[Closed] TdF Stage 19 - A Day For The Bold [Spoilers]

Looking forward to it. I'll be in the pub for most of it though so hopefully vavafroome dog still in yellow by the time I get in. I'm hoping to be out longer than England will be at the cricket through 😉

Cheers Realman.

Driving to France this afternoon. Will have to get into some streaming in the car.

After the last couple of days I've taken a punt on Quintana for the GC - 20/1.

If Froome wins then it's money well spent, if he doesn't I'm a couple of hundred quid better off..

(I've also covered my bases with Contador and Rodriguez as well)

I can see Contador trying something ridiculous from miles out, ultimately being unsuccessful / possibly losing 2nd place. I like his never say die attitude though.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/07/tour-de-france/froome-contador-others-targeted-for-bike-weight-checks-at-alpe-dhuez_295850?utm_medium=whats-hot

There's the story on the bike weights by the way.

Hopefully it'll be interesting and blown apart on the first climb, leaving the big contenders to fight it out alone over the next few climbs.

Froome will just be defensive today till the last climb ...he may watch as Quintana does a break away and then just look at Bertie [ who will try something utterly pointless that wont work]

Sadly it does not really matter what happens as without a crash no is getting 5 minutes on Froome as he is faster than them mid bonk

I think he may just sit back and defend from now on though he has not done yet on any stage

Ivan .... can you place eachway bets.... I've looked on a number of betting sites but I don't think it's possible ??

Sky sport director Nicolas Portal brought Froome’s bike to the UCI’s tent, accompanied by a UCI commissaire. He was nonplussed by the checks, despite the late notice.

“Normally, they say nothing; it’s a surprise. They just say, ‘Ok, your bike, your bike, your bike,’ at the finish. It’s a gamble, just like anti-doping,”

Odd choice of words there. No gamble at all if you're within the rules?

Huge victory for Riblon, especially considering he crashed..

*assuming he only had the one, dunno how much itv highlight show misses out

No gamble at all if you're within the rules?

Maybe he meant to say "lottery"..

Realman +1

Lost in translation

Normally, they say nothing; it’s a surprise. They just say, ‘Ok, your bike, your bike, your bike,’ at the finish. It’s a gamble, just like anti-doping,

I think the dig is at Contador and they were complaining they got advance notice of the test so they could adapt their behaviour to comply if they were cheating

I dont think they were moaning for themselves as Froome did not change bike

FWIW I think changing bike should be banned - May allow it in a TT but even then I am not that convinced tbh

“Normally, they say nothing; it’s a surprise. They just say, ‘Ok, your bike, your bike, your bike,’ at the finish. It’s a gamble, just like anti-doping,”

Bad choice of words certainly. On the other hand, he's French, English isn't his first language so I'll accept a non-sequitur there.

Can't understand why on earth the UCI announced their bike weight checks. It should be like anti-doping - random at the end of each stage (actually anti-doping isn't random in that the top three on each stage, all the jersey holders and usually 3 randoms are tested) but they should just do the same every day with the bikes.

do they keep an eye on the bikes midstage? So when contador's second bike was tested, which he switched again mid race, was definitely the one he had been using? or they hadn't had a chance to pour sand/water/lead shot down the seat tube before testing.
Not that I'm suggesting he would cheat....

Can't understand why on earth the UCI announced their bike weight checks.

Reckon there's been enough cheating in cycling as it is.

This way they stop the cheating without having to ban anyone and the further bad publicity that would bring

The whole bike weight thing seems a bit pointless anyway.. think it was Simoni (correct me if I'm wrong) who used to have weights stuck to the top of his crossbar to make weight, and pretty sure Nibali had weights inserted down his seat tube which obviously gave no structural strength to the bike.

Isn't it because they have to be production bikes? So the manufacturers make frames and components as light as they can, the teams choose light wheels for obvious reasons, and end up having to stick weights in the frame.

It's mad to consider how out of date the bike weight limit is.

Should be a cracker of a stage today, wonder who left some juice (not not dope....) in their legs!

