The MN peloton heading for the Alps and then Paris. The TdF thread. Hopefully we're not on drugs. Actually, do nicotine and alcohol get you banned? In which case I'm buggered...

[ariadneoliver]

Starting tomorrow in Utrecht

The stages

1 Individual time trial Saturday, July 4th Utrecht / Utrecht 13.8 km

2 On-line Sunday, July 5th Utrecht / Zélande 166 km

3 On-line Monday, July 6th Anvers / Huy 159.5 km

4 Hilly Tuesday, July 7th Seraing / Cambrai 223.5 km

5 On-line Wednesday, July 8th Arras Communauté Urbaine / Amiens Métropole 189.5 km

6 On-line Thursday, July 9th Abbeville / Le Havre 191.5 km

7 On-line Friday, July 10th Livarot / Fougères 190.5 km

8 On-line Saturday, July 11th Rennes / Mûr-de-Bretagne 181.5 km

9 Team time trial Sunday, July 12th Vannes / Plumelec 28 km

• Rest day	Monday, July 13th	Pau		
  

10 Mountain Tuesday, July 14th Tarbes / La Pierre-Saint-Martin 167 km

11 Mountain Wednesday, July 15th Pau / Cauterets - Vallée de Saint-Savin 188 km

12 Mountain Thursday, July 16th Lannemezan / Plateau de Beille 195 km

13 Hilly Friday, July 17th Muret / Rodez 198.5 km

14 Hilly Saturday, July 18th Rodez / Mende 178.5 km

15 Hilly Sunday, July 19th Mende / Valence 183 km

16 Hilly Monday, July 20th Bourg-de-Péage / Gap 201 km

• Rest day	Tuesday, July 21st	Gap		
  

17 Mountain Wednesday, July 22nd Digne-les-Bains / Pra Loup 161 km

18 Mountain Thursday, July 23rd Gap / Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne 186.5 km

19 Mountain Friday, July 24th Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne / La Toussuire - Les Sybelles 138 km

20 Mountain Saturday, July 25th Modane Valfréjus / Alpe d’Huez 110.5 km

21 On-line Sunday, July 26th Sèvres - Grand Paris Seine Ouest / Paris Champs-Élysées 109.5 km

www.letour.com/le-tour/2015/us/overall-route.html

Teams

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/tour-de-france/11693097/Tour-de-France-2015-teams-and-riders.html

Hope you've all got bottles and musettes filled for the long haul!
Allez MN Peloton

I won't post any spoilers for tonight, but after yesterday I'm not seeing Cav's contract extension on the top of Patrick Lefevre's to-do list. Props to Greipel, fantastic finish.

Hello! I've been in bed sick today but at least i've had the TDF to keep me company. Another crazy day....won't say more until you've had a chance to watch the highlights.

I'm hoping it's late enough in the evening now that people will have seen the highlights. Sorry if not.

What a bittersweet day for EQS. I actually had a tear in my eye watching the team help the yellow jersey home. And yes, ariadne, Cav is not firing on all cylinders, is he?

This is for all you Kittel fans. I don't know if this advert for Alpecin shampoo is shown on ITV4, but it's on Eurosport all the time. I could only find it in German on Eurosport, but what he's saying is that he uses the shampoo because he likes his hair

I LOVE THE KITTEL ADVERT. It's been the highlight of the tour so far. He's so dreamy

What is going on? Curse of the yellow jersey?

Got my translation wrong . That one says he likes thick hair. There's also one which says he likes his hair. So do we, Marcel!

Curse of the Yellow Jersey sounds like a crime novel

Froome will take over the jersey tomorrow, in the absence of Tony Martin. Hope he manages to stay on his bike.

More love here for kittel and his hair, for me its the combination of insane bravery and the willingness to sacrifice and suffer for the team that makes tour cyclists ( even the less good looking ones so appealing. Hope I'm not being too trivial

Reading BBC news, said a bit of Tony Martin's collarbone was poking through his skin (!) but he was still wandering around giving interviews rather than, I don't know, going to hospital.

Bloody hell, that's brave. Poor Tony.

I watched it live yesterday waiting in for a gas man who didn't show and knew immediately he'd done his collar bone. Shame, I like Tony Martin, he's a massive asset to any team he's a member of.

It's the position they hold their arm in afterwards, isn't it? DS2 broke his collarbone a few years ago, and since then every time we see a rider holding his arm in that position we just know, and DS winces.

I'm also a massive Tony Martin fan, great rider. Was so pleased to see him in yellow, I hadn't realised it was the first time he'd worn the jersey.

Such a super shame about super Tony Martin. I suppose he hung around for the presentation and interviews as he knew it was a broken collar bone and that it would be his last chance on this Tour for such things

You can always tell when they've done it, seems a pretty common injury for them doesn't it?

It's always rubbish to see big names out, this time last year we'd lost Cav, Schleck and Froome with Contador and Cancellara to follow shortly (amongst others 2014 abandons if you are interested)

My little fave at the moment is Sagan, love him and his cheekiness! Would love to see him in green in Paris :) Although he's looking ok in the GC at the moment too! Sagan being cheeky .

I like Greipel's big old grin He is one happy chappy.

DH reckons he's a bit like the BFG Ann!

It bloody hurts DA. And yes, you hold your arm like that instinctively in that position as that's how it hurts the least. I watch MotoGP and was amazed a couple of seasons back when two riders, Dani Pedroza and Jorge Lorenzo, broke their collar bones in practice, had operations to pin the bones and rode in the races. And Cal Crutchlow rode with a shattered ankle. And The Doctor finished a GP in 2nd with a wrist he'd broken the day before. The two wheeled athletes continue to amaze me, especially those who use their bodies as the engine.

Hello can I join in ?
Have been on prev TDF threads under different names.
Am super grumpy that I chose the tennis today < grump>

Welcome aboard Pink

Some great performances from Etixx, I must be getting sentimental in my old age because I welled up watching Tony being pushed to the finish line.

I don't know if anyone else lurks (or posts) at Cycling News but there's a hilarious thread about ninja riders.

forum.cyclingnews.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=29706

a follow on from this about Haimar Zubeldia

forum.cyclingnews.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=22701

In other news, Luca Paolini has been popped for cocaine.

Thanks
So chuffed about todays stage win
I was squealing !

Oh blimey

Cav. then__/
o

so Luca was texting his dealer last year????

MTN fans celebrate the polka dot jersey

www.facebook.com/TeamMTNQhubeka

oh nice link ariadne! Thanks.

I'm hoarse from yelling Cav all the way to the finish line. Brilliant win.

So Paolini has been busted for cocaine - not good

So thrilled for MTN Qhubeka taking the polka dot jersey. It's such a shame that it's overshadowed by reports of MTN Qhubeka riders being on the receiving end of racist insults from other teams, most recently this week at the Tour of Austria. It's a sad state of affairs.

Link here

Paolini busted for cocaine? When did that news come out?

I was cheering Cav too! So pleased for him.