Tour de France 2017 General Thread

I couldn't bring myself to read the whole thing, it was of the standard you'd expect to find in the comments section of the Journal and even then I'd be insulting those people in saying that. Subject and his past aside my 3 year old could have written a better piece with her crayons ffs.

EDIT: Looking back now I seem to recall Froome being interviewed on at least one if not more occasions during the tour last year outside the anti-doping "tent", which given the french media at the time was likely a PR exorcise to a degree. He would likely be one of the most tested among the WT riders surely? I'm not naive enough to think the problem of doping is gone from Pro Cycling or any sport you just have to look at day one of the giro this year and 2 lads sent packing but I think if guys like Froome or Contador and Valverde are dirty they are Armstrong X10 good at it.

MPFGLB

Of course doping is not gone in cycling or any sport...As long as there is money to be made and new science developed cheats it will always be in sport

But is different to writing a total denigration of the sport ...and to most the Tour is the sport ...

ben.schlomo

Anyone doing the Velogames Fantasy tour this year, think i was in a league of Boardsies last year.

1bryan

MPFGLB wrote: »

I suspect Eyes Down Field read this

http://www.independent.ie/sport/columnists/paul-kimmage/paul-kimmage-laughing-all-the-way-to-the-blood-bank-35862651.html


An absolute trashing of the Tour ... with no consideration that Tour de Pharmacy is based on years ago, that alot has happened to clean cycling and that alot of riders now I believe ride clean...and the sport is no different to other sports in that regard


No with Kimmage,its still Armstrong era ....cos then its Kimmage era

And why is Philip Deignan the most interesting Irish rider now ...next in line for the Kimmage treatment cos he is married to Lizzie and rides for SKY ?

The old hypocrite is not adverse to making money from trashing cycling and has no regard for measured reporting ...sure where is the story in that ???

How could he get people like Eyes Down Field to wake up to that kind of article ...and I mean wake up and say what a great reporter Kimmage is uncovering all the doping in that dreadful cycling

And alll you worshiping at the alter of Kimmage....see what he does everytime ...he knocks the sport only .....I mean what does he want riders and Comms to do ? Bash out names about with no evidence or make it up ??

Kimmage does not love cycling ...he hates it...and anyone who think otherwise is a fool

great article, thanks for posting.

And without wishing to derail the thread and turn it into a Kimmage discussion, I think he's hit the nail on the head on several fronts. I'm sure we all know people who were big into cycling, who used to love the Tour de France, but have just had enough of it after all the scandals. And, I'm sure we all know people who aren't interested in cycling but who are still willing to share their opinions of what a 'joke' the race has become. Yep, they annoy me too.

I love the sport and I will watch as much of the Tour as I can. But I admitted to myself some time ago that somewhat of a suspension of disbelief is required while doing so.

And I firmly believe Kimmage loves cycling. Just, he hates what has happened to it. Bigger fool, me.

Anyway, roll on saturday.

All My Stars Aligned

ben.schlomo wrote: »

Anyone doing the Velogames Fantasy tour this year, think i was in a league of Boardsies last year.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057755558

Macy0161

1bryan wrote: »

I love the sport and I will watch as much of the Tour as I can. But I admitted to myself some time ago that somewhat of a suspension of disbelief is required while doing so.

I think a healthy degree of skeptism is more appropriate. My main problem with the articles like Kimmage's is that it feeds the whole naive notion that somehow cycling is different to other sports.

Ok Athletics, and Russia sport has joined cycling in the naughty corner, but it's only the deluded that believe it's not rampant in other sports with much more money (and therefore greater pay offs), and much less testing. I actually believe in what I'm seeing in cycling more than other sports, particularly pro sports.

Tim76

Manufan123 wrote: »

Bardet at 25/1 could be a good bet. Could see him making a break for it on a big mountain stage. Time trials will let him down though.

Bardet could be worth a punt at that price, he's a bit fragile though. So far i'm thinking:

Froome (Yellow)
Sagan (Green)
Aru (Polka)
Yates (White)
and either BMC or Sky to take the team.

