Tour De France (general thread) Mod note, first post.

Morrisseeee

With the most popular race in the cycling world fast approaching, is it time to get the HR up and start discussing everything........TDF-ish.

Here's a good opener, Froome, he's hot favourite to win it, and he's indicated he's going to 'target' the next 6/7 TDF's, but wait, what's this I see.......!

> bike-pure-removes-froome-ahead-of-tour

<Mod snip>

For anyone looking for stage profiles etc, see here for good data:
eg Stage 1:






Mod note, this is a general TdF thread and spoilers must be used for same day stages or preferably talk about the same day stage in the stage specific thread. Merde, Captain Havoc

AstraMonti

Morrisseeee wrote: »

> bike-pure-removes-froome-ahead-of-tour

His wife is annoying.

Beasty

Guys, please don't make our jobs harder - read the sticky on doping speculation - that way we shouldn't need to sanction anyone

Any questions, PM me or one of the other mods - do not respond in-thread

Thanks

Beasty

hypersonic

could you recommend a live streams or youtube channels, I've no tv at the moment so itv is out

resdubwhite

FRoome needs to win 1 tour before he goes on about the next 6 or 7.

Superman. If you're listening. Stop him from winning the tour. Puuuleeeeaasssseeee.

Captain Havoc

hypersonic wrote: »

could you recommend a live streams or youtube channels, I've no tv at the moment so itv is out

Obviously recommending illegal streams is against the forum charter so you can stream it on TG4 and if eurosport are still doing the commentry only for free, you can have that at the same time (with a time gap).

Lumen

Where's the best place to bet against Froome?

It's the TdF, lots happens.

resdubwhite

Lumen wrote: »

Where's the best place to bet against Froome?

It's the TdF, lots happens.

I find bookies shops to be the best places.


No seriously. Who'd you be thinking?
Bertie perhaps. Must admit. Saxo look strong on paper. I know its the tour and all that.

My bet to have a real strong tour and possibly strongly challenge. Teejay van Garderen (sic)

Brian?

I have a completely unjustified confidence in Contador winning. I've written off Le Tour as a cake walk for Contador. .

Sagan or Cavendish for green is very open. I'd say Sagan.

Anyone got any nominees for the polka dot and white jerseys.

Pierre Rolland will win at least one stage.

snollup

Brian? wrote: »

Anyone got any nominees for the polka dot and white jerseys.

Nairo Quintana?

Bikerbhoy

Brian? wrote: »

I have a completely unjustified confidence in Contador winning. I've written off Le Tour as a cake walk for Contador. .

Sagan or Cavendish for green is very open. I'd say Sagan.

Anyone got any nominees for the polka dot and white jerseys.

Pierre Rolland will win at least one stage.

Tommy Voeckler for the lot.... clean sweep

jamaamaj

hypersonic wrote: »

could you recommend a live streams or youtube channels, I've no tv at the moment so itv is out

You can watch Itv 1,2,3, & 4 & all Itv's +1's on Filmon.com on the Net.

Captain Havoc

jamaamaj wrote: »

You can watch Itv 1,2,3, & 4 & all Itv's +1's on Filmon.com on the Net.

I thought it was free only on android and apple platforms, I'm pretty sure you've to pay on PC.

Craig06

Cav will win the green as Sagan is just not fast enough to compete with him and Greipel in the sprinters stages in an all out sprint.

jamaamaj

Captain Havoc wrote: »

I thought it was free only on android and apple platforms, I'm pretty sure you've to pay on PC.

Free on pc, standard version, But the HD Version cost money on pc.

Captain Havoc

jamaamaj wrote: »

Free on pc, standard version, But the HD Version cost money on pc.

Cool, they used to only give a minute or five for free. No more dodgey streaming for me.

drogdub

Stage 1 us going to be very interesting. It's the first big challenge for the GC men, with the rare possibility of a sprinter going into yellow the race will be very fast and very nervous a recipe for crashes. Merely getting through the stage safe and well is going to be a challenge. The tour could be lost on the first day.

C3PO

Brian? wrote: »

I have a completely unjustified confidence in Contador winning. I've written off Le Tour as a cake walk for him.

I hope you're wrong but I think you may well be correct!

