Tour de France 2017

Nighttrain
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Nighttrain
Edited Date/Time 7/11/2017 12:33pm
Anybody watching? Hated seeing Valverde crash out in the Prologue. Like him or not the dude is always an animator in the big races. Hopefully it won't be another Tour where Sky controls the race while Froome, with his janky pedaling style, slowly gaps his main rivals on climbs. Boring if so.

It's odd the Tour organizers do not hang padding on the metal barriers along sketchy turns especially during wet stages. There were a few turns where everyone knew there would be problems today. Like the one where Valverde wadded up.
http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2017/07/01/alejandro-valverde-tour-de-fra…
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BMSOBx2
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BMSOBx2 7/1/2017 6:57pm
7/1/2017 6:57pm
Yes, sketchy conditions for sure. One of the early questions was " will any of the top riders risk it in the rain"? Valverde was either unlucky or pushing too hard to give himself an early cushion. On another note, there are 9 stages this year that could come down to a sprint. That should mix things a bit.
Nighttrain
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Nighttrain 7/3/2017 12:38pm
7/3/2017 12:38pm
Sagan is my favorite sprinter. Not since Cipollini has a finish man had the chops to pull off antics like Sagan.

I loved the last kilometer of the race today. Good on LeTour for including a finish with a steep ramp.
71Fish
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71Fish 7/4/2017 7:54am
7/4/2017 7:54am
My yearly July ritual. NC21 put himself in a hole during the opening prologue. It will be more shadowing Froome and doing much of nothing else in the mountains. Froome has really set himself up nicely early.
Firefly47
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Firefly47 7/5/2017 7:16am
7/5/2017 7:16am
Sagan now DQ'd from the TdF. What a load of shit.

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TX24
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TX24 7/5/2017 5:32pm
7/5/2017 5:32pm
The finish today was said to be an 8% incline and a 20% at the end. We did a very short 8 this morning. I can't imagine what a 20 even looks like.
brlatm
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brlatm 7/5/2017 7:26pm
7/5/2017 7:26pm
TX24 wrote:
The finish today was said to be an 8% incline and a 20% at the end. We did a very short 8 this morning. I can't...
The finish today was said to be an 8% incline and a 20% at the end. We did a very short 8 this morning. I can't imagine what a 20 even looks like.
Looks likes my quads would be burning and my lungs screaming for life. Those guys hammered that uphill, like I "attempt" to hit the straightaways. They make me feel like fat mule the way they ride.
71Fish
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71Fish 7/6/2017 4:02am
7/6/2017 4:02am Edited Date/Time 7/6/2017 4:02am
Lance Armstrong does a daily follow up podcast called Stages, if interested.
Dirty Britches 7/6/2017 1:29pm
7/6/2017 1:29pm
Team Sky is the unstoppable train. Still, Fabio Aru has to be pleased with the stage 5 win. What a finish.
Nighttrain
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Nighttrain 7/8/2017 6:46pm
7/8/2017 6:46pm
Tomorrow's stage may be the most difficult of this Tour. With 7 categorized climbs, the GC contenders will be defined at the end. I believe Froome will all but lock it up. Maybe Richie Porte can uncork a champion caliber ride to keep this Tour interesting.
1911
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1911 7/8/2017 7:44pm
7/8/2017 7:44pm
Nighttrain wrote:
Tomorrow's stage may be the most difficult of this Tour. With 7 categorized climbs, the GC contenders will be defined at the end. I believe Froome...
Tomorrow's stage may be the most difficult of this Tour. With 7 categorized climbs, the GC contenders will be defined at the end. I believe Froome will all but lock it up. Maybe Richie Porte can uncork a champion caliber ride to keep this Tour interesting.
DVR locked and loaded. 4 am is very early. Plus F1 starts 30 min later.
APLMAN99
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APLMAN99 7/9/2017 12:26pm
7/9/2017 12:26pm
Watched bike racing last night..........




IWreckALot
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IWreckALot 7/10/2017 8:35am
7/10/2017 8:35am
APLMAN99 wrote:
Watched bike racing last night.......... [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2017/07/09/204103/s1200_image.jpg[/img]
Watched bike racing last night..........




I dialed this up on the DVR thinking it was going to be another PED documentary. . . Turns out I was way off. They had some funny stuff in there but for the most part it was a waste of time.
APLMAN99
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APLMAN99 7/10/2017 11:01am
7/10/2017 11:01am
IWreckALot wrote:
I dialed this up on the DVR thinking it was going to be another PED documentary. . . Turns out I was way off. They had...
I dialed this up on the DVR thinking it was going to be another PED documentary. . . Turns out I was way off. They had some funny stuff in there but for the most part it was a waste of time.
It definitely didn't need to be any longer than it was. Some decent comedy at times, but Samburg's style of comedy isn't always my thing.

