Tour De France 2015

(confident L'Equipe is working on it as we speak)

i feel naive even as i say it, but I'd be surprised and disappointed if sky were institutionally doping. individual riders are of course harder to control and it's impossible to be certain. also recognise "benefit of doubt" simply doesn't apply in this area.

Whatever happens next, that was a heroic gap-cross by Martin.

http://i.imgur.com/4AWWC55.gif

https://soundcloud.com/offtheball/ross-tucker-on-chris-fromme

Tucker's blog is always good

http://sportsscientists.com/2015/07/day-1-in-the-mountains-one-more-pixel-context-mistrust/

He's pretty convinced Froomey doped

i think the balance of evidence is probably on their side, but the arguments used aren't totally without slightly dubious methods too.

the "one more pixel" argument isn't great as it can involve "look at Astana in on this day" used to support "look at Froome yesterday". I don't feel enormously happy with the idea of saying that Froome's emergence at 25 in Kenya is too remarkable to be true - too sportsmen are always remarkable for different reasons (this doesn't hold for the wattage evidence, which is i think fair proof, though as continually said is *just* within the plausible and not in itself proof).

in a sport that's endemically doping do sky dope more, better than other teams? (that argument cuts both ways of course - in a sport that endemically dopes any team that does well *must* be doping.)

for me the convincing bits of their argument are that this is a sport where doping clearly still happens and that the doctors who were always involved are still involved at a team level and in individual winter "training camps". this feels like a sport that isn't institutionally reformed working in an environment where as always the dopers are ahead of the testers.

i do find the "oh oval chainrings and smoothies" response by sky irritating (and in itself almost more convincing than some of the arguments in the last two pieces.)

anyway, I'll be sitting down at the weekend to catch up on and enjoy the last two stages. always love the pyrenees.

Seeing a bit more of Peraud than we should 😳

fantastic finale

O_o

http://deadspin.com/man-throws-urine-at-tour-de-france-leader-chris-froome-1718824843

but yeah, great finish

last two stages have been pretty exciting in the final moments

aw poor TJ
tomorrow should be fun, sawtooth profile including for the first time "Les Lacets de Montvernier"

http://i.imgur.com/XWCnWmB.jpg

was part of the Dauphine course this year but the live coverage only started as they got to the top, d'oh!

"It could be a unique profile, classical doping - using haematological drugs, like EPO - or mechanical doping which is using a motor in your bike"

can't help but think there may be better terms to use than 'mechanical doping'

lol

Tejay ;_; Also I'm annoyed about Bertie, it's much less of a race now. Maybe there'll be a français in the top 10 now, hehe.

Those lacets look awesome.

yeah, i've watched many abandons and they are sad, but that was pretty moving.

Poor old Kwiatkowski too, that was some earbashing.

that is one fine looking road
http://inrng.com/2014/10/roads-to-ride-lacets-montvernier/

wow!

Tejay -__-

Lol On A Ragga Tip over the end credits of ITV4's highlights programme.

I've been out cycling all day long. Did I miss anything? I've recorded the highlights - can I liberally use the fast forward button or have I got to pay attention?

I watched the whole thing live and didn't regret it, so I reckon it's worth watching the highlights.

So from my last couple of posts you can deduce that I'm the saddo who watches both.

I did that yesterday. I'd be happy to do it every day if real life didn't intervene so much.

so 4real i have not really been following at all this year (not even blogs or nothing) and am wondering if it would be worth going back and trying to dig up highlights/stages and such?

24 July will be a good day to watch, there's been a lot of climbing this week which isn't typical. But unless Froome wrecks he will win again.

I am behind, just watching stage17 now

Tejay pulling out was so sad, when his team are hugging him & he's crying, poor guy

Sky are looking a bit worn out. This is shaping up nicely.

This is so exciting!

Gesink providing his Tour power profiles on Strava is so fun. Only pro in my feed.

sidebar:

can anyone recommend me a good book to read about the history of the tour? am keen to learn more