GetWithIt

This is a really hard Tour to have any sort of bet on.

Froome, Cav and Sagan are unbackable at their respective odds.

Usually the top 10 markets give some joy but there's maybe 20 people you could make a case for and there are pretty short odds for those that might have been considered outsiders.

Beyond the obvious, I think the following will have good tours.

Quintana
Van Garderen
Thibot Pinot

Maybe Peraud or Zubeldia as outsiders.

Threw a small bet at Martin for top 10. Could just as easily have backed Roche at his odds.

Bouhanni has a decent each way price for the green jersey but realistically you're backing him to come third.

Morrisseeee

Abandony Schleck is 33/1 outright, should be 330/1, whereas Rein Taaramae is 150/1 and I think those odds are more appealing.
Going on current form Andy probably won't finish the Tour never mind get a top 10, and I think if he does finish in the top 10 it would be a 'ridiculous/incredulous' change of form.

Vaughters has said that his team will cause mayhem in this year's Tour so that should be interesting, as their tactics worked brilliantly in the LBL.

With the Sky train ready to go choo-choo when the road rises, then any mayhem tactics by other teams should at least liven things up, hopefully anyway.

Ladiee Person

Bikerbhoy wrote: »

Tommy Voeckler for the lot.... clean sweep

This made me LOL

elduggo

GetWithIt wrote: »

Quintana

will be riding for Valverde and will be given no license to do anything for himself (unless AV goes out of contention early on, which won't happen)

Beasty

Lumen wrote: »

Where's the best place to bet against Froome?

It's the TdF, lots happens.

Presumably Porte will be Sky's no.2 - if anything does happen to Froome, particularly early on, he must be a good each way bet

Chips Lovell

I'll be watching the Tour in the Pyrenees. For anyone whose bets aren't working out as planned, I may be available to punch someone in the kidneys, for a price.

Junior

Great feature on the sprinters of the Tour from L'Equipe

http://www.lequipe.fr/explore/cycling-human-cannonballs/

crumliniano

A Frenchman for the Bastille Day stage to Ventoux. Rolland/Pinot/Voekler. I reckon stage bets are the best value (for good odds and small money). The odds on podium/winners are too tight.

Anyone reckon Cadel can repeat his Giro podium spot? He looked very solid in it, though as we saw with Bertie a couple of years ago, challenging for both Giro & Tour is a tough proposition. I reckon the Tejay/Cadel dynamic will be interesting to watch - both look in very good form.

on_the_nickel

Junior wrote: »

Great feature on the sprinters of the Tour from L'Equipe

http://www.lequipe.fr/explore/cycling-human-cannonballs/

Says Cipo won 42 stages in TdeF????

on_the_nickel

hypersonic wrote: »

could you recommend a live streams or youtube channels, I've no tv at the moment so itv is out

Eurosport on PC is €4 or so for the whole month. Worth it to avoid the hassle of streams, apps etc.

RobFowl

on_the_nickel wrote: »

Says Cipo won 42 stages in TdeF????

12 I think , 42 in the Giro

ugsparky

Hoping Dan and Nico get a stage win - Greipel to win at least one sprint - Evans for an outside bet for the win ... but of course it's a lottery with weather, crashes and unknown form. I thought Ryder Hesjedal might have a chance especially with Millar and Martin riding for him but he seems to be out of form. Looking forward to it anyway.

Junior

on_the_nickel wrote: »

Eurosport on PC is €4 or so for the whole month. Worth it to avoid the hassle of streams, apps etc.

The only thing to warn you in advance is Carlton Kirby is doing the commentary with Kelly, not David Harmon.

seligehgit

Anybody give Andy Schleck a chance?Injury ridden season,hoping he can do something special,love Dan Martin to have a good tour.

dastardly00

seligehgit wrote: »

Anybody give Andy Schleck a chance?Injury ridden season,hoping he can do something special,love Dan Martin to have a good tour.

If Andy Schleck does in any way good in the GC, I'll eat my hat*








*hat will be made from proper hat material, not cake/fruit/pastry/chocolate. Yes you've read it correctly :eek:

Sinbad_NI

Anyone know a good source of live radio coverage in English?

