Missed the opener due to the 4th. No Prologue, 3 stages in England, no Wiggins or Quintana starting, everybody stops to hang with the queen, disaster removes the sprinters on day 1... wtf is going on here? Madness.
Awesomeness... 3 days in England were pretty incredible, except for the clueless spectators stepping out into the roadway. Stage 2 was a particularly nice surprise. I'm used to a good solid week of boring flat stages before anything good happens.
Most impressive is the number of folks on the road watching the race. Don't care for Cav but don't like he being out of the race due to injury. Impressed how fast he took responsibility for causing the crash. Have enjoyed watching the race because no dominate rider so up until the last second no idea who might win.
Two words... GIANT / Shimano! :bang: (very talented riders. very organized. absolutely spectacular game plan) Keep it up boys! :clap: . . . Soooo looking forward to watching the plot change from day to day!
Cobbles + rain tomorrow? Gonna look like a Benny Hill skit. These skinny GC guys are going to be loading up their shorts. There was one section today and guys were pretty tepid negotiating it -- it was only one section with plenty of time getting back on so not worth the risk. Tomorrow will be a different story. Look for Cancellara and Sagan to square off. I only wish Boonen was in the race.
Both, has a great all around game... I'd say his weakness is TT. if he doesn't get hurt I believe he'll be in the mix for the win.
I'm kind of broken hearted about Cav. He used to irritate me but then I read his book "Boy Racer" and gained a lot of respect for him. I highly recommend it. Seems like all of my old favorites are crashing out. At least my cat's namesake, Vincenzo, is on top. Yay!
Same here. The more I hear from him, the more respect I have for him. His reaction to the pre-Stage 1 interviewer was pretty class. Not just crushing sprints anymore, he's a destroyer of hyperbole-wielding interviewers egos as well. "Mark, it's D-Day for you today..." (dagger stare) "Why's that?" "Day of your life perhaps, no?" "Not really, I think D-Day a lot of people lost their lives, and the consequences of winning and losing were a lot bigger than a Tour de France stage, you know?" KAPOW! ...But refreshing to hear someone at that level, minutes from attempting the highlight of their career, maintain the greater perspective. ...sucks that the interviewer was figuratively pretty spot-on.
Tomorrow should be good. I almost hope it doesn't rain. After his crash today, Froome must be losing sleep about tomorrow's cobbles. Tomorrow should be good.
I'm just bummed about Cav because he's on my fantasy team...Been good Tour so far though. Stage 5 should be a doozy.
Jiminy Christmas! A fan favorite (and one of MY favorite riders) just crashed / slid in the rain. He's gonna be sore for a couple of days... Hope he can bounce back. Can't even imagine how nervous the riders must feel today.... (rain. slippery cobblestones. crashes everywhere. agressive riders. finger pointing etc.) #-o
Will the last remaining rider please bring the flag. Since you can switch bikes during the TdF, why doesn't someone ride a Cross bike over the cobbles, then quickly switch to their road machine and back and forth? I imagine that much starting and stopping won't work or someone would be doing it. Cobbles in rain is a bad idea. Alternate route should have been laid out in case of inclement weather. This is like watching a deer cross a frozen pond, (or a roadie walk into a Starbucks with freshly mopped floor). Just kind of sad.
>>The day’s weather was wet from the outset, prompting race organizers to shorten the stage. “We decided to cut two sectors: Mons-en-Pevele, which is very difficult, very bumpy, and the one which carries Marc Madiot’s name (at Beuvry-la-Foret),” said Tour director Thierry Gouvenou. “It’s a question of common sense, we didn’t want to throw the Tour de France peloton into these conditions, with the rain.” <<
Just heard the news this morning... on a scale of 1-10, this race just went from an 8 to 11! From here on out, this is going to be exciting and unpredictable!
Looks like we're trying not to give it away at this point, but your CX reference was fitting -- although proof it's not always the bike. Forgot about that guy in the race.