Tour de France 2013

[norbs]

That was pretty amazing. Froome is classy though. I worry about Sky and Movistar who have ridden a three-week race in a couple of days. Should open the door for other teams. Pity BMC looks fragile again this year.

9 stages in and I think even if Froome doesn't win, he has proven he is a better rider than Wiggins. That was class last night. And showed just how many matches Porte burned on stage 8.

Thank fuck for a rest day. I was about to be spat out the back.

[Crowella]

Far out, is the whole of the sky team on drugs? Seeing Froome and Porte put minutes between themselves and the best climbers in the world I couldn’t help but think it's all artificially assisted.

I was thinking that the Sky team were going unbelievably hard until I saw last night's race (well, highlights today).

Froome has done a great job proving himself this tour so far.

[Duke]

Unfortunate for Rohan Dennis to be out ahead of the rest day.

According to many reports it was planned for Rohan to only do the 1st week of the Tour, he was only in the Garmin-Sharp team as they were aiming to win the TTT but Orice-GreenEdge ruined that party.

What a great couple of stages in the Pyrénées. Last night was mental particularly the first half of the stage.
I agree with norbs I think Moviestar & Saxo-Tinkoff had nothing left for the last climb yesterday, if they did then they would be super-human (read: Dopagé). But all the same Froome showed unbelievable character to cover everything they threw at him.
Ritchie Porte will have gained valuable experience about himself & the TdF that he can draw on in the future but the mental anguish he would have went through would have been so demoralising at the time.
Best thing is the result of this Tour is by no means in the bag, much like I & many others feared it might be before yesterday's events.

[Swain OHaw]

Froome's ride on stage eight was an awesome piece of attacking but yesterday was some excellent yellow jersey riding, out on his own with two strong contenders each covered by two or three riders (in Contaminador's case, potentially riders stronger than he is, he was nothing like the old Clenbutador on stage eight and needed his teamie's help, and then couldn't even kick with him at the top - if he suddenly finds his legs in the Alps, I will eat my words, although I'll still call him drugs cheating related names) around them, covered any little attacks they made and didn't try to stick with Martin (not a major threat) at the end ... superb riding.

Sky had better hope this rest day does them wonders though, I think Porte realised about mid-stage that he didn't have the legs to catch up and he just needed to get to the end, stay in the race and keep as much of what he had left ...

[norbs]

I am curious Owain. You hang about with a few cyclists in Spain. What is their take on Contador? Shit, the whole of Spanish cycling, given Puerto and the fact that Spanish cyclists that get caught never seem to show remorse. (Poodle headed Valverde, I'm looking at you!)

[Swain OHaw]

It's really annoying ... the general consensus, even amongst people (although I don't know that many cyclists so this is just general people) who talk about cycling not being clean, years of doping, accept that Indurain was possibly on it (probably won't be proven because it was a long time ago, and he's since quietly gone to his house near Pamplona and only recently re-emerged when his pension got a bit thin and they needed Big Mig to sell some butter), yet they still refute the Contador drugs test as being so minute that it was either a) stitched up or b) unimportant how little there was ... I generally ask if it's important how little over the drink driving limit you are. (To an extent, it is, but the main thing is that you're drink driving and that the limit is set for a reason.) I understand he was a popular figure here, and not someone people thought of as a cheat - but it isn't the first time he was implicated, although not conclusively, with Dr Fuentes (someone people accept was a dirty, drugs-dealing man) so I don't see the big shock.

[Swain OHaw]

Naughty from Cav there ... possibly frustrated that OPQS didn't manage to make any sort of lead-out for about the last 3km - the old HTC squad did that much better, they used to run stages like this.

[norbs]

Check out the look on his face...

http://www.nonprocycling.com/2013/07/fault/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Imagine the noise he would make if that happened to him.

[Swain OHaw]

It is the same as some of the things he's very vocally criticised others for ...

[CLP]

I was fairly stunned that not more was made of this.. seemed stupidly aggressive. Have definitely seen less serious actions being met with penalties.

ITT looks to have mixed things up a bit!

[norbs]

I was fairly stunned that not more was made of this.. seemed stupidly aggressive. Have definitely seen less serious actions being met with penalties.

ITT looks to have mixed things up a bit!

Renshaw kicked out of the race for a headbutt!

[Duke]

I was fairly stunned that not more was made of this.. seemed stupidly aggressive. Have definitely seen less serious actions being met with penalties.

ITT looks to have mixed things up a bit!

Renshaw kicked out of the race for a headbutt!

And Robbie wasn't when he did the exact same thing to Stuey years ago. Very inconsistent but that's normal.

I think Cav was way out of line but given this week is all setup for the sprinters I think ASO didn't want to portray it too negatively given he's their biggest draw card.

[CLP]

Laurens ten Dam's TT on strava
http://app.strava.com/activities/66156514" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[norbs]

What a great race this year.

Awesome!

[Duke]

OMG what a magnificent stage.
I can't believe how long & hard they rode for. To avg 47.2km/hr for the whole stage, no wonder it split the way it did. Just brutal.

[norbs]

I really, really hope Bertie and Suxo Bank didn't burn too many matches.

Actually, who cares, what a fucking bike race this is this year.

[CLP]

awesome stage

Laurens Ten Dam was in the lead group
http://app.strava.com/activities/66583736" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

surprisingly low HRs.. was expecting a lot higher!

[norbs]

He was in the lead group, just not on the front very often.

And that is why they are elite cyclists and we aren't .

[CLP]

And that is why they are elite cyclists and we aren't .

shatter my dreams and illusions why don't ya...

[Duke]

Allez, Mt Ventoux, Maillot Juane Attacks & Panache on Bastille Day!!!

Cliche's yes but oh what a stage that was.

[CLP]

maybe i'm just getting grumpy and cynical in my old age....

i can't help think we've seen these kinds of performances before ... ..

[norbs]

It isn't just you Carlos.

Seeing Froome accelerate away like he did with 230kms in his legs made me raise an eyebrow.

Fuck the dopers from the past for filling me with suspicion.

[CLP]

this guy had me in stitches..
" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Duke]

Fuck the dopers from the past for filling me with suspicion.

Yep me too, it's even harder to accept when 1 rider is head & shoulders above the rest.
Like that arsehole LA was.
The Farker!!!

But we have to at least give the benefit of doubt, innocent until proven guilty surely.

[Jamo]

Personally I think they are all on performance enhancing something or another. It's just a question of degrees.
I'd be absolutely stunned if a single one of them was completely clean.

I watched that stage last night and even at my fittest I doubt I could cycle that entire climb completely fresh. Yet these blokes do it after 200+KM Farken hell.

+ That little Columbian fella impressed the hell out of me.