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Original poster

Tour de France 2013

455 replies

Panonabike · 29/06/2013 13:43

Are we having a spin on Le Tour this year? They are half way across Corsica already, and Cav and Froome are settled in. Cav's looking for a stage win.

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Gigondas · 12/07/2013 16:47

According to twitter it was payback for something Movistar did in 2011 at tour de Suisse. If that's true it all seems a bit mafioso Grin.

I wondered if contador going wasn't only about time but about trying to tire/split sky in advance/as taster of the big mountain stages . I am worried about froome and lack of team.

But brilliant to see cav show he is still the business

prettybird · 12/07/2013 17:04

Just goes to show that teams have long memories - and that "respecting tradition" can have its benefits in the long run or at least minimise the desire for payback at some future date

Original poster
Panonabike · 12/07/2013 18:23

Nice to see order restored in the world.

I only saw the sprint on a tv at work so no idea about something untoward happening. I remember the Schleck incident and all of the poo that cam after it. Didn't Schleck ride on leaving Evans with a snapped chain when etiquette says he should have stopped? It was on a climb iirc and S was roundly booed on the podium.

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LostInWales · 12/07/2013 18:27

Chavanel on the front again Grin.

I think a lot of what I like about the grand tours is the history and politics, there is so much more to it than who can go fast on a bike. In fact it's almost irrelevant how fast you can go because you can't do anything on your own in these races.

Gigondas · 12/07/2013 18:29

Wasn't it contador who rode on leaving schleck?
But want to watch highlight to see properly what went on.

prettybird · 12/07/2013 18:33

The incident I was referring to was when Contador cycled away from Schleck - and went on to not win the Tour 'cos he was caught taking drugs

Original poster
Panonabike · 12/07/2013 18:47

Ah thanks - got it the wrong way round and with different personnel but other than that I was almost spot on.Grin

Yes, 'Chavanel leading at the front' is a take-home phrase from this years Tour. That and my now encyclopedic knowledge of chateaux.

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Original poster
Panonabike · 12/07/2013 18:59

Can I tell you a funny story?
ON the way home a white van was waiting in a line of traffic at lights and was blocking the cycle lane. I siddled up and told the two men in the cab through the open window what they were doing.
After a v brief exchange the passenger said " Why don't you f*ing do one you f*ing wnker"
I paused, and riposted. "You know in the circumstances that's probably a good idea. See. You aren't as thick as you look. Or sound." And tootled off.
Well it amused me.Grin

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LostInWales · 12/07/2013 20:56

I remember telling a white van driver I felt really sorry for him having to be him after a similarly unhelpful comment Wink

I love the bits where the presenters are really enthusiastic about whichever chateaux they are being shown on a monitor at the time. I wonder if they have a paper script or if they have the info beamed at them from a monitor somewhere. They always sound really informative and not at all sarcastic, which I think I would be.

What does everyone reckon of Froome's chances then? He's barely got a team around him anymore.

prettybird · 12/07/2013 21:17

They have a massive manual (may well be on an iPad now) with information about all the places the Tour passes. We have a friend who berates the ITV4 team for just repeating what they're reading - yet I think they do a good job of making it seem fresh. Smile

Original poster
Panonabike · 12/07/2013 22:24

We know The Froominator is the strongest there and as well will have learned a lot from today about how this particular Tour will work out, esp in not going with Cav on the split. IF he wins it will be a greater achievement than Wiggo's. Saxo will have it in for him, but there are other teams with their own agendas, so keeping their conflicts open if he can will work to his advantage?
He has some mates left as well. Who need to be really good domestiques. Really feel for Boasson-Hagan.

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DramaAlpaca · 12/07/2013 23:27

Hooray, Cav is back! He & his teammates just spotted the Saxo move in time & got in there. He looked a really happy boy going over the line, with his new nemesis Kittel nowhere to be seen.

Clever move today from the Saxo team. Nobody was expecting them to make a move before the mountains. It was a much more exciting stage than anyone was anticipating, and the crosswinds wreaked havoc.

