Le Tour

[Disoriented]

Depends if he gets a positive doping result really Ronnie

Needs to get in the queue behind previous winners.

[BiggsyMalone]

Cycling has always had a problem and probably right now is the cleanest its been in 50 years. That's still not to say its clean - but is any sport clean? Football at the highest levels dances very close to the line, to say the least...

As for being a climber, didn't Alaphillipe win last years KOM on the TDF? I think he's in for a very good shout for the GC this year and it will be good for the sport should he win. Let's hope he's doing it cleanly.

KOM points aren’t awarded at the end of the stage on the most part. You can breakaway halfway through and pick up points on every stage before taking it each for the rest of the race. That’s what he did.

He finished well over 3 mins behind G in the time trial last year in 58th. This year he’s winning it comfortably? Add that impressive TT to how he raced up the Tourmalet the next day, and still wasn’t f*cked.

We’ll see how the next few days go, if he carries on like this after 2 weeks without breaking a sweat on tough stages then questions have to be asked.

[tuffers#1]

Cycling has always had a problem and probably right now is the cleanest its been in 50 years. That's still not to say its clean - but is any sport clean? Football at the highest levels dances very close to the line, to say the least...

As for being a climber, didn't Alaphillipe win last years KOM on the TDF? I think he's in for a very good shout for the GC this year and it will be good for the sport should he win. Let's hope he's doing it cleanly.

KOM points aren’t awarded at the end of the stage on the most part. You can breakaway halfway through and pick up points on every stage before taking it each for the rest of the race. That’s what he did.

He finished well over 3 mins behind G in the time trial last year in 58th. This year he’s winning it comfortably? Add that impressive TT to how he raced up the Tourmalet the next day, and still wasn’t f*cked.

We’ll see how the next few days go, if he carries on like this after 2 weeks without breaking a sweat on tough stages then questions have to be asked.

KOM points arent awarded at the end of the stage.


Comical.

10 points max for intermediate sprints on a stage ,
Pinot got 40 points for the stage win.

[BIGRON]

Good stage win for Yeats today , the yellow jersey man looked fooked at the end .

[tuffers#1]

Great stage today .
Good win for Yeats

Its been a long long time since there has been so many in with a shout with a week to go .

Will Pinot still have the legs in the alps
Can Thomas tear up 1 stage & blast away
from everyone , everyone in the top 6 has a shout

Best tour in years.

Alaphilippes struggle today
proves hes not in the lets get an inhaler
brigade of cyclists .

Let it roll on.

[Real Al]

Great stage today .
Good win for Yeats

Its been a long long time since there has been so many in with a shout with a week to go .

Will Pinot still have the legs in the alps
Can Thomas tear up 1 stage & blast away
from everyone , everyone in the top 6 has a shout

Best tour in years.

Alaphilippes struggle today
proves hes not in the lets get an inhaler
brigade of cyclists .

Let it roll on.

It's Yates.

Even the inhaler brigade as you call them have bad days.

Yates uses an inhaler for asthma and has served a doping ban.

[tuffers#1]

Good stage win for Yeats today , the yellow jersey man looked fooked at the end .

Its Yates Bigron
Real Al just b*llocked me , but i just copied you

[Disoriented]

Great stage today .
Good win for Yeats

Its been a long long time since there has been so many in with a shout with a week to go .

Will Pinot still have the legs in the alps
Can Thomas tear up 1 stage & blast away
from everyone , everyone in the top 6 has a shout

Best tour in years.

Alaphilippes struggle today
proves hes not in the lets get an inhaler
brigade of cyclists .

Let it roll on.

It's Yates.

Even the inhaler brigade as you call them have bad days.

Yates uses an inhaler for asthma and has served a doping ban.

Oh just like SIR Wiggo.

[tuffers#1]

Great stage today .
Good win for Yeats

Its been a long long time since there has been so many in with a shout with a week to go .

Will Pinot still have the legs in the alps
Can Thomas tear up 1 stage & blast away
from everyone , everyone in the top 6 has a shout

Best tour in years.

Alaphilippes struggle today
proves hes not in the lets get an inhaler
brigade of cyclists .

Let it roll on.

It's Yates.

Even the inhaler brigade as you call them have bad days.

Yates uses an inhaler for asthma and has served a doping ban.

Oh just like SIR Wiggo.

Dont forget Fwoomie 2

[Disoriented]

It's Yates.

Even the inhaler brigade as you call them have bad days.

Yates uses an inhaler for asthma and has served a doping ban.

Oh just like SIR Wiggo.

Dont forget Fwoomie 2

He did improve fast Tuffers.

[tuffers#1]

Oh just like SIR Wiggo.

