2019 Tour de France
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@Chris-B said in 2019 Tour de France:
Classic Stage tonight - I fear I might have to watch it all!
Could be a late few nights
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The Great George Bennett has a fall, gets on a new bike and looks a little ginger.
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@antipodean said in 2019 Tour de France:
The Great George Bennett has a fall, gets on a new bike and looks a little ginger.
That looked pretty nasty - struggled a bit to get his leg back over the bike - but, he's riding again!
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Looked very sore didn't he?
Great shot there of the peloton stretched through a couple of switchbacks on the down hill.
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@mariner4life Looking better now he's riding again - and gets back on, but neither the crash nor the chase will be helpful later today.
What happened to Roche and whoever else that crashed? I think George got away ahead of Roche?
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This is good racing. Heaps going on.
Insane climb, and the reward for going over it is a bigger one!
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@mariner4life said in 2019 Tour de France:
This is good racing. Heaps going on.
Insane climb, and the reward for going over it is a bigger one!
I'm cheering for what's left of the peloton to catch those failed GC contenders - Yates, Quintana, Bardet.
F*ck those guys!
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Watched the stage for the first time this year. There was plenty of action on the big climb to the col. The yellow jersey preserved much of his lead but 90 seconds isn't that much with a couple of mountain stages to go. I didn't really notice him surrounded by a big team like Thomas was. Was he out on his own in the pack? Impressive if so
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@canefan Alaphilippe had his team on the front of the peloton earlier in the day, but he really only has Mas to help in the mountains. Pretty worrying for him that he cracked near the top of the Galibier, because other than Bernal, I think the other big guns were a bit timid - keeping their powder dry - with two more big days to come.
Two crashes for George, but sounds like they're "just a flesh wound". I was surprised at the finish when they started talking about his second crash, because I thought he'd have sat up and just cruised to the finish line.
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@Chris-B said in 2019 Tour de France:
@canefan Alaphilippe had his team on the front of the peloton earlier in the day, but he really only has Mas to help in the mountains. Pretty worrying for him that he cracked near the top of the Galibier, because other than Bernal, I think the other big guns were a bit timid - keeping their powder dry - with two more big days to come.
Two crashes for George, but sounds like they're "just a flesh wound". I was surprised at the finish when they started talking about his second crash, because I thought he'd have sat up and just cruised to the finish line.
I am sure they will have noted that he fell away, and with 2 stages up there 90 seconds can disappear just like that
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For years i have been watching this race, and hearing the commentators crap on about Quintana, what a gun he is, and how is a threat. And year after year he's done absolutely nothing, which led me to believe he is either a bit shit, or a massive cat.
Well that ride last night showed me what they have been talking about, it was huge. That final attack he made was brutal, no one could even think about going with him. Great stage win.
You know what, i reckon this is the best tour i have watched. Whoever wins this is going to have earned it on their own back. Teams and tactics are playing a part, but so much of it is just individual guts and effort. It's awesome. And there are literally 7 guys who would fancy themselves a chance to win this. And it is all coming down to the last 2 stages.
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@mariner4life if that is what it's been like, it's nice to see an absence of the big trains of the USPS and team Sky era
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@canefan said in 2019 Tour de France:
@mariner4life if that is what it's been like, it's nice to see an absence of the big trains of the USPS and team Sky era
yep, heaps better. There is not that inevitability that any break will just get wound in by a 5-man team grinding the field down. To the point where pre-tour i was "anyone but Ineos" and now, if Thomas or Bernal win it, then fucking well done them
I still hope it's Pinot (because i have been following him on Strava for 2 years), or Alaphilippe (because what an unexpected story that would be)
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@mariner4life said in 2019 Tour de France:
@canefan said in 2019 Tour de France:
@mariner4life if that is what it's been like, it's nice to see an absence of the big trains of the USPS and team Sky era
yep, heaps better. There is not that inevitability that any break will just get wound in by a 5-man team grinding the field down. To the point where pre-tour i was "anyone but Ineos" and now, if Thomas or Bernal win it, then fucking well done them
I still hope it's Pinot (because i have been following him on Strava for 2 years), or Alaphilippe (because what an unexpected story that would be)
Imagine the scenes in Paris if either of the top placed French riders win
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@canefan said in 2019 Tour de France:
@mariner4life if that is what it's been like, it's nice to see an absence of the big trains of the USPS and team Sky era
Watching guys who could have been GC riders in other teams working as domestiques in over-powered teams turned it into a procession. I used to rail about other teams not doing enough to shake it up, but the reality is there was always bugger all they could do.
This Tour has been a revelation.
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@antipodean said in 2019 Tour de France:
@canefan said in 2019 Tour de France:
@mariner4life if that is what it's been like, it's nice to see an absence of the big trains of the USPS and team Sky era
Watching guys who could have been GC riders in other teams working as domestiques in over-powered teams turned it into a procession. I used to rail about other teams not doing enough to shake it up, but the reality is there was always bugger all they could do.
This Tour has been a revelation.
The only parallel I can think of in recent times (and I might be wrong) was Cadel Evans winning. IIRC he had to do a lot of it himself, whereas I always felt that Armstrong, Wiggins and Froome had an dominant team to ease their path