Posted on 06/24/2012 9:40:23 PM PDT by Ready4Freddy
The Tour starts next Saturday, June 30th!
Now I need to find my ping list & html templates!
I saw the guys with the flares. Didn’t know they burnt Wiggins a bit.
But it’s never nice to PO the Peloton when it’s moving fairly slowly.
Peloton retaliates after Bradley Wiggins hit by flare in stage 12
“....Wiggins later quipped that the flare-throwers, who had been running alongside the peloton as they raced to the finish, might have come off worse than he did after riders retaliated by throwing water bottles..............”
Stage 13 - Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > > > Le Cap d'Agde (217km)
Saturday, July 14, 2013
Will the Sprinters be there or will the Peloton let a breakaway make it to the end?
That is the question.
I think Sky just may let the other Sprinter Teams decide.
Tour de France 2012
Stage 13 - Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > > > Le Cap d'Agde (217km)
Saturday, July 14, 2012
"Another long stage. This one stretches 217 km from Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux to Cap d'Agde, where the bunch will embrace the Mediterranean. A treasure trove of beautiful TV pictures... and the prospect of a sprint finish, at least among those fast men who have managed not to lose contact on the climb up the Mont-Saint-Clair, 23 kilometres from the finish. In other words, the stage is not a piece of cake and the race could go crazy. Moreover, the wind is always a menace near the Mediterranean, and we already saw what it can do when the Tour visited La Grande Motte in 2009..."
Flat but not straightforward
Prudhomme and his team have not offered the sprinters too many certainties on this year’s route. A quick glance suggests this stage is one but it’s not quite as simple as that. The stage runs close to the Mediterranean and it’s not far from one of France’s prime windsurfing locations. It often blows in hard off the sea and if it’s gusting today, the riders will be heading into it. That could result in the peloton splitting. The climb of Mont-Saint-Clair is almost certain to cause splits. It looms up above the Med and offers a prime launch pad for a late escape. The sprint teams may get it back but don’t count on it.
André Greipel: "Who knows what could happen on a stage like this? We’ll want a small, unthreatening break to go early and then slowly reel them in. But it could go the other way and if it’s hot and windy like it often is down here, it could be a horrible day."
I’m thinking things aren’t quite as peachy between Froome & Wiggins as they say. Teejay seems a lot more settled into his “duties” and content to wait his time. Maybe it’s just that I find Wiggins somewhat unattractive and dour, he sure isn’t doing anything to make me root for him.
With Evans chances very slim for the crown , I’d like to see Froome / Wiggins go toe to toe.
Know that won’t happen, but would make for a better viewing over the remaining stages
Could any of you understand what the team manager said when asked where he would look to gain time if he was one of the other team managers? He said “If I was them, I’d be looking for...”
Everyone on the set thought it was funny. We replayed it 3 times and can’t understand him.
Stage 14 - Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > > > Annonay - Davézieux (226km)
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Stage 14 is 191km, Limoux >>> Foix, of course.
Tack attack.
Big news from this stage was the tack attack and Wiggins with Team Sky having the Peloton sit up to not take unfair advantage.
30 punctures not counting what got stuck in the Team Car tires.
Tack attack.
Big news from this stage was the tack attack and Wiggins with Team Sky having the Peloton sit up to not take unfair advantage.
30 punctures not counting what got stuck in the Team Car tires.
This act of sabotage really gripes me. I've always thought that the riders on the tour were vulnerable to acts of vandalism or worse. I hope this doesn't lead to copy cat occurrences because once things like that begin, they always have a way of escalating.
I was particularly disappointed because I was looking forward to an exciting finish. I left home with Sagan in a breakaway that was on the first climb. After his "education" from Greipel yesterday, I expected him to want some results. I look for him to be in the hunt for another stage tomorrow an on the relatively flat (but long) stage 18.
The French need to bring back the National Razor to deal with these low-life saboteurs.
Phil or Bob mentioned this happened many years ago. It was considered to close the tour. But it didn”t escalate thus we have the Tour as the premier race it is today.
Additional info:
After the race, team directors reported that 30 of the key group had suffered punctures, or had arrived at the finish with tacks in their tyres. Four Tour cars and three motorbikes also either had punctures or tacks embedded in their wheels.
end snip
Tour de France 2012: officials urge police to investigate after tacks puncture wheels of dozens of riders
I missed that insider stuff because I didn’t get home until late PM. I hope I can catch a replay tonight. Tejay is going to be a star, there’s no doubt. The question is where.
I agree. I thought his answers to the questions he was asked were all pretty evasive. He can get away with that in a softball interview. Those vague non-answers won’t cut it in the team bus though.
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.