Dont forget Fwoomie 2

He did improve fast Tuffers.

Who Froomie Wiggo or Alphalippe ?

I dont hink what he has done is that remarkable.

Time trial is.done before all the big climbs so hes not going to be so bad against a top drawer gc contender for years in G. Thomas .

Tourmalet was all about adrenalin for me & the boy can climb a hill.
Just no team to support him.

Hell struggle next week but he might have enough to hang on .
Dont think he will.

Its down to the 2-6 for me .

All backed by decent sized teams

[Adz]

Great stage today .
Good win for Yeats

Its been a long long time since there has been so many in with a shout with a week to go .

Will Pinot still have the legs in the alps
Can Thomas tear up 1 stage & blast away
from everyone , everyone in the top 6 has a shout

Best tour in years.

Alaphilippes struggle today
proves hes not in the lets get an inhaler
brigade of cyclists .

Let it roll on.

Agreed, cracker of a stage Alaphilippe, Thomas, and Pinot are gonna have a great battle over the next few days, certainly wouldn't rule out Egan Bernal either who's looks a future champion.

[tuffers#1]

Great stage today .
Good win for Yeats

Its been a long long time since there has been so many in with a shout with a week to go .

Will Pinot still have the legs in the alps
Can Thomas tear up 1 stage & blast away
from everyone , everyone in the top 6 has a shout

Best tour in years.

Alaphilippes struggle today
proves hes not in the lets get an inhaler
brigade of cyclists .

Let it roll on.

Agreed, cracker of a stage Alaphilippe, Thomas, and Pinot are gonna have a great battle over the next few days, certainly wouldn't rule out Egan Bernal either who's looks a future champion.

Wouldnt rule out Buchmann or Kruijswijck
either just yet

[slacker]

Been a cracking Tour so far, with Ineos/Sky not being able to fully dominate & suck the life out of the race, and you could make a case for about 6 riders still to win. Hope one of the Frenchies wins tbh, but Alaphillipe looks like he might be shot and doesn’t have a strong team to see him through. Thomas isn’t at his peak but still in a good position now we approach his favoured Alpine stages, but others seem to have his measure this year.

[BIGRON]

The bookies make Pinot favourite now ....they are normally about right .

[Disoriented]

The bookies make Pinot favourite now ....they are normally about right .

This Pinot chap is a real mystery. If he wins, the story will be very much Pinot Noir.

[Real Al]

The bookies make Pinot favourite now ....they are normally about right .

This Pinot chap is a real mystery. If he wins, the story will be very much Pinot Noir.

There its a joke in the wine trade about a non-vintage Pinot Noir being labelled as Pinot NV.

The joke being that such nomenclature wouldn't be allowed (not big on jokes, the wine trade).

[Constanza]

Lets hope he doesn't bottle it.

[tuffers#1]

G man loses a team mate .
https://www.rte.ie/sport/cycling/2019/0 ... de-france/

Could have a say in the outcome or may mot matter at all.

Big day i the alps will not be helped by this though.

[tuffers#1]

The Little colombian back in the hunt for the podium

Qintana pulls 6 minutes back on GC & jumps up to 7th
3 mins down.

Biggest mountain stage tomorrow & he could be 2.minutes clear at the end of it
Assuming he repeats todays win.

[slacker]

That was a cracking stage. Alphillipe just about held it together to the last summit to limit the damages.

All still to play for. Next 2 days are summit finishes so there’s bound to be more attacks from others in the GC hunt. Doubt they’ll be letting Quintana go in another breakaway, mind - if he’s got the energy to try, that is.

[Adz]

Ineos should switch to Bernal as the main man and Thomas as his lieutenant.

[tuffers#1]

Thomas knows he cant live with quintana or the kid up that high. Froome could as he is from high altitude & is used to it ( but he is not there) .
2700 metres tomorrow .
Tour has supposedly never been so high.

Whoever wins tomorrow has to be favourite for saturdays final climb & to be honest whoever gets it
deserves it .

Been the best tour in years
( even if some come out as dopers) .

[LittleMate]

G clearly holding back in the pack on the descent. There were 3 days of tests and this is day 1 - which was very technical at the end. I expect tomorrow there will be big fireworks. Alaphilipe can't live with the big climbers and could easily lose the yellow; Bernal took advantage today but did not get enough out of it to be the principal heading into Friday/Saturday. Expect to see G and/or Pinot to attack tomorrow on the final climb.

[eppinggas]

In the absence of any football (pre-season is a waste of time) - le tour is providing excellent entertainment. Big day today. Geraint (10-3) or Bernal (6-4 fav) to make the big move. Alaphilipe (4-1), Pinot (3-1). Without wishing to be too much of a Francophobic... anyone but the French please.