**** Tour de France 2017 ****

[Dr Imran T]

Long Drax said:

Only, Valverde wasn't there to challenge Froome, he was there to ride for Quintana as a super-domestique.

Valverde was in super form and certainly it would have been the other way round, had he been in it.

Don't forget porte crashed out too - yes his own fault.. again had he been in the full race, he may have challanged froome.

[Randy Winkman]

john2443 said:

Randy Winkman said:

It is possible for an individual or small group to break away and win. But unlikely. Loads will try though. Which is the main reason to watch. But whether you're "allowed" to do it to pinch a jersey, I'm not sure.

I think you are allowed to, but Sky will make sure none of the contenders can do it.

Can SKY try to get Landa on the podium though? Send him and 2 domestiques up the road and make Bardet chase? Could at least make a bit of interest!

Sorry - that's what I meant - is it OK for Sky to try to nick third place? Or is that considered bad form?

[john2443]

Randy Winkman said:

Sorry - that's what I meant - is it OK for Sky to try to nick third place? Or is that considered bad form?

Ah, I see!

Google says "It's essentially impossible to win by attacking on the last stage of the Tour. It is flat in Paris and whatever dinky posse you might be able to round up to attack will be swallowed up by the peloton and spit out the back by the top sprinter’s teams 500 M before the finish."

If that's correct then it doesn't matter what the etiquette is, there's no point trying.

[Kermit power]

john2443 said:

Randy Winkman said:

Sorry - that's what I meant - is it OK for Sky to try to nick third place? Or is that considered bad form?

Ah, I see!

Google says "It's essentially impossible to win by attacking on the last stage of the Tour. It is flat in Paris and whatever dinky posse you might be able to round up to attack will be swallowed up by the peloton and spit out the back by the top sprinter’s teams 500 M before the finish."

If that's correct then it doesn't matter what the etiquette is, there's no point trying.

That's why I was thinking that the only riders who could possibly nick a couple of seconds on the finish would have to be both sprinters and GC contenders, so a list of basically nobody ever to choose from.

[Long Drax]

Kermit power said:

john2443 said:

Randy Winkman said:

Sorry - that's what I meant - is it OK for Sky to try to nick third place? Or is that considered bad form?

Ah, I see!

Google says "It's essentially impossible to win by attacking on the last stage of the Tour. It is flat in Paris and whatever dinky posse you might be able to round up to attack will be swallowed up by the peloton and spit out the back by the top sprinter’s teams 500 M before the finish."

If that's correct then it doesn't matter what the etiquette is, there's no point trying.

That's why I was thinking that the only riders who could possibly nick a couple of seconds on the finish would have to be both sprinters and GC contenders, so a list of basically nobody ever to choose from.

Bardet acknowledged in a post-stage interview today that there was a possibility that Landa could try to bump him off the podium in Paris tomorrow. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/bardet-i-did-the-t...

I think Bardet certainly looks knackered enough to be vulnerable.

[anonymous-user]

Randy Winkman said:

On the booing, I'd say it's more of an anti-Sky thing than an anti-Froome thing.

I must have missed the bits where they were booing the rest of the Sky team.

[Yipper]

Froome now among the all-time greats.

Fantastic pic from today.

[Randy Winkman]

swiveleyedgit said:

Randy Winkman said:

On the booing, I'd say it's more of an anti-Sky thing than an anti-Froome thing.

I must have missed the bits where they were booing the rest of the Sky team.

Perhaps I'm wrong ... but there was no need to boo the rest of them because they weren't winning the race.

Even as a Brit that quite likes Chris Froome, I don't like the Sky Team.

[Kermit power]

Randy Winkman said:

swiveleyedgit said:

Randy Winkman said:

On the booing, I'd say it's more of an anti-Sky thing than an anti-Froome thing.

I must have missed the bits where they were booing the rest of the Sky team.

Perhaps I'm wrong ... but there was no need to boo the rest of them because they weren't winning the race.

Even as a Brit that quite likes Chris Froome, I don't like the Sky Team.

