15-07-2016, 22:34
Absolutely mental! What is wrong with these people?
Le Tour de France 2016
16-07-2016, 23:31
And the Cav show rolls on! With today's stage win, he now has 4 wins on this Tour and 30 altogether. Once again he followed Kittel and perfectly timed his move, passing him in the last 50 metres and held off Kristoff and Sagan on the line. The peloton swallowed up all the breakaway riders shortly before the finish, resulting in the first 121 riders all being given the same time. A strong headwind ensured that the riders set a fairly pedestrian pace, although it would be much harder work than usual.
As far as the yellow jersey goes, there is no change at the top. Froome has only 3 riders within 3 minutes of him and, given his command of any situation so far, he must be a strong favourite to win. Still, a mechanical problem or a racing accident could strike at any time, so Mollema, Yates and Quintana must pile on the pressure as much as possible.
In the green jersey competition, Cavendish has cut Sagan's lead to 62 points, but as I still feel that Cavendish is only interested in stage wins, allowing Sagan to pick up intermediate points, time will run out for him.
Thibault Pinot has withdrawn from the Tour, so De Gendt has a 13 point lead over Majka, but there will be plenty of points available tomorrow with 6 classified climbs.
Adam Yates has a lead of 3'03" over Meintjes and 5'38" over Barguil in the white jersey race, which he should be able to defend, judging by his performances so far. 4th best is more than 10 minutes behind Barguil, so the 3 leaders should be safe.
Tomorrow's stage is only 160km long but it involves steep climbs and hairy descents, so the stage is set for a lot of breakaways and a lot of riders dropping off the back of the peleton. Caginess might give way to desperation by some of the GC contenders, because any time lost now will be all the harder to get back with only 5 competitive stages left to ride.
As far as the yellow jersey goes, there is no change at the top. Froome has only 3 riders within 3 minutes of him and, given his command of any situation so far, he must be a strong favourite to win. Still, a mechanical problem or a racing accident could strike at any time, so Mollema, Yates and Quintana must pile on the pressure as much as possible.
In the green jersey competition, Cavendish has cut Sagan's lead to 62 points, but as I still feel that Cavendish is only interested in stage wins, allowing Sagan to pick up intermediate points, time will run out for him.
Thibault Pinot has withdrawn from the Tour, so De Gendt has a 13 point lead over Majka, but there will be plenty of points available tomorrow with 6 classified climbs.
Adam Yates has a lead of 3'03" over Meintjes and 5'38" over Barguil in the white jersey race, which he should be able to defend, judging by his performances so far. 4th best is more than 10 minutes behind Barguil, so the 3 leaders should be safe.
Tomorrow's stage is only 160km long but it involves steep climbs and hairy descents, so the stage is set for a lot of breakaways and a lot of riders dropping off the back of the peleton. Caginess might give way to desperation by some of the GC contenders, because any time lost now will be all the harder to get back with only 5 competitive stages left to ride.
Cabbage is still good for you
17-07-2016, 00:00
Only something ridiculous happening can stop Froome from winning now, surely.
But this is sport and ridiculous things do happen. (Like Hibs winning the Cup)
But this is sport and ridiculous things do happen. (Like Hibs winning the Cup)
17-07-2016, 22:44
Sad news today about Chris Boardman's mum getting killed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north...s-36819791
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north...s-36819791
18-07-2016, 00:30
Thanks, Snooty. I just noticed that too just before I logged on here. RIP Carol Boardman.
Today's stage was won by a Colombian, but not the one who needs to start doing something positive. This one was Jarlinson Pantano who outsprinted Rafal Majka of Poland after Majka had been involved in just about every move during the day. At one time the breakaway had consisted of 30 riders, but they were gradually split up by various attacks. The peloton rolled in over 3 minutes behind the winner, although they had earlier been as much as 8'30" behind.
The biggest gain of the day is in the Polka Dot jersey race where Majka scored heavily - 3 firsts and 3 seconds - without much opposition to lead De Gendt by 37 points and Navarro by 58 points.