I was glad to see Valverde distanced, even if there was a suggestion of capitalising on a mechanical. He's a former doper who has served a long ban and apparently has never shown any remorse. The same of course can be said of Contador, who's always denied everything. I have lost a certain amount of respect for the Irish cyclist Nico Roche for joining the same team as Contador. I am hoping the efforts that Saxo put in today will take their toll tomorrow.

Froome looked concerned on the podium today. He is strong, but the team are clearly suffering. Feel so sorry for Eddy Boasson Hagen, who's one of my favourite cyclists. Hope he's back racing soon. He's a great loss to Team Sky. I agree with Panonabike that if Froome does win it will be a greater win than Wiggo's last year.

gindrinker · 13/07/2013 07:28

I was there! It was a really good day, the sponsors are giving stuff out all day and there is the caravan about an hour before they come through.

Go early (very early) take a picnic and a sun hat and watch Cav fly past you in the lead.

frostyfingers · 13/07/2013 13:23

Result - whoopee. Really exciting race, and well done to OPQS for such a sneaky move too. Very happy with that result as am off on holiday to Spain and have managed to pick a villa without SKY tv, aarrgh so will have to make do with scraps of news I think.

Sky's plans haven't gone as well but I still think he can do it, he's so strong up the hills.

DramaAlpaca · 13/07/2013 18:35

Great win for Trentin today - he's Cav's room-mate apparently.

I will be chewing my fingernails for Froome all day tomorrow...

ariadneoliver · 13/07/2013 19:36

Frosty if you have an ipad there's always the Eurosport app, itv player and the cycling news tour tracker. It's bound to be on Spanish tv though. Smile

frostyfingers · 13/07/2013 20:59

No Ipad sadly, the place we're staying has CANAL satellite so I'm hoping it will be there somewhere. I'll have to find it before they get to Paris next week!

prettybird · 13/07/2013 21:06

You could always subscribe to Eurosport. It's a rolling £2.99 (I think) a month subscription - but you can cancel at any time ie after the Tour - that's how we watched last year when we were in Greece. Smile

NicholasTeakozy · 13/07/2013 21:30

I think if the field is together at the bottom of the final climb tomorrow Froome will win it. Not the Tour, just the stage. There are probably better climbers but there are what, 3 Cat4 and 1 Cat3 climb tomorrow? Valverde, Contador and Quintana will attack, probably on the final climb and Froome will blow them away. Again.

prettybird · 13/07/2013 21:48

It's exciting fascinating isn't it?! Grin

ariadneoliver · 14/07/2013 08:55

Looks like its on TVE frosty www.rtve.es/deportes/ciclismo/tour-francia/

ariadneoliver · 14/07/2013 09:00

I hope Froome does it (because I don't see anyone from OPQS now winning the GC), I'm a bit worried about the lack of support with Sky being two riders down and Richie Porte being off form.

HowGoodIsThat · 14/07/2013 10:29

Its getting surprisingly tense, isn't it? Having been a bit ambivalent about Froomey, I find myself hovering anxiously. Is it the classic swing of support to the possible under-dog, lone man fight to the finish?

The day before yesterday when Froome lost that minute due to the eschalons was amazing. DH & I rewatched it in full last night and it was gripping - high speed chess.

We have friends staying tonight who have no interest in cycling whatsoever - they are going to have to watch Ventoux regardless.

Original poster
Panonabike · 14/07/2013 10:37

In case you've missed it, as well as Mark Renshaw signing for OPQ, they announced yesterday that Petachi is also joining afer 1st August. He was fed up being responsible for being the sprinter and will act as Cav's lead out man with Renshaw. Quite a little band of bad brothers amassing. Room for Wiggo? (he's got to go somewhere.)

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LostInWales · 14/07/2013 12:24

That sounds awesome Grin. Can't have Wiggo though or we'll end up with the GC/sprints confusion of last year. I like the idea of Wiggo for Green Edge (sudden memory of jumping up and going YAY when 'call me maybe' came on at a BBQ last night Blush none of my friends had a clue what I was going on about. I'm hanging out with the wrong people.)

Can't watch today, darling bil rode up Ventoux a couple of years ago and he started to cry 1k from the finish and sobbed all the way to the top. It's one of my favourite stories about him. Grin But I can't look at the place at the moment, too, too sad that he will never do it again.