Stage 18 - Friday, July 23 2010, Salies-de-Béarn - Bordeaux, 190 km

ednwireland

crosswinds anyone ?

The fast boys are back in town

It would be a massive surprise if the sprinters allow this one to get away. The day's break may as well be on a fishing hook.

The pan-flatlands of Les Landes into Bordeaux host the Tour for the 80th time. It's the race's most visited location outside Paris and has a long reputation for epic bunch sprints. The long, straight finish on the Quinconces quayside is ideal for a mass finish, although you have go back to Tom Steels in 1999 to find the last sprint win here.

The overall contenders will want to stay out of trouble and save energy with tomorrow's time trial in mind.

CheGuedara

Gonna have to go for a Petacchi or Hushovd win if it comes down to a bunch sprint. Not sure Farrar will perform and any Cav performance is going to suffer from the loss of Renshaw. Would imagine Spartacus and the other TT specialists will use it as a 'rest' day before Saturday like the GC lads as ednwireland says

TinyExplosions

Getting in early with Cav for this

ednwireland

CheGuedara wrote: »

Gonna have to go for a Petacchi or Hushovd win if it comes down to a bunch sprint. Not sure Farrar will perform and any Cav performance is going to suffer from the loss of Renshaw. Would imagine Spartacus and the other TT specialists will use it as a 'rest' day before Saturday like the GC lads as ednwireland says

no neither do i :P

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/4920/Tour-de-France-Garmins-Tyler-Farrar-bows-out-and-heads-home.aspx

CheGuedara

How the heck did I forget that!? :eek:

austinbyrne21

Not sure if anyone's linked to this yet - Alberto's Specialized for today, looks sweet! http://tweetphoto.com/34348108

Chips Lovell

Cavendish, I reckon too. And Petacchi to best Hushovd in the placings.

funkyjebus

god i hate working through the tdf. my productitivty must plummet.

my moneys on cav.

joker77

Bit of a nothing day really apart from the sprint though?

tunguska

Thought Id hi-jack the thread on todays stage to ask a quick question. Does anybody know where I could get a list of past tour de France results? Not just the main categories like yellow, green or pokadot, but also a list that gives the top 20 riders(or more).
Thanks

Idleater

Something like the history section on the letour.fr site?

click search and pick a year, then a stage etc.

snollup

Wiki?

Dodge

Can't see past Cav, and unfortunately can't see anyway for Thor to finish ahead of Petacchi. HIs sprinting has been poor this Tour.

Liamo08

Tom Cruise on the side of the road - maybe he's doing some research for a remake of American Flyers

funkyjebus

Liamo08 wrote: »

Tom Cruise on the side of the road - maybe he's doing some research for a remake of American Flyers

And i thought nothing could make that movie worse, but im pretty sure cruise would. unless he plays one of the bikes, make wind whoosing and derailleur noises.

Esroh

funkyjebus wrote: »

And i thought nothing could make that movie worse, but im pretty sure cruise would. unless he plays one of the bikes, make wind whoosing and derailleur noises.

That would be 'Toy Story' American Flyers. I can so see Woody in Yellow:D

joker77

Pineau having a dig now, trying to stay away. Lost cause at this stage surely with the peloton only a minute behind

joker77

Oss now. Purely to get some air time for Luiqigas?

joker77

Cavendish takes it, 100 Euro well spent

alibabba

Cav the man. So easy

ednwireland

cav looking over his shoulder going who needs renshaw

NickDrake

Great to see Cav get it. Esp with Petacchi under investigation AGAIN

Explosive_Cornflake

joker77 wrote: »

Cavendish takes it, 100 Euro well spent

What'll that net you?

Aoibheann

Such an easy win for Cavendish in the end, with much less of a train towards the very late stages (without Renshaw, essentially being forced to use the trains of other teams) - makes it a more impressive victory than a lot of his others.

Hushovd not even in the top ten!

Durnish

Wow, spectacular win for Cavandish. Can't help admiring a winner like that.

joker77

Explosive_Cornflake wrote: »

What'll that net you?

Not much, 67 euro. But easy money at the same time.

Hail 2 Da Thief

Durnish wrote: »

Wow, spectacular win for Cavandish. Can't help admiring a winner like that.

+1.

As roche just said on Eurosport, it's like he's got a nitrogen button!

IM0

didnt he cut people off getting to petachi's wheel a bit though

ednwireland

me@ucd wrote: »

didnt he cut people off getting to petachi's wheel a bit though

NO

RobFowl

me@ucd wrote: »

didnt he cut people off getting to petachi's wheel a bit though

No-one seemed to protest. Looked fair to me.

Part and parcel of a sprint finish.

Proves he's a more complete rider when you see him win McEwen style like today.

Beasty

I guess if you've got Renshaw, it must make sense to use him. The fact he can still deliver when he hasn't got him will hopefull quieten any doubters down a bit. The guy clearly is immensely talented.

ednwireland

roche 18th on the stage btw

mcgratheoin

Beasty wrote: »

I guess if you've got Renshaw, it must make sense to use him. The fact he can still deliver when he hasn't got him will hopefull quieten any doubters down a bit. The guy clearly is immensely talented.

Frightening to think that at the age of 25 he already has 14 stage wins in the Tour and the Champs Elysee to come this year.

TinyExplosions

I feel quite sorry for Cav... he's most likely going to win on the Champs Elysees on Sunday, and will come second in the Green jersey, only to (if the rumours are true) have Petacchi banned for doping, thereby giving him (morally) the green he wants so badly

joker77

Beasty wrote: »

I guess if you've got Renshaw, it must make sense to use him. The fact he can still deliver when he hasn't got him will hopefull quieten any doubters down a bit. The guy clearly is immensely talented.

Have to agree there yea. Plus he's coming across very well in the couple of post-race interviews I've heard from him this year. Fair play, as you say - immense talent