Tour de France 2020 general thread (SPOILERS GALORE)

harringtonp

dastardly00 wrote: »

The more I watch the Breakaway show the more I start to think that Wiggins is actually alright on it. He does come out with the odd stupid statement like the bit about claiming Sam, but in general he's okay to listen to.

Agree. While I find some of this wiggo alerts a bit daft he is quite good on this show

seligehgit

So who are our cycling experts on the forum predicting will win the time trial,final order of the top 3?

Is there a possibility bikes will be changed for the climb?The boys on ITV4 seemed to intimate same.

Lots of questions...:)

Inquitus

seligehgit wrote: »

So who are our cycling experts on the forum predicting will win the time trial,final order of the top 3?

Is there a possibility bikes will be changed for the climb?The boys on ITV4 seemed to intimate same.

Lots of questions...:)

Roglic / Pogacar / Wout Van Aert / Tom Dumoulin

My 5 in no order

breezy1985

seligehgit wrote: »

So who are our cycling experts on the forum predicting will win the time trial,final order of the top 3?

Is there a possibility bikes will be changed for the climb?The boys on ITV4 seemed to intimate same.

Lots of questions...:)

Roglic / Pogacar / Dumoulin are all good shout. Pog has said already that he will defiantly do a bike change

Shedite27

On the bike change concept, does the spare bike have to come from the team car rather than a lad on the side of the road? I always thought there were a few second lost getting the bike off the top of the car, into the cyclists hand

Eamonnator

Shedite27 wrote: »

On the bike change concept, does the spare bike have to come from the team car rather than a lad on the side of the road? I always thought there were a few second lost getting the bike off the top of the car, into the cyclists hand

There will be no dedicated bike change area.
Bike changes will be made from the team car fro behind.

dastardly00

seligehgit wrote: »

So who are our cycling experts on the forum predicting will win the time trial,final order of the top 3?

Is there a possibility bikes will be changed for the climb?The boys on ITV4 seemed to intimate same.

Lots of questions...:)

I reckon I could have a good guess who will be the three slowest riders... a Lotto Soudal rider, another Lotto Soudal rider, and another Lotto Soudal rider

Itziger

dastardly00 wrote: »

I reckon I could have a good guess who will be the three slowest riders... a Lotto Soudal rider, another Lotto Soudal rider, and another Lotto Soudal rider

Well, right now m8 they're 2, 3, 5, 6 in finishing times. But they MAY change a little.

cunavalos

May not entirely be true

walshb

In this TT, are there points available for the green jersey?

CrowdedHouse

walshb wrote: »

In this TT, are there points available for the green jersey?

Yes - basically the same as an intermediate sprint

individual time trial (art. 22-coeff. 6): 20-17-15-13-11-
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points to the first 15 riders;

Eamonnator

CrowdedHouse wrote: »

Yes - basically the same as an intermediate sprint

individual time trial (art. 22-coeff. 6): 20-17-15-13-11-
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points to the first 15 riders;

But to be clear, at the finish.
Sam, Sagan etc. won't worry the timekeepers.

neris

https://twitter.com/ClipsCycling/status/1307410368558497798?s=09

Zzippy

neris wrote: »

https://twitter.com/ClipsCycling/status/1307410368558497798?s=09

Stage 25?? :eek:

cunavalos

Has it been confirmed if Micheál Martin has jetted out to join Sam on the podium tomorrow

Or is Shane Ross going to pretend he is still minister for tourism and sport

Daroxtar

neris wrote: »

Great, the 1st Saturday in years I'm going to be able watch the last Saturday of the Tour and its feckin TT. **** you level 3 restrictions

What's the problem? You don't like TTs?

Rolling Stone

A question from the uninitiated. I was watching yesterday’s TT on TG4 and whilst I couldn’t understand the Irish, I found it fascinating viewing.

Fantastic ending but why is everyone saying that Pogacar has essentially won the Tour. OK, he’s 59 seconds ahead but surely that can be overturned over a 122km final stage if a 57 second deficit was overturned on a 36km stage?

Shedite27

Rolling Stone wrote: »

A question from the uninitiated. I was watching yesterday’s TT on TG4 and whilst I couldn’t understand the Irish, I found it fascinating viewing.

Fantastic ending but why is everyone saying that Pogacar has essentially won the Tour. OK, he’s 59 seconds ahead but surely that can be overturned over a 122km final stage if a 57 second deficit was overturned on a 36km stage?

Well firstly, there's an unwritten rule that nobody contends with the yellow jersey on the last stage, but then...

A time trial is different from a flat stage. Far harder to make GC time up on a flat stage.

breezy1985

Rolling Stone wrote: »

A question from the uninitiated. I was watching yesterday’s TT on TG4 and whilst I couldn’t understand the Irish, I found it fascinating viewing.

