Be Excellent To Each Other

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/j ... ondon-live

complain about lack of tat here.

I could have had a white sun hat, but the old guy in front of me had crazed eyes and seemed very intent on grabbing it off the floor in front of me. I let him have it, he'll probably be dead soon anyway, so needs the cheering up.

I went down into the Limehouse Link. A crash would have been interesting as there is no reception for the TV cameras down there. Anyway, as we walked out, saw about 500 people at the westferry entrance waiting for the bikes to go past. Dicks, learn to read a map - they were always entering through the main entrance.

Meant to say earlier that Brailsford has apparently said over the weekend that his next goal is to take a French rider to win the GC. (proper citation, not a paraphrased summary of an interview elsewhere needed)

I'm beginning to question his man management skills

Damn,.just how many english people were there... So much more than the giro in belfast were i was 2 months ago...

Did you guys get good views....?

I was in Limehouse link with only about 20 other people. Was pretty pro - but on a bend in the tunnel so for the bikes (as opposed to the 700 outriders up front, who you could hear as they entered the tunnel) you got no warning until they rounded the curve. However, what was brilliant, despite the enclosed space, was the rush of air as they went past, as it was concentrated in the tunnel, it actually pushed you off your feet. Genuinely, like standing on the edge of a train platform as an express rushes past.

Also, you really really can't walk down there normally (and wasn't allowed to today, but fuck yers) as the limehouse link is effectively an innercity motorway with restrictions as such. That was quite cool.

We did speculate as we waited that if there had been an accident then the TV comms would have been confused as fuck - there is no way for the broadcast signal to get out from that point, I understand that the TV went dead with a helicopter waiting at the exit for them to emerge.

Sunday's view was better than Saturday's but both weren't bad.

You appear to have attached photos that show neither bikes nor pretty ladies.

Here's one of me after summiting Sunday's cat 2 climb after 17 miles of uphill. Ok. And one from otley races. I took few photos due to wife and childcare requirements.

Better.

Probably just playing to the generally anti SKY french media. Mind you, maybe he has a succession plan already in mind. It would be ace if it was Voekler.

Andy Schleck has quit because of hurty knee sustained yesterday, to the surprise of the 4 people that realised he was riding. Which is a tad unfair, but y'know, it's how it is. I thought a lot of him once, and he was going to be great, but that seems to have not happened.

Stage 4

Retirements are on the up. Seems withdrawing is the new thing to do with various hurty bits.

Please change the name of the thread

I got it.

There you go.

You scamp

Witht he exception of a couple of crashes, stage 4 was pretty dull. Note how Sagan's gmaeplan is to wheelsuck Kittel to the green jersey.

But with further Faboo!

Pavé today! Pavé! 9 sections of it! If it's dry, Froome's asthma could show up due to the dust that kicks up. if its wet, thencarnage could ensue, as 23mm tyres over wet cobbles is a laugh and a half! Especially with his poorly wrist. Expect a strung out peleton, and a dsitinct chance of a breakaway to win. I'm going to call Fabian Cancellara to emerge from the dust, the mud and the whatnots to win. Valverde, nibaldi and Contador to pull a gap from Froome!

Today a mini paris-roubai.. watch out for our niki and lars boom! should be a great stage!

MALI STAT ATTACK! On Sunday,It took about 15 minutes for the Tour to get to the top of Holme Moss. It took me 37 minutes. But it was considerably windier. And I was on my own.

I know officially support Lars Boom.



LARS BOOM!

Huh! I am between 0.5 and 0.3 of a BOOM!
From Strava:

Addingham - Silsden Road climb (Cat 4, 2.2 miles, 3.7% average grade, 436 feet climbed)
MaliA - 14:20
Lars Boom - 8:10


Holmfirth to Holme Moss (Cat 2, 4.5 miles, 5% average grade, 1203 feet climbed)
Malia - 45:00
Lars Boom 17:13

Stage 5

The BBC tells me that Froome has retired from the competition.

Wiggins is going to be furious.

I'll give up using spoilers. Yeah, he and Thomas did well in Paris Roubaix this year. Froome hit a car on his only attempt and gave up. Mind you, he didn't make it to the cobbles. Still, with wrist knack and riding about in the rain I ahrdly blame him. Still, Valverde is lookingbetter now, eh? Bet you're happy you all took my advice.

I'm not sure roubaix comes into it. Where hes dropped because of froomes ego, but would have been plan B otherwise (Porte still stands a better chance than Wiggins as there's only the one TT but needs support and I think Wiggins would have been a pretty good domestique to porte) Brailsford has fucked up in that respect.

To survive the cobbles, Thomas and Wiggins have form, Froome doesn't.

I think the decision to only take Froome was the right one: Having a plan B sacrifices a roleur or a puncheur that might be needed in a bind, and a deputy might not work 100% for his leader as history has shown.

This stage looks excellent. I am looking forward to tonight's highlights.

I mainly meant as picking a team based on a single stage is bold. If it wasn't raining, we don't know how froome would have dealt with the cobbles and he never got there anyway.

Do take your point on plan B giving compromises though.

Good call.

I would have thought the cobbles presented a significant opporteunity to put time in on rivals and so on. I take your point on not planning around one stage, though.

Crikey.

Sprint finish tomorrow, peleton take it as an easy day with the exception of bertie who launches an attack on the second climb. Gets reeled in 20km from end.. Lad from Quickstep wins.

Got into work today, and two special DLR trains pulled in alongside each other. The Yellow jersey train, painted yellow with "Va Va Froome" written along the side. Also the Green train with "#Cavendish' written along it.

I'm not superstitious, but if there's a polka dot train, I'm not putting my money on it.

Was it afraid to come out of the station?

Pulled in alongside? or crashed to a stop... If you were superstitious you wouldn't have got on either

great trip it was.. our first tour victory in nine years.. so really happy about that (consolidated for the semifinal loss).. by them way his name in dutch is quite funny as well, since boom means tree...

althoug wiggo surely feels weird now, i tend to agree with this.. even though i think seeing how froome gave uo and fell, and knowing his bad shape in the dauphiné, i think sky might have been to straightforward with trying to copy last year..

interesting to see how you both use the french words.. is this common among english cycling fans (proving that they are 'real' fans perhaps? ) ? i tend to use the italian ones (gregario = domestique) since my time there (and since i use the gazzetta as my main sports newspaper), or we use the flemish ones..(which are a bit different to the actual dutch) ones...There is a whole dutch/flemish cycling language, made popular by larger than life characters like Gerrie Kneteman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrie_Knetemann )...

We tend to use the French terms, yes.

Flat Stage, blah, blah, blah, 143 miles, sprinters, blah blah blah, Sagan to win today I think after second climb right at the end. He'll sneak away cheekily.

I think it's fairly common amongst cycling fans. Also, thye are the words which one "just knows" what they mean, as explaining in english is really quite tricky. I speak French and German (to a level), so there's a fair few of those words that exist in those languages, but not in english. The Grauniad sues them a fair amount because it's the Grauniad (and I'm in their coverage, again).

I miss Virenque's climbing. He was always pretty entertaining to watch.

<chuckles>

My Italian colleague who has followed cycling since he was in short trousers doesn't have a fucking clue what we're talking about. Its funny.

well now you can impress he with gregario.. or with velocista (sprinter) or even more : http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/page/feat ... 8BLV1YY5T4