The Bicycle Racing Thread 2014

[The Boy]

Incidentally, the knee injury the forced Andy out sounds pretty natty. Wouldn't be surprised to see him retire tbh.

 

[butchersapron]

My god, how badly did Ligget call that?

 

[The Boy]

Backed the field versus kittel @ 2.5.

Take it nobody important for caught out today? Edit: looks like pinot got dropped.

 

[twistedAM]

My god, how badly did Ligget call that?

I just tuned into the highlights on ITV4 to remind myself what a complete twat he is. Surely by now he should have a grasp of depth-of-field or maybe even look at the markings to see how far there is to go or indeed reccy the finish straight.

Oh and did Imlach try and save him by saying Race Radio has reported Kittel having a puncture? I suspect Liggett just made that up as Eurosport (who also have access to RR didn't mention a puncture; they just said Kittel/Giant Shimano were in trouble).

And of course Eurosport called the sprint pretty well.

 

[stavros]

Props to Kittel for saying he simply couldn't keep up. Can we expect more of Martin and the other TT specialists driving the peloton in the last 10km of sprint stages to try and break Giant?

 

[The Boy]

Well that was boring until about thirty to go. A minute list for van garderen

 

[twistedAM]

Well that was boring until about thirty to go. A minute list for van garderen

I thought he got back on.
Watched on Europsort but I bet Liggett called the wrong winner.

Edit..SSN said he got back on but he lost 1'03"

 

[stavros]

I'm not sure Liggett called a winner as it happened. He and Sherwin had their obligatory wank over Sagan in the run-in, but I think he just said it'd go to photo for the winner. It looked to me like Trentin just got it as I watched it, so I feel validated.

 

[twistedAM]

I'm not sure Liggett called a winner as it happened. He and Sherwin had their obligatory wank over Sagan in the run-in, but I think he just said it'd go to photo for the winner. It looked to me like Trentin just got it as I watched it, so I feel validated.

The Eurosport guy likes to have a shuffle over Sagan too. He even admitted he's been getting tweets from viewers complaining about it.

 

[The Boy]

Looks like it's Yates' day today.

 

[poului]

Absolutely chucking it down atm.

 

[The Boy]

Menchov and Barredo banned for bio passport irregularities. Only took three years.

 

[The Boy]

I fucking loves middle mountain stages

 

[stavros]

Vinnie and Bertie laying the smack down there. Did Nibali really bonk in the last 100m, or was he satisfied he'd marked Contador the whole way? He looked very cool staying second wheel for the whole climb.

 

[Barking_Mad]

Whooo Contador! Snapped frame(?). Skid marks up to 70 metres long(?). Back on the bike.

 

[poului]

My biking nightmare.

 

[peterkro]

At least he was going uphill.Long catchup for Alberto.

Contador abandons.

 

[Barking_Mad]

Contador out.

 

[Barking_Mad]

I cant see how he ended up like that going uphill. Surely not?

 

[Barking_Mad]

Anyhow, two dopers out. It's all good

 

[Barking_Mad]

Contador Abandoning

 

[peterkro]

I cant see how he ended up like that going uphill. Surely not?

Actually I'm probably wrong about that,I'd just turned on and only heard the commentary.If the 75metres braking marks are right he must have been going down hill and very fast.

 

[Barking_Mad]

Actually I'm probably wrong about that,I'd just turned on and only heard the commentary.If the 75metres braking marks are right he must have been going down hill and very fast.

ITV commentators said the same, confused me! Unsure as to how though...

French TV reported Contador's bike broke in two but note "son vélo, c'est cassé en deux" not same as "son vélo s'est cassé en deux"

"his bike is broken in two"

"his bike broke in two"

 

[poului]

Froome's just tweeted to Contador - "Hope to see you at the Vuelta".

Vuelta this year starts in the south-west of Spain.

I live in the south-west of Spain.

 

[agricola]

I cant see how he ended up like that going uphill. Surely not?

apparently he ran over a bit of steak someone had discarded in the roadway

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Broken tibia apparently. No way he's at the Vuelta.

Nibali looked good today and it's tempting to say that he'll cruise it, but a little over two minutes really isn't much at this stage and almost all of it comes from the cobbles. Without the cobbled stage, taking fifteen or twenty seconds today would be an impressive start but nobody would think the race was over. It's bizarre but pleasant to look at a Tour GC top 10 and see four French riders in it by the way.

 

[quiquaquo]

18Kms and up a climb on a fractured tibia. Respect, that's as hard as it comes.

Some are saying the broken bike frame was one that fell off the team car and not Contador's, not sure if that's correct?

 

[sleaterkinney]

I wonder if it's all over, Nibali is looking strong.

 

[sleaterkinney]

18Kms and up a climb on a fractured tibia. Respect, that's as hard as it comes.

Some are saying the broken bike frame was one that fell off the team car and not Contador's, not sure if that's correct?

His bike doesn't look broke?. it looks a different one than the team bikes though, maybe a prototype that went wrong?

 

[quiquaquo]

His bike doesn't look broke?. it looks a different one than the team bikes though, maybe a prototype that went wrong?

He was riding Roche's bike, some prototype thing, after his was run over by a team car in a previous fall (he wasn't on it at the time).