[Super Domestique]

Thought it might be good to have a thread to discuss the race, etc.

First comments from me are Sagan is exciting. A real talent. Hope to see much more from him.

Secondly, poor Tony Martin. What a terrible first 2 stages. Just unfortunate or not fully ‘up to speed’ after injury? What do you reckon?

Finally, who said Cav needs a lead out train?! His wheel hopping was first class today.

Topic

[Super Domestique]

I believe they are not
I believe they are not compulsory. Team in top spot has the choice. RNT have yellow flashes on the side of theirs which might be for that reason but I can’t recall if that is always there or not atm.

[Marauder]

I was on my hols last week
I was on my hols last week and was able to check in with Le Tour now and again on Eurosport – allbeit in Spanish and German and I have forgot to ask what happened to the yellow lids Sky had to wear and then no doubt passed onto RNT?

Did everyone start objecting to wearing them?

[Adey]

Oh dear Frank – guilty or
Oh dear Frank – guilty or innocent? 😕

[Super Domestique]

JAndrewHill wrote:Tommy

JAndrewHill wrote:

Tommy Voeckler should be fined for bearing his torso. Doesn’t the #tdf have a dress code?

Allow him that, he is such a great character.

He and sorenson in gurning contest lol.

[JAndrewHill]

Tommy Voeckler should be
Tommy Voeckler should be fined for bearing his torso. Doesn’t the #tdf have a dress code?

[Super Domestique]

Another random observation,
Another random observation, the saxo bank kit is really growing on me. (no, not literally 😉 )

[Super Domestique]

Richie Porte been
Richie Porte been excellent.

Tacks on the road. Really? Whoever did that is a muppet.

[drheaton]

Super Domestique

Super Domestique wrote:

drheaton wrote:

I suspect HTC had thrown quite a lot of money at the team and no other sponsor was willing to match that so they couldn’t keep everyone on salary.

I guess so but you could have kept some of, what was a most successful, team together surely.

Had the best kit in peloton last yr too imo.

Agreed, I suspect there was a choice to be made at some point, either scrap the team entirely or carry on as a much smaller, less well funded and less successful team. I can’t blame them for pulling the plug rather than wanting to dwindle into mediocrity, it was a brave choice and one that many people would not have taken prefering to linger on as something average.

[Super Domestique]

drheaton wrote:I suspect HTC

drheaton wrote:

I suspect HTC had thrown quite a lot of money at the team and no other sponsor was willing to match that so they couldn’t keep everyone on salary.

I guess so but you could have kept some of, what was a most successful, team together surely.

Had the best kit in peloton last yr too imo.

[notfastenough]

londonplayer wrote:I know

londonplayer wrote:

I know this may be unpopular to say BUT do you think that Froome and Wiggins might be on more than just Weetabix?

Interesting how they can take so much time out of Fabian’s time. A few seconds – perhaps. But minutes?

I think it’s more that the emphasis has been different. Sky more or less just ‘survived’ the first week (notwithstanding Cav’s stage win) where Spartacus gave it some real beans to stay in yellow so long, and Cadel’s babysitting group always looked strong. Now that’s out of the way, Sky are coming into their own. The gaps wouldn’t be so big if another team had the riders and and a similar strategy to put in a strong showing on the climbs. Dave B is sometimes criticised on a tactical level, but strategically he’s the master, and that’s what we’re seeing here.

Froome has been good at TTs for a while – h’e been picked for the Olympic TT ahead of Dave M remember.

[daddyELVIS]

cancellara is no longer at
cancellara is no longer at his absolute peak, plus he’s had a tough first week, not just defending yellow but showing the leader’s jersey great respect by powering up that final climb (even past his own GC man, Schleck) on the day he was always going to lose it. Wiggins seems to have been riding within himself in week 1, so to me no great surprise that he smashed this TT. Froome was more of a surprise, but then he’ll have been doing very similar traning and preparation to Wiggins. One thing that I have noticed is a slight difference in the Sky TT bike compared to others – they have their aero extension bars raised up quite high, creating a gap for the air to flow under the fore-arms but above the head-tube. Perhaps Sky have spent more hours refining their TT bike design in the air tunnel.

[JAndrewHill]

londonplayer wrote:I know

londonplayer wrote:

I know this may be unpopular to say BUT do you think that Froome and Wiggins might be on more than just Weetabix?

Interesting how they can take so much time out of Fabian’s time. A few seconds – perhaps. But minutes?

I think brad might have something to answer that one…$#%& +%$#: **&$###***

[JAndrewHill]

londonplayer wrote:I know

londonplayer wrote:

I know this may be unpopular to say BUT do you think that Froome and Wiggins might be on more than just Weetabix?

Interesting how they can take so much time out of Fabian’s time. A few seconds – perhaps. But minutes?

I think brad might have something to answer that one…$#%& +%$#: **&$###***

[londonplayer]

I know this may be unpopular
I know this may be unpopular to say BUT do you think that Froome and Wiggins might be on more than just Weetabix?

Interesting how they can take so much time out of Fabian’s time. A few seconds – perhaps. But minutes?

[drheaton]

I suspect HTC had thrown
I suspect HTC had thrown quite a lot of money at the team and no other sponsor was willing to match that so they couldn’t keep everyone on salary.

[Author]

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