... 98 miles - 3hr 18 minutes!
Posted on 07/02/2014 12:26:29 PM PDT by Baynative
They need mountain bikes for this.
The defending champion is gone.
KRAP! 20k to go and I have to leave in ten minutes to catch the ferry over to the mainland. I’m going to miss the finish. But it’s looking like Sagan will give it a go for Yellow.
Down goes Froome, again:
.
Buh-bye Chris.
Chris Froome is out of the Tour de France after injuring his left wrist again during a crash on the fifth stage between Ypres and Arenberg Porte du Hainaut.
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jul/09/chris-froome-out-of-tour-de-france-team-sky
Breaking News today!!
Chris Froome abandoded the Tour today after his second crash of the day. The first one was one his left side. The second one was on his right. He could barely walk and get inside the 2nd Sky Car.
Geez...you turn your head for a minute and all hell breaks loose.
Too bad about Froome, but at least a lot of other guys didn't get hurt. I'm not gonna knock the directors for the cobbles idea, but I bet it won't be back any time soon.
Chris Froome abandoded the Tour today
Contador must be smiling .............
Today was definitely one of the wildest days I have ever seen on the Tour (and I have seen some wild ones!). Guys flipping their bikes in the cobbles, riding into foot deep water, taking out spectators and one after another going down in the roundabouts. I agree with Bob Roll that it wasn’t a bad idea until it rained and then it became very dangerous.
It looked miserable to me. Those guys were covered in mud, soaking wet and cold. Yuk! I was very sorry to see Froome go out but not surprised. I frankly didn’t think he’d start this morning. Sure hope Contador doesn’t win now.
Hi everybody! Sorry to be late joining! I was out of town for the first few days. Looks like it’s going to be a crazy Tour this year!
Condador kinda’ took the slow train in yesterday’s stage.
He’s in 19th place at + 2’37” right now and will really have to bust open one of the mountain stages.
From a distance the cobblestones didn’t look that bad - but the closeups showed just how much the front end of the bikes were rattling up and down shaking the riders arms.
Ouch, and the rides going into the water on the sides.
Bet everyone is glad this stage is out of the way.
... 98 miles - 3hr 18 minutes!
Rough terrain and rain ... yet they still averaged 30 MPH?!
yet they still averaged 30 MPH?!
Last time I average 30 was on a STEEP downhill :):)
Bay
Do you think Contador has a chance to pull off the win?
Drugador lost one of his best team-mates who crashed out of the TDF
My first take is that he could because of his climbing ability. But he's 2:57 down and it takes a big breakaway day to bridge a gap like that. This puts Contador in deficit because regardless of how well he is protected, Nibali's mates just have to keep him from being dropped completely.
There have been a few people with the ability to take a mountain flier and grab three minutes or more. Richard Verenque, Marco Pantani and Lance when he was fueled had that ability. I don't know if Contador does unless someone comes out of the pack to push him on a break.
Froome is gone, Schleck is gone, Wiggins isn't there, so I don't know who that might be. Maybe Richie Porte if he recovers from all his bruises.
Talansky, Van Garderen, ValVerde and Costa are strong climbers within a couple of minutes and they will be watched closely, so one of them getting away is unlikely. But, if they make a move it could break things up, especially if it happens on the first or second stage because a big effort to keep the leaders in touch can weaken their teams for the next day.
One wild card is that if someone can take time out of Nibali in the mountains it could mean trouble for him because of the 30 mile TT at the end which is his weakest point.
I love watching a stage race play out, don't you?
The Tour de France Fan Parks are free events where you can watch the Tour de France live on the giant screen, follow the stage of the day, relive its highlights, and enjoy the festival atmosphere that the Tour brings. The perfect place for supporters to come together and celebrate cycling. Visitors will enjoy the best interactive activities, pop-up cycling focused retail stalls, cafés, bars, and cycling demonstrations. Enjoy the days racing then party into the night!
Well, he is absolutely capable of doing just that as we have seen in the past. I think he’s a little weasel.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.