Le Tour 2012

[Dave Cooper please]

One reason it's great is because three of the cleanest, anti-doping teams are winning the stages, Garmin (Millar, now!), Sky and Europcar, credibility is finally being restored. Or at least I hope so anyway.

I've always loved the TDF, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd see a British winner.

[paul_e]

They've found tacks on the road to account for all the punctures, hope they find whoever did that and make him ride down the mountain on flat tyres see how funny it is then.

[Dave Cooper please]

Tour etiquette in full force today. Wiggins made sure no one rode away from the guys who punctured and even when Rolland went away on a break his team told him to ease up.

[The Left Side]

Officially 48 punctures in that stage, crazy!

[danlanza]

Admiration for anybody who does the TDF. If i do 50 k on my bike over here i am bloody knackered.

[paul_e]

Admiration for anybody who does the TDF. If i do 50 k on my bike over here i am bloody knackered.

I particularly admire the sprinters, who cycle hunderds and hundreds of kilometres, purely to be in position to ride like a maniac for a couple of hundred yards every now and then.  Crazy, crazy people.

[RunRickyRun]

Admiration for anybody who does the TDF. If i do 50 k on my bike over here i am bloody knackered.

I particularly admire the sprinters, who cycle hunderds and hundreds of kilometres, purely to be in position to ride like a maniac for a couple of hundred yards every now and then.  Crazy, crazy people.

Especially when it can end like this (1:20 in)

[seanthevillan]

They are unpopular in the press because they are so good and the other teams worry because they do things differently to the old traditions. Brad and Thomas warmed down last year after a TT on rollers and there was mass pisstaking. Now they are all doing it. Brad has been at altitude most of this year (either in tenerife or in a tent at home) and again mass pisstiaking from the teams. They will all be doing it next year. They have challenged a lot of norms and people fear that.

Cav will be gone at the end of the year though. He had no-one with him today they were all at the front. As the World Champion he will be expecting more.

As for the budget, BMC, Radio Shack, Omega Pharma, Astana, they spend more. Sky are more Aston Villa than Man City.

Spot on with everything here, I think. The unpopularity seems to stem from the French press rather than anywhere else.

As for Cavendish - if he gets gold in return he will see it as being worthwhile, for me the crash in the first week combined with Sky defending the yellow jersey early on have cost him breaking the sprinters stage record and Armstrong's stage win record in Paris. On form he wouldn't even be favourite there, though I wouldn't bet against him and stand by what I posted earlier on here.

Thing is, it could all go wrong in London and it will be interesting to see what happens in the grand tours next year regarding Cav.

[Jon Crofts]

Pierre Rolland tells us his team radio wasn't working when he rode off, in other news he told the world about his father being a French war hero, no mention who's side he was on though.

[bertlambshank]

Schlek done for drugs.

[Jon Crofts]

Wiggins has a granny ring, maybe I dont feel so bad about my hill climbing ability now with an 11:28 cassette.

http://bicycling.com/blogs/thisjustin/2012/07/16/tour-tech-wiggos-di2-derailleur-hack/

[SteveN]

Another great shift by Sky today.  Keep tabs on Niabli tomorrow and barring accidents it's looking good for yellow for Wiggins in Paris.

[Chipsticks]

Another great shift by Sky today.  Keep tabs on Niabli tomorrow and barring accidents it's looking good for yellow for Wiggins in Paris.

Got my Wiggins in paris, and he's going gorillas.

[Sister of Top Cat]

I'm so excited about Sunday.  I only hope that we get a good spot and I see the finish and the presentations.

[SteveN]

I'm so excited about Sunday.  I only hope that we get a good spot and I see the finish and the presentations.

In an ideal world you will see the yellow jersey and the second in the tour as part of a lead out for the world champion who wins for the 4th successive time in Paris.

It could happen and who would have thought that 6 years or so ago?