Fantastic ending but why is everyone saying that Pogacar has essentially won the Tour. OK, he’s 59 seconds ahead but surely that can be overturned over a 122km final stage if a 57 second deficit was overturned on a 36km stage?

The Paris stage is too flat to make any time difference so attacking would only annoy everyone on what is just a celebratory parade into Paris. With the exception of Sam and the sprinters most guys will be having a few glasses of champagne on the road in

Alf Veedersane

Has there been a TT on the final stage since '89?

breezy1985

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Has there been a TT on the final stage since '89?

I dont think the French will ever risk it again after seeing Fignon lose yellow on the champs. I think it was rare before then too and just an oddity the tour were trying out

CramCycle

If it were me and I thought it were possible, I would attack and try for it. A competition is a competition. While this year the deficit is probably too much to try, if there were only a few seconds in it, alot of the peloton fatigued and essentially finished, I think it would be unsportsmanlike not to go for it. I would want my enemies to earn it. This parade around sipping champagne makes most of the day unwatchable until the last few km.

Bugsy2000

https://cyclingtips.com/2020/09/panini-tour-de-france-stickers-show-us-who-these-riders-really-are/

Got a kick out of some of these.

CramCycle

Bugsy2000 wrote: »

https://cyclingtips.com/2020/09/panini-tour-de-france-stickers-show-us-who-these-riders-really-are/

Got a kick out of some of these.

Your mum used to date Nico Roche before she met your dad and she still occasionally bumps into him at Big Tesco. She mentioned this once to your dad and he sulked for three days. He refuses to use Nico’s name and instead refers to him as ‘your mother’s fancy man’.

Well I laughed my ass off at that one.

eeeee

Bugsy2000 wrote: »

https://cyclingtips.com/2020/09/panini-tour-de-france-stickers-show-us-who-these-riders-really-are/

Got a kick out of some of these.

Full on laughter. These are excellent.

Speakerboxx

Shedite27 wrote: »

Well firstly, there's an unwritten rule that nobody contends with the yellow jersey on the last stage, but then...

A time trial is different from a flat stage. Far harder to make GC time up on a flat stage.

Fcuk that i would make the yellow jersey earn it. I would attack and make one last go of it. Probably wouldnt stick but i wouldn't just hand over a yellow Jersey like that especially if i held it for nearly the whole tour. I wouldn't care what the other riders or commentators thought of me. Take the risk or lose the chance. He may never again get the chance. Sometimes in life you gotta be selfish. Make it a contest. Its never over until its over

Inquitus

Speakerboxx wrote: »

Fcuk that i would make the yellow jersey earn it. I would attack and make one last go of it. Probably wouldnt stick but i wouldn't just hand over a yellow Jersey like that especially if i held it for nearly the whole tour. I wouldn't care what the other riders or commentators thought of me. Take the risk or lose the chance. He may never again get the chance. Sometimes in life you gotta be selfish.

It's flat as a pancake, it's against tradition, every team would chase them down. It's a non starter.

Speakerboxx

Inquitus wrote: »

It's flat as a pancake, it's against tradition, every team would chase them down. It's a non starter.

I wouldnt care. Tradition wouldn't bother me. If there was a prize to grab and I was next in line to contest I be going for it. 57 secs isn't huge. They be 80% percent chance of it not working out but still it be too good a chance not to contest. Not every team will chase if they are drinking champagne. Roglic had yellow for most of the tour. It would be unsportsmanship of the other riders if he couldn't contest. To lose the time he lost yesterday must have been heartbreaking. Who knows a big crash might happen and yellow Jersey gets taken down.

Alf Veedersane

Speakerboxx wrote: »

I wouldnt care. Tradition wouldn't bother me. If there was a prize to grab and I was next in line to contest I be going for it. 57 secs isn't huge. They be 80% percent chance of it not working out but still it be too good a chance not to contest. Not every team will chase if they are drinking champagne. Roglic had yellow for most of the tour. It would be unsportsmanship of the other riders if he couldn't contest. To lose the time he lost yesterday must have been heartbreaking. Who knows a big crash might happen and yellow Jersey gets taken down.

More like a 98% chance of it not working out

Raoul Duke

Speakerboxx wrote: »

I wouldnt care. Tradition wouldn't bother me. If there was a prize to grab and I was next in line to contest I be going for it. 57 secs isn't huge. They be 80% percent chance of it not working out but still it be too good a chance not to contest. Not every team will chase if they are drinking champagne. Roglic had yellow for most of the tour. It would be unsportsmanship of the other riders if he couldn't contest. To lose the time he lost yesterday must have been heartbreaking. Who knows a big crash might happen and yellow Jersey gets taken down.

Every year someone chimes in with "f*ck tradition, just go for it". 98% chance to get back a minute?
100% chance of failure and 100% chance of you, your team mates, the DS and all the rest of the staff becoming pariahs in the cycling world. While still coming 2nd.