Your Predictions For The Tour De France?

Who are you backing to win this year?

Quintana seems to be the strongest in the mountains by far, but Froome's performance in the Criterium du Dauphine shows that he's in excellent form. The unusual course over the first week could throw up some real surprises. Nibali has been looking very poor over recent months.

What about the other jerseys? Sagan looks like the clear favourite in the points competition, but things are always unpredictable at the sharp end of the peloton. Quintana is the man to beat for the polka dot jersey, but might his GC ambitions distract him from picking up points in the mountains?

 

The fab 4 are hard to go past - Froome, conto, Nibali and Quintana.

Froome, Nibs and Quintana all have string teams. Contador's team by comparison to either is weak and crap, but unlike them he is full of mongrel and will fight like a mad dog until Paris and hopefully finish up the winner.

 

Basso, Rogers,Sagan, not what I would call a weak team. I hesitate to make predictions considering last years results. Both Contador and Froome seem to be in good form.

 

The first proper stage and already there's a major upset. ASO were promising an interesting first week, but I think they have over-delivered. The wind and rain completely smashed the peloton apart, opening up big gaps between the GC contenders. Nibali is over a minute down on Froome and Contador, and Quintana is trailing by over 90 seconds. I expect they'll be looking for an opportunity to make up some of the time lost over the first few days, but I expect Quintana will be planning a major attack as soon as the race reaches the Pyrenees. Froome must be feeling pretty confident now.

As a side note, it's nice to see Cancellara in yellow. His sneaky approach to the sprint finish showed incredible strategy and racing instinct. I expect to see some remarkable bravery over the next few days as he tries to hold the jersey until the mountains.

 

From what I know from the pros that I have been... well somewhat aquainted with planning an attack is fine but sometimes opportunity does not present itself. You train, plan and hope you get that lucky break and that you don't crash or flat or hit the wall. You hope you have the support, the luck and the legs on the crucial stages. Expect a lot of high tempo riding from 3 or 4 teams on these stages.

 

Ever since Lance Armstrong had admitted his doping, I seemed to have lost my interest in Tour De France. I was really interested during those years that Armstrong was establishing record after record. But then the bomb exploded and what do we have? i'm glad that the greatest and most popular tour is still getting to be an attraction. Okay, let me search the newspaper for some news on the Tour De France. I'd say touche!

 

Gotta feel for those guys who crashed out of the peloton in Stage 3



http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2515808-tour-de-france-2015-stage-3-results-updated-standings-and-highlights

 

Froome's performance yesterday was a phenomenal show of real strength to La Pierre St.Martin.

None of Froome's rivals, Contador/Nibali/Quitana, had any answer to Froome's ride.

 

Does he remind you of anyone?

 

I'd honestly go with eithe Froome or Quintana. They've provent that they are both contenders and that they are capable of winning.

Name rhymes with Mance Marmstrong.

 

Why on stage 13 would Astana and Tinkoff not jump as a team to the breakaway? Tinkoff had Sagan looking for sprint points and a stage win, and Contador looking to make up major time gaps. Astana has Nibili too far back to contend for the GC through traditional riding technique. Would it not make sense with nothing to lose to team up, join the 7 breakaway riders and make the lead group 20+ then work together to put pressure on Sky and the other GC contenders. I see no logic to do a traditional ride unless there was some untold treaty to ride easy and use the day as an unofficial rest day. Any thoughts or answers?

 

Why on stage 13 would Astana and Tinkoff not jump as a team to the breakaway? Tinkoff had Sagan looking for sprint points and a stage win, and Contador looking to make up major time gaps. Astana has Nibili too far back to contend for the GC through traditional riding technique. Would it not make sense with nothing to lose to team up, join the 7 breakaway riders and make the lead group 20+ then work together to put pressure on Sky and the other GC contenders. I see no logic to do a traditional ride unless there was some untold treaty to ride easy and use the day as an unofficial rest day. Any thoughts or answers?

 

Quote by JH:
"Does he remind you of anyone?"

