Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Tour Talk, the final week

Wow....it's true....the Tour is suddenly in it's final week, and then in the blink of an eye will be gone for another year. In it's wake will be all the memories, both good and bad. The heroes, the villains, those with good fortune and those with bad. The suspicions (as that's all is at this point)...one has to wonder if the suspicion of good performances will EVER go away? I can't say...all I do know is that IF Froome and Co. ARE indeed riding clean, then the world owes them an apology (I heard during the Sunday broadcast that sometime during the Saturday stage someone threw a cup of urine on Froome). THAT is pretty sickening, no matter what you think of someone. I think it was Bobke who said something like "you didn't see any of this when the French guys were high up in the GC" (speaking of last year when they finished 2nd and 3rd to Nibbles). I'd like to believe Froome...I really would. But he's just SO much better than all the other GC contenders that I'm having a hard time with it. But I'm not damning him either...I'm going Switzerland on him...staying as neutral as I can.

One good memory from this Tour will be Peter Sagan. That man has become the Energizer Bunny of cyclists. He's been in nearly every break that isn't a full-on mountain stage, and then after spending all that energy all day grabbing the intermediate sprint-points, still has the grits to place high in the sprint finish. When he was chasing Plaza down the descent to the finish in Stage 16, I was shouting at my TV hoping he would do it. He was a descending FIEND for sure, dropping everybody in the breakaway...but as the grade lessened his chances disappeared. Finishing second (yet again) a distant 30 seconds from what would have been his first Tour stage win in years. Once again, it was not to be...but certainly not for lack of trying. He was wearing the red "most Aggressive rider" number on Monday, and if it were up to me he'll be wearing it again on Wednesday in the Alps. Oleg seems to be happy with his performance, but we have no idea what is said behind closed doors. I have to think he's upset that Peter still hasn't gotten any wins, even though barring disaster in the Alps he'll wear the Green all the way to the end in Paris.

OK...get ready for the final week. I believe I can speak for EVERYBODY when I say that we are ALL hoping for some GC action...a shakeup (not via injuries though)...some competition for the FIRST podium spot, not just 2nd and 3rd. Hoping that TJ can come thru with his plan to attack and regain lost time. Hoping Quintana and Valverde will make it HARD on Froome and Sky. Hoping that Contador has regained his Giro fitness and is finally ready to fight Froome all the way to the top of every single climb. That the teams of the contenders gang up on Sky and break them FINALLY. In short, I want this to become a race again with no certain winner, and multiples of riders having a shot at the podium. And finally, in Paris on the Champs...I am hoping for a grand finish of sprinters doing their thing. And personally, it wouldn't bother me at all if Sagan were to somehow steal that show (the odds are very high AGAINST that happening, as it's always a stage for the "pure" sprinters). It's truly a shame that Kittel didn't come this year...his presence in the bunch-sprints would have made those stages all that much better. But he's not here, so no use speculating. Griepel is the man this year, with Cav seemingly having lost his extra gear he used to have. Will he be able to pull it off in Paris? If so, his Tour will end on a high note and should go a long way in easing the sting of the FOUR losses to Griepel.

We will know all this soon enough. In the meantime, let's enjoy the Alps!

Tour ON!

34 comments:

  1. Great piece, Matt!

    It's at this time during the Tour that I always reflect back in slack-jawed wonder that the Grand Depart was ONLY 2 weeks ago (what?! Seems like MONTHS ago!). And I get depressed that we have less than a week to go until we have to wait ANOTHER 50 weeks for it to start again. This year there has been an added emotion - nonstop worry that NBCSN will stop airing the Tour LIVE & also night time taped coverage next year. Heck, they've already gotten rid of EVERY Saturday night's 'Prime Time" show this year. I've worried & fretted so much that it has had a LARGE negative impact on my enjoyment of the race & I blame USADA 100%.

    I know many of you here feel similar about how the media treats Lance versus ALL THE OTHER DOPED CYCLISTS OF THE PAST 20 YEARS but I can barely stand to read the cycling sites & the mainstream sports media sites are even WORSE! To pretend that ALL top-level pro-cyclists between 1992-2007 didn't dope or use "blood transfers" at least through part of their careers is to be BLIND &/OR IGNORANT. And every time they refer to US Postal as some doping OUTLIER instead of doing what EVERY OTHER TEAM WAS DOING, well, I become enraged.