Lone loony bin break written all over that stage profile.

Oddly, am pleased to have seen a French stage winner, as I think the Tour needs that in France to continue the national passion for it.

Today? Hmmm.

Millar or Cuddles attacking off the Epine?

Surely something's wrong with Cuddles, though. He looked pale and disinterested during the TT the other day. Illness, or just given up?

Col du Gland :s****s:

And we're up and away on eurosport - nice early start.

Vockler in a break along with another couple,of Europcar chapeau s, maybe a Sojason & Cofodis day buoyed up with a French win yesterday perhaps.

Another killer stage, seems a bit mental sticking another huge mountain stage just after yesterday's spin to the top.

Bonkers.

I am going to say it again, Porte was just brilliant yesterday.

I hope he gets a GC crack at Vuelta for his efforts.

Contador goes up in my opinion daily, he does not know what giving up is.

Cracking Tour.

Todays prediction Contador goes for it on Col de la Madeleine.

I loved the short of someone (Movistar?) leading one of the descents with half a dozen water bottles down his shirt. Carrying water for the team (who were all behind him at the time) or adding weight for the downhill?

Any chance Brailsford will have had a quiet chat about alliances with Quintana's and Rodrigeuz's bosses last night? They might have some common ground today (ie they're not Saxo Tinkers).

Another killer stage, seems a bit mental sticking another huge mountain stage just after yesterday's spin to the top.

[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave_Lapize ]"Vous êtes des assassins! Oui, des assassins!' [/url]

Glandon's a beautiful climb - doubt we'll see much of it on the highlights as it's early on.

showing your age there Flash. not many remember the 1910 TdF.

Not many have written a dissertation on the impact of cycling on French culture, Brakes! 🙂

The whole bike weight thing seems a bit pointless anyway.. think it was Simoni (correct me if I'm wrong) who used to have weights stuck to the top of his crossbar to make weight, and pretty sure Nibali had weights inserted down his seat tube which obviously gave no structural strength to the bike.

Even years ago it was out of date. Cannondale copped a massive fine one year for running bikes with lead weights under the saddle in a protest at how ridiculous the rules were so the UCI responded by changing the rules to state that all weight must be structural - ie no lead weights down the seat-tube. 🙄

The common trick used to be to fill the seat tube with ice which would melt during the day and run out of the hole in the bottom of the BB shell. Almost unnoticeable and mechanics would explain away the condensation on the seattube by jet-washing the bike. 😉

Doffs beret to CFH..

a dissertation on the impact of cycling on French culture

can you provide a 10 word synopsis?

can you provide a 10 word synopsis?

The impact of cycling on French culture is quite significant.

326 kilometers in length, featured 7 brutal climbs, and was raced on unsealed roads with single-gear bicycles

😀 @ 16stonepig! Pretty much spot on.

There's plenty there, and not all about Le Tour. It is, however, pretty much a towering issue over all of France, and the effect is massive.

Man this tour is killing me. Last night I vowed to watch the first hour, ended up still on the sofa at 3 am and was at work 3 hous later. Tonight I have some lovely Emersons Milk Stout et une grande plat de fromage so I foresee another 3am finish.

Did you see that fella telling the Froomedog he was a drug cheat and getting a perfectly measured nd reasonable reply ? Chapeau Mr Froomedog.

This is going to be an epic ride.

Most of the teams glued lead weights to the bottom of the BB shells to hit the weight limit til the structural element of the rule came in. Female podium placed rider recently DQ'ed for underweight bike according to ITV4 early commentary answering tweets, reckoned they announced the checks to avoid any unwanted controversy.

Did you see that fella telling the Froomedog he was a drug cheat and getting a perfectly measured nd reasonable reply ? Chapeau Mr Froomedog.

No I missed that, are you talking about the press or a 'fan' on the roadside? More details please

What the hell are Quickstep doing at the moment!?

White jersey?

Really? Quintana has 10 minutes on him.

cnews ticker suggesting that they're trying to get Cav ahead before the Col de Mad. so he doesn't get too far behind on the climb

cheers for these threads realman!

