Giro d'Italia / Tour de France

[Paddingtonwolf]

Crash in the Dauphine TT I assume. All aboard the Geraint bus for team Ineos then.

 

[machin05]

Crash in the Dauphine TT I assume. All aboard the Geraint bus for team Ineos then.

Crashed during the stage 4 recon.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Broken femur, broken elbow, broken ribs

That must have been one HELL of an impact to break a femur. His season is done.

 

[Pompey Wolf]

That’s a bad bad crash to have at 34. Hope he can recover to his previous level.

 

[nimrod]

fuckin hell. 54kmh into a wall. Horrible. Just wishing a healthy recovery for him.

 

[Sniffer]

Yes, seems far more serious than when first reported.

Just a relatively healthy recovery for now would do. If he returns to cycling that will be a bonus.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Confirmed that Froome also fractured his neck. Definitely out for a minimum of six months

 

[Johnny75]

It's a horrible crash. Hope he can recover but I think he may well retire.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Geraint now being checked in hospital after a crash in the tour of Switzerland

 

[machin05]

Not a great start for Ineos!

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Sounds like he should be fine, doesn't seem to be a broken collar bone so it will be bumps and bruises. Plus a boatload of gravel rash.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

With a week to go to the start of the Tour my souvenir guide has arrived and I have been studying the route.

Holy cow, it is an absolute brute.

Some highlights:
Stage 3 - Binche to Epernay. Looks like a sprinters stage but there are four very nasty short ramps in the run-in to interest the Puncheurs
Stage 6 - Mulhouse to La Planche Des Belles Filles. 3 first category climbs (including the Ballon d'Alsace) and then the HC test of La Planche. The climb has been extended by an extra kilometre to include a nice 24% ramp. Ouch.
Stage 12 - Toulouse to Bagneres de Bigorre. Hello Pyrenees! Peyresourde and Hourcette d'Ancizan before a descent finish.
Stage 14 - Tarbes - Tourmalet Bareges. Yep, they are finishing a stage at the summit of the bloody Tourmalet. Bastards. Small matter of the Soulor as well. Pain written all over this stage.
Stage 15 - Limoux to Foix Prat d'Albis. Four categorised climbs including a new climb to finish that looks pretty damn intimidating. Must have been mighty close to getting HC classification.
Stage 18 - Embrun to Valloire. Col De Vars, Col D'Izoard, the bloody Galibier all in one stage before a descent finish. Hellish stage.
Stage 19 - Saint-Jean De Maurienne to Tignes. Huge climb over the Iseran at 2770 metres, vicious finish into Tignes.
Stage 20 - Albertville to Val Thorens. Cormet De Roseland, and then another huge HC finish at way over 2000 metres (33.4 km climb to finish which is INSANE).

Definitely a race for the mountain goats this year. I can't wait for it to start.

 

[machin05]

18 looks nuts!

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

It is going to be absolutely crazy. They really picked a route to celebrate 100 years of the yellow jersey.

I would have added Ventoux and Alpe D'Huez but I am a bit of a sadist!

 

[Wombat del combate]

I've already booked accommodation for next year's Grand Depart. Look at the state of stage two: https://www.letour.fr/en/news/2019/2020-tour-de-france-southbound/1276064

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Nice. Literally. Always wanted to see the tour tackle the Turini

 

[Wombat del combate]

No Cavendish this year.

 

[Wombat del combate]

Fantasy TdF?! https://fantasy.letour.fr/#/welcome

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Things kick off today with a fairly flat route starting and finishing in Brussels. Definitely a sprinters stage. Nice highlight will be when the peloton rides through the Waterloo battlefield and skirts past the Lion Mound. Couple of small gradients early in the stage to sort out the first wearer of the polka dot jersey otherwise nothing to cause any expected great drama. A subtle induction before things start to get tough toward the end of next week.

 

[machin05]

Ridiculously close finish from a messy sprint finish. Sagan just missing out.