MPFGLB

Tim76 wrote: »

Bardet could be worth a punt at that price, he's a bit fragile though. So far i'm thinking:

Froome (Yellow)
Sagan (Green)
Aru (Polka)
Yates (White)
and either BMC or Sky to take the team.

I am not sure about Aru for polka...he will be a 100% towards GC but I think the polka will be won by a breakaway rider like de Gendt, or Rolland

Yates looks like the option for white but wasn't great at the Dauphine ....maybe Meintjes or LaTour (who is very strong)

Team for me is Movistar or Astana ...usually Movistar

I'd like to see Rolland do well and take the jersey, had a good win on the climb at Route Du Sud, showing off a scan of his unborn child as he crossed the line. Hopefully takes a stage at the tour at least.

Is de Gendt 100% after Switzerland? Don't think he was too badly hurt but did retire from the race.

odyssey06

Majka for Polka? He's won it twice before... or will his focus be on GC?

lennymc

So is steve cummings in or out? Cant see how he cant be picked for the dd team after the weekends results.

neris

Cummings is in so is Cav

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mark-cavendish-selected-for-tour-de-france/

MPFGLB

Majka is focused on GC....says he aiming for a top 5

MPFGLB

Not sure id this means he wont be doing the Irish Independent or the Irish Independent column wont be on line or who knows


http://www.velon.cc/en/news/2017/06/nicolas-roche-tour-de-france-diary-richie-porte

Anatom

MPFGLB wrote: »

Not sure id this means he wont be doing the Irish Independent or the Irish Independent column wont be on line or who knows


http://www.velon.cc/en/news/2017/06/nicolas-roche-tour-de-france-diary-richie-porte

As long as I know where its going to be, I don't really care if its in the Indo or velon to be honest!

neris

neris wrote: »

Cummings is in so is Cav

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/mark-cavendish-selected-for-tour-de-france/

Cummings was very emotional at the TT the other night being interviewed, think he made his case for a spot at the road race yesterday. Wasn't expecting him to be ready from listening to him talk during the Giro on Eurosport.

MPFGLB

Just saw the movistar line up.....for me they are wining the team prize

Quintana, Valverde, Amador, Betencur, Castroviejo, Erviti, Jesus Herrada, Sütterlin,, Bennatti


I think Valverde & Quintna will be up there on all the GC rides ...and just need another rider like Amador to also be there or Betencur, etc

And then on the flat and TT they have the guys as well to score points

Djoucer

Newstalk Off The Ball are broadcasting hour special on 1987 TDF with Kimmage on Thursday at 8pm.

cloonamnaman

Just a general response to Posts I noticed and also because I am heartened by the evident, early enthusiasm. It's a few years since I took notice of Kimmage, just thought there was bitter bias creeping in and would rather enjoy, say, Nico's writing in the Indo instead. Am looking forward to Froome doing well, partly because he has had a lot of ill-wishers (that included me back in 2013, till I wised up to Wiggins). He has had piss thrown in his face and reacted like a gent after all and also he is with the most disliked team (I still don't like Sky) which I choose to view as a positive for him (OK that one is probably close to fan bias). But, also (?) would really like Porte to win, partly because he is the too humble to be a real winner type. I would like to see Steve Cummings do the spectacular, his humility is even more extreme than Porte's and is probably also able to win outright. Would like to see Sagan do something like win a stage 'unsuited' to him again. I will be looking out for Nico as usual and hope a stage win for Dan. This year's Giro was terrific, stage by stage and the result was superb, Dumoulin expecting to win just a stage or two and if Tour comes close in unpredictability it will outdo itself (ok it does not have to I know, it's just No.1 regardless).

I'd love see Froome out of team Sky and just ride his bike for a few years and see what he's really made of. I've no love of him either but I'd actually relish him getting an honest tour/giro/vulta win like Tom had in the Giro in that he really had no team helping him.

Tom's win at the Giro was a rare feat in modern cycling I think.

dastardly00

Djoucer wrote: »

Newstalk Off The Ball are broadcasting hour special on 1987 TDF with Kimmage on Thursday at 8pm.