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  2. Anyhoo, you'll be happy to know Matt, that the Saginator has finally won me over! (As long as I don't listen to his voice too much). I'd actually started changing my mind a few months ago when Tinkov was trashing him nonstop & blabbing to anyone that he wanted OUT of the contract with Sagan. And then he barely congratulated Sagan for his unreal overall win at the ToC. Even now, he is too stupid to realize that there has been TWO big stories at this year's TDF - the suspicious dominance of Froome & Sky and his guy SAGAN. That a so-called SPRINTER was in the breakaway THREE DAYS IN A ROW & got points at the end of each stage is fantastic! Plus, he's had 10, count 'em TEN, top 5 finishes! He's on the TV screen EVERY day! Poor Greipel has won 3 of the 4 sprint stages & he's mostly forgotten! (BTW, Matt - Cav was sick the other night-before & day that his group was left behind during the 1st 10K & that's why he wasn't even in that sprint.) You know, it's probably a BIGGER story that Sagan keeps dominating the race & has yet to actually win a stage. And for once, I'm totally fine with a guy who hasn't actually won a sprint to end up with the final green jersey on Paris. This guy DESERVES it! I don't know if there is any other rider EVER who could ride the Tour the way he has this year.

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  3. As for the GC - man, I was so disappointed for TVG on Saturday when he couldn't keep up with the Fave 4 (AND 35 year-old Valverde) on that short steep final hill. He only lost 39 seconds to Q but if he loses even that little bit too many days in the Alps, then he's lost the podium. It's a bit ridiculous I guess to be disappointed when BEFORE the Tour had started, the chance of him finishing on the podium when 3 former TDF champs &the 2013 runner-up/2014 Giro champ were all in the race, seemed remote. But, I figured at least one of them would crash out by the end of the 1st week, so if all went perfect for Tejay, then he'd have a chance. That ALL 4 are still in the race has made his goal that much tougher. (Even if Nibbles is sort of out of it due to his, cough, cough, "strange lack of form"). BTW - 35 years old, riding BETTER than he's ever ridden at the Tour, AND history of past doping - why isn't anyone scoffing at Valverde?

    As for Froome & Sky, I've believed they've been using "unallowed" methods & substances since before Wiggins won the Tour. They have SO much more money than every other team, that alone should almost be counted as "doping". But, as long as he doesn't test positive, he's no worse than the last 20 TDF "winners". I'm still not a fan of Froome's but I don't detest him as much as in 2013. Whenever I see a rider experience a horrific Tour (Contador in 2011 & Froome last year) , my negative feelings soften up. At least until they do something else that ticks me off. ;) :) ;)

    I guess it's possible that Froome will have a very bad day in the Alps, but I don't think Q & Contador should rely on that if they really want to win. I truly believe the only way AC can win is if he goes on a long-range attack. It's possible that Sky will let him go early as he's so far down. I don't think they would let Quintana go though, so his only hope is that Froome cracks AND Quintana is riding his best.

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  4. I have no wondering about Valverde (IYKWIM). What I have wondered, is if nationality would prove thicker than team -- Valverde and Contador have made deals in the past (you help me in this race, I'll help you in that one; was it Paris-Nice that saw Vv help Alberto win?) But, I just realized that Bertie hit the podium in the Tour already 8 years ago! So maybe my hopes for his performance are unrealistic, like Cav maybe he has lost that top climbing gear. He doesn't look quite the same on his bike to me, by the way (you know, his very distinctive climbing position), and I wonder if his bike fit has be altered to his detriment.

    Definitely, the more I hear Sagan (and the more English he learns) the more I enjoy him. Poor thing, he says he is "best at being second". I hope he can get a win somehow before the end.

    To me it feels like the Tour has been on only 3 days or so! Sunday (or Saturday really will be my last day to watch, traded to have that day off) will be here in a blink of my eye. HOPING TeeJay has been holding something back -- but he doesn't look like it.

    I warm up to Froome when I see his interviews, and I remind myself that (even though I wouldn't have called myself an LA fanatic) I was happy with LA's tours -- the ones that I saw, that is -- when he was like Froome in his dominance. The Sky team is also strong like Postal was, and I hate thinking that there is anything fishy about Geraint Thomas. Perhaps they have borrowed a not so suspicious page from the Postal playbook, and really intensely train/prepare for the Tour just as (we were told) Postal did.

    Rae

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  5. Susie/Rae...I actually HOPE that TJ can step it up a FEW notches in the Alps...and really makes a race out of it. I agree that unless MM (Mantis Man) has a meltdown or gets hit by a meteorite, the top of the podium is his to lose. I also agree w/ the suspicion on Valverde...a leopard can't (won't?) change it's spots. He's a bit long in the tooth to be doing what he is right now...but at least he runs out of gas an drops back....some semblance of human.

