Tour de France 2018 **SPOILERS**

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Doesn't this mean there's a strong incentive for support riders to look after their GC positions in the stages leading up to this? If that means they're not so free to bury themselves for their leaders it should lead to more open and unpredictable racing on all the key stages.

No.

But it's probably what the really drunk people who came up with the idea thought might happen; that and unicorns...

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Doesn't this mean there's a strong incentive for support riders to look after their GC positions in the stages leading up to this? If that means they're not so free to bury themselves for their leaders it should lead to more open and unpredictable racing on all the key stages.

Won't they just spend a lot of early time simply jostling for position, regrouping with team members while keeping an eye on breaks? Which might lead to lots of early crashes from different riders at different speeds, which is what I thought the départ fictif was meant to avoid.

 

[smutchin]

An interesting Tour related obituary, courtesy of inrng. Yvette Hornère:
http://inrng.com/2018/06/yvette-hornere-obituary/

There's an homage to her in Belleville Rendezvous (or Les Triplettes de Belleville if you prefer). Makes me want to watch the film again.

 

[Bollo]

There's an homage to her in Belleville Rendezvous (or Les Triplettes de Belleville if you prefer). Makes me want to watch the film again.

Ooooh, haven’t seen that in years. I think I’ve got it on ye olde DVD.

 

[gavroche]

Glad to see some of you had heard of her. She died last night, age 95.

 

[smutchin]

Ooooh, haven’t seen that in years. I think I’ve got it on ye olde DVD.

I used to own a copy on DVD but now I can't find it anywhere. Nuts! I do hope I didn't do anything foolish like lend it to someone...

 

[T4tomo]

I'll settle for not being farking confusing. A standing start is still an actual thing in bike racing and it ain't what the Tour de France is apparently going to do.

what about standing astride the cross bar (or top tube for the hyper pedantic)?

 

[Adam4868]

I probably think the same most years,but for sure this year it's going to be hard for the tour to top this year's Giro.Rewatching the giro this week it really was a fantastic race.Heres hoping...

 

[Slaav]

I probably think the same most years,but for sure this year it's going to be hard for the tour to top this year's Giro.Rewatching the giro this week it really was a fantastic race.Heres hoping...

Does anybody know of a good (long enough) summary of the Giro from this year? A round up if you like? Thx

 

[Adam4868]

Thibaut Pinot to miss Tour de France following illness at Giro d’Italia

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/r...-france-following-illness-giro-ditalia-383232

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Thibaut Pinot to miss Tour de France following illness at Giro d’Italia

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/r...-france-following-illness-giro-ditalia-383232

I thought he wasn't riding it anyway. Maybe I've picked it up wrong but I had thought the Giro was his target this year.

 

[rich p]

Quickstep team looks an all rounder bunch. Stages for Gaviria, Terpstra, Alaphilippe; Jungels for a top ten GC.
Lampaerts for a long range attack?

The Mitchelton team announced the other day looked a bit lightweight in the mountains in support of Adam Yates. He'll have to fly solo a lot of the time I suspect. Nieve is his main wing man but he's approaching the twilight years.

Movistar have 3 leaders in Quintana, ValvPiti and Landa. Can't see that going tits up...

 

[Adam4868]

Quickstep team looks an all rounder bunch. Stages for Gaviria, Terpstra, Alaphilippe; Jungels for a top ten GC.
Lampaerts for a long range attack?

The Mitchelton team announced the other day looked a bit lightweight in the mountains in support of Adam Yates. He'll have to fly solo a lot of the time I suspect. Nieve is his main wing man but he's approaching the twilight years.

Movistar have 3 leaders in Quintana, ValvPiti and Landa. Can't see that going tits up...

Caleb Ewan wasn't too pleased at not being picked !

 

[smutchin]

Movistar have 3 leaders in Quintana, ValvPiti and Landa. Can't see that going tits up...

Landa has already said he's racing to win.

I doubt even Valverde fancies his own chances at overall victory, so it will be interesting to see which of the other two gets his support.

 

[Adam4868]

Landa has already said he's racing to win.

I doubt even Valverde fancies his own chances at overall victory, so it will be interesting to see which of the other two gets his support.

Too many cooks ?