London Fixed-gear and Single-speed

yes he deserves it. but even so {HYPOTHETICALLY, not trolling} if he can't hack it in the race itself, that's too bad.

interesting view of (#ff tip) UCI_overlord on cyclismas, not my opinion because I'm just an overseas spectator:

http://www.cyclismas.com/2012/07/wha...rance-victory/

I just hope everyone isn't talking it up and Wiggins hurts himself today.

Wiggins looks like that kid from Lord of the Rings

If Mrs Froome's twitterings are distracting from your enjoyment of the tour simply choose not to follow her. And maybe don't post them here.

It's not as if they have anything to do with the reality of the racing.

Rather than listen to the bitchy comments of his gf, here is what Froome had to say:-
http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/...wiggins_230701

^^^ That would make Evans the gollum, Schleck the elf, Voekler... another elf, I suppose Sagan would have to be the wizard, Cav the dwarf and Froome the guy who is a bit of a judas and then gets offed.

+1
Not a twatter user myself but from what I know, one is not forced to follow peoples inane comments are they?

Is Froome confirmed for the Vuelta? Might keep my eurosportplayer subscription alive a bit longer..

I don't deny that, I admired the grinding dominance that allowed them to take seconds then minutes from their rivals, but there was an open opportunity there to take a stage and it went from a slow, smothering of GC rivals to Wiggins holding back a rider who could have taken a classy victory (from a cheating fucker, to boot!)

Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of pantomime from Froome there, accelerating a little before dawdling and wafting a beckoning hand to Wiggins - it was all for the camera, riding one handed to show of his strength and superiority, and let everyone know it was only Wiggins holding him back from victory.

The cracks have appeared in the united front that Sky has used to obliterate this Tour, and now it is easier to scrutinize individual performances, weigh up loylaties and measure who really is the best rider on the team.

I still think Froome will move next year and he will be a pale shadow of the rider he has been, and perhaps deep down he knows that, and that his why he wants to make hay while the sun shine with as many stages as possible.

He didn't sound quite so convincing when he was interviewed warming down after the race.

But then again, he's human (mostly) and was probably a little tired & emotional.

@ Yemble

Contador will be riding.

Which evokes mixed feelings (to say the least).

Contador is going to have to find a new trainer, given his has just been given a lifetime ban from the sport.

So are you just hoping that Wiggins hurts himself today and that we are not just talking things up?

Really?
Does any one have first hand knowledge, or is this all opinion and conjecture?

I'm beginning to understand why some of you longer term followers of the sport (andyp) are such jaded fuckers...

Even if Contador wins with an amazing ride I can't get behind it.

You're right not to say they are right; only a history that knows nothing about history would not have remembered how brilliant Indurain was in the mountains, how many stage victories he gifted in the mountains (two in a row to Rominger, one year) and how he never lost any time in the mountains to anyone who could win over all - until Mr 60% came along.
The way Sky go about training and analysis they must know exactly how strong - or weak - Froome is. But like RPM said, this year it is for Wiggins, the Olympic champion, the Londoner, not the male Zola Budd who's accent makes it a bit hard to sell him as a great British champion.
I think people are underestimating Frroome; if he'd been in Liquigas, BMC, RadioShack or even Astana this year I think there would be seconds in it between him and Wiggins. And not necessarily in Wiggins' favour.

It's all waffle, but I kind of like that about this sport! None of us are experts, we're fans! That's why we spout off like this with no real expert knowledge. Perhaps this Tour will be one of the most talked about in the modern era because of the way it was ridden, because of the relationships between the GC contendors.

COME ON TIM!!!

How do contracts in cycling work: he's signed a four year one apparently. If he wants to move to another team does he/they have to buy him out of it? Or will he have a get out clause? Or is it simply a question of resigning?

There's more chance of Frank Schleck moving to Sky next year than there is of Froome leaving.

Personally I thought Indurain rode with grace and style in the mountains, especially for a big lad. His gifting of wins is very much part of the Spanish culture of stage racing and I love it, but the historians don't appreciate it, which is a crying shame.

That's why I'm worried that Wiggins' win won't be seen for what it is - a titanic team effort to place one man on the podium, riding against the whole peloton and riding clean, and in the process taking 1st AND 2nd. A stupendous feat, and the story has been riveting.

A very fat cheque can turn any head. I reckon he'll have bought out of Sky by Christmas.

I am already salivating over next years tour. Whether Froome is still at Sky or not, there will b a degree more freedom for him to stamp his hold on the stages and ultimately the jersey. It could be legendary in terms of competition in the early stages while they fight for ultimate team support in the latter.

