it's started already but we need a thread so here it is
http://i.imgur.com/pHOA8Wn.jpg
first stage was the only individual time trial, stage 8 is team time trial 13km of cobbles on Stage 4 which is a whopping 221km longbonus seconds for first 3 are backpenultimate day has Galibier and Alpe d’Huez hooray for MTN-Qhubeka, the first fully owned, managed and sponsored African team
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Sunday, 5 July 2015 23:05 (eight years ago) link
whoops didn't think the map would be that big
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Sunday, 5 July 2015 23:07 (eight years ago) link
Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish)06/07/2015 07:08Well, today's a new day. Hope everyone has a good one.
― Fizzles, Monday, 6 July 2015 06:09 (eight years ago) link
everyone loves a Cav pile-on, he'll probably win four stages now. would've thought Renshaw would be more to blame for going early and pulling off too far out, tbh.
― fedora borealis (haitch), Monday, 6 July 2015 07:19 (eight years ago) link
Meh, he never wins the first sprint of the tour, does he? Was quite glad to see Nibbly and Quintana lose time - I like it when riders have to play catch-up in the mountains.
― Madchen, Monday, 6 July 2015 12:00 (eight years ago) link
For the love of god, can nobody pronounce 'mur' right? And one of the ITV4 graphics yesterday made it 'mûr'.
― Madchen, Monday, 6 July 2015 12:13 (eight years ago) link
Well, that was quite a stage.
― Madchen, Monday, 6 July 2015 15:31 (eight years ago) link
https://twitter.com/josselin_riou/status/618059001813696512
― sofatruck, Monday, 6 July 2015 16:22 (eight years ago) link
Horrible crash, gutted for Tony missing out on yellow by a second again.
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Monday, 6 July 2015 16:26 (eight years ago) link
Christ, that crash.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 6 July 2015 17:53 (eight years ago) link
I've spent the last few years wishing they'd bring back points for places and now I wish they hadn't. Poor Tony Martin. He seems reasonably optimistic for tomorrow.
― Madchen, Monday, 6 July 2015 18:19 (eight years ago) link
Cancellara out with two fractured vertebrae ;_;
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Monday, 6 July 2015 20:38 (eight years ago) link
Yessssssssss!
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Tuesday, 7 July 2015 15:38 (eight years ago) link
Damn, sorry to have missed that, sounds like a hell of a break to the end.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 7 July 2015 15:45 (eight years ago) link
astonishing stage again. so competitive. colleague won £900 on a Tony Martin stage victory.
― Fizzles, Tuesday, 7 July 2015 16:44 (eight years ago) link
That's not to be sniffed at!
Really glad Martin got there in the end, but he definitely gained from the GC riders going "meh" and Cavendish not sprinting for the line. Today's stage is going to be quite boring, I think.
― Madchen, Wednesday, 8 July 2015 09:49 (eight years ago) link
inside the Etixx QuickStep cars during the last minutes of the stage yesterday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7BCSpRasAU
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Wednesday, 8 July 2015 10:44 (eight years ago) link
http://youtu.be/NICDhi5I8Lw
― sofatruck, Wednesday, 8 July 2015 19:55 (eight years ago) link
quite the renaissance for griepel! he didn't do the tour down under this year to focus on being on form for july, "they" say.
― fedora borealis (haitch), Thursday, 9 July 2015 01:52 (eight years ago) link
that was a great win!
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 9 July 2015 02:54 (eight years ago) link
damn sagan was too far back but he had greipel on LOCK for a full click at least then somehow at 250m or so he got totally flicked off greipel's wheel by degenkolb. he then had to go all the way round the group and still nearly won, looked like he had a rocket up his ass.
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Thursday, 9 July 2015 04:39 (eight years ago) link
The ad breaks get tedious pretty quickly during ITV4's TdF coverage but I don't think I'm ever going to tire of hearing Kittel and Degenkolb woodenly lie about why they use Alpecin Caffeine Shampoo. As an added bonus, Degenkolb is badly dubbed.
― Madchen, Thursday, 9 July 2015 11:21 (eight years ago) link
those ads are hilariously bad and already the basis of jokes with my friends
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Thursday, 9 July 2015 11:29 (eight years ago) link
Martin out with a broken collarbone, what a crazy few days he's had. Who gets to wear yellow tomorrow (if anyone)?Teklehaimanot in KoM jersey!
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Thursday, 9 July 2015 18:15 (eight years ago) link
I like tony but that was some cat 5 shit there
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Thursday, 9 July 2015 18:19 (eight years ago) link
yeah good call. my brother and i have been totally confused by these ads. they seem like they are supposed to be funny but are delivered straight.
