Tour de France

I have been away the weekend, but like the ashes, I cannot believe a Tour De France thread has not been started.

Pall kicked off on Saturday and now we have completed stage 4 the standings are below.

General classification:
1 Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step 12hrs 40mins 26secs
2 Chris Froome (GB) Team Sky +12secs
3 Tejay van Garderen (US) BMC Racing +25secs
4 Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto +38secs
5 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff - Saxo +39secs
6 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing +40secs
7 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx - Quick-Step +46secs
8 Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff - Saxo +48secs
9 Geraint Thomas (GB) Team Sky +1min 15secs
10 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick-Step +1min 16secs

obvouisly following the Team Sky and mainly the fortunes of Frome. I do not expect to see the yellow jersey on a Team Sky member to often throughout the tour, but have been pleasantly surprised so far, with Froome, let’s hope he can stay in contention.

Also got an eye on team Etixx-Quick Step from Belguim, mainly for my favourite rider Cavendish, but also for who I am tipping as an outsider Tony Martin, who showed today, that if he is in the main pelaton near then end, that he is one of the best sprinters on the circuit.

I also keep an eye on Orica-GreenEdge from Oz for the Yates twins, Simon and Adam. I am not expecting to much, but believe both of these cyclists have a very bright future at the young age of 22.

Other riders I am tipping are Sagan, who seems to like coming second, but cannot win a stage. Really want him to win one on this years tour.

My tip before this all started was Contador, but after crashing out and breaking his leg last year, he has made a steady, but not as good a start as I was expecting.

So for me, in no particular order are the ones to look out for, but give the Yate’s a watch as they are in a pretty good yo watch team.

Martin

Contador

Froome

Sagan

Any of you lot into your cycling, or in this case the tour (Block 5) I would love your input :wink:

The crash yesterday was horrendous. 20+ guys going down at 50+ kph. Ouch.

There you go Sagan 2nd again today!

Cav’s lead-out needs a bit of work…

Team Sky used to lay it on a plate for him. I think he may not be, or others have just overtaken him, with regards to the sprint finishes. It is not the team as Martin seems to do pretty well, if up there at the finish.

Will Sagan win a stage?

He hasn’t been delivered into a decent position yet so I’ll postpone writing him off.

If Renshaw drops him off at 100m after a proper lead out and he doesn’t do it, then maybe his powers are waning…

I feared that John McGuiness’ days were numbered halfway through the TT and he came back with a vengeance, hopefully Cav can do the same.

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Nasty crash for Martin at the end of today’s stage. Looks like a broken collarbone! That’s his tour over! Was the yellow jersey person.

Here is stage 6 and the overall standings.

Mr 2nd place came 2nd again.

Stage 6 result

  1. Zdenek Stybar (Cz) Etixx - Quick-Step 4hrs 53 mins
  2. Peter Sagan (Slo) Tinkoff - Saxo +2 seconds
  3. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Europcar same time
  4. John Degenkolb (Ger) Giant
  5. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing
  6. Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto
  7. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team MTN
  8. Davide Cimolai (Ita) Lampre
  9. Julien Simon (Fra) Cofidis
  10. Gorka Izagirre (Esp) Movistar

General classification

  1. Tony Martin (Ger) Etixx - Quick-Step 22hrs 13mins 12secs
  2. Chris Froome (GB) Team Sky +12secs
  3. Tejay van Garderen (US) BMC Racing +25secs
  4. Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff - Saxo +27secs
  5. Tony Gallopin (Fra) Lotto +38secs
  6. Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing +40secs
  7. Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx - Quick-Step +46secs
  8. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff - Saxo +48secs
  9. Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick-Step +1min 06secs
  10. Geraint Thomas (GB) Team Sky +1min 15secs

Ppl are saying it’s best ever TDF cos bros are doing record times, but I think it’s gone downhill.

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Get in, Cav… Right, do not right off the Cav :wink::biking_man:

Team Sky, went the wrong way round the roundabout! Doh!

Nice one!

Cav looks so much stronger locking onto someone else’s wheel and leaving it late - though I’d be curious to see a HelmetCam view of his last hundred metres, looked a bit frantic.

Did he not latch onto another teams wheel? Great finish, but do like the Etixx team.

It looked like he and Renshaw made all the right decisions as it became hectic.

They even used Sky for a bit on the approach, then when Renshaw was done, Cav went looking for wheels and discovered that it’s way more efficient locking onto Griepel than it is leading him out yourself!

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Really enjoyed the TTT today. Froome kept his yellow jersey, but team sky missed out by 1 second to the very well drilled BMC team.

  1. BMC Racing (US) 32mins 15secs

  2. Team Sky (GB) +01sec

  3. Movistar (Spa) +04secs

  4. Tinkoff - Saxo (Rus) +28secs

  5. Astana (Kaz) +35secs

Nick Roche cost sky that. He was hanging out his arse and frome and the rest had to wait for him

See Ivan Basso has had to withdraw. They were giving him a check up after a crash a few stages back and they discovered he has testicular cancer. poor bastard.

Froome wins stage with a great break uphill and now leads by 2 mins 52. Contador 4 mins down.

As long as he stays on his bike, Froome just won the tour today.