Velominati Super Prestige: Tour de France 2016
A lot has happened in the last ten years of le Tour, and a lot of it stemmed from the race that took place in 2006. At the time it seemed like yet another “Tour of Redemption” as the organisers liked to claim every few years after something had happened to tarnish the race’s image, yet again. In 06, we were coming off the back of a seven year reign of very little in the way of competition, with most of those races decided in the Prologue and followed by a three week procession. 06 was anticipated as the start of a new era, we just didn’t know at the time how significant it would become many years further down the track.
The pre-Tour build-up had fans frothing with anticipation of an Ullrich vs Basso battle, but that was scuppered at the 11th hour by Operacion Puerto, just what incoming Director Christian Prudhomme didn’t need. Also ditched were Fransisco Mancebo, a young Alberto Contador (yet to be considered a GC contender), and one Alexandre Vinokourov (while not one of the Puerto accused, still unable to start as most of his Astana teammates were pulled, leaving him without a sufficient team). With the two favourites out, the race was anyone’s for the taking. Of course, there was more drama to come.
A crazy break was let go and produced a surprise leader in Oscar Pereiro, who then conceded the yellow to Floyd Landis, who then blew to bits and handed it back to Pereiro, before making the biggest comeback since Lazarus the next day and riding away from the race in a solo effort that still ranks as one of the best ever, no matter how juiced he was. I remember watching the stage live and talking to a mate on the phone, and his incredulity at what we were witnessing. As Landis drank with the fervour of an alcoholic and manically poured water over his head during his escapade, my friend (an ex-road racer at a high level himself) professed that Landis was “cooking” from some sort of drug cocktail and was doing his best to dilute whatever concoction he’d taken, and not blow a positive or do a Tommy Simpson on live tv. How prophetic his words proved.
Of course, that was just the beginning, and the resulting fallout became one of the biggest sporting stories of all time. Landis just about brought down the entire sport with his revelations, and no Tour since has been without some form of scuttlebutt, yet not on that scale. The last few years, while tame by comparison to those preceding them, have been pretty well dominated by each winner and not offering too much in the way of exciting competition; although last year’s end result was closer on paper than the actual race was… which once again leaves us in the same state of anticipation that grips us every year in the month leading up to the start, and then promptly lets us down about two weeks after that, and wondering when the Vuelta starts.
This Tour has all the hallmarks of potentially being a great one, with three guys who have to be considered genuine contenders, yet just one who is most likely to win. We really do need a positive test to liven this one up, or someone to juice themselves so comprehensively that the motor in their seat-tube can’t handle the power from their legs and melts the carbon around the bottom bracket and drops onto the road at the summit of Mont Ventoux. Maybe try and blame it on a chimera twin that drank too many whiskeys the night before and left their bike in the team truck with a bag of someone else’s piss strapped to it. That would bring the crowds back. But seriously, if each of the contenders is on form, we could have one of the best races of the last ten years with some real proper drama played out on the roads, not in the labs or courts and not two, three or seven years from now.
We’re giving you plenty of time to ponder the possibilities, and maybe come up with your own hare-brained scenarios as to what may unfold, or what will most likely bring you those precious VSP points and the honour of wearing the Maillot Jaune for the next year. Will you be daring and go out on a limb that doesn’t resemble that of an anorexic spider? Will you take short odds on a short-ass? Will you stake your claims on claims of a steak? Or will you tear yourself apart with internal conflict like a couple of bitchy Italians?
Whatever you do, there is absolutely no excuse to Delgado this one, we’re giving you plenty of time and it’s not like you can claim you didn’t realise that the race was this week… and don’t whinge if this Start List changes before the racing gets underway, it is provisional after all. Good luck and may the best, or second best, man win.
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Great finish. Total awareness.
Wow. Froome’s doing his level best to dispel the “rides like a robot” tag.
It’ll be interesting to see what that’s done to the top five. Hopefully, it’ll have rendered some rest day swaps pointless.
Well it’s not an earth shattering GC shake up, but surely it’s a massive wake up call to Quintana and Movistar. They’ve managed to limit their losses so far but if they get caught napping a third time it will be a major embarrassment.
It’s a leaf out of Merckx’s book: let them know you can put time into them any day, on any terrain. Never mind the ITT’s or the mountains. So demoralizing for them. He looks unshakeable this year.
