Tour De France 2018

finish yesterday was alright - bit like an ardennes classic finish

It was a staple for the Jean-Marie Leblanc years.

He was beaten before that happened.

I think both are possible. It could just be his age, but the optimist in me is hoping he is just in bad shape. I know these guys are the super elites / beyond mortal etc, but hitting the deck in these mega crashes, concussion / whiplash within 4 months of a grand tour surely must take its toll and totally fuck up his prep.

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The organisers have got the balance of this first week quite wrong in my opinion.

Happy to see a run of sprint finishes but surely they could come up with a late climb or something.

Tomorrow is equally as boring. Roll on Sunday.

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Maybe they thought no one would bother watching while the football's on so just do a bit of boring stuff

Yesterday's finish was great. Plus there has been drama on most days with a different GC rider loosing time. (Apart from Geraint which is very either very good or very bad) Sunday is going to be a great stage then some madness in the mountains with GC guys trying to claw back lost time.

There have been two uphill finishes and a TTT, it’s been a great race so far, most ‘favourites’ have lost time in some way or another. What do people want! It’s a 3 week tour, this is just shots across the bow.

Apart from Geraint which is very either very good or very bad

Geraint?

Sorry.. Mr. Thomas.

#wouldrep

Lance agrees with @andyp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOS6LO2rplQ

The "this is a shit GC" is a popular trope for every GC recently.

In the final week, when it's down to the wire between Bernal, Bardet and GvA everyone will forget about all the sprint stages.

You read it here first.

Tomorrow is equally as boring.

I, for one, think all this uphill business is a total aberration and I very much support stages like this. :)

Adam Blythe made a good point that because Geraint Thomas is second in the GC, they're car no.2 in the queue behind, which makes it worth it for them to have Geraint work to stay up there on gc

I already ride to work in a t-shirt every day. Finally the pros have caught up.

Three fun games to play tomorrow:

1) At which km will Mr Geraint 'Stabilisers' Thomas first fall off?

2) Which GC contender will lose most time?

3) Who will be Movistar leader at the finish?

Examination papers to be submitted by 50km from the finish.
Answers on a used tenner to Bald Towers, Sussex.

(53km, Bardet, Valverde's doctor)

I thought that but then watched the replay and it looked like he pulled a foot, mis-shifted or hit something - definite wobble and then he shut it down as too far back.

He was beaten at that point, he said so himself.

Every year there's the same chat about boring sprint stages. Fucking MTV generation >>>

Well yeah, he wasn't going to win it, but his finishing position may not tell the whole story is what I'm saying.

I see Kittel is getting slagged if by his team management in the French press today.

I bet he looks at Gaviria’s leadout and wonders what might have been.

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Tommy D
Movi-who?

Of course, but the Cavendish of old, and even two years ago, would’ve won from that position.

Oh Kittel is still racing? Who does he ride for these days?