    And just keep in mind what I have to remind everybody who still thinks that the doping makes a plow-horse into a thoroughbred...Postal (and Lance) didn't get any free ride to victory. The doping ALLOWED them to train HARDER and LONGER and RECOVER quicker. They truly WERE better than everybody else...but it wasn't free by a LONGSHOT. And in Grand Tours, recovery is probably AS important as being uber-fit. Killing yourself all day every day breaks your body down...but if you can recover better than the other guys, then you have a distinct advantage.

    Lance won by out-training EVERYBODY ELSE. (and also w a boatload of miracles every year...ZERO CRASHES in SEVEN Tours in a ROW? (well, he did hook that purse-strap on that one climb and fall over, then in anger wasn't clicked into the pedal as he began to ride and nearly crushed his manhood on the top-tube when his foot came out of the pedal)...and that miracle we saw a few times as they replayed the descent when Beloki crashed on the turn right in front of Lance, and he rode right off the edge of the road, down to the end of the curve and jumped the ditch, back on his bike, right back where he was. THAT was a miracle! It could just as well been a cliff, or guard-rail...or ANYTHING except a little cross-country romp back into the lead.

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  6. OMG! OMG! OMG! I won't say what happened, but it's CATASTROPHIC NEWS! (and this isn't even involving the stage finish)...I saw the first 10 minutes of the live broadcast this morning, and this news doesn't surprise me after seeing that bit of today's stage. VERY SAD. V.E.R.Y. S.A.D.

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  7. NOT A TRUE SPOILER BUT VAGUELY DISCUSSES TODAY'S ROAD ACTION, STAGE 17: Yes very sad but not totally unexpected. We don't know the full story yet, and I'll be curious to read the reports (and then between the lines) but for the future some things regarding recovery need to be addressed if this was indeed just a blocked day after the rest day, as opposed to down right illness. I actually think we'll learn it was the latter because it looked too devastating to be anything else.

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  8. ****SPOILER ALERT!! STAGE 17 - WED 7/22**** SPOILER!!

    Who would have thought today would be an homage to the TV premiere of SHARKNADO 3 tonight? :
    OH HELL NO!!

    I'm just gutted for Tejay, myself, & all American cycling fans! Not totally shocked though but not for the same reasons as Cathy. Ya'll probably don't remember but I mentioned years ago that I have a thing about days that "add up" (numerology-wise) to an '8' or '4'. I try to avoid appointments on all such days for anything that COULD have a bad outcome - dentist & dr appts, car check-ups, etc. Blame a VP at my company 30 years ago - he was Chinese-American & when he wanted me to order some phone lines for a new location, he was VERY specific what phone numbers he could & could not use & he explained it was because of his reliance on "numerology". He even gave me a book on it. Well, based on my name & birthdate (I think, can't remember now), the numbers '8' & '4' are bad for me. (My birthdate is 10/4, which explains a LOT...LOL!). So, right when I got up this morning, it 'dawned on me' (yuck, yuck) that it was Stage 17 (an 8!) & today was the 22nd - oh nooooo, a '4'! A DOUBLE WHAMMY! I just KNEW something bad was gonna happen! Still, I WAS stunned to see that it involved TVG! He'd been having such a great Tour & he'd been so looking forward to the Alps! Honestly, I could barely concentrate on the rest of the stage (Yes, I'd picked THIS as one of my vacation day-stages! Man, I really know how to pick 'em this year!)

    And THEN, Contador crashes on that big descent & ends up losing 2 minutes! (BTW, that descent looked MUCH scarier than the one going into Gap. Does the latter have bad road surfaces & that's why it's supposedly so awful?) I don't think AC or his team is strong enough right now for him to achieve a Schleckattack so not only is the win out of the question, but so is the podium (which, just like back in 2011 & 2013, he said he didn't care about).

    All of which means UNLESS the Tour gods bite Froome or the Movistar guys in the asses (is possible, at the TDF - one day you're a shark & the next, shark bait), the podium is set already! Boo-hiss!