I thought for a second that Sagan was trying to gift a stage to Bodnar but then Froomey broke out his sprint and Sags was forced to counter.
@chris
“”Peter Sagan revealed how the attack with Froome happened:
“Froomey and Geraint Thomas came with us. I said, ‘We are too strong. They’re never going to catch us.’ ….,” he said”” (quote from cyclingnews.com)
Froome sure is changing some minds this year. Chapeau. Though, as exciting as the new Froome is, he still doesn’t have the commanding lead he’s had by this stage that he’s had in previous Tours. So it remains to be seen if the new strategy is an overall winner. Now if he’d just wear a proper podium cap.
@Harminator
Agreed. While Froome is no Prophet, he’s showing a wonderful willingness to attack in unexpected places.The attack on the decent last week was planned and executed to perfection. A few seconds there, a few more today. It sends a clear message to Movistar – “Bring it on. See what else I’ve got.”
Pinchy has the Green Jersey in the bag unless he falls off permanently. Curse of the Bands? There’s no stinkin’ curse with Sagan. Such a joy to watch.
I picked Bottle Rocket off the shelf on a whim years ago. No idea about it at all. Still one of my favorite movies, though I’m ashamed at some of the crap Luke & Owen have churned out for a payday.
@Ron
@Buck Rogers
This is absolute, total perfection.
Gotta get me one of those jumpsuits!
Man, what a delight. I was hoping Quintana would win it this year, but Froome just won me over. When’s the last time a GC contender at the Tour rode like that? Hinault?
@LawnCzar
Sagan should be buying Froome drinks. Without Froome any other bunch of stage contenders would have started playing cat and mouse and been caught. It was only because Froome wanted the time difference that they didn’t stop driving.
Here’s how I see it, and I’m seeing it for real because I got to Ventoux about this time yesterday. Its Rule #9 wind for sure. *Shameless boast* I rode all three major routes from town to summit today (136kms, 4400m vertical, 8hrs45 elapsed #truehero) and the wind was very strong on the exposed sections. But with the switchbacks you’d get a tailwind for every headwind. Definitely the worst winds were from the section they’ve canned – the final 6k from Chalet Reynard to the summit. I guess the organisers have good forecasts for tomorrow but to make the call based on rider safety is BS. I saw no accidents today despite riders going up & down, walkers going up & down, vehicles going up & down. The pros know how to handle a bike in wind n’est-ce pas? More likely the organisers are worried about their logistics. Red kite crew, I’m looking at you. It would be a hard task to set that all up. Its a shame for all those campervan people camped up there. I shot some gopro. Will try to link to it. Flapping flags, rows of campers. But the Ventoux!!!
I think Froome has effectively silenced most of his critics. The guy really is damn good at this bike riding hobby. It wasn’t that long ago that he helped with the sprint leadout while wearing yellow and when does that ever happen? So far, this has been way more fun to watch than in previous years. Now all we need is for Movistar to gamble a little and maybe have a few shots and watch 300 or Braveheart or something to get them motivated. I’d rather see them go out in a blaze of glory.
By the way, how much fun are the OBE Greenedge backtage pass shows? especially after a win? Those guys really seem to be enjoying themselves.
Movistar moved down a ton of notches on the respect scale here. I hope this is just a mistranslation.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/quintana-and-movistar-blast-tour-de-france-organisers-for-dangerous-stage-11/?utm_content=buffer18ccd&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Froome has changed my opinion of him. I thought he would be more mechanical. He is proving that he is not. I think Quintana has serious work cut out for him, especially with the shortening of Ventoux.
@Teocalli
Agreed. There doesn’t seem to be much peloton support for their gripes, a bit like when Andy Schleck moaned about riders attacking him on descents. They are a strange bunch of characters though I think.
THAT. WAS. AWESOME.
@Steve Trice
What are they on about? Bluster because they know they are getting beat and don’t have an answer?
Would have been fun to be a fly on the wall of the Movistar or BMC team buses. Or the Etixx one for that matter; where were the blue jerseys trying to pull the break back for Dan Martin? Who lets the green and yellow jerseys ride away together on a flat stage?
Brilliant though.
@Harminator
Very entertaining post! And chapeau on the rides/climbs; #truehero indeed.
@oldensteel
I watched the OGE show. Seeing Matt White tear up was just great. It really brought home how special a Tour win is for a team and ALL the personnel.
