Tour de France 2015 Thread

[Azabache]

First topic message reminder :

1st - A. Contador      fully "prepared", just too good and combative on the climbs, TT superb
2nd - C. Froome        wonderful tryer, no disgrace
3rd - N. Quintana      just found wanting
4th - V. Nibali           not quite right

But could all pass to a new generation!

Cavendish wins only a couple of stages (beaten by a couple of beasts always)

[LuvSports!]

All whipped up by the media, who will probably not whip up the same storm around Quintana because he's not British

Oh please, like there wasn't stuff being said about Nibali last year. Like the spotlight wouldn't have been on Quintana if he'd been in yellow for the past two weeks. The spotlight follows the jersey around.

No way near as much scrutiny. 
It has intensified to levels that deffo would exceed any other current rider and maybe dating back to as bad as it was for Lance.

...and we all know how that finally turned out after years of the media and lifelong cynics being told that they were just dragging a superstar athlete and a great sport down by continuing to make unfounded accusations that couldn't be substantiated.
In many ways you are right, we're back to square one.  An assumed clean athlete is now building up a super-human reputation that will perhaps, when ended, compare with that of an athlete that has since proven to be a systematic, almost compulsive, PED taker.  Lance wasted a lot of money buying that gear when all it needed was a better training regime!

Haha shhh! Don;t let the others hear you say that

[Lowlandbrit]

I like the Vuelta, although it is the Grand Tour that is the afterthought. The Giro the best race, the Tour the most prestigious, the Vuelta is just kinda there sometimes. You don't sense that any of the big GC guys target it specifically.

There's definitely a large group either trying to peak again after the Giro, or (usually) make up for a disappointing Tour. Doesn't help that a lot of people are already looking at the World Championships`by that point either.

[CaledonianCraig]

All whipped up by the media, who will probably not whip up the same storm around Quintana because he's not British

Oh please, like there wasn't stuff being said about Nibali last year. Like the spotlight wouldn't have been on Quintana if he'd been in yellow for the past two weeks. The spotlight follows the jersey around.

No way near as much scrutiny. 
It has intensified to levels that deffo would exceed any other current rider and maybe dating back to as bad as it was for Lance.

...and we all know how that finally turned out after years of the media and lifelong cynics being told that they were just dragging a superstar athlete and a great sport down by continuing to make unfounded accusations that couldn't be substantiated.
In many ways you are right, we're back to square one.  An assumed clean athlete is now building up a super-human reputation that will perhaps, when ended, compare with that of an athlete that has since proven to be a systematic, almost compulsive, PED taker.  Lance wasted a lot of money buying that gear when all it needed was a better training regime!

Right so we can take that as you pretty certain they are all doping. That being the case then it is now a level playing field so Froome still won it. And can we also presume Mo Farah is doping whilst we are at it and Usain Bolt??

[LuvSports!]

I believe they are.
Do you believe Gatlin is clean? Running faster than ever at 32/33.
The Salazar revelations are pretty damning. Rupp testing positive for testosterone, former athletes saying he doped them, but not Farah? The best in the game? Not for me.

[CaledonianCraig]

I believe they are.
Do you believe Gatlin is clean? Running faster than ever at 32/33.
The Salazar revelations are pretty damning. Rupp testing positive for testosterone, former athletes saying he doped them, but not Farah? The best in the game? Not for me.

Gattlin? No - as he has doped before. Once a drug cheat always a drug cheat is what I say. For me anyone caught doping should get an irreversible life ban with no hope of ever competing again - the only way to stamp the problem out and make others think twice before dabbling.

As for others not yet proven drug cheats then I am in the camp of thinking them innocent until proven guilty. I mean that is how it is in the court of law and how it has to be otherwise we could point a finger at any sportsman including Roger Federer, Lionel Messi, Floyd Mayweather etc etc etc.

[LuvSports!]

Fair enough. Each to their own  .

[seanmichaels]

Always thought the rise of spanish sport was a bit iffy. Particularly when the Spanish Government decided to destroy all the files involved with operation puerto.

[LuvSports!]

Interestingly enough those bags haven't been destroyed yet due to appeals. Still hope news will come out and not just of cyclists (tennis and footy)!
Judge Julia Santamaria. Awful person.

[seanmichaels]

Barcelona's high tempo pressing game.....

[dummy_half]

LS

Regarding Puerto and the willingness of the Spanish judiciary to participate in the cover-up, you can be pretty certain that this is not to protect a handful of cyclists (even if the big names like Contador and Valverde). No where near enough political 'clout'.

