Tour de France 2017

It was great to see AG2R showing their colours, but I want moar.

I'm hoping Bardet can do more, he was stunning yesterday. If he can get up the ups first, no one can stay with him on the downs.

Could have a short wheelbase, Sora and Paul brakes.

I don't think it's a case of letting sky do the work. They have 6 class riders and then froome. Kwiatowski for a start. Never mind Rowe, thomas, kryianka, Lana e Al.
When they do the work everyone else has to hang on.

Rowe is one position from lanterne rouge :(

So he has expended the second least amount of energy whilst staying in the race and pulling like a MF when needed as well? Job's a good un.

Ideal tactics for domestique/super doms would be to pull 100% to the point in the race your job is done then stop fucking dead and wait for the grupetto to come through whilst filling your face with food.

Just seen FDJ has 5 riders left after one week.

How many left after 3?

Luke rowe said he was still recovering from a crash. Kwaka was seen eating ice cream on a climb yesterday.

Kwaka was seen eating ice cream on a climb yesterday.

Classic selfie opportunity missed

But that's why I ask, apart from letting them exhaust themselves what other options are there for a meaningful yellow win against them?

I dunno. I do spreadsheets, not bieks, for a living. And I'm surprised I make a living from that.

Huge budget = great team. See also footyball.

Looks at citeh. Looks at dubtap.

Aru's on the sauce non?

Looks at BMC DS and back at Chalfie

I think @Chalfie would be a valuable addition to the BMC roster. He could find out what the fuck they are wasting their money on, it sure as hell isn't climbing domestiques.

A team caught between being a classics and a tour.

I think they have a massive hard on for GVA and not much else. Gilbert was there and did bugger all, leaves and wins Flanders

Yes I know he won the WC in 2012, but that was for Belgium not BMC

If Bardet doesn't pull his finger out and get a stage win then SL2 are going to have a lean Christmas this year.

Sky were riding tempo so GC racing wasn't on

Not sure I get this?

Typically, the GC teams whose responsibility it is to control the race (Sky, who are defending the yellow jersey) will ride at a certain, fairly high, steady intensity (tempo) in order to A) drop riders who aren't having a good day, B) deter riders who are having a good day from attacking and gaping them/the leader for as long as possible.

They will use up riders from the front until all you have left is an elite bunch of GC contenders who will then start attacking each other. Incidentally, this is a good description of why the teams don't want to let gaps start opening on climbs in the first place, and hence why they ride at tempo to deter it: https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/10326/why-is-it-easier-to-follow-a-cyclist-up-hill

There were still 3 of Froome's domestiques leading the GC group, riding a hard, but steady pace, so the GC race wasn't down to just the team leaders. If Aru had attacked, got a gap then Froome had a problem then it's tough luck for Froome, the race would've been on and it's every man for himself.

That's why, when Porte and Martin crashed, no-one waited.

That's why, when Porte and Martin crashed, no-one waited.

They also weren't in yellow.

Looking forward to racing - hoping everyone will still be tired and it'll be a day for the break.

Even if they were, the race was on by that point. That's just tough. Just like when Kruijswijk crashed in the Giro and Nibali carried on.