Tour De France 2018

#rep

Demerde

#burn

Been there.

Took great pleasure in explaining to my missus yesterday all the details of Glandon/Croix de Fer/Huez, where I stayed... she loves it when I do that.

Where Nibali was taken out there were barriers, they had climbed over them

Yep, the Giro was a great race this year. Shame for Yates in the end.

It's interesting to hear the commentators saying maybe Geraint will move to another team to take up a role as leader now. Or that maybe now he's ready to step up as team leader. He's 32. In my mind, Geraint needs to realise that this could be his one and only opportunity to win a Grand Tour. THE Grand Tour.

I know it's part of his character, and what makes him so likeable, but he's gotta stop talking himself down. It's his to lose.

Anyway... will be interesting to hear Wiggins's take on Saturday.

He's 32. In my mind, Geraint needs to realise that this could be his one and only opportunity to win a Grand Tour. THE Grand Tour.

Yeah. This. I’d be on the phone to Yates getting the skinny on what not to do.

Quite. I know he talk nice, but you dont get to where he's got without some serious competitive edge.

He's in the lead at the moment. He's just got to get to the the final week, and then see if he doesn't crack.

Froome could blow. He came into the Giro undercooked, in an effort to build form through the race (which he managed to amazing effect) and then try and hold some form for the tour. That means he's also in uncharted territory to some extent come the last week.

It looked like the start of the barriers to me

His handlebars got into the camera strap of someone, that happens with or without barriers no?

What we need is...

A WALL!

#bloodymexicans

Ice hockey rink barriers and let bloody canada pay for them!

#Trump2.0

If Thomas does crack I'd put my money on Dumoulin at the moment. But three week tours are 29 days long so it could literally go down to the final sprint in to Rome.

three week tours are 29 days long

Explains why I'm always late to work

Froome used the Tour/Vuelta double last year as an experiment to see if the Giro/Tour double was feasible. He clearly decided it was.

If you recall, he won the Tour by being consistent and always marking the moves. He was, until he got ill in the last week, more aggressive at the Vuelta.

Magnus Cort is to be considered a sprinter now...

I found yesterday quite distressing to watch, the crowd was horrendous. It's embarrassing for the sport, booing and running idiots both.

Exciting racing though, sad to see Nibali out when he was clearly feeling okay. Can only hope that Quintana and Martin can pull something in the Pyrenees.

Bardet is fun to watch on climbs, he's aggressive. Nice to see Dumoulin attacking too.

Froome's generally gone into the last week with time to defend (apart from the giro). Will be interesting at the end of 6 weeks of grand tour racing, how much he's got in the tank if he needs to attack.

Windmills looks good, but he's also not going to be fresh at the end.

It's magnificently poised! Shame nibbles has gone. He would have been the joker in the pack I think.

the crowd was horrendous. It's embarrassing for the sport, booing and running idiots both.

It's always bad on Huez. But I think Nib's incident shows that the fans and the organisers need to have a word with themselves.

They'd already supposedly reduced fan numbers on the climb.

How many riders were taken out by dickheads when the Tour came to the UK? You can't eliminate stupidity - fencing it off just moves the problem somewhere else.

I agree. Froome needs time on Dumoulin ahead of the time trial, 11 seconds is too close for comfort, even if they will both be running on fumes then.

Should make the Pyrenees fascinating. The stage to Mende could be crucial too, that’s the kind of climb where Froome could potentially gain time on Dumoulin.

The Inner Ring preview reminded me of just how many sprinters are left.

It also mentions Arnaud Demare's love of gardening. How can you dislike this guy?

There was fences, the fans were just on the inside of the fence

Ah, what they need is an inverse fence shim.

That will fix their problem by putting fans on the outside of the fence.

They just need two fences and a Berlin wall style mined 'death strip' with snipers every 200 yards.