    But speaking of Froome & Team Sky (or as the French media apparently regard/speak/write of as 'Despicable Him & his Minions'), I do think I saw some weakness in his team today. With Q & V both riding strongly & TOGETHER, I guess it's possible they COULD, as P2 like to say - "put Froome in a spot of bother" some time during the next 3 days. Plus, if Contador can crash & lose 2 minutes, so can Froome. OR either of the "stars in waiting". (Get it, 'stars' ...Movistar?) :)

    Right now, my heart just isn't in rooting for any outcome. Damn, I was SO hoping TVG could actually get on the podium! For him & for we American Tour TV viewers! Plus, in addition to the sadness for Tejay now, I worry about his future in the team. Last thing he needed was to have to abandon a Tour when the team had helped put him in such a great position with only 5 days to go. (However, as mentioned before, he NEEDS MORE MT GUYS!)

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  9. Finally got to watch the entire stage last night (yawn...and I do NOT mean that for the racing, just my lack of sleep this last two plus weeks). WOW. Watching TJ struggle off the back was heartbreaking...he really seems to have trouble after the rest days. But this seems more than just 'trouble'. He seemed FINE before the rest day...just biding his time, waiting for the Alps. I'm still in shock...I was really counting on him, Quintana, Alberto and Nibbles to chew away on Sky, with TJ looking like a lock for a Podium spot...just which one was up in the air.

    So NOW...unless Contador can pull off some MAGIC, it appears there's a real shot for Quintana and Valverde to go two/three. I'm hoping Contador CAN pull off some magic...we really NEED some magic!

    Anyway...maybe today there will be magic in the air. It was nice to see Alberto attack yesterday, and near the end Quintana gave it a go...they just need to keep that up. Counting today, we have THREE big mountain stages, so a LOT can happen.

    Oh...I heard when Alberto crashed yesterday, Sagan was came up to him and quickly realized the bike was an issue, so swapped bikes so Alberto could roll on. Sagan then did the entire sketchy descent on a questionable crashed bike that's NOT fitted for him. VERY COOL Peter!

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  10. A couple of random comments - the hostess outfits are super cute this year - all the outfits for the jerseys and stage winners are flattering and tasteful. No polka dot umbrella dresses this time ;-) Also I think P&P have done good commentary this year - far less mistakes and stumbles than in recent years. When I mentioned this to my husband, he said maybe they stopped drinking. haha, fat chance!

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  11. Cathy...totally agree P&P are better than past years...and then add in Todd, Bobke, Christian and Jens and it's the best overall commentary EVER IMO. I really like it that P&P seem to ut-over to the other booth a lot during the stage, and then having Jens at the finish line all day, and Steve Perino out on the moto all day (not sure I'd like that job)....I really think Jens is a FANTASTIC addition to the crew, and really happy for him to continue to be involved in the sport And the banter between Christian and Bobke is pretty great....they have both the early period and the current period covered with on the road experience.

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  12. Well...stage 18 is in the history books. WOW what a beastly stage! And LOVED that final climb! I'd LOVE to ride that myself! (I didn't say RACE it...just RIDE it). For the first time this Tour I thought Froome looked like he was about on the edge...however, so was everybody else...they had used their bags of tricks and the bags were empty. If ONLY any of them had one more real attack left, I think that person could have gained back a bit of time...likely not a lot, but considering how strong Froome has been and not allowing them anything, it would be a huge psychological win.

    And so we will see what they have in the tank tomorrow...they are QUICKLY running out of mountains...tomorrow and Saturday is IT. I really hope Alberto can gain back a few minutes bringing him back up with Quintana/Valverde...I'd love to see a real fight for 2nd and 3rd (I'd MUCH rather see a fight for 1st, but unless Froome crashes or has an Andy Schleck Chaingate moment, I don't see them all gaining on him. But as Andy showed that tour, anything can happen.

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  13. The first thing I thought of on TJ's bad day was altitude sickness -- and I wonder, why don't these guys ever seem to suffer from that? I always did, even at 7000 feet (mildly) and the headache can be pretty bad. I always carried a bottle of pepto-b with me when backpacking for that reason. Granted, usually a night at altitude got me over it. They did stay Mon. night at a higher elevation, didn't they? But I heard the hotel conditions were awful -- hot.

    I am watching the first part of the stage now (from the beginning, yay!) but will have to see the finish tonight, things to do! Looks like this will be another good one judging from the first hour.

    Nice to see you commenting, Cathy! Yay for JRod!

    Rae

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  14. Rae, I think they actually ascend and then descend so quickly that in general altitude is not a problem, sort of like the climbers who climb without oxygen in the alpine ascents. They do it fast enough that the body doesn't realize what has happened....hiking is so much slower, plenty of time for the brain to hurt!!

