Giro d'Italia / Tour de France

[1986]

Two differen Irish men win 2 consecutive stages of a Grand Tour over the last two days .
Probably the first time ever .

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Tao is going to do this...

 

[Johnny75]

Brilliant from Hart.

Ineos have some team at the moment.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

They have some difficult choices. Froome is off but that still leaves Carapaz Hart Bernal and Thomas as grand tour winners, and isn’t Yates joining next season to make it five?

Good luck keeping them all happy

 

[Pompey Wolf]

It’s Adam rather than Simon, so not a GT winner but regardless you would have thought he’d still be looking for leadership opportunities. Porte is coming back as well!

 

[Wombat del combate]

Two ascents of Ventoux in the one day next year then...

 

[broughtonwolf]

UKAD under investigation by WADA for allowing British Cycling to hold its own private investigation into 2012 anomalies.

 

[nimrod]

who could have imagined something like that happening

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Giro starts today. Absolute brute of a route this year. One for the mountain goats for sure.

 

[Pompey Wolf]

Yeah so many summit finishes and plenty of fun elsewhere as well, particularly the strade bianche stage. Simon Yates favourite for me, interesting to see what kind of Bernal shows up.

 

[Wombat del combate]

Cav is packing his bags for France.

 

[1986]

Sam Bennett out of the Tour - huge blow for him .

 

[Pompey Wolf]

Made-up for Cav, really found some form again this year, incredible at 36. Didn’t think we’d see him again in the Tour but should have enough to be in the mix.

 

[Wombat del combate]

Sam Bennett out of the Tour - huge blow for him .

Patrick Lefevre does not like this, calling Bennett out and implying he's faking his injury owing to leaving DQS at the end of the season. Also interesting to read last week that he would not take Bennett and Cavendish because Bennett wasn't mentally strong enough.

Anyway, anyone doing the fantasy TdF competition? https://flobikes.fantasybytissot.com/#/welcome/login

 

[1986]

Patrick Lefevre does not like this, calling Bennett out and implying he's faking his injury owing to leaving DQS at the end of the season. Also interesting to read last week that he would not take Bennett and Cavendish because Bennett wasn't mentally strong enough.

Anyway, anyone doing the fantasy TdF competition? https://flobikes.fantasybytissot.com/#/welcome/login

There was little wrong with Bennett's mental strength last year , and he has building to this level for the previous number of years by winning a lot of stages in various races .

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Been taking a look at the route. Not as punishing as the giro but still plenty of hills. Early doors the Mur de Bretagne stage should be a good poncheurs finish.

 

[Wombat del combate]

There was little wrong with Bennett's mental strength last year , and he has building to this level for the previous number of years by winning a lot of stages in various races .

Patrick Lefevere: "Sam isn’t the strongest in his own head. If everything goes well then he becomes stronger and stronger, as we saw in the Tour last year, but if he has doubts and we bring someone like the second sprinter, and he has Mark Cavendish on his wheel, he becomes nervous about this. Very nervous,"

Patrick Lefevere:
"When Bennett called that he was injured and that he needed care and rest, we already felt the mood that he was not going to be ready for the Tour," Lefevere told Sporza.


"Three days before the Tour of Belgium, he bumped his knee against his handlebars. He didn't tell us anything about that. When he arrived, we sent him home again. Then it was a yes-no game: to train or not to train?


"I cannot prove that he does not have knee pain, but I am starting to think more and more that it is more fear of failure than just pain. Yesterday he had to come to Belgium, but then there were problems with his plane again. Then you start strange things to think. He'll have to come anyway. I'm not going to let this pass."


When asked directly whether the Irishman's impending departure from his team may have played a part, Lefevere says he's not discounting that possibility.


"If that's the case, it would say a lot about him, after all I've done for him. I've even paid advances of fines to pay his fine at Bora. If you treat me like that, it says a lot. I'm not ruling it out."

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Massive pile up in stage one caused by a “supporter” more interested in trying to get their banner on TV than watching the riders. Idiot should face consequences for their stupidity.

 

[SSB]

Massive pile up in stage one caused by a “supporter” more interested in trying to get their banner on TV than watching the riders. Idiot should face consequences for their stupidity.

I put them in the same category as people who go to the darts to sing the Yaya Toure chant. Ruin it for the majority.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Quite. It’s look at me rather than celebrate the race. Sounds like Tony Martin and Tao Geoghan Hart are in trouble too. Idiot.