I did have the winner today mind you.😁

I suspect I'll be bringing up the rear in the Tour Femmes - either lanterne rouge or close to it - as I have even less than of a clue about women's cycling than the men's

I did see Marianne Vos' soigneur's van near Box Hill just after the 2012 Olympics when dh and ds went to cycle part of the route. And I chose Marler Reusser because she cycles for SD Worx because that's who Anna Shackley, a talented Scottish rider that ds used to ride with (a year younger than him) is signed for. She's not yet ready for the Tour but I've no doubt she will be doing it in future years.

I chose another rider because she had the same surname as a friend of mine who'd also gone to St Andrews Uni and who also joined ICI (a year ahead of me).

I lost Amanda Spratt yesterday, one of the victims of the many horrendous crashes

Really impressed with Anamiek V Vleuten. Does anyone else recall her crash at the Rio Olympics, when she was on rolling descent to gold medal? Just seeing her lying there with her neck in a weird position brought fears for the very worst,

But nope.....6 years later and she is explaining the details of her complex 'natural break' in the race.

Strange the attachments we develop isn't it prettybird? I've been following a Belgian rider for a while now, on the basis that her forename is the same as dd, which is continental and unusual in spelling. So she gets into my team, and is earning points!

What’s the name of the cyclist who was interviewed saying she’d a tummy bug for 24 hours hence off her game? Orla & gang on GCN were talking about her physiology… was fascinating

I feel ashamed I avidly follow the TdF men and don’t know the women at all.

Probably Annemiek Van Vleuten @Twooforjoy. I didn't see the interview but I know she has been unwell. She is an incredible rider and comes across as lovely and down to earth too. So do most of the women's peleton to be honest. My personal favourite is Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig though - she is enthusiasm personified!

Thanks - yes that’s her 😊

yes!! I saw CUL interviewed yesterday after her win - I loved her unbridled emotion and her free speech cursing 😂

We noticed the cursing

Delighted at today's win: switched the TV on with 16km to go and saw who was in the lead. Assumed she was doomed doomed because she was in my team - but it was a great win for her

Is Mag Garcia made of rubber?

Longo Bolghini obvs thought she knew a short cut on the sprint approach!

Heidi well done on the maillot jaune!

That's the sort of thing I'd do, going the wrong way. Oops.
Nice to see viewing figures have been good. Lots of people out on the road watching as well.
www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/huge-numbers-tune-into-opening-action-of-inaugural-tour-de-france-femmes-avec-zwift

I'm really grateful to Le Col Wahoo for having given out the 10,000 free passes - and to @Plasmodesmata for bribing it to our attention

Dh and I have been enjoying continuing out daily TV cycling fix every afternoon.

And in other news, I went out on my bike yesterday, first time for (I think) a year but it might be two : only 4 miles across to the West End of Glasgow to get a present for ds' girlfriend. Took it really easy and freewheeled a lot but was still sweating like a pig

I might even cycle to rugby training tonight - although that's only about 1.5 miles away.

bringing it to our attention, not bribing

Bloody autocarrot

Well it's sort of bribing people to watch.

Another very racey day!

And as MrsPan says..."you've Claude your way back to the yellow jersey." She has her moments.

Someone's obviously feeling better.

Recovered and had her Weetabix this morning. No competition on the road, so probably the least racing stage of them all? A LOT of comp for the podiums.

Van Vleuten is awesome, 39 as well....

I need to ride that route

It's not quite the procession we feared is it?

What an awesome race! 24% at the top of Super Planche des Belles Filles
& def no procession!

Tortuous! I was expecting at least one or two to step off and walk up for a bit, esp the speedier riders.

Did you see the motorbike following van Vleuten fall over on the steepest part?

Yes, not sure what that was about!