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  15. I would also think that all of these guys have top-tier cardio-vascular systems...and that their bodies are pretty efficient at getting oxygen to the brain and organs...and that even as they get to higher altitudes would be more efficient than us 'regular' folk. I'll have to go back and find the article on this past off-season when Saxo-Tinkoff as a team climbed Kilamanjaro (I believe that's over 18,000'). I don't recall if they had any of their people suffering from altitude sickness.

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  16. ****SPOILER ALERT!! STAGE 19, FRI 7/24****SPOILER!

    On the one hand, today was the BEST TDF MT STAGE in at least the last 2 years! On the other hand, I consider today's stage win NULL & VOID due to the way in which the guy advanced. I'm sure the cycling twitter feeds/blogs are on fire with folks yelling back & forth about whether what Nibbles did today was "awesome" or "heinous". My vote is definitely the latter & I was SHOCKED to hear Bobke & CVV think it was ok. (Yeah for Jensie to tell it like it is - that it was NOT ok!) Yes, Nibbles was FAR down the GC from the yellow jersey but he COULD have gotten himself on the podium depending on how things shook out. It was GREAT that he attacked during the stage & rode like a demon to the end. The PROBLEM is that the Yellow Jersey had a mechanical & Nibbles looked RIGHT AT HIM not once but TWICE & THEN attacked! You don't do that! And for the Astana team to whine that "nobody waited for Nibbles during the 1st week when he had a mechanical" well for pete's sake, he was NOT in the Yellow jersey & they weren't even together on the road! If Nibbles had already attacked & was 50-100 yards up the road when Froome had the problem, then I would not have expected him to stop. But he looked right at Froome TWICE & saw exactly what was happening & decided he would attack at that very moment. I didn't have much respect for him before, but now I have even less. This "unwritten" rule of not attacking the YJ due to mechanicals, etc is one of the things that made me fall in love with this crazy sport!

    Anyhoo, Team Sky CRACKED & left Froome isolated on most of the last climb! Quintana finally attacked with about 5K left & put some major time into Froome (ok, only about 44 seconds but it was SOMEthing!). I was hoping Contador could do the same thing but he just doesn't have it right now. At least Valverde didn't put any more time into AC (they finished together).

    The fact that Sky showed some definite weakness has me salivating even more for tomorrow & ALPE D'HUEZ! Whoo-hoo! I still don't think Froome will be beaten but the podium is still up for grabs & at least it looks like Q will give it everything he's got to TRY to crack Froome.

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    1. Here's how I see it Susie...he didn't attack the Yellow (unlike Contador when Andy's chain got stuck a few years back). He attacked 4th thru 6th place. Froome in yellow had NOTHING WHATSOEVER to fear from this attack. In fact, as was said more than once, it probably HELPED him as his team had dissolved and Valverde and Contador had to TRY to protect their positions. I don't see it as an attack on the yellow at all. If Nibbles was up in one of the top few places then it would be an entirely different matter. But he wasn't. He had NO CHANCE to hurt the yellow...it was all the rest who had to worry. I think it was a brilliant attack and he had the legs to hold it! LOVE IT that he took back some time FINALLY! And he brought out Quintana FINALLY also! Sheesh...I was thinking he truly had nothing left and was just hanging in there...but no, he had more. If only he had attacked earlier!

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    2. Yeah well, based on Saturday's stage, KARMA agrees with me! ;)

      And despite being down 8 minutes, when Nibali looked RIGHT AT FROOME NOT ONCE BUT TWICE & SAW EXACTLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING, he attacked THEN. And then to LIE about it after? Give me a freakin break.

      And yes, if he had attacked earlier or later, once Froome had caught back, I would have applauded his ride & win. Of course, then I wouldn't have known what a sh*t he really is. ;)

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  17. I haven't been able to read anything yet so don't know exactly what Froome's bike problem was but memories of 2010's CHAINGATE came flooding back to me & every cycling fan, I'm sure! :)

    BTW, do ya'll really think a team WOULD put tiny motors in their bikes at the TDF or any World Tour race? Four-five years ago when I 1st read about this I scoffed, but apparently it is possible. My question is whether a pro cycling team would take the chance to do such a thing. I personally believe it is FAR WORSE than doping! And any team (& its DS, manager, owner, mechanics) caught doing it should be thrown not just out of that race but out of the SPORT for at least 3-5 years. The rider(s) would have to sit at least 2-3 years.

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  18. SPOILER UPDATE!

