Posted on 06/30/2017 5:24:21 PM PDT by Baynative
On Saturday, 198 of the world's best cyclists will start the Tour de France. Only four have a realistic shot at winning.
That's according to the highest-ranked American bike racer at the Tour, Andrew Talansky, in a recent interview with Business Insider.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Looks like it’s going to be playing catchup for Froome. Can he do it? Also, where did Quintana end up and where is Contador? I thought Contador retired but he’s in there somewhere.
About the split screen - during commercials oky, but if I didn’t have a 70 inch TV, the rest would be unwatchable. NBC still looking for new ways to ruin the tour.
Baynative, your TdF threads were *awesome*! I really miss them. They were fun and very informative.
I tried to contribute over the past few years, But (like this year) we've been away for part of July, plus I've just been too busy.
I have an old TdF ping list still saved if you're interested. :-)
We are loving the Tour this year (what we've seen of it). SO happy for Geraint Thomas! Too bad about the loss of so many sprinters though.
Better a last minute thread, than none at all.
Thomas appears set to win General, Sagan and Alaphilippe just need to finish the tour to win their respective jerseys.
The question is, can Froome hold on to a podium finish, while helping Thomas?
"...TdF 2018..."
Thank you, Nutmeg, for opening this thread. I thought this morning I would really like to talk to other Tour fans about what happened yesterday. Here’s my question: do you think Froome slowing down was legitimate or faked? There has been a lot of angst over Thomas and Froome holding 1st and 2nd respectively and some have said it has made strategy very difficult for Team Sky. By “cracking” yesterday, Froome removes that friction and essentially clears the way for Thomas to win this weekend. What do you guys think? Thomas would be winning his first Tour, of course but Froome would be up for #5 which ties him with Indurain, Merckx, Anquetil and Hinault.
Sounds good. Count me in.
Winning a first Tour de France is a life changer. Winning additional Tours is great but not as significant. So I am cheering for Thomas even though I like Froome.
I would love to see someone different like Dumoulin or Roglic win it. Seeing Quintana go for it yesterday was thrilling! I also like Peter Sagan and am rooting for him to make it to Paris to collect his green jersey. I was furious last year when they kicked him out. I hope their ratings went in the tank as a result!
I think race radios are here to stay, unfortunately I guess. There were far fewer riders at the start of this year's Tour. I believe 176, compared to the "normal" (?) of 198.
My husband and I missed several days at the beginning of Tour 2018. Do you know why there were 22 fewer riders at the start?
I seem to recall something about reducing the size of the field to improve security. I can just as easily see a smaller field cutting costs for security and the tour organization.
Peter Sagan, although badly injured, bucked up and finished the Tour and collected the green jersey in Paris. There was much consternation on his team whether he could actually finish. They might not ever admit it but I think he was hurt more than they admitted in the last 3 days. He is definitely my favorite cyclist.
Huge win for the French with Alaphillipe winning the KOM jersey.
I was very disappointed Roglic lost time in the ITT. I guess he just left it all on the road the day before (when he won the stage) and didn't have the legs for the ITT. He is known to be one of the best ITT in cycling.
I was happy someone other than Froome won but it was still team Sky. Would have loved to see Roglic or Dumoulin in yellow in Paris.
Peter Sagan’s answer to how he deals with the pressure, .... “What’s pressure?” has got to be one of the best replies of all time to a media question. I hope he hasn’t caused his body permanent damage by riding with such injuries. Same wish for Taylor Phinney and the rider who rode almost the entire tour with a broken collar bone, IIRC.
I am glad that Froome didn’t win again but he certainly showed great sportsmanship in his demeanor on the podium and in post race interviews.
Yes, he did. I was impressed with his sportsmanship, too. I give him a lot of credit for that. He seemed genuinely thrilled for Thomas.
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