Tour de France

[Owen Bawn]

Happy to see the Dutchman keep the yellow jersey. In general, I find the time trials the least compelling days of the Tour. That's probably heresy among 'real' cycling fans, but whaddaya expect? I'm a hockey fan.

 

[Owen Bawn]

He's been quiet so far, but Dan Martin is again offering a daily Tour Diary in the Irish Indo newspaper.

EDIT- I just realised it is behind a paywall. Sorry. I usually read it at work, where the subscription is covered.

Dan Martin's Tour de France diary: ‘We wanted to show we weren’t happy with the safety aspect of previous routes’

HAVING the Euros to watch every night after the stages this week has become a bit of a fun distraction from the frenzy of racing.

www.independent.ie

 

[GNR]

Pogacar was crazy fast. Look out for him in the mountains.

 

[Owen Bawn]

Pogacar was crazy fast. Look out for him in the mountains.

Indeed he looked no worse for wear after the crash Tuesday.

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Hey Pelotons:

UPDATE: the Tour won’t prefer charges against the woman w/ the sign.

By Elaine Cobbe - CBS News - 1 July 21

“A cycling fan who caused a huge pileup on the opening day of the Tour de France on Saturday handed herself in to police in Brittany this week, but was to likely avoid prosecution as the Tour organizers decided not to press charges.

The woman leaned out into the road in front of the lead pack, holding up a homemade banner for the TV cameras and not looking out for the riders.

German competitor Tony Martin rode right into the banner and was knocked over. He fell sideways, toppling the rider beside him and setting off a domino effect that left most of the pack on the ground or at a standstill behind them.

At least 21 cyclists were injured, including four-time champion Chris Froome of Britain.

Team B&B KTM’s Bryan Coquard of France (R) and a Team Alpecin Fenix’ rider lie on the ground after crashing during the 1st stage of the 108th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 197 km between Brest and Landerneau, on June 26, 2021.

Police did not name the woman, who was in custody on Wednesday. However, local media said she was a 30-year-old Frenchwoman. At first it was thought she was German because her homemade banner was a mix of French and German: "Allez opi omi" or "Go grandpa, grandma."

The woman fled the scene but police appealed to the public for information about her identity after the Tour organizers, ASO, said they would bring a lawsuit against her for involuntarily causing injury through reckless behavior — a charge that carries a $1,770 fine”.

Works Cited:The Tour won’t press charges

"Don’t buy upgrades, ride up grades”. Eddy Mercx

 

[Vulcan Bubbles]

This is Raymond Poulidor, grandfather of current race leader Mathieu van der Poel.

“His career was distinguished, despite coinciding with two great riders - Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx. This underdog position may have been the reason Poulidor was a favorite of the public. He was known as the Eternal Second, because he never won the Tour de France despite finishing in second place three times, and in third place five times (including his final Tour at the age of 40). Despite his consistency, he never once wore the yellow jersey as leader in 14 Tours, of which he completed 12. He did however win the 1964 Vuelta España. Of the eighteen Grand Tours that he entered in his career, he finished in the top 10 fifteen times!”

 

[Owen Bawn]

I can't wait for the Tour to hit the Alps this weekend. But first a 250km stage tomorrow.

 

[GNR]

Cavendish is stupid fast!
Only 2 less TDF Stage wins then Eddy Merckx. That’s amazing,
I never thought anyone would get close to “The Cannibal”.

 

[Garb]

The Manx missile is incredible for his size. I'm so glad to see the lad getting back to his glory days from a few years back.

 

[Garb]

This is Raymond Poulidor, grandfather of current race leader Mathieu van der Poel.

View attachment 1290086

“His career was distinguished, despite coinciding with two great riders - Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx. This underdog position may have been the reason Poulidor was a favorite of the public. He was known as the Eternal Second, because he never won the Tour de France despite finishing in second place three times, and in third place five times (including his final Tour at the age of 40). Despite his consistency, he never once wore the yellow jersey as leader in 14 Tours, of which he completed 12. He did however win the 1964 Vuelta España. Of the eighteen Grand Tours that he entered in his career, he finished in the top 10 fifteen times!”

Would this photo be from Milan San Remo?