I was wondering when (or even if) they were going to make it available. That event was on maybe a month ago.

dastardly00

Cyclingnews speculate that Thibaut Pinot will be aiming for stage wins rather than the overall general classification given that the FDJ team is mostly built around their sprinter Arnaud Demare.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/demare-and-pinot-headline-fdjs-tour-de-france-squad/

Pinot mightn't be a bad bet for the polka-dot jersey.

Tim76

Okay, after much deliberation I’ve decided to throw a couple of euro on the following:

Froome – Yellow @ 13/8
Kittel – Green @11/4
Rolland – Polka @10/1
Latour – White @10/1
Movistar – Team @7/4

I’m also considered an outside bet for a top 10 finish, possibly Nico Roche at 33/1 or de Gendt at 40/1 - any tips welcome!

dastardly00

Tim76 wrote: »

I’m also considered an outside bet for a top 10 finish, possibly Nico Roche at 33/1 or de Gendt at 40/1 - any tips welcome!

It's a long time since GC in a GT was an objective for De Gendt despite him being a good climber and TT'er so I personally wouldn't bet on him to be top-10.

Nico said in an interview with Off The Ball on Saturday that he has been preparing for the TdF as if he was going for GC because he will be one of the last domestiques for Porte in the high mountains. Whereas in the previous few years with Sky his role was limited to medium mountains. So it all means that he is lighter and more-prepared to ride in higher altitudes.
He also said in the interview that he was very happy with his TT performance in the Irish Nationals and he couldn't have done any better than Mullen.

So Nico is probably somewhere close to the condition that he would need to be in to compete for GC, BUT in saying all that, Richie Porte would have to crash and abandon before the first MTF finish (which is Stage 5). Unlikely to happen.

Lusk_Doyle

Kittel is only 11/4 for the green jersey? Seems a bit low.

Tim76

He's gone out to 3/1 on PP. Still not great but Sagan was unbackable at 4/9

MPFGLB

dastardly00 wrote: »

It's a long time since GC in a GT was an objective for De Gendt despite him being a good climber and TT'er so I personally wouldn't bet on him to be top-10.

Nico said in an interview with Off The Ball on Saturday that he has been preparing for the TdF as if he was going for GC because he will be one of the last domestiques for Porte in the high mountains. Whereas in the previous few years with Sky his role was limited to medium mountains. So it all means that he is lighter and more-prepared to ride in higher altitudes.
He also said in the interview that he was very happy with his TT performance in the Irish Nationals and he couldn't have done any better than Mullen.

So Nico is probably somewhere close to the condition that he would need to be in to compete for GC, BUT in saying all that, Richie Porte would have to crash and abandon before the first MTF finish (which is Stage 5). Unlikely to happen.

Top 10 bets have a few I quite like

1. Nico Roche....It is true he is in great form..well he has said so though was absent at the Dauphine but puts that down to being hit by a car...If he were riding for himself I would certainly say he would do a top 10...However its hard if riding for Richie Porte as he will have to chase and sacrifice himself..and the team may have him sit up on certain stages to save energy ..But saying that many dometiques creep into the top 10...He is very good on rolling terrain, can TT well and great on downhills which there are alot...So worth a small wager I think ...but small

2. Darwin Attapuma...not riding for anyone and capable of a good GC

3.The course really suits Michael Kwaito ....a great rouler but may have the same issue as Nico re Dom work...However he could get a top 10 anyway as who knows how Froome will do

4. Laurens ten Dam....He may be pushing it but he can stay the course at GTs and though working for Barguil I think he could get top 10 (AGAIN)

Just my tuppence

MPFGLB

KOM I think will be Pinot or Rolland but outside bets include

Gulllame
Bauchman
Voeckleur

MPFGLB

Team will eb Movistar or AG2r but a very good outside bet is

Astana

Taxuser1

How about we keep the kimmage/anti-cycling/rumourmill away from this thread and devote it purely to the joy of watching the spectacle that is the Grand Depart, for good or for bad. It can at least allow us to return to the dreams of the 8 year old who practiced his bike throw, race winning attack and obligatory arm raise in victory as he passed every quiet country signpost. We were all Djamolidine Abdoujaparovs at one time.