I was pretty surprised with some of the Armstrong bits, though.........
DoctorJD
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DoctorJD 7/10/2017 1:08pm
7/10/2017 1:08pm
IWreckALot wrote:
I dialed this up on the DVR thinking it was going to be another PED documentary. . . Turns out I was way off. They had...
I dialed this up on the DVR thinking it was going to be another PED documentary. . . Turns out I was way off. They had some funny stuff in there but for the most part it was a waste of time.
Agree. I soooo wanted this to be funny, but it was just abysmal. The Armstrong, "anonymous ex-pro racer" bit was pretty good.
Sidecar
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Sidecar 7/10/2017 2:12pm
7/10/2017 2:12pm
Richie Portes crash, unfortunately taking Dan Martin down was savage, that descent on fresh, damp tarmac was awesome to watch but very dangerous, seperate incident on the same descent took Geriant Thomas out too. Dan Martin lost a little time but at least he's still in the race. Next two weeks should be good.
Sidecar
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Sidecar 7/11/2017 11:54am
7/11/2017 11:54am
moto-moto.... Yes the unwritten rule only applies to yellow. I'm no Froome fan though, I think Aru was right to attack, had it been another rider in yellow then maybe the unwritten should have applied Whistling

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BMSOBx2
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BMSOBx2 7/11/2017 12:33pm
7/11/2017 12:33pm
By not attacking they have turned this year's Tour into a Froome snoozer. I'm afraid it's over with 2 weeks to go.
ocscottie
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ocscottie 7/13/2017 3:06pm
7/13/2017 3:06pm
Froomie lost yellow today, cracked on the finish and lost 22seconds. He can get that back in the ITT, but still lots of racing to go, big day tomorrow. First time ive seen him crack like that, just didnt have the legs.
BMSOBx2
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BMSOBx2 7/13/2017 4:06pm
7/13/2017 4:06pm
BMSOBx2 wrote:
By not attacking they have turned this year's Tour into a Froome snoozer. I'm afraid it's over with 2 weeks to go.
OK my bad, play on.Silly
yak651
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yak651 7/13/2017 7:12pm
7/13/2017 7:12pm
That finish was crazy, looks like it would be hard to walk that!!
Nighttrain
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Nighttrain 7/13/2017 9:10pm
7/13/2017 9:10pm
Froome is still in the driver's seat. The Sky team is so strong they set a pace that shredded the field over the climbs today. I've watched a lot of cycling since the late '80's and only remember US Postal being as dominant every year in the TdF. Sky had three domestiques driving the pace late in today's stage with only the best climbers in the race remaining in the group. Straight outta USPS playbook.

Sky's Landa looks to be strongest in this Tour. If only he'd go rogue and ride for himself then we'd have a race!
ocscottie
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ocscottie 7/14/2017 8:32am
7/14/2017 8:32am
Awesome racing today!!! Great short stage, more should be like it.
Nighttrain
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Nighttrain 7/18/2017 5:34pm
7/18/2017 5:34pm
Unless the others can take significant time away from Froome tomorrow (2 HC climbs) and Thursday (Mtn Top Finish) then Froome will cruise to another Yellow jersey. Although Uran can be decent in a Time Trial and 1 remains to be ridden. I'm pulling for him and Bardet.

I don't know what they started taking a few years back to reduce body fat but it has to be more than clenbuterol. Week 3 legs of a TdF rider:
https://mobile.twitter.com/8aldwin/status/887365614943318019
Old-Man
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Old-Man 7/19/2017 1:10pm
7/19/2017 1:10pm
Here ya go Nighttrain



Holy shiz Man, never seen anything like this
1911
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1911 7/19/2017 3:38pm
7/19/2017 3:38pm
Needs a sandwich
Nighttrain
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Nighttrain 7/19/2017 8:13pm
7/19/2017 8:13pm
Old-Man wrote:
Here ya go Nighttrain [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2017/07/19/205477/s1200_Froom.jpg[/img] Holy shiz Man, never seen anything like this
Here ya go Nighttrain



Holy shiz Man, never seen anything like this
Thanks, Old-Man. Yea, that doesn't look healthy. Not long after Rasmussen got busted many of the top GC riders started getting leaner than ever in the history of the sport. And mysteriously kept their power and endurance. There's some fat metabolizing drug in play. Doesn't a persons vital organs need a certain amount of fat to be functional?

PEDs will always be in pro cycling but now there is a lot of banter about hidden motors being used. That would kill it for me. From what I've been reading in cycling forums it's not a matter of if but only when that lid blows. All these bike changes during stages (fresh battery), cadence looking dodgy on climbs, very odd race tactics,...even Lemond says this is not normal racing at the highest level.

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