Giro d'Italia / Tour de France

[Johnny75]

Pello Bilbao finished fifth in the Giro and just raced the Criterium.

That's not unusual though, racing 2 grand tours and being in GC contention is pretty rare. It'll be interesting to see how Froome gets on and if Thomas is flying will Froome give him his support?

 

[Pompey Wolf]

Less time between the Tour and Vuelta and he won those 2 last year. He’ll be fine for the Tour, question will be whether he can keep it going for the Vuelta as well (surely not...).

 

[Tredman]

Froome cleared.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

They sort of had to do that today, with Amaury Sport trying to stop him taking the start at the Tour.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

The tour starts today with a pretty flat stage in the Vendee. Weather perfect and everything points to a bunch sprint.

 

[Johnny75]

The tour starts today with a pretty flat stage in the Vendee. Weather perfect and everything points to a bunch sprint.

I'm looking forward to the second week onwards, not sure it's going to be very exciting other than the last 30 minutes of each stage until then.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

The cobbles stage to Roubaix should be good. Mur De Bretagne is a nice poncheur stage. I will watch the stage to Quimper because I know that area well.

Apart from that, it is a very gentle induction and sprinter's love-in. The second two weeks are brutal as fuck though.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Froome and most of the GC favourites lose nearly a minute.

 

[Pompey Wolf]

Porte gone. Shame. Let’s see if today’s stage takes anyone else.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

That was a bad crash. The pave is going to be carnage.

 

[Johnny75]

Porte gone. Shame. Let’s see if today’s stage takes anyone else.

The race to the cobbles too! How many GC riders will be claimed by the cobbles today?

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Bardet has got a puncture on the first section.

 

[Pompey Wolf]

The race to the cobbles too! How many GC riders will be claimed by the cobbles today?

I think the last time they did any of the cobbles (and it was considerably less than today) a couple of years ago, Froome abandoned but again it was before they had even hit any of the pave sectors. Think everyone is so stressed for positioning it’s just going to be carnage the whole way.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Bardet has had about five bike changes today - no luck at all.

Froome and Geraint both went arse over tit but are back in the main group.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Ouch - Landa looking very second hand after that prang.

 

[Johnny75]

Cracking day's racing, brutal and only one casualty. The times are all over the place and interesting to see Thomas is quite a bit ahead of his team leader.

 

[Pompey Wolf]

Really pleased for Degenkolb, a great rider who has really struggled to come back from a dreadful crash a couple of years ago. As you say Johnny, interesting to see whether G will be protected as well now or whether he’ll still have to work for Froome. I suspect it’ll be the latter.

 

[Wombat del combate]

Epic stage yesterday, Bardet's silent scream was the defining moment. Must have been a hell of a turn to get him to within seven seconds of the main bunch at the end. Good overall first week I thought, certainly some interesting racing.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Mountains today. \0/

I think they will use the HC climb to whittle the group down and then someone is either going to go very long from the ascent of the Col De Romme or blast off the last couple of kilometres of the Colombiere and then try and hold it on the descent to the finish.

I am sure we will see a change in the yellow jersey today. No way Van Arvermaet can keep with the GC riders over this terrain.

 

[machin05]

Today's stage looks absolutely brutal!