Stage 16 tomorrow is quite complicated to predict because there are too many contenders who had a relatively easy day today. Although it is fairly flat, it has an intermediate sprint and a Category 4 climb in the last 40km but not much else of note. However there is a short, sharp uphill section just before the cobbled (slippery if wet!) finish in Berne which could sap the energy of a few fancied sprinters. Berne is the home of Fabian Cancellera, who is riding in his last TdF. Is he saving himself for a final flourish? Mark Cavendish rides for Dimension Data, a South African team. Tomorrow is Mandela Day and they won the equivalent stage last year with Steve Cummings, who could also be considered. Unless Chris Froome is saving himself for The Alps, he is also in the mix. Personally I think it's time Peter Sagan showed his face again and he is the aggressive type of rider who might take this stage by the scruff of the neck and make it his.
Today's stage was won by a Colombian, but not the one who needs to start doing something positive. This one was Jarlinson Pantano who outsprinted Rafal Majka of Poland after Majka had been involved in just about every move during the day. At one time the breakaway had consisted of 30 riders, but they were gradually split up by various attacks. The peloton rolled in over 3 minutes behind the winner, although they had earlier been as much as 8'30" behind.
The biggest gain of the day is in the Polka Dot jersey race where Majka scored heavily - 3 firsts and 3 seconds - without much opposition to lead De Gendt by 37 points and Navarro by 58 points.
Stage 16 tomorrow is quite complicated to predict because there are too many contenders who had a relatively easy day today. Although it is fairly flat, it has an intermediate sprint and a Category 4 climb in the last 40km but not much else of note. However there is a short, sharp uphill section just before the cobbled (slippery if wet!) finish in Berne which could sap the energy of a few fancied sprinters. Berne is the home of Fabian Cancellera, who is riding in his last TdF. Is he saving himself for a final flourish? Mark Cavendish rides for Dimension Data, a South African team. Tomorrow is Mandela Day and they won the equivalent stage last year with Steve Cummings, who could also be considered. Unless Chris Froome is saving himself for The Alps, he is also in the mix. Personally I think it's time Peter Sagan showed his face again and he is the aggressive type of rider who might take this stage by the scruff of the neck and make it his.
Cabbage is still good for you
18-07-2016, 06:51
Seen two stages of this so far so not up to date really but am trying to keep up with it!! Is Froome's lead virtually unassailable barring an accident or some other similar incident?
19-07-2016, 23:10
The riders had a rest day today, and I had a night off last night, so here is the latest update.
Amazingly, as I predicted, Peter Sagan won Monday's stage to Berne, although Cancellara had a pretty good go at winning in his home town. Teammates Julian Alaphillipe and Tony Martin held on for most of the stage, but were caught by the peloton late on, although Martin looked like he would battle on all day if necessary. In a tremendous battling sprint finish Sagan beat Alexander Kristoff by an inch or so, mainly because instead of pedalling over the line like Kristoff, Sagan threw his bike forward just short of the line - see photo. Just like a track cyclist. No, not a trick cyclist.
![[Image: 9unptv.jpg]](http://i66.tinypic.com/9unptv.jpg)
The first 33 riders were all given the same time, meaning that the top ten in the GC race keep the same positions. Froome, Mollema, Yates, Quintana and Valverde look like the five from whom the 3 podium positions will come in Paris. Froome, although surprisingly slow in coming forward in the stage, must be odds-on favourite for the title.
Sagan could virtually be awarded the Points competition now, as he is 114 points ahead of Cavendish, with Kittel a further 63 points adrift.
There is no change in the order for the Polka-Dot jersey, Majka still leading De Gendt by 37 points. With 4 days in The Alps to come, there is a lot to ride for in this competition and third week tiredness might start to take it's toll.
The leading young rider is still Adam Yates, who heads his only realistic challenger, Louis Meintjes, by 3'03". Third placed Warren Barguil is 16'30" behind Yates.
