Tour de France 2018-19

[Enterprisingwestern]

I think we can deduce from today that CF is riding for GT?

When he started to think about reeling Roglic in, Thomas sent him back.

 

Mike.

[Mallard60022]

I think we can deduce from today that CF is riding for GT?

When he started to think about reeling Roglic in, Thomas sent him back.

 

Mike.

Early in the race it was mentioned that CF was domestique today.

[BoD]

I think we can deduce from today that CF is riding for GT?

When he started to think about reeling Roglic in, Thomas sent him back.

 

Mike.

 

Credit to him for going from team leader with high aspirations to that role.

He (and that other young rider) looked as though their race had run today but they managed to get back with GT to support him.

[Enterprisingwestern]

Early in the race it was mentioned that CF was domestique today.

 

Thanks for that, I was working on the car and could only dip in and out of the coverage.

 

Mike.

[Mallard60022]

Froome was robbed today? However, third in the Tour..........excellent for him really.

Congrats GT.....what a star.

Some big names missing from the top ten this time?

P

[Zomboid]

Remarkable that someone who wasn't even the team's lead rider when the race started could have got into his position.

 

I don't know any of them in any way well enough to have a proper opinion, but I've always liked GT, so very happy for him.

[Enterprisingwestern]

Remarkable that someone who wasn't even the team's lead rider when the race started could have got into his position.

 

I don't know any of them in any way well enough to have a proper opinion, but I've always liked GT, so very happy for him.

 

I would think this is a nice embarassment for Team Sky. Their lead rider who should be the winner, and, in the eyes of some in the cycling world is under a bit of a cloud, has, either by design or misfortune, become a domestique to another member of the team who has won.

Whatever the reasons and politics behind it, an excellent result and a well deserved win for GT.

 

Mike.

[iak]

I think Brailsford, Froome and Thomas have had the whole of Le Tour on a piece frankly...

All the horse-poo about Froome allowed Thomas to just get on with it, whilst Brailsford, as ever, played the media. He really is the "Special One" of the cycling world.

That "G" has won this race is fantastic and totally deserved; eleven years after finishing 140th out of 141 finishers, he has hit the ultimate high.

[Re6/6]

G for 'Sports Personality of the Year'!

[Butler Henderson]

And at last we have a British winner who was actually born here as opposed to Belgium or Kenya. Tipped G to do well as part of my Le Tour Fantasy team despite the most experienced cyclist  at work insisting G would fade in the third week and Froome would win. The rests of my picks rarely sparkled if at all in the way the points were awarded (Chavenel, Landa, Yates, De Gendt, Bauer, Gallopin, Kittle). Foolishly replaced Kittle with Gaviria after the first rest day who quickly out of the race along with Gallopin so on the second rest day swopped Gallopin with Sagan ( who until then I did not have enough credit for) only for Sagan to do what Sagan does not do and crash such that he limped along thereafter.

[Andy Hayter]

I doubt he'll get it but he does deserve to be there.

 

The doubters from a week ago now have to accept that Sky had everything planned out - even if they did not know (probably) who would be on the top of the podium.  

 

Their ride yesterday was masterful ensuring that Dumoulin had spent too much energy to be a real threat to GT in the time trial and yes it cost them, including perhaps a number 2 for Frome.  That is the team tactics I was alluding to earlier.

 

Bernal looks to be a man to watch for the future.  What a performance.

[sulzer27jd]

Nice to see a Welsh winner.

[Neil]

Nice to see a non-asthmatic winner.

[Re6/6]

Getting withdrawal symptoms already!

 

Bring on La Vuelta!

[Mallard60022]

Nice to see a non-asthmatic winner.

Just one that had a broken Pelvis some years back but still completed the three weeks as a Domestique to Froome.............. 

[Enterprisingwestern]

Nice to see a Welsh winner.

 

British actually, Froome seems to be English though!

 

Mike.

[Re6/6]

Final thoughts. Sad to see that Chris Boardman is leaving the ITV team.

 

Credit to commentator Ned Boulting and to David Millar for his insightful and illuminating information on the ins and outs of the Pelaton and the thought processes of the competitors.

[NittenDormer]

A bit late to the party. Great to watch as always, although it feels like GT won by accident. Commentary overall good as always, DM sounds unconvincing reading chateau-facts. There used to be more chat about the various local cheeses and how much milk was involved in producing it, I think Paul Sherwin was the expert at this.

[Kylestrome]

A bit late to the party. Great to watch as always, although it feels like GT won by accident. .....

Sorry, but no-one wins the Tour “by accident”.

 

Edit: From what I’ve been reading, GT was planned to be the back-up right from the start.

Edited July 30, 2018 by Kylestrome

[EddieB]

Having missed coverage of the last week (though checking each day’s results every evening), I’m delighted that Geraint Thomas not only held on, but kept a clear advantage over the rest of the GC-ers. I’d rather not speculate on what might have happened had Dumoulin not come in between Thomas and Froome. Thoroughly deserved and a champion we can celebrate.

[Joseph_Pestell]

A bit late to the party. Great to watch as always, although it feels like GT won by accident. Commentary overall good as always, DM sounds unconvincing reading chateau-facts. There used to be more chat about the various local cheeses and how much milk was involved in producing it, I think Paul Sherwin was the expert at this.

 

Won by accident!!! Two successive stage wins in the Alps, the second at Alpe d'Huez. Great performance in the Pyrenees. And only 14" down to Dumoulin in the ITT.

 

That's a pretty remarkable accident.

 

I have been a bit busy this summer to follow cycling properly. But, with the benefit of hindsight, GT's performance in the Dauphine was a marker. Like others, I think Sky played this very cleverly. It would not be the first time that a team has quietly pursued a double-leader strategy. And it works well in the context of teams reduced to eight riders.

Edited July 30, 2018 by Joseph_Pestell

[Killybegs]

A bit late to the party. Great to watch as always, although it feels like GT won by accident. Really !!!!!!!!!! Commentary overall good as always, DM sounds unconvincing reading chateau-facts. There used to be more chat about the various local cheeses and how much milk was involved in producing it, I think Paul Sherwin was the expert at this. Eurosport has better 'local info'

[Mallard60022]

BBC news this evening; GT really has inspired the youngsters, especially those at the Maindy Club. What a positive.

Phil

[Mallard60022]

Just been checking on the teams in the Tour of Britain.....good riders to be seen.

 

UCI WorldTour Teams
BMC Pro Cycling
Lotto Soudal
Mitchelton-SCOTT
Movistar Team
Quick-Step Floors
Team Dimension Data
Team EF Education First – Drapac
Team Katusha Alpecin
Team LottoNL-Jumbo
Team Sky
Team Sunweb

UCI Professional Continental Teams
Aqua Blue Sport
Bardiani-CSF
Direct Energie
Wanty-Groupe Gobert

UCI Continental Teams
Canyon Eisberg
JLT Condor
Madison Genesis
ONE Pro Cycling

National Teams
Great Britain

Thanks to TOB website for this list.

Phil

[EddieB]

As we haven’t a thread for this year’s Tour.

 

A quiet day (aside from G having an off, and a cutaway to herding sheep into a maillot jaune shaped pen - no don’t go there), nice to see that le Train à Vapeur de Cévennes had posed a steam locomotive where the route was passing near Anduze.