    Ok, I've had a chance to briefly look at some TDF articles & I guess "the incident" can be named STONEGATE. And, I'm actually becoming a fan of Froome - he went up to Nibbles after the stage & called him "unsportsmanlike" (& perhaps a few choice Sicilian words ole Nibbles didn't want to hear). YOU GO, FROOMEY! Meanwhile, my opinion of Nibbles plummets further - he's a LIAR on top of a sneak.

    Up until today, I'd been feeling sorry for ole Nibbles at this race. And actually admired that he stayed in it after his humiliating start. Now, I hope AC, Q, Valverde & most of all, Sky & Froome CRUSH him tomorrow.

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  19. Love that Nibs attacked. He was down 8 min for God's sake. Froome didn't even chase him or consider him a threat. Froome needs to get off his high horse.

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    1. He was no threat to Froome what-so-ever...therefore the 'don't attack the yellow for a mechanical' doesn't hold. He didn't attack the yellow. He attacked everybody else. There is no gentlemens rule on that. It was wonderful to see a glimmer of last-years Nibs back on the road...

      I was sad to see Alberto not have it...thought sure when he changed his bike he had something in store for us. Damn that Giro...we can only dream how he would be riding (and what the leaderboard of this race would look like) had he NOT raced the Giro and focused everything on this race. I was really hoping that at the end of today we could have anywhere between 2 and 4 riders within 2 minutes of the lead (including Froome!) I thought yesterday we saw a chink in his armor.....and today we FINALLY saw for the FIRST TIME this Tour he went backwards just a bit. Tomorrow's stage should be EPIC (if anybody has anything left in their legs that is). FANTASTIC STAGE TODAY FOR SURE!!

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    2. LOL, his confrontation with Nibbles is the 1ST time I've actually liked Froomey!

      And speaking of horses, I spent most of my childhood riding horses, there was always a horse or two on the farm, so I like horses, but OMG, I would like to SHOOT "Hannah's horse" right now! In his "DIRTY KNEES!" ARGH!

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  20. I had to work today but one good thing is I can comment now about Saturday's stage. SPOILER if you didn't watch it live.

    GREAT stage! Quintana gave it everything he had & while Sky & Froome looked weakened, Froome had enough to keep chugging up the climb & save his Tour win. I don't know if I'll ever be a big fan of Mantis-Man, but I have to agree with Rae, his interactions with the media have been impressive, even & especially as he was being accused relentlessly by the French media as an "absolute doper".(And who didn't know that giving the race & training data to the public would NOT stop the accusers?) I laugh imagining how Wiggins would have handled that onslaught! He blew up constantly & the media were MUCH tamer then. Bottom line for me is that as I've said here, I've always thought Team Sky had SOMETHING "illegal" that helped their racers. They have 2-4 TIMES the budget of almost every other team. As CVV mentioned this morning, they train "like nobody else". What he DIDN'T say was that THEY can AFFORD it! In my opinion, this financial discrepancy is just another form of "performance enhancement". However, unless Froome or any Sky rider tests positive or there is video evidence of said doping, then I don't want to hear about it. Same for any rider & team, even Astana, who should NOT have even been allowed in the race! BTW, remember in 2008 when ASO huffed they could "invite whomever they wanted to THEIR race" & thus barred Astana (with brand new membesr & 2006 TDF champ Contador & Levi & new mgt, all who had nothing to do with the doping on the 2007 team)? Well, why didn't ASO bar Astana this time?

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    1. TOTALLY AGREE...if nobody can come up with actual PROOF of any actual violations against Sky, then they need to drink a glass of "shut the hell up" and embrace what they are doing. HUGE kudos for Sky in this horrific final week...they did what they needed to.

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  21. More about SATURDAY'S STAGE -

    Really great stage to wrap up (virtually) this year's Tour! Sunny- yeah! Alpe d'Huez - double yeah! Attacks left & right - yeah, yeah, yeah!

    And the BEST THING OF ALL is that Nibbles FLATTED right at the bottom of the Alpe & thus could never really get back into it to attack. OMG, I almost rolled off the sofa screaming & laughing! KARMA!

    Overall, I've been the happiest with this TDF since 2011. The last few years have been upsetting, depressing or both. This Tour was NOT perfect - a little too few sprint stages for my taste, the 1st week is still ridiculously dangerous & we lost Spartacus & Tony Martin (but at LEAST we didn't lose the main contenders this time) & of course, the most upsetting of all, but which was not the fault of the race or ASO - the abandonment of Tejay. Man, that upset me so much I barely watched Thursday's stage at night & I ALMOST changed my mind about taking vacation time Friday morning. I had regretted the time I took for the other 3 stages & was still so bummed about TVG, I didn't think I'd care what happened. SO glad I changed my mind back! It was an AWESOME stage!

