Tour De France 2013

[Nervous Nedum]

Agree 100% with all of that. I can understand why some older fans will be dubious about everything, but I firmly believe that cycling tests more than any other sport. You're spot on about Sky as well, Murdoch has built his Sky TV platform on sport, and if the Sky team were involved in drug abuse it would be a real blow for them. As for the team throwing that second stage to 'throw people off the scent' - I don't buy into that.

Just off to watch the highlights now.

The Sky Sports thing in my opinion is the key. They have grown on the back of things such as the Premier League which is worth how many millions to them around the globe. Why would they sacrifice there integrity as a sports broadcaster by backing a team that cheats. Also if Team Sky do dope where does it place our Olympic achievements. In the whole grand scheme of things is it really worth losing all credibility for past achievements to win a race the team won last year anyway. It makes no sense to me

Froome was the best rider at the TdF last year but Wiggo won it as the plan went, so i find it odd that with Wiggo not being there people question Froomey. He finished second last year so if the winner is absent he is the favorite and best rider left.

you could say the same about us postal, discovery etc, everybody thought they were too big and had too much at stake to back dopers.

I really hope he's clean, but that performance on Saturday (because it was that good) was obviously going to raise suspicion in some quarters.

 

[Phil Meup]

Any of you guys out this aft?
Or you all watching le Tour?

Sorry to go off topic Shands but a bit fed up of the D word!

 

[Shands]

Any of you guys out this aft?
Or you all watching le Tour?

Sorry to go off topic Shands but a bit fed up of the D word!

No need to apologise to me mate, the thread goes wherever it goes, I don't own it haha. I much prefer discussing the actual racing anyway.

To answer your question it's another afternoon of tour and ashes lined up for me.

 

[Paul Lake's Left Knee]

Any of you guys out this aft?
Or you all watching le Tour?

Sorry to go off topic Shands but a bit fed up of the D word!

No need to apologise to me mate, the thread goes wherever it goes, I don't own it haha. I much prefer discussing the actual racing anyway.

To answer your question it's another afternoon of tour and ashes lined up for me.

Tour and Ashes all the way, fuck the sunshine!!

Gilbert today?? Maybe a Voeckler effort (although Bastile day tomorrow the french will try and take it easy today). The fav would be Sagan with Cannondale doing what they did earlier in the tour, going to have a couple of quid on Gilbert i think.

 

[big gaz]

Being a retired chap and having time on my hands, like last year I think I've seen almost every minute from the tour on ITV4 and I'm loving it. Also like the knowledge from the better informed posters ( hope the nobs do not try and spoil like some tried on the Lions thread )
Going to be a long one on Sunday :-)

 

[andyhinch]

Being a retired chap and having time on my hands, like last year I think I've seen almost every minute from the tour on ITV4 and I'm loving it. Also like the knowledge from the better informed posters ( hope the nobs do not try and spoil like some tried on the Lions thread )
Going to be a long one on Sunday :-)

I'm the same never had the time to watch it all before, retirement rocks

 

[malg]

I really wanted the French guy to hang on, but it was inevitable that he'd get caught. The fun begins tomorrow!

 

[Shands]

*sings* Ventoux, Ventoux, it's Ventoux time woohoo!

What do we reckon fantasy director sportif's? Do you try and put Sky in difficulty early on at the cat 3 climb so they shed numbers, maybe send Kreuziger on the attack at that point for example? Or is it a case of setting a very hard tempo into the lower slopes of Ventoux (not sure that'd work myself). I think leaving it till the climb itself will play into Froome's hands again so Saxo, Belkin, Movistar, stay tactical please!

 

[Seasideblue]

*sings* Ventoux, Ventoux, it's Ventoux time woohoo!

What do we reckon fantasy director sportif's? Do you try and put Sky in difficulty early on at the cat 3 climb so they shed numbers, maybe send Kreuziger on the attack at that point for example? Or is it a case of setting a very hard tempo into the lower slopes of Ventoux (not sure that'd work myself). I think leaving it till the climb itself will play into Froome's hands again so Saxo, Belkin, Movistar, stay tactical please!

I think a lot of people are writing the sky train off a little to early and having just listened to Froome state
"I think a lot of people have left a lot of energy on the road"

That statement leads me to belive that we may well see Sky stay near the front till the foot of Ventoux then pace froome up the climb

Looking forward to tomorrow and hope to see Contador blow up. I just cant take to a man who has to import his own steak during a tour :-)

 

[malg]

Time for teams to take risks. I expect plenty of attacks tomorrow to break Sky and isolate Froome. Should be a cracking day. I'll be interested to see if the little Columbian can inject some pace early on and make for another devastating day.