The Vuelta will be fantastic this year, Contador and Schleck, both probably. JRod, Poels, Gesink, Cunego, Sanchez if fit all with no tour or Olympic fatigue. Talansky at Garmin looks a decent rider for the future.
Sky could have anyone of three on the podium with Uran, Henoi and Froome and Flecha is a good stage racer.
Kittel, Boonen and Degenkolb should be there for the flat, Hushovd if he perks up plus anyone else in good nick from the tour.
I didn't mean Poels in this, not sure why I wrote him. I mean Thomas de Gendt. Most of the Giro top half dozen should be in the Vuelta with all those above.
Going to be a bugger picking the 9 for the Velogames team.
De Gendt is an interesting one. Always had him down as a crazy attack-from-the-gun breakaway specialist, but after what he did in the Giro, maybe he fancies himself as a GC guy now.
Over the last few years it seems to have become a tradition that the last stage is a non-racing procession into Paris then a race round the circuit for a sprint finish
I suppose that Tommy Voeckler with his 'nobody likes me but I don't care' attitude to the peloton might be tempted..........:D
We do get breakaways on the Champs Elysees circuits though and it's not always 100% certain that they will be caught, so that could happen and would make it more exciting.
I assume that Wiggo can give it everything in his lead-out for the final sprint because once inside the final 3km, he cannot lose time if he crashes.
One thing that struck about watching the time trial was the techniques of different riders. Some were out of their seat and holding the wider parts of the bars (to get more leverage) out of every corner or slight incline, whereas others (Wiggins and Froome being prime examples) were rock solid on their bikes - very smooth at all times. Obviously a time trialling technique. I was a little surprised that they didn't all try harder to keep the tucked, aerodynamic position for more of the time.
The prize money for the Tour is interesting..........
Everyone who finishes gets prize money but the guys that finish below 50th only get 400 euros which is about 100 pound a week for the 3 week race............:eek:
There are small prizes for everything, stage wins, intermediate sprints, days wearing a jersey, being first over climbs, team performances etc
Brad will get 450,000 as 'first prize' plus monies for each day he was in yellow, each stage win or place, each day the team was 'top team'............he'll probably end up with just under 500,000 Euros
The tradition is that the winner of the race donates his prize money to be shared amongst his team mates on the basis that he's going to malke millions from endorsements
El Presidente, Pat McQuaid, has just been in the ES com box........saying that he expects over a million people will line the road for the Olympic road race making it the most watched Olympic event ever..............well, I suppose it's a bit obvious, you're not going to get a million people in an aquatic centre............:p
Previously Brian Robionson was in the box.......the first Brit to win a stage in the TdF in 1958
Coming up after the adverts............Abdoujaparov is coming in.........the mad Abdou !............I remember him from when i started watching as a fearless sprinter, oblivious of any danger or indeed of anyone around him............:eek::eek:
El Presidente, Pat McQuaid, has just been in the ES com box........saying that he expects over a million people will line the road for the Olympic road race making it the most watched Olympic event ever..............well, I suppose it's a bit obvious, you're not going to get a million people in an aquatic centre............:p
Previously Brian Robionson was in the box.......the first Brit to win a stage in the TdF in 1958
Coming up after the adverts............Abdoujaparov is coming in.........the mad Abdou !............I remember him from when i started watching as a fearless sprinter, oblivious of any danger or indeed of anyone around him............:eek::eek:
8 stage wins in one Tour is the record - it's been done 4 times, twice by Eddie Merckx
No team records there...........I'm not sure they've always had 'teams' in the same sense that they do now. I think in the past they've had 'national'' teams and also people could just enter as individuals..........though in modern times it's been sponsored trade teams
Comments
I didn't mean Poels in this, not sure why I wrote him. I mean Thomas de Gendt. Most of the Giro top half dozen should be in the Vuelta with all those above.
Going to be a bugger picking the 9 for the Velogames team.
We do get breakaways on the Champs Elysees circuits though and it's not always 100% certain that they will be caught, so that could happen and would make it more exciting.
I assume that Wiggo can give it everything in his lead-out for the final sprint because once inside the final 3km, he cannot lose time if he crashes.
nothing short of miraculous.
Yeah, Brad won't see a penny of the prize money.
Yes.........he has to finish
He can walk across the line though.
Maybe David Brailsford can give them some pointers.
They could learn a lot , will they ? fat chance !
They are all more than happy in their well paid comfy jobs for the boys club.
Previously Brian Robionson was in the box.......the first Brit to win a stage in the TdF in 1958
Coming up after the adverts............Abdoujaparov is coming in.........the mad Abdou !............I remember him from when i started watching as a fearless sprinter, oblivious of any danger or indeed of anyone around him............:eek::eek:
I used to love him.
Then he tested positive for clenbutarol
Not a bad little pad............:p
You'd dread window washing day, though.
Only since the Revolution.........you just can't get the peasants these days...........:mad:
Stephen thinks it's been a bit dull because of the lack of mountain top finishes...........
That's what I thought he was doing as well.
Well, isn't Roche a little ray of sunshine?
Don't know about team, but individual is 8 by Charles Pelissier in 1930, Eddy Merckx in 70 & 74 and Freddy Maertens in 76
8, wow that is impressive, many thanks for that.
I didn't know the answer but I've found a site that lists some Tour records......
http://www.cyclinghalloffame.com/races/results/results_tour_de_france.txt
8 stage wins in one Tour is the record - it's been done 4 times, twice by Eddie Merckx
No team records there...........I'm not sure they've always had 'teams' in the same sense that they do now. I think in the past they've had 'national'' teams and also people could just enter as individuals..........though in modern times it's been sponsored trade teams