I know 5live are doing it but are there any other (free) options?

seligehgit

Ok hoping Joaquim Rodriguez upsets Froome and Contador.

snollup

on_the_nickel wrote: »

Eurosport on PC is €4 or so for the whole month. Worth it to avoid the hassle of streams, apps etc.

It's great. For the last couple of years I've signed up for the month. Have iPad now so where I go the TdF goes too!!!

Darkglasses

seligehgit wrote: »

Anybody give Andy Schleck a chance?Injury ridden season,hoping he can do something special,love Dan Martin to have a good tour.

To be honest, none at all. Heard an interview with him today and he didn't sound even slightly confident in himself, a rare thing in modern sport.

I like both the Schlecks and would love if I was proven wrong, but he'd be doing well to finish.

Pherekydes

Stage 15 on Bastille day looks like a potential epic. 242km, rounded off with the famed and feared Mont Ventoux...

...and I have to be in Edenderry for it. :mad:

patmac

Anyone but Contador and yes I've read the sticky

drogdub

Going to make a prediction. Froome will go into yellow in the TTT then the Spanish armada will set sail. Moviestar will support Bertie, except Quintana who will run amuck in the mountains, they might be joined by Garmin who will do it to stir the **** for the craic. Bertie will then be a super domestic for Valverde at the worlds.

I have been watching the highlights of last years tour on eurosport, I forgot how good Harmon is really going to miss his commentary. Hope he recovers from his illness soon.

Reginald P. DuM

drogdub wrote: »

I forgot how good Harmon is really going to miss his commentary. Hope he recovers from his illness soon.

Harmon will be a loss for sure... Didn't realise he was ill.. Kirby Kelly and Quigley so is it??

drogdub

Reginald P. DuM wrote: »

Harmon will be a loss for sure... Didn't realise he was ill.. Kirby Kelly and Quigley so is it??

Ye his business partner tweeted during the week he has depression. No Quigley just Kirby

Darkglasses

Someone that deserves a special mention I think is Orica's Svein Tuft, riding his first ever TDF at age 36. To date he is probably most remembered for his performance in stage 2 of the 2012 Tirreno Adriatico, where he rode solo in front of the peloton for 200km. During the race, he reportedly burnt 6500 calories. Cav tweeted the following - "Ride of the day.. No, make that ride of the millennium, goes to GreenEDGE’s Svein Tuft. 200km ALONE controlling the peloton! Respect".

manafana

Froome has coped with everything Contador has thrown at him this season, and he has him in the pocket for time trials too.

Quintana is only rider not to be schooled by Froome this season in his rivals for this tour. Really rate Pinot for this though

manafana

On Andy Schleck their was match bets against De Gendt, Fugslang and Van Den Broeck i would be suprised if he could finish ahead of any of them if given their fair chance.

Excited for this tour to start my favourite time of year. Also off for 3 weeks covering the tour for a site so get watch it as work.

Brian?

manafana wrote: »

Froome has coped with everything Contador has thrown at him this season, and he has him in the pocket for time trials too.

Quintana is only rider not to be schooled by Froome this season in his rivals for this tour. Really rate Pinot for this though

Contador hasn't peaked yet. He has a lot more to throw st Froome yet. Last years Vuelta?

funnights74

Hard to see beyond Froome for overall, imperious form so far this year, contador will push him in the third week as this tour is back ended with mountains.
As for today cav seems a shoe in, he's untouchable at his best.

el tel

I wonder how the standings in the TdeF over recent years with modern timing methods would have looked if riders were given their actual time over the line rather than the bunch they were in.

mrroboito

Five minute ad breaks on ITV4. Anything else I can time with my new stopwatch?

manafana

Brian? wrote: »

Contador hasn't peaked yet. He has a lot more to throw st Froome yet. Last years Vuelta?

last years vuelta saw a fresh contador against Froome having a full tour in his legs

Brian?

manafana wrote: »

last years vuelta saw a fresh contador against Froome having a full tour in his legs

Not really. Contador wasn't fresh, he was rusty from months of not racing. Admittedly Froome was tired from the tour, so neither were at their peaks.

It'll be interesting to see them both at their peaks in this tour, that's if Contador is able to repeat his earlier performances.

Rodriguez and Valverde both have big roles to play as well.