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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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prettybird · 18/07/2013 16:17

Oooooooo!!!!!

prettybird · 18/07/2013 16:39

(BTW - that's not a spoiler - that was a real time reaction to the unfolding events! )

NicholasTeakozy · 18/07/2013 16:49

Well, that was a fascinating race, rather like chess on 354 wheels. Assuming the are still 177 riders left of course.

ariadneoliver · 18/07/2013 16:57

Great race, well worth the hours I devoted to it.

LostInWales · 18/07/2013 17:37

Sorry, I was on +1 due to unreasonable children wanting to play in the sunshine .

Wow, that was brilliant, I'm a bit tired from watching! I'll be back to discuss later so no spoilers from me. I may be a bit tipsy later too, so that should be fun .

Original poster

Panonabike · 18/07/2013 21:35

Cav is just coming in now.

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EndoplasmicReticulum · 18/07/2013 22:40

I only watched live until 3pm - forgot about plus one. So it's possible to watch live, go to pick children up, then plus one when you get back. Assuming school run takes under an hour, and that your children will leave you alone and let you watch.

Live coverage starts at 10 tomorrow.

Husband has pointed me in direction of Guardian commentary thread thing which has some interesting snippets, like the Jens anecdote in particular:

www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jul/18/tour-de-france-stage-18-live

Original poster

Panonabike · 18/07/2013 23:01

I recorded Eurosports and fast fwded through much of the boring bits when I got home once Sky had established the peleton and were happy to let the escapees go.
But what a stage. I'm knackered just watching it. I need a rest day after that.

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DramaAlpaca · 18/07/2013 23:49

That was an exciting stage alright.

The French must be very happy they finally have a stage winner. I felt so sorry for Van Garderen, he must've been gutted when Riblon came whizzing past him. Those crowds were a bit mad!

Once again, amazing work from Richie Porte. Both himself & Froome were given a 20 second penalty & fined ?140 for the gel bar incident. I shouldn't think they minded one little bit!

ariadneoliver · 19/07/2013 12:24

Riblon was so emotional on the podium it was touching to watch. When the French get a Tour winner again it'll be like Murray winning Wimbledon

Original poster

Panonabike · 19/07/2013 18:04

The Tyler Hamilton book is a real eye-opener. A most telling comment so far was that most riders want to win. Armstrong just had to win at all costs.
Also it hasn't been said yet, but it has to be a team effort. There was no sense for US Postal to just have one rider doping.

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Original poster

Panonabike · 19/07/2013 18:10

He also dispels the belief that it 'was a level playing field because everyone was at it', which it certainly wasn't.

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LostInWales · 19/07/2013 19:24

No, it was very interesting reading about the different 'levels' of doping and attention, I read it a while ago now (and have a hopelessly short memory span) but I almost get the feeling that there was a jealousy and a need to be one of the 'elite' group that got to go out for the top of the range doping, rather than the run of the mill pills etc. The fact that riders sometimes got other peoples blood and occasionally 'off' blood is chilling. It was a fantastic book though. Unlike Wegelius' whinge fest .

ivykaty44 · 19/07/2013 21:36

team sky car ice box fell over and the water (melted ice) went through the electrics in the car, meaning that the car wasn't in the correct position to dish out food and drink and the correct place between down mt and up mt - so thus running out of fuel - well thats what I was told...

Original poster

Panonabike · 19/07/2013 22:50

okaaay. The olde 'melted ice fecking up the electrics excuse'. Cynical? Moi?

Kidding. You learn something new every tour don't you? re sustenance-giving rules now. Didn't know that.

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Original poster

Panonabike · 19/07/2013 22:52

Doesn't Corsica, and the bus under the gantry feel a very long time away?

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ariadneoliver · 19/07/2013 23:02

I haven't read the Tyler Hamilton book, but for a detailed and readable look at doping try David Walsh from Lance to Landis.

YY to Corsica feeling a long way off. Still 2 more days then roll on the Vuelta!

Original poster

Panonabike · 19/07/2013 23:06

ariadne that book gets a mention in the TH book blurb.

Bastard friends want to go out on Sunday evening. Bastards. It's a conspiracy.

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TheSmallClanger · 19/07/2013 23:11

They seriously need their team cars looking at, if water/ice/whatever split inside the car made its way through the bulkhead and into the bonnet space where the fuses and wiring loom live...

Still, I think that the penalty yesterday to Froome was rather harsh and directed. It wasn't him who went back to the car - although there are rules about fetching food from the car, there are none about where you can and can't eat. If he had been hoarding flapjacks in his back pocket since the start, they wouldn't have been able to do anything.

DramaAlpaca · 19/07/2013 23:24

David Walsh's book From Lance to Landis is worth reading. David Walsh also has a new book out now about how his crusade to prove Armstrong was doping.

The stage today wasn't the most exciting - I think everyone was wrecked after the double d'Huez yesterday. Rui Costa did a fine, tactical race today. I was hoping Pierre Rolland would hang on for the win, but he has a good chance of the polka dot jersey tomorrow.

I heard that part of the reason Froome got the penalty was because he was only able to get the car to him at that stage of the race by putting up his arm suggesting he had a mechanical. Then of course it became clear that there was in fact nothing wrong with his bike because he sent Porte back for the gels. I think the team took a calculated gamble that the time penalty would be less than what he might lose on the stage if he didn't take on board some gels.

There has also been some muttering about Contador changing his bike part way through the stage yesterday when he heard that there was to be a bike weight check at the end of the stage. If that was so, the organisers would have tracked down the bike Contador had been using.

There are conspiracy theories everywhere it seems.

ariadneoliver · 19/07/2013 23:31

Pan that's dreadful. Is there time to fall out with them so you can have a diva strop and not go?

TheSmallClanger · 19/07/2013 23:32

They did say something about a random weight check yesterday. Not sure what came of it.

I really don't like Alberto Contador and I'm not sure why. It must be something to do with the drugs ban, but I can also imagine him being a right bastard to the domestiques. And he always seems to be reacting to someone else's success or action, he never chases it from the beginning.

ariadneoliver · 19/07/2013 23:32

Drama thanks, I'll see if I can get a sample for the kindle.

Original poster

Panonabike · 19/07/2013 23:33

yes I also didn't know about the minimum weight for bikes until we saw Quintana's bike being hauled off for weighing. I think they said 8kg minimum. Mines is 12 kg. No wonder I'll never make a Tour. Another conspiracy.

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DramaAlpaca · 19/07/2013 23:34

Minimum is 6.8kg.

Mine is so heavy I can't get up any hills!

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