    Besides losing TVG, the only other thing I wish I could go back & change is for Contador to NOT ride the damn Giro! Still don't understand it. Do you really think it was HIS idea to do the Double or did Tinkov pressure him? He's quoted as saying that the Double would be more impressive on his palmares than "just another Tour win". Yeah, but NOW Froome has the same # of TDF wins as HIM! And Contador was supposed to be "the best Grand Tour rider of his generation". If AC really retires after next year, Froome has the chance to win at least 2-4 more, wouldn't that make HIM the best generational rider? Although I guess they didn't ride at exactly the same time, enough years did overlap.

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  22. Watching Froome & Quintana the past 3 weeks has had me thinking back to 2009 when we all salivated about the coming years as the 'Bert vs Andy showdown'. Remember how we all thought we'd have YEARS of those two slugging it out at the Tour? And really, the only years they were both at their peak were 2009 & 2010. That Andy is retired already still shocks & saddens me. But, thinking of those two makes me wonder what OTHER rider will come out of seemingly "nowhere" to challenge Froome & Quintana. Or what "life challenges" will get in the way of the "Froomey & Q" show over the next 5 years.

    Since Froome is a bit older than Quintana, I wonder how his increasing age will affect him & the rivalry. Contador has never been the same since 2010 (in my opinion, even when he won the Giro & Vuelta). His legendary "ass dancing" up the mountains has almost disappeared entirely. Man, I miss that swaying butt!

    Alrighty, for tomorrow, I'm HOPING for Cav to win on the Champs! And if not him, then the Saginator! Hey, do you think they will again ride AROUND the Arc d'Triumphe or go back to turning in front? I like the ride-around!

    So happy to see many of the Asylum chatting here during the Tour! I wish Janann could have joined us. Anybody hear from her the past year? I miss her.

    Well, gotta scoot. Talk to ya'll again Monday! Enjoy tomorrow! :) :) :)

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  23. I enjoyed the stage even as I kept thinking how the overall wouldn't change.....I was shouting for Ryder to hang on, but still happy that Pinot won the stage (although, a little more maturity from him in the first week would have been nice...)

    I am sure that Tinkov had everything to do with AC attempting the double. I despise the man ...but not his money! CSC was my favorite team when I was first able to watch the tour, it well and truly is not the same team now!

    SusieB talking about commercials-- some other women have mentioned their dislike of "Hannah's horse" and the knees (I assume taking it as a crude reference?) but the ones that really have set my teeth on edge are the Passat ladies. HATE them. So much that I can barely remember the other ads despite hearing them 5000 times! Let's see, Cadillac, some kind of alcohol, some kind of beer, a couple of local spots (is Firehouse Deli local or national?), Jelly Belly.... no bike manufacturers this year...I must be forgetting a few but it does seem like I saw the same 7 ads over and over and over and over. Well, Rae, be GRATEFUL that there are sponsors for cycling in the USA at all!

    I can't believe the TdF is all done but the champagne. Looking forward to RICHMOND in September -- I have already found someone to work my weekend for me, and I plan to be there for the men's road race!

    Rae



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  24. Rae, I will be at Worlds the entire time. Maybe we can say hi!!
    ASO can't keep a World Tour team (Astana) from the Tour. It's guaranteed that all WT teams will have an invite.
    Wonder what TGV thinks about Porte coming to BMC and whom will be working for whom? One seems perhaps more capable of performing in the third week of a GT.
    Loved Tivo so much this year. Was able to get up at 6 most days, skip through all the commercials and still be live for the last part of the race.
    Great Tour this year. Hope Quintana gets a win one year. Love the way he races. And will be great to see AV on the podium. He's had a great career. And for tomorrow, let's go Kristoff! Win #19 of the season is waiting for you!

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    1. I look forward to Quintana in the coming years...I think he's a breath of fresh air. However, just think back to when Alberto suddenly came to light...wasn't it against Cadel? And didn't it come down to the final ITT for Cadel to hold him off? After that it was Alberto for a few years...then suddenly Froome jumps out of nowhere...and now Nairo out of nowhere. As Susie said...who will be the NEXT to jump from obscurity to the limelight? Certainly won't be any of the white jersey 'contenders' from this year...wow...what a gap to 2nd and then 3rd!