More to the point, I suspect, is that you won't see them booing any other members of the Sky team simply because if they're not close enough to Froome for you to shine they're booing him, you don't generally see them on the TV coverage.

[ferrisbueller]

Watching the highlights and Landa was booed, too.

[Randy Winkman]

Did I just hear David Millar correctly; I think he said that 3rd place wont be attacked?

[Dr Imran T]

The booing isn't so bad. Throwing urine and punches at the sky riders was clearly unacceptable.

Booing is all part of the game. I reckon it even spurred froome on further!

Football certainly leads the way when opposition fans dislike one team or another. Booing by football standards is polite ☺

I've heard some truly woeful stuff when I've been to watch some matches.

I heard one fan shouting out to 'put him in the wash' to a black player. Nasty stuff.

Cycling's fans are by in large pretty damn good.

[mcelliott]

Maybe the fans are directing their boos not individually at Froome but to the team as a whole - they are probably the most disliked team since US Postal, especially as the whole 'marginal gains' bks has been torn to pieces.

[johnfm]

Amazing - 4 TdF in 5 years?

[S100HP]

Randy Winkman said:

Did I just hear David Millar correctly; I think he said that 3rd place wont be attacked?

Yes. Bad form to alter places on last stage.

[Gandahar]

mcelliott said:

Maybe the fans are directing their boos not individually at Froome but to the team as a whole - they are probably the most disliked team since US Postal, especially as the whole 'marginal gains' bks has been torn to pieces.

yes the team as a whole is under a small fluffy cloud in the UK and a big thunderhead in France. Rightly or wrongly.

The whole sport suffers from more excess baggage than the reclaim section at Heathrow unfortunately. And it is all down to the teams and riders just cheating for years and thinking it was ok.

[The jiffle king]

I know Froome wins half a million euros. Does he share it with his team mates?

[S100HP]

The jiffle king said:

I know Froome wins half a million euros. Does he share it with his team mates?

He'll give it all to his teammates. He'll make money in sponsorship deals.

[Parsnip]

Bardet - really needs to learn to TT - this TdF was light on TT distance and he still lost time - Sastre learned how to do it, so why can't Bardet? Can see him winning a Giro or a Vuelta against the right GC field, but the TdF this year was set up pretty well for him and couldn't do it. He is a good rider to watch and the AG2R team were responsible for a lot of exciting and aggressive riding.

Uran - he looked to be surprised as anyone to be on the podium. Did all of his own riding as well, could have been really dangerous if he had a couple of Sky super domestiques at his disposal.

Froome/Sky - impressive but boring - it is cycling by numbers. Losing Landa could make for a big change next year. Froome is the best all rounder and that is who should win the GC, but being there or there abouts and then relying on your TT doesn't make for exciting racing. He had a great ride to get back on after his rear puncture, but it still felt like he was on the radio to the team car and they were telling him what power numbers to be doing.

Barguil was impressive, lucky in parts, but legs to back it up. Agree with the ITV guys that he added a lot of kudos to the Polkadot jersey - wasn't just going out and nicking points, he was out riding big GC guys at times. Very, very lucky not to end up having a serious accident motorpacing back on yesterday.

Green - bit of an anti climax - Matthews earned it, but felt a bit like Sagan-lite. Losing all of the big sprinters took the sting out of it a bit. Greipel was nowhere. Groenewegen winning on the Champs kind of says it all - not knocking his acchievement in the slightest, but when we are so used to huge leadouts and then the big sprinters throwing down massive power at the front, a relative nobody riding away from the pack from miles back, with a tiny team winning the biggest sprinters stage of the year doesn't seem quite right. Couldn't see that happening with Cav/Kittel/Sagan there.

I know security issues etc. probably have a lot to do with it, but did the crowds seem really small and far away in Paris? Also no fireworks etc.? I'm sure that when Wiggo won there was a really cool lightshow on the Arc du Triomphe?

[ferrisbueller]

David Millar was saying he is helping Bardet with his TT technique and mindset.