Tour de France 2010

[usav]

It takes many tours to realise just how tactical and how much of a team sport it is, rather than about the individuals.   Well, at least it did for me.

I would just enjoy the wonderful scenery and the staggering fitness levels of the riders.

[Jon Crofts]

Always loved The Tour, my 8 year old son watched it last year and loved it too.
Saw it a few years ago when a few stages were in Kent.

[richard moore]

Yes, agree, the sporting event of the summer. Can't wait to catch the highlights each evening. Working from home, it is a terrible temptation to sit there watching it all afternoon...

[TopDeck113]

No surprise that Fabian Cancellara won the opening prologue.  He really is the man to beat in any form of individual time trial.  

Good showing from Millar and Thomas; disappointing from Wiggins.    

The race proper starts today and in the context of the next three weeks the prologue is the equivalent of winning the Peace Cup before the league season kicks off.

[Drummond]

I've never watched it unfold and got into it as I should. I suspect that the highlights packages don't really do it justice.

It's a bit like watching a test match in cricket, where they feel each other out, trying different strategies etc with the bottom line being that you have to be incredibly bloody fit to have a chance.

[TopDeck113]

What a fantastic opening three stages!  Not so much if you are a bike-racing purist, but for crashes galore it has been compulsive viewing.

The pavé yesterday has opened up big time gaps, which in the context of the GC will nullify some of the advantages that climbers like Contador will gain when they arrive in the Alps.

Unfortunately for Cavendish fans, it looks like Hushovd is in the mood to retain the mallot vert.

[TopDeck113]

Wednesday and it looked like Cav had lost what it takes when he sat up in the sprint for the line.  Then two wins in two stages to prove the so-called experts (and me) wrong.

The Alps now beckon and the next few days will see a shake out in the GC standings.  Cav's a hero, but for me this is when the Tour proper starts.

[Countryside Villain]

Yes, agree, the sporting event of the summer. Can't wait to catch the highlights each evening. Working from home, it is a terrible temptation to sit there watching it all afternoon...

I feel the pain Richard.  I work from home and having discovered TVCatchup.com I've ended up having much of the World Cup afternoon games on and now the ITV4 coverage all afternoon.  I end up running a work laptop and my personal one for "entertainment".

Its easy to have The Tour on in the background though - its still the last few KM where you can't look away.

[Dave Cooper please]

Tubbs




Cadel Evans

[TopDeck113]

The third stage win for Mark Cavendish and the thirteenth of his career.   He is three-off being in the Top 10 of all-time stage winners.

He'll struggle though to get any more this year as his main lead-out man and enforcer, Mark Renshaw, has been thrown out for head-butting Julian Dean and then almost forcing Tyler Farrar into the barriers.   Typical, loveable Aussie...

[Dave Cooper please]

Ooh, now then.
Shleck and Contador were together on the last climb of the day and just as Shleck tried to attack his chain came off. Normal (unspoken) etiquette would be that Contador wouldn't attack while Shleck had mechanical problems but no, Contador went for it, and it could be the decisive move of the Tour.

Big talking point this,

[Yeltzer]

Ooh, now then.
Shleck and Contador were together on the last climb of the day and just as Shleck tried to attack his chain came off. Normal (unspoken) etiquette would be that Contador wouldn't attack while Shleck had mechanical problems but no, Contador went for it, and it could be the decisive move of the Tour.

Big talking point this,

Personally I'd say tough shit to Schleck. If Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were racing round Silverstone and Button got a puncture, you wouldn't expect Lewis to pull over in the pits while Jenson got it fixed. End of.

[Dave Cooper please]

I'd agree with you, but that's not in the unwritten rules of the peleton, and when you are going head-to-head with 180 odd other riders it's better to stay friends with them.

[lovejoy]

Absolutely you have to take off your football or motor racing hat with this one. Cycling is a bit like golf in its unwritten etiquette.

Not only did he rip up the fair play manual but after the stage Contador lied 'I was attacking when it happened' 'I didn't know he was in trouble I didn't look round' (Oh but you did Alberto) and 'I didn't know he had a mechanical problem' (so no ear plug to team car today?!)

If he's that desparate to win it makes you wonder what else he would do.

As the French crowd said today Boooo Booooo

[TopDeck113]

Contador was out of order.  He attacked simply because he knew that Schleck was looking like he could put further time on him in GC.

As lovejoy says, he has also shown himself to be a liar:  leaving aside the fact that he was right behind when Schleck's chain came off and he looked round when he passed him, these days the communication with his team car is such that he would have known full well the situation and the lead he had gained.

The defining moment of the Tour.  Unless Schleck now has a couple of amazing days, Contador will win simply on the basis that he's probably a minute quicker when it comes to the ITT.