2018 Tour de France

[scott43]

So...no one is talking about how the skiing is at La Ros ...

Guy on the left had the wrong wax obviously...

 

[jmeb]

I'm sure Froome's asthma will act up shortly...

Please leave that out of this thread. There is a different thread for that if you must. He was cleared by WADA and the UCI. Doping with salbutamol has no acute performance enhancing benefits so doing so mid-race would not make any difference beyond calming his asthma.

 

[graham418]

A BMX'er jumps over the riders in yesterdays stage. Too much!!

 

[jmeb]

Sprinters dropping like flies. Cav and Kittle out yesterday. Groenewegen out today. Gaviria is 19min off the back so may also be out.

EDIT: NM -- Gaviria out now too! So for all those who were complaining the cobbles interrupted the competition....two mountain stages have claimed far more potential stage winners.

Sagan a shoe in for green.

 

[graham418]

View attachment 49383

Saw this today. Lacets de Montvernier. Quite a climb for sure .

 

[graham418]

Sprinters dropping like flies. Cav and Kittle out yesterday. Groenewegen out today. Gaviria is 19min off the back so may also be out.

EDIT: NM -- Gaviria out now too! So for all those who were complaining the cobbles interrupted the competition....two mountain stages have claimed far more potential stage winners.

Sagan a shoe in for green.

To be sure. The Alps are always a deciding factor. Its not hard to lose 10 minutes on a stage. Today will sort things out a bit.

 

[graham418]

Greipel appears to have abandoned as well. And they're not to alp d huez yet

 

[LKLA]

I guess today's stage was also not steep enough for Quintana Hope Landa is the main guy for Movistar going forward.

Froome clearly pretending he is worse off than he actually is (same game he has played in the past). Looks like another year that team Sky will own the TDF.

And, hard to ignore the interesting progression of Geraint Thomas. 2007 TDF he was 140th....2013 TDF he was 140th...2014 TDF he was 22nd, and now he is 1st, at 33 years of age.

 

[jmeb]

And, hard to ignore the interesting progression of Geraint Thomas. 2007 TDF he was 140th....2013 TDF he was 140th...2014 TDF he was 22nd, and now he is 1st, at 33 years of age.

Really? Do you folks not get that people who ride as domestiques have no reason to place highly? They intentionally burn themselves out for their team leader and don't try to place highly. In fact, placing highly would be a negative as it gives you less freedom to go in a break and be a stepping stone. If you followed in past years, you will recognize that G has been a super-domestique for a long time and regularly has burnt out a ton of other GC-hopefuls. This is the first year he is a designated co-leader. And he's been in the great form this entire season.

Look at his palmeres in races he's completed (admittedly dude crashes out of more GTs than he finishes): 1st in the Dauphine, 1st in Paris-Nice, 1st in Tour de Suisse, 2nd in the Tour of the Alps, 1st in E3 Harlebeke. It's not as if this guy came out of nowhere. It's just he's always in the role of domestique at the Tour. In the 2014 season he rank 25 overall in GC per ProCyclingStats, 13 in 2015, 12 in 2016, 52 in 2017, and is currently at 18 for 2018. That's hardly out of nowhere.

Besides, peak GC years are exactly around early thirties for most riders.

 

[jmeb]

In other news, Sagan is now 210 points ahead of the nearest green jersey competitor.

 

[cantunamunch]

Look at his palmeres in races he's completed (admittedly dude crashes out of more GTs than he finishes): 1st in the Dauphine, 1st in Paris-Nice, 1st in Tour de Suisse, 2nd in the Tour of the Alps, 1st in E3 Harlebeke. It's not as if this guy came out of nowhere. It's just he's always in the role of domestique at the Tour. In the 2014 season he rank 25 overall in GC per ProCyclingStats, 13 in 2015, 12 in 2016, 52 in 2017, and is currently at 18 for 2018. That's hardly out of nowhere.

Besides, peak GC years are exactly around early thirties for most riders.

I'm guessing most of the posters here don't listen to the Eurosport feed (Kirby/Smith/Hatch/Kelly).

I bring it up because for two whole seasons that crew had a talking point in Louis Meintjes and how putting a young promising rider in a team leader role too early is, well, just plain bad for that rider's development into an actual leader.

IOW, they would hold him up as an example of a rider who did the opposite of Thomas' career plan - and it proved to be a not good idea for everybody involved.

 

[jmeb]

I'm guessing most of the posters here don't listen to the Eurosport feed (Kirby/Smith/Hatch/Kelly).

They are far more entertaining than the NBC crew, Voigt excepted.

I think the bigger problem is a lot of people watch the Tour that don't follow cycling the rest of the season. It's easy to not know how riders perform across the season except for the Tour, who is in good shape, who peaked too early (hint: Adam Yates), who hasn't peaked yet, etc etc.