 

[Owen Bawn]

Tonight at dinner I was telling my wife the story of when the Tour de France started in Ireland in 1998. It was before the Eurozone, and as the trucks with all the equipment made their way across Europe to get ferries from Brittany to Ireland a truck from the Festina team was searched at the Belgian border and all sorts of illicit performance enhancing drugs, painkillers, and HGH were found. The story was held back, however, because if Irish Customs officials had been made aware of this, and if searches of all Tour vehicles entering Ireland were carried out the teams knew that dozens of arrests and confiscations would be made and a major international scandal would take place and the 1998 Tour would be ruined. So the Irish government, the US State Dept (remember The USPS team and its drugging star Lance Armstrong), Tour officials, and racing teams conspired to get all of the trucks and other vehicles into Ireland without being inspected by Irish Customs officials. When the tour left Ireland to return to France there were reports of kegs of drugs being dropped overboard to avoid capture in France. Eventually a major doping scandal in France was exposed.

 

[Vulcan Bubbles]

Would this photo be from Milan San Remo?

I wasn’t sure where that photograph was taken to be honest. But I just did some poking around and apparently it was climbing the Puy de Dôme, during the 1964 TDF. Here’s another photo from another point on that stage when he was riding side by side with Anquetil.

 

[Vulcan Bubbles]

Tonight at dinner I was telling my wife the story of when the Tour de France started in Ireland in 1998. It was before the Eurozone, and as the trucks with all the equipment made their way across Europe to get ferries from Brittany to Ireland a truck from the Festina team was searched at the Belgian border and all sorts of illicit performance enhancing drugs, painkillers, and HGH were found. The story was held back, however, because if Irish Customs officials had been made aware of this, and if searches of all Tour vehicles entering Ireland were carried out the teams knew that dozens of arrests and confiscations would be made and a major international scandal would take place and the 1998 Tour would be ruined. So the Irish government, the US State Dept (remember The USPS team and its drugging star Lance Armstrong), Tour officials, and racing teams conspired to get all of the trucks and other vehicles into Ireland without being inspected by Irish Customs officials. When the tour left Ireland to return to France there were reports of kegs of drugs being dropped overboard to avoid capture in France. Eventually a major doping scandal in France was exposed.

Such was the sport at that time. It was all very disappointing to many of us and didn’t do much for cycling’s image. I’m hopeful that it will eventually be a totally clean sport. I think a lot has been done to move it in that direction since those days. Looking back in the rearview mirror now, as disappointing as it all was, it was just another CRAZY story to add to the drama and excitement of Tour history. Don’t get me wrong, I would prefer a clean sport above all else, but extremes and drama are baked into this insane event. I find it best to embrace the crazy!

 

[strop]

I won't give away today's results for those that haven't watched it yet, but this year may just become known as the Tour of Tears!

 

[Garb]

Today's stage was a lesson in being patient. Pagachar sat in knowing that the players in the break were all not a threat. I missed the stage but caught the highlights and the analysis done by Chris Horner. Looking forward to the Alps starting Saturday.

 

[Owen Bawn]

Why did Ineos, UAE, and Jumbo Visma let today's race go? I can see wanting to conserve energy in a 250km stage with the Alps looming, but why did they allow the breakaway group to get six and a half minutes ahead of the peloton? Is 6 minutes nothing to a guy like Pogacar at this point in the race? I just don't know cycling well enough to understand today's strategy.

 

[FarmerTan]

Why did Ineos, UAE, and Jumbo Visma let today's race go? I can see wanting to conserve energy in a 250km stage with the Alps looming, but why did they allow the breakaway group to get six and a half minutes ahead of the peloton? Is 6 minutes nothing to a guy like Pogacar at this point in the race? I just don't know cycling well enough to understand today's strategy.

Me either.

 

[GNR]

Me either.

I think it was a tactical mistake. There were a few real GC contenders in the breakaway. I understand “riding your race”, but as the stage developed I think it was obvious that UAE didn’t have the horses to close with the breakaway and keep the gap at a comfortable time gap.
I think that means Pogacar is on his own for some of the critical ALPs climbs.

 

[Owen Bawn]

I started to wonder if there might be some internal dissension within some of these teams. No one on the TV mentioned it, but I have a dim view of human nature so I tend to see unhappiness everywhere.

 

[Owen Bawn]

At dinner tonight my wife reminded me of a friend of mine whose wife caught him cheating while on a business trip to Paris years ago. His paramour was someone we all knew. After this incident my wife always referred to her as "the Hoor de France."

My wife is really something. As smart as a whip with eyes like a hawk & a tongue like a viper. Stay on her good side.

My wife and youngest daughter attended a concert of patriotic music for the 4July holiday last night- the local community orchestra. Anyway, when she came home my wife reported that the "Hoor de France" was there.