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MuespachRam

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1 hour ago, MuespachRam said:

The biggest spectator sport in the world with the chance of a "British" guy winning it for a record equaling 5 times and another British guy just got the yellow jersey in a British team led by a guy from Derbyshire and no one is talking about it.....?

Why do you think that is? 

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2 hours ago, DC-1975 said:

It was a brilliant ride by Thomas yesterday. I hope Sky give him a chance to win, but I imagine they’ll favour Froome.

Its a strange one for Sky now because it could as many have said go down to a purely business decision and is the best business decision to have Froome win it and set records or for Thomas to win it and have Sky have 3 winners and take the heat off Froome a bit..?

Personally I think Froome will kill it.

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40 minutes ago, DC-1975 said:

I can see your profile picture David. Once you’ve caught the cycling bug it won’t be long until you become a MAMIL?

Not everything you enjoy doing makes it entertaining to watch as a spectator!

Actually picked up an expensive bike today. Proper one. No Lycra though.

3A2D0D0E-6061-46E4-8A51-E7CD11C9FD9C.jpeg

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Strange sport on the flat, no rider can go faster than the main bunch because of the wind.  So watching flat races or flat stages is sort of pointless until the sprint finish.  In the mountains it's very entertaining and a really good sport.

But unfortunately it's all tainted, who knows which wins are genuine and which aren't?  Which 'medications' are intended to enhance performance and which are actually necessary.  Why is such an elite sport usually contested by so many asthmatics ?

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37 minutes ago, MuespachRam said:

Surely now Sky have to get behind G..?

Froome can’t make up 2.31 with 3 stages left; he has to ride for Thomas now. Would be brilliant to see G win because he’s a great bike rider and a genuinely nice guy. 

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36 minutes ago, MuespachRam said:

Surely now Sky have to get behind G..?

Team Sky will be relieved that the decision has probably  now been made for them, out on the road. After backing Wiggins in the Vuelta in 2012(?) to Froome's detriment, I suspect that they did not relish having a comparable situation again, and particularly so late in this Tour.

It could still unravel even now with one more stage in the Pyrenees plus the individual time trial, but G certainly looks to be the stronger this year on the climbs - and the time trial has a decidedly " lumpy" look to it.

Barring mechanicals  / falls, we should see a Welsh victory on the Champs Elysee - I don't see Dumoulin clawing back virtually 2 minutes on the three remaining stages, good as he is "against the clock".

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3 hours ago, Dordogne-Ram said:

Team Sky will be relieved that the decision has probably  now been made for them, out on the road. After backing Wiggins in the Vuelta in 2012(?) to Froome's detriment, I suspect that they did not relish having a comparable situation again, and particularly so late in this Tour.

It could still unravel even now with one more stage in the Pyrenees plus the individual time trial, but G certainly looks to be the stronger this year on the climbs - and the time trial has a decidedly " lumpy" look to it.

Barring mechanicals  / falls, we should see a Welsh victory on the Champs Elysee - I don't see Dumoulin clawing back virtually 2 minutes on the three remaining stages, good as he is "against the clock".

Good summary, but I still think Dumoulin is the danger man. I suspect he's kicking himself for concentrating on Froome, expecting Thomas to have cracked by now.

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On ‎19‎/‎07‎/‎2018 at 15:47, SaintRam said:

I don't think I've ever watched any cycling. Never really understood it as something to be spectated. 

Pity that you probably didn't give it a go today.... you could of course watch the highlights on ITV4 at 19.00 this evening.

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I'm fully aware that cyling has a very dubious reputation regarding performance enhancing substances (I've read several books about it) and also how Brailsford demands a squeaky clean team,despite suspicions about Froome.

On the one hand Froome seems a rather shy, open character, on the other there's the old adage about smoke and fire.

So I'm rather surprised, nay, amazed, the 'G' has kept it going the whole tour. and how strong he's finished stages, especially that last mountain stage where he out-sprinted the other climbers. Also, to be only a few seconds behind Doumalin(sp) and Froome in the ITT was, well, a bit unexpected. Admittedly his time trialing has improved and he's had so much bad luck in previous tours, but you do have to ask yourself the obvious question.

It's also a bit odd that previous Sky 'lieutenants' who've nursed Froome up the mountains, and sometimes finished the stronger (Landa for one, I think), never really cut it in other teams.

I just really, really hope Thomas is squeaky clean but there's so much at stake with the teams/sposors, stuff comes to light later on. The laboratories who work on stuff to mask drugs seem to be harder at work than the ones producing them. And the lengths they can go to to avoid testing positive is an art form in it's own right. Read Tyler Hamilton's book 'The Secret Race', a real eye-opener.

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