Giro d'Italia / Tour de France Cycling thread 2013

[Dave Cooper please]

Rain stayed mostly away, good job because that's a hell of a descent! Don't look down!

Gotta go back up again as well, there are some evil bastards who design the TDF course.

[UK Redsox]

Richie Porte must be the hardest working waiter in the world.

How much will he be fined for dropping back to pick up Froome's tea ?

[Dave Cooper please]

It looks like it is Froome who is going to get a time penalty, but the 20 seconds won't affect him.

[N'Rexy]

They both got 20 seconds and fines of 200 quid each. The Sports Director got a 800 quid fine. His car had broken down earlier in the stage and he took a while to get back up so missed the cut off point for food and drink. (20k from the finish).

Its all over now. Barring a crash its Froomes. Might be some good racing for 2nd though.

[Dave Cooper please]

They both got 20 seconds and fines of 200 quid each. The Sports Director got a 800 quid fine. His car had broken down earlier in the stage and he took a while to get back up so missed the cut off point for food and drink. (20k from the finish).

Its all over now. Barring a crash its Froomes. Might be some good racing for 2nd though.

I can see the point of the no feeding inside 20K rule in a sprint stage where they start jostling for position about then and you don't want cars in amongst them and you don't want wrappers and suchlike discarded on the road, but on a high mountain stage it seems a bit daft, maybe one they can look at.

[TopDeck113]

And while they're looking at that, they could perhaps look at the rules regarding the mechanic giving the rider a push after a non-mechanical bike change in the ITT. Sky and Froome used the current rules to their advantage on Wednesday.

[UK Redsox]

They should be made to carry a packed lunch and wear a spare inner tube around their shoulders

[SteveN]

Looking forward to today, Froome has performed superbly as have Sky even when reduced to seven. Just the one bad day.

Hope Cav makes it five in a row, but got a feeling he might struggle. He's the only one of the top sprinters who finished the Giro which was brutal. That must take its toll.

[peter w]

Froome deserves it. he deserved it last year also when he was clearly better than Wiggins.

[UK Redsox]

I see that its an evening race today.

All those long stages in the heat of the day and the organisers have the easiest day (for the bulk of the pelaton) in the cool of the evening.

[Jon Crofts]

Well done Froome Dog, Kenya's first TdF winner, I have to hold my hands up and say fair play, I thought he'd have more of a challenge from Contador and a few others.  Cadel Evans looked completely spent on Ventoux, where was his team?  Nowhere, that's where. I wonder if we'll see Wiggins back in Sky colours again?

[UK Redsox]

There was an interesting feature on TV yesterday regrading cycling in Kenya. It featured Froome's "mentor". A bloke who makes Chris Gayle look hyper.

[SteveN]

Well done Froome Dog, Kenya's first TdF winner, I have to hold my hands up and say fair play, I thought he'd have more of a challenge from Contador and a few others.  Cadel Evans looked completely spent on Ventoux, where was his team?  Nowhere, that's where. I wonder if we'll see Wiggins back in Sky colours again?

Evans is another who completed the Giro, came third, and did not have the legs to compete for GC.

Could be his final Tour, next year BMC may be built around TJ.

[Top Cat]

Sister of Top Cat is in Paris (as she was for the final last year). I'm watching Channel 4 just in case I can catch a glimpse of her (she's outside HSBC Bank!).

[UK Redsox]

Cav was never going to catch up but he did seem to hit a pothole just before the line.

Congrats to the Kenyan, South African, Brit (delete as applicable). But for team orders, today could have been Froome's second straight win.

Who do we have to win next year?

If Wiggo doesn't take part, I'd like to see Richie Porte win.