Of course, all the assumptions above are made given the leaders avoiding accidents, illnesses and bike problems and the next 4 stages might bring all 3 for some riders. Tomorrow the Tour stays in Switzerland, taking in an intermediate sprint and 4 climbs, the last one being a long hard slog for 10.4 kms, with some gradients of over 10%, ending in a mountain top finish. Victory for the sprinters will be surviving to ride another day. Sebastien Reichenbach (no falls for him!
) might be a good shout for a Swiss win in Switzerland.
Amazingly, as I predicted, Peter Sagan won Monday's stage to Berne, although Cancellara had a pretty good go at winning in his home town. Teammates Julian Alaphillipe and Tony Martin held on for most of the stage, but were caught by the peloton late on, although Martin looked like he would battle on all day if necessary. In a tremendous battling sprint finish Sagan beat Alexander Kristoff by an inch or so, mainly because instead of pedalling over the line like Kristoff, Sagan threw his bike forward just short of the line - see photo. Just like a track cyclist. No, not a trick cyclist.
The first 33 riders were all given the same time, meaning that the top ten in the GC race keep the same positions. Froome, Mollema, Yates, Quintana and Valverde look like the five from whom the 3 podium positions will come in Paris. Froome, although surprisingly slow in coming forward in the stage, must be odds-on favourite for the title.
Sagan could virtually be awarded the Points competition now, as he is 114 points ahead of Cavendish, with Kittel a further 63 points adrift.
There is no change in the order for the Polka-Dot jersey, Majka still leading De Gendt by 37 points. With 4 days in The Alps to come, there is a lot to ride for in this competition and third week tiredness might start to take it's toll.
The leading young rider is still Adam Yates, who heads his only realistic challenger, Louis Meintjes, by 3'03". Third placed Warren Barguil is 16'30" behind Yates.
Of course, all the assumptions above are made given the leaders avoiding accidents, illnesses and bike problems and the next 4 stages might bring all 3 for some riders. Tomorrow the Tour stays in Switzerland, taking in an intermediate sprint and 4 climbs, the last one being a long hard slog for 10.4 kms, with some gradients of over 10%, ending in a mountain top finish. Victory for the sprinters will be surviving to ride another day. Sebastien Reichenbach (no falls for him!
) might be a good shout for a Swiss win in Switzerland.
Cabbage is still good for you
20-07-2016, 12:47
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/36841535
Smart move from Mark Cavendish. Plus good news for Team GB that Steve Cummings has been drafted in, after many felt he shouldn't have been left out in the first place.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/36838598
Smart move from Mark Cavendish. Plus good news for Team GB that Steve Cummings has been drafted in, after many felt he shouldn't have been left out in the first place.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/36838598
Cabbage is still good for you
20-07-2016, 22:47
Ilnur Zakarin sniffed the sweet smell of success with a dominant and well deserved win today. He was part of the breakaway of 11 riders and bided his time after a further attack and first led with 8 km to go. He then surged away and won by 55 seconds from Jarlinson Pantano, winner of Stage 15. Peter Sagan was once again in the vanguard of the race, but only for the Green Jersey points which he duly collected. Majka was similarly inspired to take some minor King of the Mountain points, but didn't keep up with the leaders on the final climb.
Meanwhile, the peloton cruised along more than eleven minutes behind at one point. They only really livened up near the finish when Richie Porte sprinted away and he was immediately followed by Chris Froome. There was some movement in the GC race, with Quintana, Valverde and Van Garderen losing time.
Mollema is now 2'27" behind Froome, with Yates 2'53" behind and Quintana 3'27" behind. Of the rest, only Bardet and Porte are within 5 minutes.
In the other classifications, Sagan is 197 points ahead of Kittel, so Sagan just needs to finish in Paris to claim the Green Jersey. Majka is 83 points ahead of De Gendt in the King of the Mountains and looks fairly safe. Yates leads Meintjes by 3'14", with Barguil and Emanuel Buchmann more than 30 minutes behind. In fact these are the only riders within 1 hour of Yates.
Movistar are 2'02" ahead of Team Sky in the Team event and 14'48" ahead of BMC Racing Team. The rest are at least 38 minutes behind.
