Tour de France starts today

[thieuster]

An odd thing to write late August. But yes, it starts today!

For us, Dutch, Jumbo Visma with Roglic and Tom Dumoulin are very important.

A few details: Jumbo = Holland's second largest supermarket chain, privately owned by entrepeneur Frits van Eerd. Jumbo also sponsors a speed skating team and Max Verstappen (Van Eerd is fanatic auto-sport enthousiast and raced at Le Mans in the LMP2 class).

Visma is a Norwegian IT consultancy company. Pretty big overhere when it comes to accountancy software for small businesses.

M

[scooter]

Can be watched live throughout on ITV4 too.

scooter

[BillN]

Won't be the same without Froomey

no-one to love/hate.... depending on your feelings

Pity

[Pretzel]

Tour de France and Spanish Grand Prix looks like a good weekend.

[cbh]

Roglic to win

[matt]

Roglic to win

+1



Great human, our former ski jumper, modest even when the cameras go off.




Respect !

[matt]

Tadej Pogačar !

[thieuster]

Fantastic day for cycling.

I'm curious what will happen tomorrow. A simple-take-it-easy trip or...

Menno

[wotsthecrack]

Wow just wow, was cheering on Pogacar but as he reeled in Roglic really felt for him watching the Tour slip away. Brilliant to watch.

[Skier]

Tadej Pogačar !

This! What a great ride and exciting stage. I have had little time to watch this year as work has been manic but that was worth setting aside time for. Chapeau Tadej.

[cbh]

Tadej Pogačar !

Amazing, ride today by Pogacar, chapeau.

Wouldn't want to be in the TJV hotel tonight!

[PickleB]

Roglic to win

+1

Great human, our former ski jumper, modest even when the cameras go off.

Respect !

So close and a complete gentleman even if thoroughly disappointed. Hats off to him.

And to Pogačar. What a ride to be the winner...of three jerseys.

Congratulations to one and all of the finishers.

[Kingstepper]

A question out of ignorance and probably daft but if rims are better can't they be made much bigger?

[Bondurant]

A question out of ignorance and probably daft but if rims are better can't they be made much bigger?

I didn't see this had been answered but how do you mean 'bigger'? Wider?

[Kingstepper]

I didn't see this had been answered but how do you mean 'bigger'? Wider?

So that they make contact around more of the circumference of the wheel. Put another way, their largest dimension is longer!

[Martylaa]

An odd thing to write late August. But yes, it starts today!

For us, Dutch, Jumbo Visma with Roglic and Tom Dumoulin are very important.

A few details: Jumbo = Holland's second largest supermarket chain, privately owned by entrepeneur Frits van Eerd. Jumbo also sponsors a speed skating team and Max Verstappen (Van Eerd is fanatic auto-sport enthousiast and raced at Le Mans in the LMP2 class).

Visma is a Norwegian IT consultancy company. Pretty big overhere when it comes to accountancy software for small businesses.

M

I'm sat here waiting for the coverage to start...

Here's for a safe non-controversial tour...

[Meesterbond]

Any announcement of a positive test will have very different connotations this year!

[Martylaa]

Any announcement of a positive test will have very different connotations this year!

Sagan and Pogacar to end up top points and best young rider double bet is on...

[mondie]

Should be a fascinating tour this year with the ever present threat that the race could be called off at short notice. Holding back to take the yellow when it suits the strategy of a three week race is out the window and every day counts.

[mrushton]

Those who know say he isnt in form. Statistic the other day tho' was out of the 156 days he has spent at the TdF in his career so far, he has worn the Green Jersey 124 days - 82% of his time there.

[Martylaa]

I'm hoping Sagan re-discovers his form for the Green Jersey, thought he would walk it this year???

[MrSmith]

I'm hoping Sagan re-discovers his form for the Green Jersey, thought he would walk it this year???

how so? he hasn’t won a stage for over a year and not exactly been firing on all cylinders. there’s a dozen sprinters who all could take green, i don’t see him standing head and shoulders above them right now.
Bennet and Ewan look to be on form.

[Bondurant]

how so? he hasn’t won a stage for over a year and not exactly been firing on all cylinders. there’s a dozen sprinters who all could take green, i don’t see him standing head and shoulders above them right now.
Bennet and Ewan look to be on form.

