Tour de France 2012

A year or more?
Back to back champions.

Cancellera has had the yellow the most without winning. Can't recall the stats.

I'll rephrase the question, as I'm having difficulty finding the answer via google.

Who has worn the Yellow Jersey the most consecutive days in a single Tour and won?

Ottavio Bottecia from 1st day to last.

Which tour was that? He won 1923 to 1925, but where are the stats on it?

I was thinking Merckx during his peak. He had something like over 90 days in yellow for the 6 tours he participated in (5 of which he won)... so I reckon he must have the highest average of days in yellow per tour... and that amongst them must be a tour in which he led yellow for pretty much all of it. But I can't find details on those tours to let me know.

I was wondering if Wiggins won, holding the jersey for two solid weeks, where that would place him.

But my google query skills are failing me.

Well this shows Eddy leading the total number of jerseys but doesn't answer the longest time held consecutively...

The first rider to wear the yellow jersey from start to finish was Ottavio Bottecchia of Italy in 1924.[102] Nicolas Frantz (1928) and Romain Maes (1935) are the only two other riders who have done the same.

from:

[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_France[/ame]

doesnt say how many days though

(Mâitre) Jacques Anquetil also held the jersey for the entire TdF of 1961

The people did not like it.

maybe that doesnt count as he didnt win stage 1a

Sagan went down in my estimation for backing it. I don't think the swerve was malicious or dangerous.

Where do you get Sagan backing it? I've only seen his interview in English, so it's hard to know exactly what he thinks, but on the face of it he seemed to grudgingly accept the jury decision. He could hardly complain about it.

We can never know whether the swerve was malicious, although on the basis of never attributing to malice that which can be satisfactorily explained by incompetence we should probably conclude that Goss just fucked up by accident, but it was dangerous. Another few inches could have had Sagan off.

So apparently Froome is in today's L'Equipe saying "I can win this... but I won't this time, but I expect the favour to be returned in the future." and also something about his maybe not being at Sky to win it.

I would like to see the original interview - seems like an odd thing to say at this point. Plus, it's apparently been translated from Italian, to French, to English, so may have lost some subtlety.

Gilbert and Sagan in a break 12 minutes up the road. Being sent up the road for Evans and Nibali?

"Wiggins: faccia di culo" was the original Italian quote from the interview so I think that gives a hint of how Froome really feels.

Who's riding over to Paris for the end? I'll be leaving Thursday morning....

Froome and his missus need to wind their necks in. Wiggins has earned his shot at this and Sky are quite right not to switch horses mid race to a bloke who only has one significant result to his name in his entire career.

As for today, I hope Phil wins (but expect he won't). I reckon his poor form this year is down to a lax off season after his success last year. But it could be he lost his dealers phone number.

Agreed. Froome's girlfriend is a remarkably silly woman. If he has any sense, he will dump her as soon as he gets to Paris.

I wonder if Wiggo could have won yesterday if he hadn't pulled over to let EBH through.

No. He was up front too long to win the sprint

Shitty situation Froome is in, especially for the 2nd time in his career with Sky. I can understand his frustration but then again, biting the hand that feeds and all...

I would like to see the original interview - seems like an odd thing to say at this point. Plus, it's apparently been translated from Italian, to French, to English, so may have lost some subtlety.

It was probably also translated from English to Italian before it was even printed.

He's contracted to do exactly what he's done - support Wiggins.

It was probably also translated from English to Italian before it was even printed.

Which paper was it? Did it go through a Berlusconi translation?

Too bad sport is all about contracts and doing what you're paid for, not being the best you can be

I have no doubt that he's being the best as he can be according to his contractual obligations.