Is it to keep Kwiatkowski in the top 10?

Whats your favourite looking bike on the Tour?

Garmins Cervelo is mine.

Sagan's "Hulk" special edition Cannondale

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well that was a massive rock cock on the side of the road!

mikewsmith - Member
well that was a massive rock cock on the side of the road!

Glad it wasn't just me thinking that.

And to keep things off topic, a nice bit of footwork from yesterday
[img] [/img]

[img] :large[/img]

To call those cocks would be a phallusy.

Bit late but.....did froome get off lightly with a 20 sec penalty? - he'd have lost a shed load more if he'd bonked.

[quote=thestabiliser said]Bit late but.....did froome get off lightly with a 20 sec penalty? - he'd have lost a shed load more if he'd bonked.

Yup, have your worst day so far, incur a time penalty and still extend your lead over 2nd place. He'd take that 🙂

Yup, have your worst day so far, incur a time penalty and still extend your lead over 2nd place. He'd take that

It was the most expensive energy gel he's ever eaten - he got a £140 fine as well!

Rapha are making energy suppliments now too? 😆

But in terms of the race surely getting hydration and nutrition right is as much as part of it as pedalling these days (well maybe not as much as pedalling). If he had obeyed the rules he could have lost a couple of mins putting contador back in reach? Dope and bike weights not withstanding.

to be fair Froome did say there was a mechanical with the car earlier. Maybe the judges took that into consideration?

Ahh so they were without support for a stretch before the cut off. reasonable enough

Is 20 secs not a standard punishment? I think if someone else got caught doing it they would probably get a similar penalty. Just because Froome did it when he looked liked bonking does not make it any different to if Voigt did it when he is a bit thirsty in the final few km's.

Water would be potentially a safety issue, feeding would be a failure in tactics - except in this case if the car thing's right

if Voigt did it when he is a bit thirsty in the final few km's.

He'd probably just have eaten a glacier or something.

anyone elses eurosport player gone pop?

EDIT, all back again.

He'd probably just have eaten a glacier or something.

😆 or inhaled a raincloud

Has Rollande given up or just deceptive camera, looks to be pedalling slowly and been massaging leg for about half an hour.

Jaguar press office desperate to undo damage to image- press release that they didn't break down, a cool box overflowed spilling water onto electrics underneath, so they had to get into a new car. Sounds like a breakdown to me. Should have used Skodas...

Jaguar press office desperate to undo damage to image- press release that they didn't break down, a cool box overflowed spilling water onto electrics underneath, so they had to get into a new car

It's good to see Sky's story corroborated though, I have to say.

Although Jaguar should probably take note and make sure their cars are protected against interior spillages!

to be fair Froome did say there was a mechanical with the car earlier. Maybe the judges took that into consideration?

to be fair Contador had a problem with a butcher, but one's a cheat, and the other's a tactical wizard...

Agree, "car trouble" sounded suspiciously vague, probably trying to be diplomatic to a sponsor though.

Good day for some trainin..

Weather looks grim.. I thought there was something wrong with the feed it's so dark.

Wouldn't want to be doing that descent in the wet on a road bike!

mogrim - Member
Wouldn't want to be doing that descent in the wet on a road bike!

Every time Costa crosses a white line on a corner my heart jumps a little bit.

Can someone explain what's going on? I'm in a bar just down the road from bourg d'oisans watching it on a tv but I'm totally in the dark as its in French and far away....

Costa leads Kloden by about a minute with 2 km to go. The big contenders are on the final descent about 9 minutes back.

Costa wins. Kloden comes in second 47s behind.

The rest of the day's breakaway riders are coming in in ones and twos. Yellow jersey group are 5km out, all together: Froome, Porte, Contador, Quintana, Rodriguez plus some others.

MASSIVE CRASH!

sorry, my mistake 😈

Valverde and Gadre (sp?) get a gap on the YJ group. But it will only gain them seconds.

Main contenders have crossed the line and are given the same time.