Plus they see Sky being dominant at the Tour and think Sky is king. And while Sky is king of the tour right now -- it's because they build their whole year around it. They spend tons and tons and tons of money on riders who could be GC leaders elsewhere so they can dominate the tour. Nieve and Landa are both examples of Sky doms now riding GC for other teams. But if you want to talk about a dominant teams on the World Tour, its Quickstep you should be talking about. They have 50 wins this season and are far far ahead of even 2nd place (not Sky) in WT points.

 

[Primoz]

I'm guessing most of the posters here don't listen to the Eurosport feed (Kirby/Smith/Hatch/Kelly).

I rather not. Even Eurosport DE comentators are more of balsam for ears to listen then these bunch of... I'm not gonna write word that comes to my mind. One is getting orgasms when G (I mean you know G, my best friend G) crosses finish line, the other didn't bother in all those decades of commenting for Eurosport to learn at least some sort of English that people out of some sheep hole in highlands of Ireland (I know highlands exists in Scotland, but not sure for Ireland, but it sounds good for me) speak. So honestly, they are unbearable for me, and if there's no way to see that little of cycling that I watch somewhere else, I rather don't watch it.

 

[LKLA]

Really? Do you folks not get that people who ride as domestiques have no reason to place highly? They intentionally burn themselves out for their team leader and don't try to place highly. In fact, placing highly would be a negative as it gives you less freedom to go in a break and be a stepping stone. If you followed in past years, you will recognize that G has been a super-domestique for a long time and regularly has burnt out a ton of other GC-hopefuls. This is the first year he is a designated co-leader. And he's been in the great form this entire season.

Look at his palmeres in races he's completed (admittedly dude crashes out of more GTs than he finishes): 1st in the Dauphine, 1st in Paris-Nice, 1st in Tour de Suisse, 2nd in the Tour of the Alps, 1st in E3 Harlebeke. It's not as if this guy came out of nowhere. It's just he's always in the role of domestique at the Tour. In the 2014 season he rank 25 overall in GC per ProCyclingStats, 13 in 2015, 12 in 2016, 52 in 2017, and is currently at 18 for 2018. That's hardly out of nowhere.

Besides, peak GC years are exactly around early thirties for most riders.

Thanks for the lecture. As someone who rode on youth cycling teams in Europe, has followed the sport for over 40 years and been to the TDF in person seven times, I am somewhat aware of the basics of the sport.

Thomas' progression has indeed been interesting, particularly for someone who never was a great climber. After 75 kilometers of uphill riding and 5,000 meters in altitude, his sprint at the end was remarkable, to say the least.

 

[jmeb]

The lecture was due to your post only referring to one race out of the whole season and suggesting it was representative. And one Thomas is always a domestique in. If you make posts that are suggestive with limited evidence, it seems fair to respond with a fuller body of evidence.

The very reason Thomas wasn't a great climber early in his career is the same reason he had such a good sprint at the end. Dude grew up on the track.

 

[cantunamunch]

Well, Smith is Scottish and sounds it, with all of them on I can see why your ear gets confused

 

[LKLA]

The lecture was due to your post only referring to one race out of the whole season and suggesting it was representative. And one Thomas is always a domestique in. If you make posts that are suggestive with limited evidence, it seems fair to respond with a fuller body of evidence.

The very reason Thomas wasn't a great climber early in his career is the same reason he had such a good sprint at the end. Dude grew up on the track.

Thanks for the lecture.

The "dude" grew up on the track - yet climbs like he grew up on the skirts of the Tourmalet or L'Angliru. Wiggins also grew up on the track but not sure that is why he climbed the way he did from 2009-2015.

The fact that Thomas did 75 kilometers of climbing while ascending over 5,000 meters on the back of a challenging stage yesterday and still sprinted like he was back on the track at the end the day is both remarkable, and noteworthy. I sincerely hope it's based on his talent and effort, rather than on something else.

 

[jmeb]

The fact that Thomas did 75 kilometers of climbing while ascending over 5,000 meters on the back of a challenging stage yesterday and still sprinted like he was back on the track at the end the day is both remarkable, and noteworthy.

Is it "noteworthy" or "remarkable" that Tom D also performed just as well as Thomas? Tom D grew up in a place with even more limited access to mountains than G, has been a top-class GC rider for even less time, and isn't known for accelerations like a track specialist would be. Tom D even said in a post race interview he could've been closer to Thomas but made a bad gear selection as the sprint was starting.

Or is it only interesting for Thomas because of the team he's on?

EDIT: I see in your edit that you are suggesting that Thomas' performance is indicative of doping. I understand the reservations around Team Sky. Thomas hasn't had a single doping concern that I am aware of.

 

[Primoz]

@cantunamunch I meant more Kelly, as his accent, that really shouldn't be anywhere near any media with sound, is so damn annoying I really can't stand him listening. Luckily I have chance to switch to Eurosport DE... or for Tour and Giro for Slovenian TV where in last few years they actually do pretty damn good with one long time ProTour rider as expert commentator.

 

[jmeb]

Meanwhile I love Kelly’s accent. And he’s got the experience as a long time pro tour rider, GT winner, and one of the best classics rider of all time.