@Ron
I just LOVE their Wes Anderson stuff. So so great.
@LawnCzar
When I saw Sagan’s quote this scene IMMEDIATELY popped into my head! Fucking love Wes Anderson.
@Harminator
Looks pretty gnarly to me…
https://www.facebook.com/wielrennen.blog.nl/videos/1770261473220374/
@Teocalli
I was thinking same thing earlier when I saw that. Let’s just say this: the wee Columbian can ride a bike fast up a mountain. And it is very apparent that his competitor knows how to race a bike fast in add’n to riding up mtns fast.
I can’t wait to see the finish shortly as am watching the stage now.
@andrew
That looks suspiciously similar to this, which was recorded from a sportive in 2013…
@Mikael Liddy
That’s why they had steel bikes and lead filled water bottles back in the day……
Agree that Froome is racing bikes and Quintana wants to have a cumulative sustained watts/kg competition. Picked Froome for the win, want Quintana at heart, but prefer racing bikes.
Did that just fucking happen?!
Video/Camera Moto Bikes clogging up the road!
Again!
Holy shit!
What an absolute shitshow.
well if this doesn’t force the UCI to act…….
yellow jersey rider in full control, then loses minutes through dopey moto/crowd control.
I’m going to go with…NOPE I didn’t just see that. Wonder what the hell happened to Froome’s bike at that low speed. All I can imagine is snapped off RD.
Good god, once and for all get the goddamn spectators the fuck off the road (I’m guessing they must have force the moto to stop).
Is there not a rule about covering the course on foot? I guess not, as no one would want to. So fucking bizarre to see Froome jogging up a mountain!! Also a shame for De Gendt, as this will overshadow his big win.
The sensible thing to do would be to give Froome and Porte the same time as Mollema. Will they be sensible?
The obvious and fair solution is to give Froome the same time as Mollema.
Well, that and snipers…
apparently the moto hit a spectator so had to stop. There has to be a rule that a moto should be at least 10m/15 in front.
@RobSandy
That seems the only decent solution to me, otherwise they probably can’t do anything at all. In the latter case I don’t think that would be the end of Froome, quite the opposite given that he’d dropped Nairo today. Never underestimate the “stomach of anger” effect!
@RobSandy
Agreed
And no.
A big beneficiary, obviously, has been Quintana in the provisional standings. Do you guys think he should make a stand, and tell the commissioners that he doesn’t want to benefit in this way?
Or is it a case of ‘no, let the judges decide’?
@davidlhill
He may well have been that far in front looking at the footage. I don’t imagine Porte would have been expecting the moto to stop so, in the heat of battle, he may not have reacted and stopped as quickly as he might have in a less stressed environment.
@Steve Trice
Yes, to imagine an alternative solution – the fireworks that could erupt if the result is left to stand as it is.
Lovely to see “Mad” Thomas de Gendt back in polka though.
What the actual fuck?
De Gendt mentioned in his interview that he was surprised by the finish line being as close as it was, because the barriers had only just started & that’s normally from 2k to go.
Unbeliveable. I have to agree that “normal” people seem to lose their brains when they gather in big numbers. There was an insane number of people here today. I stayed low on the mountain but have to think the decision to shorten the stage must have cramped up those final k’s. Yesterday there were thousands above Chalet Reynard. The roads had been closed before the decision so they couldn’t leave even if they wanted to. So give the crowd controllers less than a day to fit 20kms of spectator space into 14…
Yes … Mollema’s time…
Here’s anther thought. The USA cycling rules specifically state that a rider may not advance along the course without a bike, which is exactly what Froome did. I suspect the USA book is based on UCI, but I cannot find any such specific rules governing rider conduct like this
What I am suggesting is that independently of the finishing results, there may be a rules infraction here, which would likely not be subject to commissars’ description (more or less).
make that “descretion”
@marcovelo
I assume you’re a UCI Commissaire or ASO Race Jury member because I can’t imagine anyone else on the planet following that line of thought.
Froome has just tweeted that he’s still in yellow…
@ChrisO
Yeah, DQ Froome for falling off! And for having weird elbows.
@ChrisO
I’m not in favor of enforcing such a rule. I’m just pointing out that such a rule (likely) exists, and might turn out to be part of the deliberations here. Independently of the cause of the event and its relative justice/injustice, Froome (may have) violated such a rule, which could have an effect on the outcome. No?