Tour de France 2014

Can anyone help with some insight on why Sagan doesn't need the same kind of lead out train as other sprinters? Obvs he doesn't seem to win as many as Kittel/Gripel but he's always in the mix but often flying solo. How does he manage it? Tactics plus strength and youth, or is there another component I'm missing?

I think you saw how he did this on todays footage. Fantastic wheel sucking

what's the status of Skelator then? Safe in the bunch and onto the team bus for re-programming?

They'll take a fresh one out of storage for tomorrow.

Will be interesting to see if the Skittle Kitten feels he can up his game out on the more hilly sprints to counterract Sagan's sneaky wheel sucking. I remember Thor doing it before, and it'd be great to see another 'big' man go at it with the GC boys, hooning up the mountains for the sake of Intermediate Sprint points.

They'll take a fresh one out of storage for tomorrow.

Ha!

Nibbles got a wee kiss today then. That's nice.

Ha bet he was wondering if it was going to be a repeat! He looked a bit sheepish.

Not a great advert for Canyon Bikes right there....

A couple of riders were using some new Canyon integrated stem/bars- wonder if it was one of them that cracked. The rest had ritchey cockpits. Interesting R&D- back to the drawing board perhaps?

Will be interesting to see if the Skittle Kitten feels he can up his game out on the more hilly sprints

he hates gradients, don't think that will happen anytime soon. he calls them "Scheißberge" (as heard in the great documentary about team Argos-Shimano in last year's TdF)

Ha bet he was wondering if it was going to be a repeat! He looked a bit sheepish.

maybe the team just mixed in some mouthwash with his finishing bottle?

Reckon Sagan will take yellow tomorrow. Cat amongst the pigeons...

I like how Kittel said in his interview he gave, that today proved his isn't invincible. Not sure how invincible translates into German, but no, Marcel, winning a stage does no prove you're not invincible. 3 wins out of 4 so far kinda does the opposite pal.

looks like Drago's hair gel made it through customs after all... but wtf is this on Sagan's head?!

I'll be rooting for Sep Vanmarcke tomorrow, but Peto might indeed have a chance

Saggers has been banging on about his hair on the Tweeder.

He speaks in riddles.

He reckon's it's his "Wolverine" hair. Nice try bub.

Immediately following Froome's crash there was this too on Izagirre's bike, something came loose or snapped:

No worries, he is just showing he is having a cracking good time out there

Paging Hoke to the thread

Oui Oui?

Yeah, I'm going to need about 83 photos of that stem and steerer ASAP
http://thumbs.newschoolers.com/index.php?src=http://media.newschoolers.com/uploads/images/17/00/45/34/25/453425.jpeg&size=400x1000

Rude!

It was only 70 in the last album tbf

Have 127 instead then!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/108803424@N07/sets/72157645151201152/

oh Ho!

Second day was at Luci's corner on Cote d' Oxenhope Moor.

20140706-P1110626.jpg by Michael M Rennie, on Flickr

20140706-P1110627.jpg by Michael M Rennie, on Flickr

The peloton climbing pass us.

20140706-P1110725.jpg by Michael M Rennie, on Flickr

20140706-P1110732.jpg by Michael M Rennie, on Flickr

20140706-P1110737.jpg by Michael M Rennie, on Flickr

20140706-P1110745.jpg by Michael M Rennie, on Flickr

The Scottish contingent.

20140706-P1110755.jpg by Michael M Rennie, on Flickr

Lucifer on the decent.

20140706-P1110762.jpg by Michael M Rennie, on Flickr

Luci and his domestiques.

20140706-P1110767.jpg by Michael M Rennie, on Flickr

Pleasure to meet you guys and if you're ever up 'north of the wall' give us a shout.

Ha ha! Brilliant! Was a great day, Mike - a great lead out from your fastmen and some good laughs.
Belting out of Howarth I thought I was part of the peloton until the shout of "GO ON, GRANDAD!!"

Good times!

On board footage

http://touch.dailymotion.com/#/video/x210htq_en-on-board-camera-team-orica-green-edge-team-lampre-merida-stage-2-york-sheffield_sport

^ always great to see onboard footages of pro races, but is it something allowed? I mean, were there any regulations before?

Another shot from yesterday, I hope this guy will be able to make it good till the end ;)

"Portrait... Landscape... Portrait... Landscape... I just can't decide!"

^haha

View from the north end of Westminster Bridge yesterday https://twitter.com/Brendography/status/486550991966593025

So. Many. Phones.

I watched it out in Essex yesterday (I sort of had to as I was leading the forum ride out to Fyfield) and took a conscious decision* to enjoy the caravane and peloton and not take any pictures cos there would be so many that everyone else took.

This did mean that when the riders came past I could enjoy it with my own eyes and not through a viewfinder - I could have watched it on a screen at home!

We had beautiful weather out there too and the rain had gone by the time we got back into London. We were joined by this guy too which was pretty cool:

Riding back into town got a bit of a roadie chaingang going with Mashtronaut on here, his bro and some guy from Dalston in Rapha who seemed like a nice chap. It was great riding the course not long after the pros and we got lots of cheers and high fives from small children.

*Fyfield is a mobile blackspot, which helped.