Pure sprinters very rarely take green. That's why Sagan wins year after year. The winner has to be able to get over hills, take the intermediates, finish stages. Sagan is a very rounded rider compared to Caleb, for instance. I doubt if he will make it to Paris.

[Huertecilla]

Here's for a safe non-controversial tour...

Well, that´s gone; it was already quite controversial during the first stage with the no-racing pact.

The Covid19 virus is sure to add to further controversies as the stages progress.

[Kingstepper]

Good to see Chris Boardman back.

[ach5]

Good to see Chris Boardman back.

Hope he wins the ITT, but can’t see it at his age!

[Montello]

Odd tour this year.

Not much British interest.

Bring back Cav, Wiggo and G.

[thieuster]

Slippery stage! Everybody is very careful when going downhill. One bad move and your 2020 Tour is over!

Menno

[g40steve]

Some crazy weather conditions & some early favourites crashing out, lots of rash.

[Bondurant]

I'm not religious about them but here's why I'm still on rim brakes:

I have two bikes and many sets of wheels and I like to be able to swap between bikes.

I've never really felt under braked, as it were

I like to be able to fix things cheaply and easily, and rim brakes are simpler in this regard. I'm talking about the problems people have in bleeding them and getting rid of noise, though equally I appreciate many have no issues at all in this area.

I don't destroy rims, they last me years.

I'm out in conditions where discs are clearly better maybe 4 or 5 times a year.

Sorry for the thread derail.

[thieuster]

I went from Magura rim brakes to Magura disk brakes. (Well, ring brakes is perhaps a better word for them). At first, I was unimpressed by those new brakes compared with my old bike's rim brakes. Now, just under 2K kms later, I'm fully 'adjusted' to them. They work fine, even when stopping from high speed.

Back on topic: Robert Geesink (Jumbo Visma) talked about "UCI has failed on this one!" Stating that after what's happened the last few weeks, UCI jury members should have stepped up, neutralising yesterday's race. UCI neutralised the race 3 kms for the finish, seconds before the final 'chutes' happened. According to Geesink: "Too little, too late. What's the point when everybody gets hurt in the first etappe?"

During the race, Flemish TV commentators (always the 'go-to' TV station for professional cycling comments - all are ex profs) were furious about the UCI's laxity.

M.

Tip: make sure you watch the Le Teil - Mont Aigoual stage on Thursday. Mont A. is very infamous for its overdose of really, really bad weather. May I suggest you read the novel The Rider from Dutch writer Tim Krabbé (journalist and former cycling prof) about this hellish climb.

At the start of the 137-kilometre Tour de Mont Aigoual, Tim Krabbe glances up from his bike to assess the crowd of spectators. 'Non-racers,' he writes. 'The emptiness of those lives shocks me.' Immediate and gripping from the first page, we race with the author as he struggles up the hills and clings on during descents in the unforgiving French mountains. Originally published in 1978, The Rider is a modern-day classic that is recognised as one of the best books ever written about the sport. Brilliantly conceived and best read at a break-neck pace, it is a loving, imaginative and passionate tribute to the art of cycle racing.

[higham5]

I'm not religious about them but here's why I'm still on rim brakes:

I have two bikes and many sets of wheels and I like to be able to swap between bikes.

I've never really felt under braked, as it were

I like to be able to fix things cheaply and easily, and rim brakes are simpler in this regard. I'm talking about the problems people have in bleeding them and getting rid of noise, though equally I appreciate many have no issues at all in this area.

I don't destroy rims, they last me years.

I'm out in conditions where discs are clearly better maybe 4 or 5 times a year.

Sorry for the thread derail.

In Wednesday’s coverage an Ineos rider punctured , and the comment from David Millar was “look how fast they can do a rear wheel swap with cantilevered brakes” . I then noticed the 2020 Dogmas are canti’s.

I have disks on my gravel and mtb and cantis on my road bike. I don’t find either Faster or slower to change. Maybe they are using through axles on some of the disk bikes, that would slow things down compared to a quick release.

