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..

Can't believe that even though I have Bardet ( and G ) in my team, I ended up dropping a place

Still, I've now seen who I think Velogames replaced Daryl Impey with on my behalf as he only pulled out just before the start: Guy Niv, who was trying to push the breakaway along. So maybe he'll earn me some points today.

I'm challenging for the lanterne rouge. Am hoping for a better day today!

Arrgh! I'm beginning to think that Tom Pidcock is actually David Millar's secret love child or something. Just shut up about him David....there are other riders in the race!!

Ds now tells me that he's raced against Pidcock at the North West Youth Tour - when ds was a 1st year Youth B and Pidcock would've been a 2nd year Youth B.

Such an exciting stage! I really struggle with watching them descend live, esp in the wet, and that was similar with TP taking each corner as a racing line....
And Froomey! And G hanging on, keeping in there, with the TT in his back pocket. And Roglic hours off the yellow jersey, and COVID ripping through the teams, and how come Lizzie and Peter have mellow sun tans and Gary still looks like he has holidayed in Bolton?

And congrats to Bluebellies as I concede the yellow jersey. You whooshed by us all like a demon descender....

Well my team might have done a bit better today thanks to Tom.

Day 13 - A day to catch breath? The transition stage to work across the south to the Pyrenees eventually. Open for attacks, a bit lumpy.

The videos of Pidcock's descent will surely be inscribed in 'D'Huez history. Just a shame Losty hasn't been here to describe her iconic day on the mountain....

Thank you @Pan2! My decision to choose Froomey finally paid off. What a stage though, Pidcock’s descending was mind-blowing.
I haven’t seen today’s result, but I’m fully expecting to lose the yellow jersey pretty quickly!

Thanks to Fred Wright - who ds also raced against - I've now gained another place. Up to 11th - nearly into the top half.

Given that I'm usually a contender for the lanterne rouge, so I'm happy!

Now, if I'd realised that Daryl Impey who was "expensive" had had to pull out and had gone more research on Cyril Lemoine and not picked him as he's scored me nowt I'd be doing even better

Day 14 - a bit like Day 13 but on steroids . It still heads towards the Pyrenees and is very lumpy, even better suited to a successful break away if it's small enough and has a brutal kick right at the end to the Mende airfield, where Steve Cummings victored on Mandela Day all those years ago. Hoping WVA goes for this rather than tomorrow's sprint.

Bluebellies you're disappearing up the road!

Thanks for telling the MN peloton about my non appearance (until now) on the thread @Pan2, much appreciated. The update is the ongoing medical issues are still, well, ongoing, but are at long last being addressed.

Bonne chance pour tous les equipes!

Hey Dr jolly good to see you!

You might have seen my updates on the Twitters Pan.

I've done some checking back and can't see anything. (?)

So Roglic isn't starting - I think he's the first of mine to pull out (as opposed to Impey who didn't start but was replaced).

Wow! Was a reason given? Some suspicious souls were predicting a sudden bout of covid for him. So he could be in place for La Vuelta then?

Day 15 - KM Zero! It's hot, and set for a bunch sprint into Caracassone.

I have hopes for van Aert to regain the stage win habit...

Oh WVA is up the road! Must have heard.....

Oh Magnus Cort is out as well as Simon Clarke - Covid.

Dh told me about Roglic - apparently so that he can recover from his injuries - so not using the Covid excuse

Oh no - Team Jumbo Visma has lost another rider - not in my Velogames, but it will impact on WvA and Vingegaarde.

Looked bloody hot. I'm wondering how I am going to survive the next couple of days heat and insane bike racing is not something I have planned.

Stage 16. What can we say? The first Pyrenean monster - two huge upwards and a sharp descent into Foix. In the heat of a pizza oven. Thoughts and prayers to them all.

I think Yorkshire is actually hotter than the TdF today but I'm only sat on my bottom watching.

Day 17 - another mahoosive day of climbing, 3 cat 1s and a cat2. The official guide points to an incredibly steep climb up to an altiport. I did have to google what this actually is - an altiport is an airfield in high mountains that serves as an airstrip for light planes and for helicopters. Just so's you know..........

It looks like road is running out for the contenders/challengers so they would have to attack pretty much from KM zero, and given it's a short stage it should give lots of proper, real, sweaty attack racing and counter attacking. Marvellous!

I do seem to have established a solo break away in our league! Am activating my inner Vingegaard!