Surely they don't let Yates drive the deathstar. Perhaps Frank could do that?

http://inrng.com/2012/07/romanticism-prudhomme-tour/

The inner ring has this excellent piece about this year's route. I can't say I have found this year's race especially exciting - has there been a period of even five minutes, or even two minutes, when Wiggins has looked like losing the yellow jersey? His main rival is on his own team and other rivals crashed out or didn't start. The mountains competition has been enjoyable though and has a decent winner for the first time in donkey's years.

Did anybody see Yates in his post-stage interview saying that they didn't give Froome the OK to go for the win because, not having TV pictures in the car, they didn't know the situation?

Funny to see this in the gallery today:


An earlier caption stating: "The car has TV pictures beamed in - here's Edvald Boasson Hagen setting the pace on the front again"

It is very rare for anyone to break a contract, the only example I can think of is when Sky bought Wiggins out of his Garmin contract and Slipstream, the management company behind Garmin, were compensated generously.

The only way I could see Froome leaving is if one of the teams backed by a wealthy benefactor, so essentially BMC or Quick Step now following Team Leopard's documented problems, desperately wanted him. BMC would seem to have a Tour GC replacement for Evans already signed up in Van Garderen, which leaves Quick Step, who do not have a good track record of signing GC riders.

I agree: there is a long term plan here. I've said already I feel this should be Wiggo's one and only Tour win, and that long term Froome will be the number one and has the capapcity to be a multiple GT winner. I can see Bradley having a tilt at the Giro next year though, then riding in support of Froome in next year's Tour

That's my fear. Spooge a wad on Froomey, watch him wither on the vine. They've done it with GC hopefuls in the past!

1987 and the ANC Halfords tour was my first experience of watching, and even 10 years ago I would have bet a lot of money I would never see a British winner. It just seemed so impossible, it just would never, ever happen.

I might even cry a little bit on Sunday.

Reckon SKY will make Froome-dog drop back a bit today to ensure he can't accidently win the Tour, should Wiggo have a mechnical or worse in the TT tomorrow?

Skelator will stay at Sky-the course this year and the field have flattered to an extent and helped tee up a Wiggo/Froome victory and both of them should be fully aware of it. I'm not trying to dimnish their achievement, and before the Tour this was being said as a positive for Sky so don't see why it shouldn't be mentioned now.

More mountains and less TT's and next year it will be hard to imagine either of them winning, and the way their Mrs are mouthing off I think the internal politics will have changed significantly...

What about Tinkov? Hasn't he just gone on record saying his plan is to buy a superstar team with interest in Cavendish and Cancellara? That's his sprinter and TT/Classic stars sorted...just a GC rider to find.

I'm hoping young Pinot come through to win for France in 2013 - I love that we've almost got a Tour in the bag, but imagine how beserk France will go with a real GC contender?

Brilliant. This is the same as the commuter racing theory that you are faster than someone else because you overtake them riding home from work.

Brad even said himself afterwards that he wanted to finish at his own pace, why should he dig deeper into his reserves when he's already in yellow with no more to gain than what he just had?

This is probably crazy, but I would love to see Wiggins in the Sky classics team next Spring.

Speak for yourself. I'm not going to purport to be an expert, as nobody really is, even SS and DB would never say they knew it all, but my work does enable me to see a little more than perhaps the average cyclist sitting in front of his TV and hanging on the words of The Phil n' Paul Family Band.

Funny that you come out with such inane drivel most of the time on this forum ;)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18899902

Why would Wiggo give a fuck about what the French think about him? And what's wrong with a clinical, boring victory in sport? Who cares how you do it, as long as you WIN.

Am I not allowed to troll?
You fixie hipsters need to be kept on your toes

Reminded me of..

RPM repo̶r̶t̶e̶d̶ped for trolling

You watch Eurosport and ITV4 at the same time?


#pro

I don't have a television, all my info comes from wags on twitter

Cheating cockbiscuit he might have been but Veino was never boring....

C.R.A.S.H.





please don't

Next year will see hordes of Stella swilling, knotted handkerchief wearing, tatoo'd, lobster red cunts who have just realised that the new national sport has no away and home ends and a whole heap of soft foreigners ready for a good pulverising.

Hardly, they were on top of a Pyranean Mountain. Froome was gesticulating at Brad to come with him, and Brad didn't go with him. Not a stupid supposition to judge that Brad couldn't keep to the pace of Froome, given the two of them had just shed all the best climbers in the Tour inc Nibbles.

Commuter? Really? Va ta couche

EBH in the break! Is this the first time a Sky rider has been in a break?

That's the spirit. Bad booze and xenophobia, sun stroke and bombastic bigotry-the British legions are coming!

How long till Alpe d'Huez starts resembling some shithole on the Costa del Sol? Brailsford et al. will be racked by guilt and wishing they'd never set eyes on a bike... a pyrrhic victory indeed.

Heard he's signed for Europcar on a 5 year contract for next season. His Mrs has confirmed on Twitter.