[mrushton]

In Wednesday’s coverage an Ineos rider punctured , and the comment from David Millar was “look how fast they can do a rear wheel swap with cantilevered brakes” . I then noticed the 2020 Dogmas are canti’s.

I have disks on my gravel and mtb and cantis on my road bike. I don’t find either Faster or slower to change. Maybe they are using through axles on some of the disk bikes, that would slow things down compared to a quick release.

Dogmas use dual pivot rim brakes, cantilevers are something different. Anyone using rim rim brakes at the TdF is using dual pivots unless campagnolo which may use single pivot at the back

[100thmonkey]

Dogmas use dual pivot rim brakes, cantilevers are something different. Anyone using rim rim brakes at the TdF is using dual pivots unless campagnolo which may use single pivot at the back

Direct mount are for me the sweet spot. Additional stopping power without hassle. Moving forward I would expect to see direct mount and disc being the 50/50 split of the bike market once this initial hype subsides.

[Montello]

Direct mount are for me the sweet spot. Additional stopping power without hassle. Moving forward I would expect to see direct mount and disc being the 50/50 split of the bike market once this initial hype subsides.

I don’t understand why you think disks are high maintenance. I have been on disks for 4 years now and have never had a problem, I’d say they are less hassle than cables. Same goes for Di2. Electronic/hydraulic set up if the lowest maintenance bike set up I have ever had.

The low maintenance combined with improved stopping power and modulation makes them a no brainier. Pros use rims for the ease of wheel change. I’m not a pro so that isn’t a factor for me.

[Bondurant]

Great book. About time I read it again.

[thieuster]

Sporza (Flemish TV) confirms that La Plange des Belles Filles (France) will host the upcoming World Championship instead of the world championship in Switzerland.

Menno

[bigputts]

Sporza (Flemish TV) confirms that La Plange des Belles Filles (France) will host the upcoming World Championship instead of the world championship in Switzerland.

Menno

That would be fun, great climb for TV that one. Think that region is Thibaut Pinot’s home roads, would love to see him win the rainbow jersey.


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[Montello]

Nice win by Alaphilippe. Wearing a Richard Mille ...😳

[thieuster]

Nice win by Alaphilippe. Wearing a Richard Mille ...

I couldn't believe it when I saw this... Me wearing an el cheapo Seiko when cycling "Because when I fall of my bike..."

M

[100thmonkey]

Nice win by Alaphilippe. Wearing a Richard Mille ...😳

They have to promote their offering somehow. Makes the mugs buy them

[vRSG60]

I’ve done every crash possible on my mountain bikes and never bent a disc yet.


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[pacifichrono]

As a Yank I don't keep up much with the Tour in the post-Lance era, although I had it on the TV as I was getting cleaned up this morning. I thought I heard one announcer mention a "she" rider. That's surely not right, is it? I can't imagine at this level...

[PickleB]

As a Yank I don't keep up much with the Tour in the post-Lance era, although I had it on the TV as I was getting cleaned up this morning. I thought I heard one announcer mention a "she" rider. That's surely not right, is it? I can't imagine at this level...

Marc Hirschi...pronounced as 'hear-she'?

[pacifichrono]

Marc Hirschi...pronounced as 'hear-she'?

Thanks, that must be it!

[thieuster]

Le Teil - Mont Aigoual today. The final 34 kms are uphill, parts are very steep. More than 1 in 10 for 6 kms

[crooky13]

Mille sponsor the Bahrain McLaren team so most of them wear one as well.

[PickleB]

I'm watching the highlights of yesterday's stage. Seriously impressed by their descent of the Col de Turini...and the TV pictures were good too.

[Bondurant]

I think that was the comparison he was making, yes. Earlier on - or perhaps a previous stage - there was footage of a rider having a disk brake wheel change. It involved a special tool to undo the thru axle and it took rather longer.

[Huertecilla]

Even if changing a wheel with disc takes a few seconds later, that is more than compensated for by the vastly superior modulation. To illustrate the sillyness of most arguments, that is ESPECIALLY!!! in the rain. Oh and ditto the weight argument; the bikes are éasily under the minumum weight if needed, discs or no discs.

It surprises me that the broken frame yesterday has not unleashed a storm of carbon bashing in favor of metal frames...