Sep Vanmarcke rides the cobbles Kelly-Style in the 2014 stage to Port du Hinault. Photo: Cycling Tips
Cobblestones make the race, I’m not ruining any fantasies telling you that. Wet cobblestones, well, those make a legend. Nibbles rose in my esteem considerably when he rode the wet cobbles as well as he rides any mountain descent or climb; that is a boy with some nerves and some mad bike handling skills.
Wet cobbles are scarier to ride that dry ones, but they aren’t really that much more difficult to ride; you’re still playing the lottery that your wheels keep pointing where your bike is trying to go. But wet stones are definitely more draining; the mud and silt you ride through make it like riding through molasses. Awesome molasses, but molasses nonetheless.
The cobbles are back this year, and hopefully so will the rain. Let us pray for rain, because last year’s stage made the race.
The Tour de France needs no introduction but the VSP prizes deserve a gentle reminder. This is a Grand Tour, people, lots of points at stake. And those points are going towards amazing prizes including a Jaegher frame and a Café Roubaix wheelset. There is plenty of time for you to Delgado this thing, too, if you wait around until the last minute. So my advice is that you avoid doing that.
Give yourself enough time to enter your picks so if something has gone amuck, you have time to hit “reload” or come back V minutes later to try again before the event closes. Remember, your procrastination in this matter will not result in our emergency to enter your picks for you. All that said, if you do encounter a problem, please be so kind as to take a screenshot and upload it because the descriptor “it didn’t work” or “hm, not working” doesn’t help us debug the problem. Also, Internet Explorer is not supported and apparently only shows one Pick Entry box, so use Chrome, Firefox, or Safari instead.
The scoring for the Grand Tours is a tad more involved than the one-day races and one-week Tours, so look the guidelines over before making your prognostications.
So get your picks in before the countdown clock goes to zero, hit the go button, and good luck.
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It is entirely possible that Froome is burning his matches too early. There is still a long way to go and it is not like he has never cracked in the high mountains. He is not immune to bad luck either.. Let's not consider this done and over just yet.
The best thing about this Tour is I'm getting plenty of sleep! Wake me up when it's over... say, next Spring when the proper racing is on.
@Erik
A lot of use of the word "unbelievable" in describing it, and a lot of the same kind of, "good old fashioned hard work" explanations that remind me an awful lot of the Armstrong Era, but its ultimately unfair to paint with those brush strokes - I'd rather believe a liar than doubt the integrity of an honest person.
The best thing about Quintana is he rides a normal size gear like Pantani did, not that stupid high cadence bullshit that Froome is using. At least Froome rode a LITTLE less fugly today - but would it kill him to stop riding his little brother's bike and get on one that fits? Fuck, those pointy elbows and knees are killing me!
@brett
Oh look! Grumpy Grampa Brett's awake! Look out for the hook of his cane.
@brett
If you're finding it boring the inference is that you must be watching it to be bored by it...
@Oli
I watched the cobble stage live and have been watching the highlights and some replays, yes. And it's the same as every year: favourite gets a couple minutes, that's it, all over.
@frank
So you find it tiresome, I find it boring. Semantics.
@Jay
This.
I said a bit ago, and I agree, I think interest actually increases to see if/when Froome cracks. There are 4 climbs today, he will surely be tired.
Secondly, the worst thing about cycling currently is the fans and the media. Because every 5 minutes everyone throws out accusations and points fingers if someone they are not a fan of suceeds. Everytime a winner of a stage or race has a past transgression, it is always mentioned as a preface.
I have come to the stupefying conclusion that the reason that cycling doesn't let go of the past, is because the fans and the media (who are actually are encouraged by clicks etc from the fans on those kinds of stories) don't want to let it go. We have the reality, the dirty, doubting, reality, that we really want. All anyone seems to really want to read about is controversy. Especially the layperson/ non-purist.
If this was Merckx BITD, we all would be cleaning our tv sets and computers due to over exhuberance at such a result.
I am not a fan of Froome. I am aware that COTHO never failed a test also. But right now, Froome is likely to be the most tested and scrutinised athlete on the planet. The whole thing. You podium, you get tested. He is probably getting tested everyday for the last week. The systems have improved. The systems are probably not perfect. But they are better than they have ever been.
I have my faith in the organisation.
And so I can continue to watch the race in wonder.
Enjoying the race and coverage- but for shits sake, can someone PLEASE make a few more/different TV commercials for chocolate milk and Cadillac cars....the same six commercials each break makes me want to let out about 60 PSI from each tire and go for a century for some added self- administered pain and agony.
Though I will still watch it and think to myself...should I buy some chocolate milk to drink in my new car???
I guess Movistar were just trying a show of strength. To say they weren't afraid and maybe to get into a one on one situation - in the past Quintana has at times been better than Froome when they are in direct competition.
Regarding the suspicion, yes there is some element of being stuck in the past but isn't that also because nobody has done a lot to move into the future.
There is a lot of scepticism about Froome from sensible people who have been looking at the performances of top riders over a lot of years. I'm talking about sports science and data specialists, not haters on message boards.
Froome was estimated to have done 6.1 w/kg for 40 minutes yesterday. That level for that duration is extremely suspect. Unfortunately we don't know his HR and physiological details. The only people with the data to confirm or deny it is Sky and they are setting lawyers on people.
Until teams and the sport's administrators realise that it isn't good enough to sit and say "He was tested, he's clean, we don't dope" then it is going to continue.
@brett
You should get a new hobby.