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  25. Hi friends, sorry I've been AWOL this week, but I've been watching! I thought the Alps stages were the best in a long time - very exciting, fun to watch. And of course, beautiful. I love watching Quintana climb! I'm glad he went for it today. And Ryder and Thibaut - talk about reaching deep into that "suitcase of courage"!
    I have a DVR and record it live and watch when I get home - goal is to get to bed earlier than watching the "prime time" show. And I get to FFW through the commercials, but I STILL see that insipid blonde with the horse way too much. I've caught the evening show a couple of times - no need to watch it anymore since it's the same as the morning show. Remember when the evening show was Bob Roll doing the color commentary - I loved that and learned so much about the Tour from him. I worked from home in those years and watched the live show from my home office and I enjoyed watching Bobke to see what he would say. I also thought P&P were better this year.
    I actually cried when TJ dropped out. It was just so awful to see him pull off and get in that car, not because of a crash.
    Cathy, I agree about the podium girl dresses!
    Isn't it Greg LeMonde who is accusing them of using motors in the bikes? Isn't it enough for him that he got to be right about Lance? To me, he is just a bitter aging athlete.
    Ready for the champagne stage!
    Barbara

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    1. I"m with you Barbara on TJ...even tho I haven't yet jumped on his fan bus, I do respect him (and he has improved MARKEDLY in his interviews since last year!)...I was crushed and deeply saddened when he stopped his bike and stood there, knowing it was over. I really thought HE would have been in these last 4 dramatic Alp stages as a HUGE protagonist....his team was fantastic too...and if healthy, he was surely capable of big things in these last few stages. But that's spilt milk now....no use crying over it or wondering...next year. With Ritchie Porte working for him (I HOPE!)...THAT will be interesting! Assuming that's how it's going to be anyway.

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  26. WOW, today I got cars instead of sandwiches to prove I'm not a robot! I almost checked a boat and flunked out!
    Barbara

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  27. Oh my GOSH...I'm flat out EXHAUSTED after stage 20! I've never been a huge Valverde fan over the last 5 years or so, but I can't take away what a PRO he was this year...I was worried all along having him and Quintana on the team...thought it was going to be like that year Lance came back when it was SUPPOSED to be Alberto's team..that was NOT right. But thankfully, AV did amazing...and today was pure awesomeness...AV finally made his attack stick, Nairo finally drops Sky (which was NOT easy to do) and gets to AV, and finally when AV is done, catches his teammate from the break who paces him up to the final few k...just FANTASTIC! And near the end, I was again yelling at the TV for Nairo to catch Pinot...(nothing against Pinot..I just REALLY wanted Nairo to win the stage, as it was obvious that he was not going to catch Foome). Can't give enough kudo's to Movistar...they were just brilliant. And looking back, wasn't it stages 2 and 10 where Quintana lost all that time? Eliminate that loss from EITHER of them and yo have a different race. As the saying goes, you don't win the Tour in that first 2 weeks, but you can lose it.

    But in the end, I have to say that despite all the pitfalls and drama's, I enjoyed this tour more than any in recent memory. And Susie, you MUST MUST MUST MUST MUST get a DVR....honestly, it's the best invention SINCE THE TV ITSSELF! I can't imagine life without it. I control my viewing life completely with it....as to the stupid commercials, I say WHAT stupid commercials? My DTV Gennie box (which btw is the most fantastic DVR I've ever had) lets me swoop thru stuff at 1x, 2x, 3x, or 4x, OR I hit one little button just above the FF button and it goes 30 seconds at a time (the length of most commercials..this year 6 quick pushes brought me quickly right back to the action...tho in the mountains when they started doubling up on the commercials to bring the final climb uninterrupted, it wold take 12 pushes). Whoever your provider is, when your contract is up, work on them to get a DVR...I thought most all providers (cable AND Sattelite) give them away for basicly FREE with new subscriptions...you have to pay an extra $5 a month I think..but it's the best $5 you will ever pay! I LOVE MY DVR! Live TV has no claim on me...I watch whatever I want whenever I want..and commercials no longer exist.

    OK...gotta go for now...it's pretty late for me....as I've been up watching every precious moment of today's final showdown stage (I had a nice 'little' ride today to commemorate the big final showdown...my longest ride of the year...did 94 miles solo in the wind...woo-HOO! It felt like the Alp d' Huez to ME!)

    On to Paris...congrats Froomey...well fought and well deserved Mantis Man and Team Sky! Hope all goes safe and smooth for ALL the riders into Paris tomorrow (and all the way to the line). I'm rooting for Sagan of course (if only he wouldn't' give interviews...yes, his voice is a eensy bit grating...but I forgive that as he's such a class act on the bike!)

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