There was this guy...I'm trying to put a name to the face...all I remember is he developed around 7 Watts/Kg and could drop 125-pound climbers from Columbia.

Somebody help me out here...

Gee took a nasty fly-off today. Head first into a telephone pole and that pole didn't move an inch. Seemed to be OK. Tough as nails.

For the overall? Froome's race to lose now. I'm cheering TJ on and I hope he moves up on GC, but I see Contador and Nibs putting in some good climbs in the near future. Quintana...I hope he puts on one of his climbing schools. He's just amazing to watch when he's throwing it all to the wind.

Froome? He'll stare at his power meter turning 115 RPM up a 10% climb for miles...just keeping it real, yo. Who WAS that dude that used to spin it up like that??? Damn my failing memory...

Thomas is another guy I want to see finish well. He's put out a ton of work so far and to be sitting so far up the GC heading into the Alps is a good sign. Sky look to be good for the steep stuff and Moviestar too. I'm pulling for Lotto...they're trying hard.

Sagan is just beyond impressive. His descent into Gap today was nutz.

 

I stopped watching after Froome did his channeling of that guy that Bob is trying to put a face to.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Zoom-Zoom Froome was bad enough. A gassed Richie Porte somehow finding a miraculous second and third wind to drop Quintana like a sack of potatoes, and since when is Geriant Thomas a world class climber who can drop dudes like Contador, Nibali, and even Tejay? So we are back to the days of Postal putting the hammer down as a group and deciding Le Tour on the first mountain stage, with a guy who was pack fodder before joining Sky putting out insane power numbers.

 

Wasn't Froome tossed off the Giro for taking a tow from a moto?
Edit: http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/racing/giro-ditalia/froome-disqualified-from-giro-ditalia-60517

It was the 2010 Giro...on the Mortirolo climb. He held onto a police moto...guess that was good for a few free Watts!

I got to get me one of them thar power meter things and learn to spin really fast with my elbows sticking out all aero-like. Personally I couldn't care less if Fromme is doping or if he isn't as long as they put on a good show. This edition of Le Tour has been pretty good, IMO.

All the spills, chills & thrills of NASCAR, the hidden KERS energy recovery systems of F1, the crashes of Moto GP and the doped old horses of the Kentucky Derby. Wow...talk about a bad mixed sports metaphor!

All the weirdness...Cancellara taken out...TJ stepping off...Contador not yet in the mix...SKY having a climbing squad to rival anything Lancer ever put together...but all said, I really like this race!

I still can't stomach Lemond. His speech pattern has become even more annoying than it was. Juan Antonio Flecha is just the best part of this Tour! The cat is awesome and funny. Sort of like giving the mike to Bob Roll, but without the brain damage.

Sean...I just love listening to that dude.

And the tacky Euro commercials! Jeezus! Is all of Euroland still stuck in the 1970's? Bad acting, bad scripts, weird products...I can't stop laughing at the Kittel and John Degenkolb Alpecin commercials and that Festina spot is about the tackiest thing they've done! Hysterical stuff.

Alpecin: "John, do you use Aplecin shampoo because they are your new sponsor?"
JD: "Not at all! I use it because they're paying my poor German ass huge dollars Euros to say that I use it!"

 

Let me break it down. The most boring tour in 20 years and I picked that number randomly but still boring.

 

say what you will, but alberto trying the giro-tour double is worthy of admiration. much more so than brailsford and sky doing the infamous "let's target the tour above all else" strategy. team sky--discovery mk. ii

 

The last two stages were great.

 

The Tour leaves me feeling colder with each passing year.

Thomas performances this season have been nothing less than phenomenal. A superb one day / classic season is followed by a superb TDF ride.
The first bad day he's had this season was last Wednesday when he finally cracked after three weeks of leading Froome at the head of the TDF peloton.

Richie Porte rode out of his skin to support froome. There were great rides from Stannard, Roche too.

I don't know what we're witnessing when you see riders who don't seem to tire at all.