― Fizzles, Thursday, 9 July 2015 18:41 (eight years ago) link
Yeah, that was weird.
― Let's go, FIFA! (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Thursday, 9 July 2015 21:14 (eight years ago) link
I cannot seem to find the shampoo at the local shops. this is a disaster, I was hoping for kittelesque hair by the end of the month.
― fedora borealis (haitch), Friday, 10 July 2015 14:13 (eight years ago) link
Paolini's out after testing positive for cocaine.
― naus, Friday, 10 July 2015 20:42 (eight years ago) link
he was doing coke at the Tour?!?
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Friday, 10 July 2015 20:46 (eight years ago) link
the party for puriitooooooo after stage 3 must've got well out of hand.
― fedora borealis (haitch), Friday, 10 July 2015 21:14 (eight years ago) link
so uh, froome is on the fucking radio during the uphill drive to the line in the ttt, fuck this race.
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Sunday, 12 July 2015 15:25 (eight years ago) link
bmc faster up the final 2km than sky by 6 secs? didn't expect that.
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Sunday, 12 July 2015 15:36 (eight years ago) link
No hiding place from here on out, hope Quintana/Valverde can do something in the mountains next week cos I can't see Nibali or Contador coping that well based on the first week.
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Sunday, 12 July 2015 15:51 (eight years ago) link
looked like roche was in a bit of trouble at the end and there was a lot of turning round in the last few hundred metres by sky.
― Fizzles, Sunday, 12 July 2015 15:52 (eight years ago) link
nibbles is out of it for sure. hard to see where contador's going to get the time. still like to think of quintana using pure climbing skills to get time out of froome, but realise it's v unlikely sky will let him go and anyway froome just looks so strong.
van garderen maybe a threat.
― Fizzles, Sunday, 12 July 2015 15:55 (eight years ago) link
Yeah, Sky were definitely focusing on their fifth man in the last few hundred metres. But goddam, is a team time trial very visually pleasing or what?
I have a feeling those gained seconds will turn out to be crucial for Quintana. That might just turn out to be the stage wot won it. Perhaps.
― Madchen, Monday, 13 July 2015 13:00 (eight years ago) link
Basso drops out of the tour after being diagnosed with testicular cancer :(((
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Monday, 13 July 2015 13:33 (eight years ago) link
:(
and yes, Madchen, my brother and i both big fans of the ttt. partly because of the sadism of watching people dropped or struggling in their own team but they all look fantastic at their most disciplined as well. that fantastic team engine and momentum and then watching a part of go and the rest of it close up like some sort of strange irresistibly propulsive organism.
― Fizzles, Monday, 13 July 2015 19:39 (eight years ago) link
*watching part of it go
And the uniform: even Lampre start to look acceptable in formation!
― Madchen, Monday, 13 July 2015 19:41 (eight years ago) link
Not totally on topic, but a great piece by Chris Boardman on tonight's ITV coverage on the way the Dutch integrate cycling in cities.
― Let's go, FIFA! (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Monday, 13 July 2015 21:03 (eight years ago) link
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/tour-de-france/11737387/Tour-de-France-2015-Chris-Froomes-ride-for-glory-under-threat-in-data-spying-storm.html
ha that video tho
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Monday, 13 July 2015 22:14 (eight years ago) link
This is my first year watching the tour start to finish & i would like to say that I am all about ttt helmet/visor situation. They look like bob sledders!
V exciting stage, that.
US coverage = English commentator saying OMG (X) TEAM HAS THE FASTEST TIME TO THE SECOND CHECKPOINT NOW SHIT IS CRAZY RIGHT NOW and the other commentator saying SLOW YR ROLL U OLD TWIT THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME IS THE FINAL 2 KILOMETERS ... over and over and over and over and over
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 13 July 2015 22:56 (eight years ago) link
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2xyt27_chris-froome-tour-de-france-2013-mont-ventoux-srm_sport?start=21
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 14 July 2015 13:14 (eight years ago) link
not much would've stopped froome there but movistar's great idea of burning off the entire team to leave nairo and valverde against ...five sky riders seems rather questionable.
― fedora borealis (haitch), Tuesday, 14 July 2015 15:11 (eight years ago) link
sky riders seems rather questionable
fixed
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 14 July 2015 15:54 (eight years ago) link
cancel le tour, extend classics another month IMO.
― sous les paves, Tuesday, 14 July 2015 16:14 (eight years ago) link
haha g. mtn goat thomas puts his hand on valverde's back over the line, game recognize game, mate.
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 14 July 2015 16:34 (eight years ago) link
outside of sky, best ride of the day is gesink, that was impressive.
