Tour de France 2013

[Panonabike]

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.

Ned Boulting's description of Wiggo;

"His hair had grown over the month he had been away, and brightened at the fringes in the sun. His sideburns, uncared for during three weeks on a bike, had thickened and spread. This was quaint enough, but he was also spectacularly thin. As a result he looked like a character from a Victorian children's cautionary story."

I think that sums up the man standing on the podium in the Champs Elyses quite well.

I haven't been around for a couple of days (been overdosing on tennis) but I'm back on the bike now. I've taken off my YellowJersey because it's just too warm today & also I've never actually won anything!! and am back to using my everyday theatrical South American beast of burden identity. I might put the jersey back on in a week or so if I get really excited.

Finally caught up with Le Tour last night after all the excitement of Wimbledon. Oh my, that was an exciting weekend wasn't it!!! On Saturday it looks like Sky have the GC one/two sewn up, on Sunday no-one in Team Sky had any legs apart from Froome. He did an absolutely heroic job hanging in there yesterday amongst all those Movistar lads. I hope his team will be OK after they've had a rest today.

I wondered before the Tour if Sky had made a mistake in not having at least one of their two climbing Colombians in the team. Uran did the Giro & I think he is leaving at the end of the season, but not sure about Henao. Like someone upthread said, Quintana may be a target for them.

I picked Dan Martin for the stage yesterday & was very happy to see him win. The stage was made for him. He's having a very good year so far.

Good to see Andy Schleck going OK again, and I felt so sorry for poor old Cadel Evans, he sounded so depressed in his interviews.

Interesting thought about OGE & Wiggo. He might fit in well there. Like others have said, I don't think there is room for both Wiggo & Froome on the same team.

Must remember to take a look at the OGE video now. It's a slow day in the office so I can potter around on here, but my work pc doesn't have sound so I'll check out YouTube later.

Au revoir for now!

Drat - double-post. Something went wrong halfway through.

Getting the bus stuck under the gantry on Day One when everybody would be watching was a PR master-stroke.

I wonder if they really did do that deliberately!

Darn it Pan - now you have just got my hopes up! I wonder whether Wiggo might not revert to being a bit more Cat-Who-Walks-By-Himself and just focus on TT or even go back to the track? But my heart would love to see OGE + WIggo - maybe they could try the Giro?

Something fun for the rest day Daily Mash

Don't fret Pan - still cheaper than a Porsche mid-life crisis.

DH modeled his new bib shorts last weekend and the three of us fell about laughing. Bless him.

Not really. I bought a CBoardman at £750 in April but it sees approx 100miles per week for work so it pays for itself. I tell my self.

Where does £750 on a bike for a 12 year old plus £250 on race wheels come in this equation?

to be fair, the £750 came out of an inheritance from his grandmother and the race wheels were paid for by his grandfather

12 is a tad young for a mid life crisis, no?

panonabike my DH has a Boardman Team and loves it, though he has commuted it virtually to death. Time for another Bike2Work deal. Oh, and I'm in Manchester too. I saw Geraint whizzing along once, a couple of years ago. Have you had a spin on the velodrome? It's such a buzz! I'm so unfit post-baby. Grinding out out on the turbo trainer at the mo.

Concur re Wiggo/OG but I doubt it. Ditto to wondering whether there's a big Froome PR job. I'd be feeling a bit frozen out if I were Brad. There are too many potential GC contenders emerging on Sky anyway. There will be big changes next couple of years I reckon.

It could be argued that we are having our mid-life crises vicariously via ds . Dh complains regularly that his bike (a Decathlon b'twin road bike) cost about the same as ds' race wheels

I'd like to get my own road bike (currently riding my Mum's old bike, which, until ds got his Cannondale, was the most expensive bike in the household, mainly 'cos of their Rok Shox) but need to wait until either dh or I get a new job.

I've had two sessions in our fancy new velodrome . It feels great to get to the top of the banking.

Ds is fully accredited for the velodrome. Our next purchase (once he has cleaned, serviced and sold his Islabike) is a track bike for him - he's currently using a club one.

Chairman - yes mines is a Team too! "It's a thing of beauty and thereby a joy for ever." Keats, though he didn't actually say it about my bike....tho' it's playing u pa bit in not wanting to shift to the bigger chain ring.
I come in from Glossop, over the M60 and down A57 Hyde Road to a place about 1 mile past the Etihad. This warm weather is a nice antidote to riding in basically ski gear on a bike in minus 5 of a morning!
No I've never been to the velodrome, and, heresy, can't get into track cycling.

OGE and Wiggo, just a nice bit of whimsy for a rest day.

Cannondale. Sagan.

Ds likes Sagan. I don't. Can't put my finger on why.

To be fair, that's not why we bought him a Cannondale. It's what the LBS (who are also sponsors of his bike club) recommended for my budget.

Living in Scotland, the nice thing about the velodrome is that you can cycle all year round. Plus you can schedule Omniums and know that they will go ahead

I'm also a Scot. Sort of. I was born in Bellshill Lanarkshire but we left when I was still in short pants, so none of that beautiful accent left at all.

We are living vicariously through the DD's. Both race on Islabikes in the under-8s at the local grass track. Tis too cute. The littlest one wears teeny tiny cycle gloves

I watched a wee under 8 year old (shr was probably 4 or 5) doggedly complete a fun dirt Crit (Fun Day for the last coaching session before the summer break) on her teeny tiny pink princess bike complete with pink basket

My DS3 (he's 6) has a teeny tiny road bike with matching teeny tiny gloves and clear lensed sunglasses (decathlon in France of course) so he doesn't get flies and rain in his eyes. In his black skin tight base layers (too small for cycling shorts) and club top he is possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life. And then he goes like Cav and beats all the 10 year olds or comes second and throws a temper tantrum. and

DS1 (13 and built like a giraffe) has a lovely Specialized cross bike which I love because he will grow out of it eventually and then it will be alllll miiiine! I haven't caved for road tyres yet because I go all Brailsford on him and tell him if he trains on slower tyres he'll be faster when he races (and probably come off at the first corner when they don't grip as well). We had a velodrome session in half term and they loved it.

So, Cav for today then? It is sunny so I am being forced to go to the beach for a picnic tea so I will have to wait for the highlights.

Forgot! Came on here to post this it's one of 10 posters to celebrate 100 years of the tours best moments.

liw that is wonderful. I loved him being nicknamed le Gentleman. Remember when Contador raced off when Andy Schleck's chain came off a few years back. Caused such outrage. It's great that Wiggo is so principled.

Your kids are brilliant everybody. It must be such a buzz watching them ride. I am dying to get mine into cycling. DS (2.3) is just getting to grips with his balance bike. It's slow progress but the main thing is that he likes it. I get him out on the back of mine as much as poss as well. Thinking of taking him to Manchester Sky Ride next month.

Track-wise, it's something I've tried just for the experience, and I found it exilerating but it's not something I'd do all the time. I like the road, though I'm not fast. Am going to do the Manchester to Blackpool next July.

Well, Brittany today. Another sprint stage if I'm not mistaken. Let's hope Cav has completely shaken off the bronchitis and is back on form.