TdF 2014 - End of Year Report

[rich p]

A curate's egg of a GT for me.
The promise of a 3 way maillot jaune battle between Contador, Froome and Nibali was cruelly dashed by crashes. Quintana should have been there too if ValPiti, the pantomime villain, hadn't pulled rank (this may or may not be true)
The battle for the minor places was interesting but not as gripping with Nibali being streets ahead and uncatchable.
The green jersey is rewards consistency and Sagan had that sewn up pretty early on too. It's sometimes called the sprint jersey but Kittel winning 4 stages only got half as many points. I'm pretty sure who'll be the happier.
Is an attritional stage on the wet cobbles really part of the Tour? Should it be left to the Classics for that particular challenge - I think, on balance, it should.
Even the red spotty shirt comp. was seemingly only seriously contested by 2 riders although I thought Maijka and his antics were fun.
Just a few of my opinions with which I'm sure many will disagree.
FWIW, I hope the French riders who did well use this as a platform to improve next year and can lose the label of show ponies. Rolland and Voeckler won't though.
<edit> Cav missing detracted from my personal enjoyment greatly too

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

After the ConFroNib ConFroNtation failed to materialise, it rapidly became a what-next race for me. I enjoyed Majka and also enjoyed the chance that the up-and-coming French riders had to animate not only individual stages but the GC as well. France is on the up but they will have to look at the domestic pressure on them to deliver entertainment à la Voelkler rather than go for the real glory. Credit to Pinot for working hard at his downhill chimpanzee - though he's a marked man after last year's loss of confidence descending, he's pulled a lot of it back. I think he's a future champion.

Fabulous work, too, by the British contingent for supporting the tour in Yorkshire - I did get the feeling that there were also more roadside viewers in France this year (I'm formulating a theory that nothing gets the French going more than the Anglais stealing a march on them). It's easy to forget the early bits but it was a great send off.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

I loved the Yorkshire start, despite me being a miserable git and not going as I thought it was a rip off and would be too busy for my liking. It was, on both counts, but they pulled it off (fnaar) and the stages were excellent.

I love a Tour with cobbles as it písses some of the riders off but the real hard men just get on with it. And coming early (fnaar) resulted in some decent action rather than a first week of sprints - combined with the Yorkshire start I reckon it was one of the best first weeks for a long time.

Gallopin was great, Kittel was great, Pinot was magnificent, Nibali was "the boss" from the cobbles onwards but maybe too convincing for me to believe (I know his "progression" but he is in Team Evil and that is not good; how riders cannot "get" this is beyond me), Jens was and always will be a nobber, Voeckler has hopefully had his day as the French favourite,

The Boardman/Boulting ITV partnership was brilliant, and I could listen to Imlach and Boardman chatting away all day, and I thought David Millar's limited contributions were excellent and should be something that is tapped into; even better as Millar wears a hat well. Please let it be the last we hear of Liggett and Sherwen.

The green jersey needs to re-invent itself.

 

[tigger]

Not much to add to the above. Yorkshire was very special and did us proud. I'm glad I took in stage 2 at Bradfield, absolutely brilliant day which I will always remember. Shame we were deprived a real show down for the yellow and of course Cav's exit marred the sprints too. Let's hope the crashes are all crammed into this year and we see a straight fight for the sprints and the maillot jaune with the best riders in top form.

Only thing I may disagree on is Majka. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now but I think he may well be a nobber.

 

[rich p]

Pinot was impressive

Not much to add to the above. Yorkshire was very special and did us proud. I'm glad I took in stage 2 at Bradfield, absolutely brilliant day which I will always remember. Shame we were deprived a real show down for the yellow and of course Cav's exit marred the sprints too. Let's hope the crashes are all crammed into this year and we see a straight fight for the sprints and the maillot jaune with the best riders in top form.

Only thing I may disagree on is Majka. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now but I think he may well be a nobber.

you may be right!

 

[Crackle]

I tend to think the cobbles have a place in it. They produce drama every time.

Good to see Peraud, Bardet, Pinot battle. Pleased for Peraud, I still recall him going down on his collarbone again in the TT in 2000 and whenever. I reckon Pinot has more and maybe that will boost his confidence to beyond Voeckler clowning levels. It was a bit of a sideshow to a fizzled out main event though. None of the French sprinters delivered in the end, shame.

There hasn't been a good Green Jersey battle since Hushovd won it but that's probably a tribute to Sagan's dominance. Let's see what he does next.

 

[rich p]

The cobbles were fun and exciting but maybe the risk of injury was a little too much in the event of rain

 

[rich p]

How many injuries occurred on the cobbles?

Good point, well made!

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

The cobbles were fun and exciting but maybe the risk of injury was a little too much in the event of rain

Even us ''amateurs'' can survive on such surfaces. The pros' job is to judge the risks and then race accordingly. Stages themselves are almost never intrinisically dangerous.

 

[Bollo]

The cobbles were horrible but a spectators' dream. I can imagine the discussion in ASO towers about shaking up the race before the high mountains, but the weather conspired to make it too decisive too early.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Cobbles are the domain of hard men and the ruin of softies - rich is from Brighton. Let's leave it at that.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Cobbles are the domain of hard men and the ruin of softies - rich is from Brighton. Let's leave it at that.

Yebbut that Indian restaurant they've got is so grand it looks like the Taj Mahal.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Biggest and best mosque in the land, apparently.

I bet it's those Friday eat all you can buffets.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I'm just happy 'my' team AG2R have actually done quite well this time. Any further success next year might just force me to find a new 'almost' team (hopefully without brown shorts)!

 

[perplexed]

I'm just happy 'my' team AG2R have actually done quite well this time. Any further success next year might just force me to find a new 'almost' team (hopefully without brown shorts)!

AG2R are my guilty pleasure and I love the brown shorts...

My random and completley without basis top tip from nowhere is that Wiggo will sign for them. I do of course repeat this nonsense at any available opportunity.