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 14 July 2015 16:37 (eight years ago) link
http://www.strava.com/activities/345923267
someone stole gesink's data oh no
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Tuesday, 14 July 2015 17:45 (eight years ago) link
that was just like watching Lance back in the bad old days :/
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Tuesday, 14 July 2015 22:44 (eight years ago) link
Lars Boom out with a fever, huh?
― Madchen, Wednesday, 15 July 2015 09:42 (eight years ago) link
this Tour needs a big doping case :P
(first week was fun though)
― Ludo, Wednesday, 15 July 2015 11:00 (eight years ago) link
(confident L'Equipe is working on it as we speak)
― Ludo, Wednesday, 15 July 2015 11:01 (eight years ago) link
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.
― Fizzles, Wednesday, 15 July 2015 12:29 (eight years ago) link
Whatever happens next, that was a heroic gap-cross by Martin.
― Madchen, Wednesday, 15 July 2015 13:39 (eight years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/4AWWC55.gif
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Wednesday, 15 July 2015 15:40 (eight years ago) link
https://soundcloud.com/offtheball/ross-tucker-on-chris-fromme
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 15 July 2015 20:40 (eight years ago) link
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
― Robert Earl Hughes (dandydonweiner), Thursday, 16 July 2015 01:49 (eight years ago) link
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.
― Fizzles, Thursday, 16 July 2015 05:10 (eight years ago) link
Seeing a bit more of Peraud than we should 😳
― Madchen, Friday, 17 July 2015 14:12 (eight years ago) link
fantastic finale
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Saturday, 18 July 2015 15:14 (eight years ago) link
O_o
http://deadspin.com/man-throws-urine-at-tour-de-france-leader-chris-froome-1718824843
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 19 July 2015 06:43 (eight years ago) link
but yeah, great finish
last two stages have been pretty exciting in the final moments
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 19 July 2015 06:46 (eight years ago) link
aw poor TJtomorrow 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!
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Wednesday, 22 July 2015 17:36 (eight years ago) link
"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'
― Merdeyeux, Wednesday, 22 July 2015 17:41 (eight years ago) link
lol
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 22 July 2015 18:02 (eight years ago) link
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.
― Madchen, Wednesday, 22 July 2015 18:40 (eight years ago) link
yeah, i've watched many abandons and they are sad, but that was pretty moving.
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 22 July 2015 19:13 (eight years ago) link
Poor old Kwiatkowski too, that was some earbashing.
― Madchen, Wednesday, 22 July 2015 19:14 (eight years ago) link
that is one fine looking roadhttp://inrng.com/2014/10/roads-to-ride-lacets-montvernier/
― hot doug stamper (||||||||), Wednesday, 22 July 2015 20:35 (eight years ago) link
wow!
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 22 July 2015 20:57 (eight years ago) link
Tejay -__-
― never heard of this Mark Knobfler bloke (King Boy Pato), Wednesday, 22 July 2015 21:07 (eight years ago) link
Lol On A Ragga Tip over the end credits of ITV4's highlights programme.
― Madchen, Thursday, 23 July 2015 21:52 (eight years ago) link
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?
― Let's go, FIFA! (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Thursday, 23 July 2015 22:10 (eight years ago) link
I watched the whole thing live and didn't regret it, so I reckon it's worth watching the highlights.
― Madchen, Thursday, 23 July 2015 22:12 (eight years ago) link
So from my last couple of posts you can deduce that I'm the saddo who watches both.
― Madchen, Thursday, 23 July 2015 22:13 (eight years ago) link
I did that yesterday. I'd be happy to do it every day if real life didn't intervene so much.
― Let's go, FIFA! (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Thursday, 23 July 2015 22:22 (eight years ago) link
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?
― jason waterfalls (gbx), Thursday, 23 July 2015 23:16 (eight years ago) link
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.
― Robert Earl Hughes (dandydonweiner), Friday, 24 July 2015 00:29 (eight years ago) link
I am behind, just watching stage17 now
Tejay pulling out was so sad, when his team are hugging him & he's crying, poor guy
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 24 July 2015 04:26 (eight years ago) link
Sky are looking a bit worn out. This is shaping up nicely.
― Madchen, Friday, 24 July 2015 12:50 (eight years ago) link
This is so exciting!
― Madchen, Friday, 24 July 2015 15:41 (eight years ago) link
Gesink providing his Tour power profiles on Strava is so fun. Only pro in my feed.
― wishy washy hippy variety hour (Hunt3r), Friday, 24 July 2015 19:35 (eight years ago) link
sidebar:
can anyone recommend me a good book to read about the history of the tour? am keen to learn more
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 24 July 2015 22:37 (eight years ago) link