Tomorrow sees a 17km Time Trial, most of which is uphill. There is a 9.4% section after 4km and only the final 2.5km is downhill. The riders have to pace themselves early on to make sure they have the energy to be competitive late in the stage. It's a climbers' stage and Froome won't be far away. Porte looked good today and perhaps Sagan was saving himself for tomorrow. I'll go for Mollema to make the GC standings more interesting with a win. He has half a chance to catch Froome and also the chance to consolidate a podium position if he can find just a little bit extra.
Meanwhile, the peloton cruised along more than eleven minutes behind at one point. They only really livened up near the finish when Richie Porte sprinted away and he was immediately followed by Chris Froome. There was some movement in the GC race, with Quintana, Valverde and Van Garderen losing time.
Mollema is now 2'27" behind Froome, with Yates 2'53" behind and Quintana 3'27" behind. Of the rest, only Bardet and Porte are within 5 minutes.
In the other classifications, Sagan is 197 points ahead of Kittel, so Sagan just needs to finish in Paris to claim the Green Jersey. Majka is 83 points ahead of De Gendt in the King of the Mountains and looks fairly safe. Yates leads Meintjes by 3'14", with Barguil and Emanuel Buchmann more than 30 minutes behind. In fact these are the only riders within 1 hour of Yates.
Movistar are 2'02" ahead of Team Sky in the Team event and 14'48" ahead of BMC Racing Team. The rest are at least 38 minutes behind.
Tomorrow sees a 17km Time Trial, most of which is uphill. There is a 9.4% section after 4km and only the final 2.5km is downhill. The riders have to pace themselves early on to make sure they have the energy to be competitive late in the stage. It's a climbers' stage and Froome won't be far away. Porte looked good today and perhaps Sagan was saving himself for tomorrow. I'll go for Mollema to make the GC standings more interesting with a win. He has half a chance to catch Froome and also the chance to consolidate a podium position if he can find just a little bit extra.
Cabbage is still good for you
21-07-2016, 23:12
Chris Froome continued his domination of this year's Tour as he won today's Time Trial by 21 seconds from Tom Domoulin. More importantly he gained vast amounts of time on all his GC rivals, the closest being Richie Porte and Fabia Aru, who both lost 33 seconds. Of the rest, only Romain Bardet was within 1 minute.
Froome is now 3'52" ahead of his nearest rival, Bauke Mollema, but 2nd to 8th are covered by 3'45", so the minor places are definitely up for grabs with tomorrow's stage to the foothills of Mont Blanc, featuring an early sprint and 4 stiff, tortuous climbs, the last one to the finishing line.
Team Sky will surely be ultra-protective of Froome, but will he attack to once again dominate his nearest rivals or will he stay defensive as long as he is in control? Attack is the best form of defence as long as he feels fresh enough. There will surely be an early breakaway by 20 or 30 riders and a couple of GC riders will try to bridge the gap in the last half of the race to put Froome under some pressure. He has had his own way so far and a move has to be made tomorrow if anyone else is interested in winning. Porte and Aru have looked good, but Quintana seems to be very one-paced and has done well to hang on. I wouldn't like to discount Bardet either.
Froome is now 3'52" ahead of his nearest rival, Bauke Mollema, but 2nd to 8th are covered by 3'45", so the minor places are definitely up for grabs with tomorrow's stage to the foothills of Mont Blanc, featuring an early sprint and 4 stiff, tortuous climbs, the last one to the finishing line.
Team Sky will surely be ultra-protective of Froome, but will he attack to once again dominate his nearest rivals or will he stay defensive as long as he is in control? Attack is the best form of defence as long as he feels fresh enough. There will surely be an early breakaway by 20 or 30 riders and a couple of GC riders will try to bridge the gap in the last half of the race to put Froome under some pressure. He has had his own way so far and a move has to be made tomorrow if anyone else is interested in winning. Porte and Aru have looked good, but Quintana seems to be very one-paced and has done well to hang on. I wouldn't like to discount Bardet either.
Cabbage is still good for you
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