Tour de France 2014 - Au revoir Yorkshire and the south, bonjour les montagnes et les côtes!!

[Panwearsjaune]

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Photo finish!!!

Thanks pan. Without giving anything away to those who are going to watch the highlights, I'm watching this through my fingers. I can't bear the tension.

Race Commissar's stage result announcement:

MN Peloton 44 days 6 hours 22 mins 15 secs
Andrei Greipel....00
Marcel Kittel......00
Peter Sagan......00

Chapeaux to us!

Okay, Stage 9 and we are wandering into the very 'lumpy' bits of the 3 week Tour, the Alps and the Pyrenees mountains.

Any newbies at all curious, check anything out. Though the tv commentators do a good job of explaining things as we go along. The overall race winner is likely to be either Vicenzo Nibali from Team Astana, who ride in a light blue (electric marine thing?) kit or Alberto Contador who rides in the Tinkoff-Saxo Team, who ride in a disgustingly bright yellow kit that means they'll never be ridden over by a snow plough.
Sky has Richie Porte from Tasmania stepping in for Chris Froome who 'stepped off' after crashing whilst watching C'BBes on his app screen, though surely ambitions will be to get a podium place in Paris in two weeks time.

You may also have missed out on the "Welcome To Yorkshire" 3 min video of "When the Tour de France came to Yorkshire" that Endo posted yesterday here which is just fantastically edited, imho.

Oleg Tinkoff must have got a good deal on some left over Vini Fantini kits from last year.

Hello! Entertaining friends - back later!!

Marking place.

Have switched off live Eurosport as can't stand it - will watch highlights later and try to avoid finding out if he stayed out front or not!

When the weather moved in on them yesterday it was only Tinkoff-Saxo who remained visible!

As commentators said yesterday I suspect Porte will be aiming for third, can't see him beating the other two really. I'm glad there will at least be something of a battle for the win, don't like it when it's a foregone conclusion.

I'm just back from IKEA (ohhh I know how to live the high life), and I am going to tip No2 son off the sofa, where he is watching the cricket, so I can watch my recording of today's stage.

Lovely, shiny new thread - thank you Pan!

I am going to grin and bear this stage out. Can't leave him on his own.

Still watching through fingers Dr Who style.

Squee. That is all.

Phew, good for him especially after last year

Thanks for the new thread, Pan.

Really enjoyed today's stage, was cheering the winner on all the way

Community footie last Sunday after the peloton passed..question was "Can we do this every Sunday please?"

I hope Porte aims for more than 3rd. Who would be Sky's number 1 rider then for next year?

Luca Paolini takes a relaxed view of today's stage

yes, saw that! He claims he didn't know it was in his pocket! Really? In a skin suit?

All caught up - very happy with results from yesterday and today. Much as I loved the dominance of Sky for the last two years, this has been a much more exciting tour. More so than for a while now.

Tis all good....

I need not have worried earlier as they were never going to catch him, were they?

Germany doing well at things in general, it seems.

I agree with HowGood - the Sky method of relentless riding up mountains and not really attacking was getting a bit dull.

Also agree, that despite being a Sky fan, I am enjoying that this Tour is more exciting because it is less predictable. I'm looking forward to lots of attacks in the mountains.

Luca Paolini needs a good spanking for that phone! I volunteer.

Hell

Great result yesterday, what a ride. I'm harbouring a bit of a soft spot for OPQS since their loss of Cav (who I gather is due back on a bike shortly according to this excerpt from Cycling Weekly: Cavendish crashed on day one of the Tour in Harrogate, ruptured the ligaments around the AC-joint and separated his shoulder. He underwent surgery on Wednesday in Manchester to fix his ligaments. “We don’t know when he can train again. It could be a few days off the bike,” Holm continued. “I think a few more days and he has to get over the pain.”).

Few days off the bike - when I had that surgery I was wandering about in a haze of painkillers and self pity for a good few weeks!

I'm sticking to the highlights at the moment as I really can't watch the full racing so am imposing MN silence until this evening!

Hello new thread :)

I have to admit to having been swept up in the excitement of the Tour de France with the Yorkshire grand depart but am still enjoying it and learning a bit too :)