I understand that Dr Fuentes claims links to the Spanish Olympics team and some of the La Liga football sides (both Barcelona and Real Madrid have been accused in European media of having links to Dr Fuentes, although nothing proven), and he has suggested that if the truth came out Spain would be stripped of the 2010 football world cup.

[LuvSports!]

Yup. Remember that last bit vry well. Huge.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Yeah think I've written about this in the football forum, the Puerto stuff no offence to cycling, goes well above this. Nadal certainly involved I heard

[LuvSports!]

Don't say that to the Rafa fans!

[LuvSports!]

Aru surely will be riding the Vuelta. 4th or 5th last year and 2nd in the Giro, could be a threat.

[Guest]

Astana been targeting the Vuelta for Fabio Aru, so he should be a threat indeed.

[Azabache]

Hi All, spent 10 days out there (including doing the Etape-Stage 19-an absolute "B" with the first Cat 1 climb after just 3km!).

My thoughts, for what they're worth, on this terrific Tour:

Quintana lost it in the first week through naivete, bad luck and the sheer control of the peleton by Sky.

For me, Valverde was the star-fantastic, selfless (for him) duties supporting Quintana.

Contador did his best and no disgrace; had a few unlucky incidents; but maybe those who said it's impossible to do the Giro-Tour double these days were right.

If the Tour had been 24 stages (like 1987-my favourite!) I think Quintana would have had Froome.

Nibali stubbornly kept going-terrific. Victory on Stage 19 was well deserved.

The antipathy to Sky (and unfortunately by association, to Froome) is because it's US Postal/Discovery all over again. I DON'T imply the unmentionables, no, it's big money buying the best riders, big money facilitating the best training and preparation in the best camps, medics, nutritional experts, diets, best equipment, the lot. And, unfortunately, it can contribute to a sense of inevitability and BOREDOM.

And as for flaunting flashy Jags everywhere, very embarrassing and over the top.

As for the crowds, I have no way of knowing if those incidents really happened or were set up by the British gutter press, but my experience over many years is that the French public are almost wholly very fair and warm and supportive. Don't taint them because of a few nutters. They are still waiting for a winner after 30 years and let's hope that the current crop of riders may provide the Messiah soon.

One thing I would like to see (faint hope!) is the banning of these wretched radio links. Froome could very well have lost it on Stage 20 if the team weren't able to give him minute by minute details of the gaps.

Now to the Vuelta-will the Fabulous Four line up...?

[Guest]

Rafael Majka, Teejay VanGarderen, Phillipe Gilbert, Nairo Quintana, Fabio Aru, Purito Rodriguez, Frank Schleck, Van Den Broeck, Valverde & Mikel Landa are supposed starters. Froome is still ? & Contador will be absent.

[Azabache]

Frank Schleck!!

[Guest]

Rafael Majka, Teejay VanGarderen, Phillipe Gilbert, Nairo Quintana, Fabio Aru, Purito Rodriguez, Frank Schleck, Van Den Broeck, Valverde & Mikel Landa are supposed starters. Froome is still ? & Contador will be absent.

Very decent looking line-up. Supposedly four mountain top finishes in the first week

[LuvSports!]

Near the end, after the last rest day, there is just 1 mountain stage and a couple of hilly ones. Early moves, early on.

[Lowlandbrit]

Now to the Vuelta-will the Fabulous Four line up...?

Contador is almost certainly done for the season after pulling out of San Sebastian, and if Nibali starts it'll probably be because Vino is making him.

Rafael Majka, Teejay VanGarderen, Phillipe Gilbert, Nairo Quintana, Fabio Aru, Purito Rodriguez, Frank Schleck, Van Den Broeck, Valverde & Mikel Landa are supposed starters.

Gilbert is focusing on the World Championships, BMC have already released their squad (Van Garderen, Atapuma, Burghardt, De Marchi, Drucker, Moinard, Rosskopf, Sanchez and Velits).

[CaledonianCraig]

As for the crowds, I have no way of knowing if those incidents really happened or were set up by the British gutter press, but my experience over many years is that the French public are almost wholly very fair and warm and supportive. Don't taint them because of a few nutters. They are still waiting for a winner after 30 years and let's hope that the current crop of riders may provide the Messiah soon.

For once this was not the British gutter press inventing stuff. The incidents were caught on camera and backed-up by the cyclists involved who all commented on the incidents to the press.

[Azabache]

Sad it happened but thankfully rare.

[Sponsored content]