Tour de France 2014

Porte clinging on. Fair play to him.

Looks like he doesn't quite have the gas compared to Bert and nibbles though...

Looks like he doesn't quite have the gas compared to Bert and nibbles though...

Agreed. We'll see on Monday but I think he'll struggle.

Now for Stating the Obvious with Greg and Stefano.

Has Vino got an Astana-branded flat cap on backwards?

Has Vino got an Astana-branded flat cap on backwards?

Indeed. Would look better right way round and with a lurcher by his side. Dirty doper.

That hat is a worse offence than any doping.

Bert looked like a cat with a mouse.

Looking like a two horse race, that's for sure. Still, two weeks to go and all that. The last time trial isn't going to help NIbali though.
Perhaps Porte will do better on the bigger mountain climbs. Maybe. Perhaps. Possibly.

I think Nibali looked comfortable the least uncomfortable at the finish.

Contador has a job on his hands I reckon.

i think Bertie is going to rip Nibalis legs off, if not in the mountains ( although, yes, in the mountains) then certainly in the time trial.

I have never seen Nibali do anything truly convincing against a competitor like Contador, Froome etc.

I kind of want to believe in Porte, but he didn't look so great today.

But, hey, I could be wrong. we shall see.

Jesus Christ, is that a Nokia?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BsXA8iJCUAIdZhn.jpg

Would love to know what the dialogue was between nibbles and contador on that last slope.

Would love to know what the dialogue was between nibbles and contador on that last slope.

"Hey, i no thpeak italian"

"okey dokey, me no speaka da spanish"

More or less.

Crikey. Nimbles is back! How's it going gaffer?

They call me Nimbali these days.

No, they don't.

I'm pretty good, BDW, yourself?

All good. Nice to see an old timer posting

Old skool reprazent.

and so on, and so forth.

"Hey, i no thpeak italian"

"okey dokey, me no speaka da spanish"

More or less.

"Nimh bus!"

I have never seen Nibali do anything truly convincing against a competitor like Contador, Froome etc.

Thursday didn't count?

Jurgen Van Den Broeck is a remarkable rider. Always there and never mentioned. I think he has never won a professional race but has been top ten in all three GTs and fourth twice at the Tour. He's fifth at the moment and he could easily stay there and still never been seen on TV.

He won a stage of the Dauphine in, I think, 2011.

I read an interview with him where he said that he knows he can't win a GT so he doesn't try. Lotto must be happy enough with what he achieves, or the points he brings in. The way things are this year I imagine he has a good chance of going unnoticed again and being in the top five at the end.

A top five in the Tour brings a lot of World Tour points, more than Greipel will get for winning a few stages, so you can see why they keep him. The thing I find curious about him is that, at 31, he still doesn't seem to know how good shape he is in. I read an interview with him before the Dauphine, when Lotto were making noises about him missing the Tour if his form wasn't there, and he said he thought his form was okay but the race would tell him either way. You would have thought, in this age of ever more scientific preparation, that he'd know his numbers.

(bit late to the party)
I quite like him. His best chance was probably in 2011 when he abandoned after that nasty crash and broke a few ribs, among other things.

Then again, I am an armchair expert, so what the fuck do I know?

Hello nimbles, very long time. Been lurking?

Loving the OG action.

Good stage today, I was impressed with Nibbles' eye balling but he did slip. Two GC races this year: Cuntador v Nibbles for the win and who the fuck knows for the other podium place.

I'd like Fuglsang to get it after Bruyneel fucking him over when he was at Trek, he's a quality rider in the mountains-not sure what his TTing abilities are though.

Fuglsang = Nibblesbitch and he knows it. As far as I can see it's a nailed-on Nibbles v. Cuntador shoot-out. With Ritchie the 'Joint No. 1 HaHaHaHaHa' grimacing and flailing for third place.

Porte was only 7 seconds back from Contador and 12 up on Valverde who usually is pretty good at short, steep finishes so it's far from over for him. Reason says Contador, though the thought is sick-making really. Monday will give a better clue. Bardet is coming up on the outside too which is good to see.

Yeah but seven seconds today translates to much, much more on Mondau.

Porte doesn't look like he's quite on the level with Nibs and Bertie, which is to be expected really, but he also doesn't look too far off. And he did put time into Valverde. Another good stage, a lot more drama in the first week than usual, none of the usual non-GC in yellow, how long can they hold onto it guff, just proper racing. Stage 2 set the tone.