TdF 2019 positives and negatives!

[Slick]

One question I may have missed the answer to, whatever happened to Rohan Dennis?

 

[roadrash]

I read somewhere that he spat the dummy out over time trial equipment being below par, after being promised the best,....cant remember where I read it though

 

[Crackle]

One question I may have missed the answer to, whatever happened to Rohan Dennis?

He's apparently been given until August to find a team to buy him out of his contract

 

[Slick]

He's apparently been given until August to find a team to buy him out of his contract

I just read on cycling UK that the team wanted him to buy out his own contract.

What I didn't know was what kicked it all off in the first place.

 

[smutchin]

On the positives: David Gaudu, who was ultimately a better lieutenant than the perennially feckless Pinot deserved.

On the negatives: It's going to be at least another 50 years before a French rider wins the Tour again.

 

[nickyboy]

On the positives: David Gaudu, who was ultimately a better lieutenant than the perennially feckless Pinot deserved.

On the negatives: It's going to be at least another 50 years before a French rider wins the Tour again.

Unless they put in a 60km flat time trial, I can't see anyone beating a fit Bernal for the next 10 years, French or otherwise

 

[Dogtrousers]

Positives
Julian Alaphilippe
Caleb Ewan first TdF stage (edit: and on the Champs Elysees too!)
Xandro Meurisse placing third in stage 6
Thibaut Pinot.

Negatives
Thibaut Pinot
Van Aert crashing out

It seems mean to leave Bernal out, but really, we were expecting that.

And Sagan was ... Sagan.

 

[gavroche]

Unless they put in a 60km flat time trial, I can't see anyone beating a fit Bernal for the next 10 years, French or otherwise

I hope Bernal is not going to make the same mistake that Ulrich did when he won it at age 23. Too much excess of the good life ruined his chances for the following years. Bernal will need to remain focused throughout.

 

[oldfatfool]

Good tour, for a moment it looked like Sky, oooops ineos would fail.

Negatives, Sky ooops Ineos didn't fail
No ride recce of the stage with CB


Think it needs a better shake up, salary/ spending cap needs re investigating, should the winner of the tour be someone who hasn't won a stage ( ignoring the farce on Friday?)

 

[StuAff]

Positives:
Alaphilippe
G being....well, G. From defending champion and team leader to loyal team mate with nary a whimper.
Bernal. A deserved winner.
Michael Woods. This year's black knight of the peloton.
Marc Madiot, for that celebration alone. Hope his heart rate has settled down.
Sagan. Only father time and commisaires can stop him wearing green.

Negatives:
The weather. First boiling the riders then cutting down two key stages.
Pinot's knee.
Van Aert's injuries. GWS, young man.
Di Data, for not picking Cav. But the results were just desserts for that.
Every team other than Ineos, for blowing the best chance they had to take a TdF in years.
Movistar…
Rohan Dennis, and whoever else was responsible for the whole toy-throwing nonsense.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Negatives:
No Chris Froome
GT didn't look fit
The abandoned stage - even though it was the right thing to do
The shortened stage - even though it was the right thing to do
Bardet getting the Polka Dot jersey - I thought the lad who kept getting into all the breakaways (Wellens?) deserved it.
Quintana's time up that climb*

Positives
Bernal - looks like he could dominate for years to come
The French looked like they had at last a winner, but didn't.
JA giving his yellow jersey to the young fan that was shivering. Changed my opinion of him in that one moment
Quintana's time up that climb*


* Positive until proved otherwise

 

[smutchin]

Unless they put in a 60km flat time trial, I can't see anyone beating a fit Bernal for the next 10 years, French or otherwise

Keep an eye out for Tadej Pogacar - won the Tour of California this year and he's only 20.

 

[themosquitoking]

Negatives:
No Chris Froome
GT didn't look fit
The abandoned stage - even though it was the right thing to do
The shortened stage - even though it was the right thing to do
Bardet getting the Polka Dot jersey - I thought the lad who kept getting into all the breakaways (Wellens?) deserved it.
Quintana's time up that climb*

Positives
Bernal - looks like he could dominate for years to come
The French looked like they had at last a winner, but didn't.
JA giving his yellow jersey to the young fan that was shivering. Changed my opinion of him in that one moment
Quintana's time up that climb*


* Positive until proved otherwise

I think Quintanas time up that hill was fuelled purely on piss and vinegar. Maybe Movistar should have been feeding him that for years.

 

[Ian H]

Positives: the panache and brio shown by many riders, in contrast to recent Sky-induced tedium.

 

[MichaelW2]

Who were the two jokers who made a pointless breakaway just to get some decent photos of themselves?


And who deserves the Hoogerland medal for surviving the knarliest crash