Is there a Tour de France thread?

[EndoplasmicReticulum]

Because it starts tonight!

Much more exciting than football, or yet more tennis.

Schleck says he believes he was poisoned. However, having previously been implicated in operation puerto he's not exactly whiter than white! No doubt his B sample will be inconclusive and charges dropped.

I think that all of those implicated in drug use in the past should be excluded from the sport altogether otherwise there is no hope. This would mean no Schlecks, no Contatdor and would sadly mean no David Millar but enough is enough.

The reports say it was a diuretic or something, god knows how that would help as I thought they needed all the fluid they good get. It's such a shame as it clouds everything, and makes people question the rest of them - although the fact that he's been caught now, mid race at least proves that the testing is working.

I'm looking forward to tonight (or maybe this afternoon if I get all my jobs done!) too - fingers crossed for a good day for Sky (and not such a good days for Evans or Nibali!).

Fig me, I am so out of touch, i hadn't realised Andy Schleck had been awarded the 2010 Tour title. Oops.
How is a diuretic performance enhancing? (Frank Schleck).
Looks like no decision from USADA on Armstrong, yet?

I wondered why he would take diuretics too and found this -
Diuretics:
Not performance-enhancing drugs on their own, but used to get rid of the traces of other drugs.
Diuretics increase the production of urine, and some athletes use them to try to flush out residue from steroids. They can also be used to shed water as a temporary weight loss measure in sports with weight categories (boxing, equestrian sports).
There are several categories of diuretic drugs. Naturally-occurring diuretics include alcohol and caffeine.

So not great as it implies he uses other drugs.

I thought they were used to hide other things, too.

If they decide Armstrong was doping would he lose all his titles? Who do you pass them on to - the next one down who wasn't taking drugs as well?

You would have to go along way down the lists in some years.

Inheritors of Armstrong's titles would be Zulle, 3xUllrich, Basso, Kloeden & someone else (?Spanish). So far they are all officially clear for the tours concerned, I think.
I hope FSchleck's B-sample gives him the all-clear.

I have a conspiracy theory about Floyd Landis's fall from grace (weird for me, normally I sneer at conspiracy theories). I think his sample was contaminated with testosterone (tour he was supposed to win) because after all, it never made sense for him to take testosterone that day & that day only. Although he had doped with other stuff in general (I presume), and someone was just annoyed with his comeback on that day of the Tour to mess him up. So he was right to claim innocence for the specific alleged offense, but not in general. Which is why he's wreaked revenge by spelling beans on everyone else for every other doping incident since that he knows about.

Anyone watch yesterday? It was amazing. However, still can't believe that even though we have a fantastic British sportsman on the brink of winning one of the biggest sporting events in the world (don't want to jinx it), it's barely mentioned in the sports news?! It is all football, golf....yada....yada

Rob Hales was interviewed just now on R5-breakfast about it, and Boardman was on 5 Yesterday I think saying that Evans should start working for TGVG.

No R5SX coverage today, though? I have instructed DH+DS1 to be standing on one of the inside bends of one of Switch-backs of ascent to Port-de-balais today, but gonna be a struggle to get home in time for live TV broadcast, I fear.

Am not a Golf fan but it can be surprisingly engrossing on the radio :).

Is anyone else thinking that the Tour has been going on for long enough now that the commentators could have come to a consensus about how to pronounce Nibali's name? Why not just ask him if it is pronounced like 'nibbly' or 'nibaaly'?

Thistledew - that is driving me nuts too, as someone who goes to Italy alot, but it's 'nee-baa-lee'. They got me saying 'nibb-a-lee' for ages and I have to kick myself!

I can't see nibali without thinking of terrible cycling shoes ad on Eurosport

Well you can't expect any sense from the Phil Liggett school of pronunciation, bless, he can come up with four ways in one sentence.

donteatthevoleskids - if you have wifi/broadband access during the day, the Eurosport app only costs £2.99 for a month. That's how we're watching it while we're in Greece on holiday guess who's a bad mummy for arranging to be travelling home on Sunday afternoon - we just need to remember to cancel the subscription at the end of the month.

Oh God, I feel bad, my best friend's DH won a TdF comp for two first class eurostar tickets with ViP finale grand stand tickets and he asked DH, but with me about to pop with DC2 and it being DS's 4th birthday he turned it down. Feel bad. I know I would want to go. . I love DH.

My dh says to remember his sacrifice next time you have an argument a disagreement.

Today's finish was amazing! That's all I'm going to say just now for those that still have to watch the Highlights show. You must watch it!

But of course I will! . Being hormonal I did cry as I felt awful for him.

We will be watching highlights in around an hour, can't wait now you've said that!

WOW! Go man go..... What do you think his top speed was then?

Don't know - but whatever it was, it was twice as fast as anyone else!

That was ridiculous. I liked the way the previous two leaders sat up and went "wtf" as he wooshed past at about 900 mph. Possibly not actually 900 mph.

I have found moments in this TdF very funny.

Brad's This is your Life moment 3km from end of stage the other day; & the tears in his eyes afterwards as he realised how close he came to blowing it.

The interview last night when one of the lead riders was asked what he thought when Cav whizzed by & the reply was roughly "I didn't see even see him. It was only when Sanchez jerked his head that I realised someone must have gone past and I thought.........was that Cav?"

Cav's quip about putting Wayne Rooney in defence.

Still think it's a bit disgraceful that Cav has to resort to begging the team to give him a chance. As good as this TdF has been, the Tour is poorer for Cav not having a team properly devoted to him.

Am bracing myself for sight of sideburns on all of Sky come Sunday.

Cav was utterly amazing, how does he do it! The look on Luis L-S's face was priceless.

It was Nick Roche who hadn't spotted Cav steaming through until L-L S sat up.

It was a stunning stage last night - and I am jittery as anything about the TT today.

Sky are going to be in an interesting position next year - Brad (poss as defending Yellow Jersey

I think Froome will go to another team to be the lead rider, there is only room for one in Sky and I can't see Froome wanting to support again next year

Allegedly Astana looking at froome. I hope not as they are team that makes me go