2013 TdF talk - spoilers allowed!!!

[Eden]

lol... my first thought when I saw the back of those polka dot shorts was - gee dear does this make my butt look big? Oh boy, yes it does.....

[ny biker]

I haven't seen the end of the TTT stage today but I read that Ted King did not make the time cut. He's been riding with a separated shoulder since crashing in stage 1. So sad. He was so excited to finally be riding in the tour.

[SheFly]

I haven't seen the end of the TTT stage today but I read that Ted King did not make the time cut. He's been riding with a separated shoulder since crashing in stage 1. So sad. He was so excited to finally be riding in the tour.

Ted's a local here, and I'm really sad to hear that he didn't make the cut today. That said, I can't imagine trying to put in a full on TT effort with a separated shoulder, especially after getting dropped so early. The good news is that now he can heal.

IMHO, Geraint Thomas and Tony Martin should both go home too. Thomas has to be helped onto his bike So HOW ON EARTH did he hang on to the final km today? And Martin riding at such high intensity with a concussion is not so good either.

SheFly

[ny biker]

Totally agree about Thomas and Martin. I understand why they would want to continue, but they really should not. Especially Martin.

Anyway now my favorite cyclist is out of the race. I'm still hoping that Sagan beats the pants off Cavendish in the green jersey competition, but it's less interesting for me to watch the stages now. Hopefully once they hit the mountains it will get interesting again. I go back and forth on how much I like Garmin, but maybe Talansky will be worth watching.

[Eden]

Yeah - they push those guys a bit too hard sometimes.... isn't even football instituting mandatory rest rules after concussion... (or is that only for kids). You would think at at time when it's becoming more and more apparent that there can be lasting effects from not healing even a relatively minor head injury properly (much less exposing yourself to the risk or further falls) that they might be a little more careful rather than less with these guys, but it really seems like they are putting them back on the bike more and more these days. I'm not sure I'll ever forget Tommy Danielson not knowing how he got across the finish line that one time.

[ny biker]

The general consensus seems to be that Ted should be allowed to stay in race. I tend to agree, since exceptions have been made before for riders who missed the time cut, and especially since the crash was caused by the stupidity with the bus.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/...message_293232


update: It looks like the official time chip wasn't on Ted's bike because at the last minute he had to switch from his TT bike to his road bike, so there's confusion about how his official time was determined.

http://bicycling.com/blogs/boulderre...-cruelest-cut/

[ny biker]

So, CVV has crashed out of yet another grand tour, after hitting the pavement twice in this one. The first crash loosened a screw in his collarbone, a remnant from an earlier crash, and also caused a blood clot in his neck which they somehow decided was not dangerous. Anyway, I think he has the worst luck of anyone who has ever raced in grand tours. It's too bad.

I haven't finished watching today's stage yet but I heard that Sagan won. Good for him. Cannondale certainly brought a strong team to this tour. Meanwhile Cavendish really needs to work on anger management. Also it was nice seeing Jens in a the break for a while.

I also like seeing "firsts" in the tour, like Impey being the first African to wear yellow.

[murielalex]

Really enjoyed today's stage, but I'm looking forward to the mountain stages. I'm in awe of the climbers. The Cannondale team was remarkable today.

[Penny4]

I'm watching today's race now...

So, I am still learning about how each rider on a team has a different job, and they are all supposed to protect their leader, or perform a function etc...but still confused as heck

Why is Jens riding so far up ahead by himself and not with his team?

[ny biker]

I'm watching today's race now...

So, I am still learning about how each rider on a team has a different job, and they are all supposed to protect their leader, or perform a function etc...but still confused as heck

Why is Jens riding so far up ahead by himself and not with his team?

Because he's Jens!!

Although in most cases breakaways are caught by the peloton before the finish line, sometimes they manage to stay away and then one of the riders in the break will win the stage. For guys who are not sprinters and not great climbers, it's their best chance to win a stage. Equally as important, being in a break gets TV time for the companies that sponsor the teams that the breakaway riders race for. So even if they're caught, they accomplish something positive.

Some guys really love being in the break. Jens is one of them, Thomas Voeckler (sp?) is another.

If someone on Jens' team was leading the GC, he would most likely have stayed in the peloton to protect that rider. If his team had a good sprinter, he would probably also have stayed behind to help set the pace so the peloton could bring back the breakway.

Sometimes a rider from the yellow jersey's team will go up in a break, especially on a mountain stage. That would be to give him a chance to win the stage, but it he's caught, he would be at the front ready to help his team leader when most (or all) of their other teammates have been dropped.

Another reason for a rider to be in a breakaway is to win points in the King of the Mountains competition. Or, they might have the current leader in the KOM or green jersey competition on their team, and they want to win the on-course KOM or sprint points to prevent his teammates' competitors from winning them.

[Penny4]

So, if someone is going to break away, does it have to be agreed upon by his team? I get what you are saying above. Sort of. LOL

[ny biker]

So, if someone is going to break away, does it have to be agreed upon by his team? I get what you are saying above. Sort of. LOL

Each team has a meeting before each stage to discuss their goals and strategy for the day. In the meeting they might decide that certain riders can try to get in a breakaway during the stage.

Here is what Jens had to say about today's stage:

http://bicycling.com/blogs/hardlyser.../jens-attacks/

[Penny4]

Cool, thanks for the link!

[ny biker]

I'm impressed by Nairo Quintana. And he's only 23.

I guess I want Froome to win because I'm happy that he took the lead today. Funny, because last year I didn't like Sky at all. I think it's because I'm not a big Wiggins fan and I thought Froome deserved to win last year.

It was interesting to see all the top contenders who cracked. Contador, Schleck, Evans, Tejay.

[nuliajuk]

Coverage is not that great on the one channel we can get it on here. We get only one hour this morning, maybe two in the evening... if formula 1 car racing doesn't pre-empt it.