Stage one is...

Noirmoutier-en-Ille to Fontenay-le-Conte


Come on Froome! Silence your critics and do what you do!

Did they start earlier than normal? Went out for a ride early doors, got back and they’d already done a load of km.

Yeah, coverage started at about 9:30

Any particular reason for the early start? Handy that the stage should finish before the footy starts but I doubt the convenience of English football fans was a consideration when making the decision.

I read that they have brought in a double points sprint. Every day about 16km before the finish. Now I can’t find anything on this but on the stage map below there is a (B) roughly that distance from the finish. Could make things very lively in the points comp.

Froome crashes with 4k to go, outside the protected zone but he’s quickly up and chasing.

Froome finished about 50 seconds behind the winner.

Froome doesn't half fall off a lot.

Not terrible, but certainly not what he would’ve wanted. He was looking comfortable for coming in with the first pelaton.

TheFamilyCat wrote:Froome doesn't half fall off a lot.

Probably his asthma.

TheFamilyCat wrote:Froome doesn't half fall off a lot.

He does but he was ridden off the road today.

Leisure wrote:Froome finished about 50 seconds behind the winner.

Yes lost around 51sec.. YATES, QUINTANA and PORTE all lost time as well .

Nibali safely home in the first group , Froome losing that time should even things up a bit re Nibali as I expect he will lose time in the TT Trial with Team Sky being so strong, so might make for a more interesting time in the mountains.

Hope it’s as exciting as the Giro.. looking forward to the mountain stages, and stage 9 with the cobbles of Paris - Roubaix

And stage 17 is only 65 km but a grid start for the first time based on GC.. can’t see it will make any difference but we shall see

Should be exciting

TheFamilyCat wrote:Any particular reason for the early start? Handy that the stage should finish before the footy starts but I doubt the convenience of English football fans was a consideration when making the decision.

It was for the World Cup - planned months in advance - also why the tour is starting a week later than normal so the WC final doesn't clash with the final stage into Paris

Yes, knew they'd started a week later to avoid clashing with the football but I didn't think it was to avoid the final clashing with the final stage.

Doesn't the tour usually start the first weekend of July (last week) so would've finished a week after the WC final anyway?

Hope Froome smashes it big style.

Hinault and Merckx getting involved in the politics of it all and dishing it out to Froome about what’s legal and what isn’t. When those two were on the tour it was absolutely FULL of French/Belgian pill heads. A bit rich coming from those two imho.

Nibali will smash the cobbles too. He looks good to me. That's where I've put my ££££'s

bobinho wrote:Hope Froome smashes it big style.

Hinault and Merckx getting involved in the politics of it all and dishing it out to Froome about what’s legal and what isn’t. When those two were on the tour it was absolutely FULL of French/Belgian pill heads. A bit rich coming from those two imho.

They are more bothered about Froome beating their 5 win total. They got the record back after Armstrong was stripped of his wins.

piston broke wrote:I read that they have brought in a double points sprint. Every day about 16km before the finish. Now I can’t find anything on this but on the stage map below there is a (B) roughly that distance from the finish. Could make things very lively in the points comp.

D80DCAB7-C971-4B8F-AF22-9A076A85EE88.jpeg

It's not a points sprint, it's a bonus time sprint. It's the B you mention on the route

Not being a cycling buff, I've not paid much attention to the Froome "doping" scandal. Doping scandal WTF! It all comes down to if he used is asthma spray more than the allowed 8 times per stage. I'd assumed he'd been sticking fire bombs up his bottom or whatever the big name cheats in cycling did. The French crowd booing his every word at the pre tour interview is an absolute disgrace. I wasn't that arsed before but I hope he smashes it crap out of them now

Over 22km of cobbles in around fifteen sections today. Got a feeling that Van Avermaet will do well today, but Froome should also enjoy the terrain. It’ll be interesting, that’s for sure!

It’ll be a strange day. A one day race terrain in the middle of a stage race. They’ll ride it differently and the stars will need protecting by their teams but an accident or a badly timed puncture could totally screw someones Tour.

Richie Porte down already. Holding his collarbone. Looks like an abandon to me.

Last time the Tour was on cobbles one rider retired - Froome. Ironically he fell, but not on the cobbles just the ordinary road sections!

First stage this year im wanting to a watch the full day coverage rather than just the eve highlights

Today could be telling of Sky's strategy around what they see as Thomas role and whether he'll have the freedom to ride for himself and his own GC standing

I hope Sky have a bad day with both Froome and Thomas losing time so they have to attack next week in the mountains which could really produce some great cycling

The most talked about stage of the year and Porte is out with a broken collarbone before he hits the cobbles - unluckiest man in the world contender?

Porte - there goes our big Australian hope! Was always likely to happen with nobody wanting to lose too much time.

No disrespect to the riders efforts but I wish they would make them ride the cobbles. The breakaway will all be on the smooth mud either side of the cobbles, almost as fast as the road. I know they’ve earned their advantage but they are not riding the cobbles.

Felt for them all today, especially Bardet. That was practically a lottery staying on your bike.
At least there was no damage to the Sky lads.

Bardet looked absolutely destroyed in those last 5km

Great stage today,terrible for Bardet and Porte.

The GC is looking like G has a good lead on all the other contenders. Sky in a perfect position 1 week in. No yellow jersey to defend but G and Froome sitting pretty.

I had to ride up a cobbled street to get home every time I was out on my bike as a kid in Nelson.

Don't know what all the fuss is about.

Great stage yesterday. Loved it

A super-impressive breakaway and stage win by Ffance’s own, Alaphilippe, this afternoon, on the first of three days in the Alps.

Very likely that tomorrow will see a serious changing of the guard. I’m sensing that Van Avermaet’s stint in yellow is all but up, but what a brilliant ride he had today. Living it so far, and can see it getting incredibly exciting over the next few weeks.

How did froome do today ?

Sorry Robbo but I found it boring. Congrats to Alaphilippe on his ride and victory but the day after a rest day can be difficult for some riders and they all seemed happy just to get through the first mountain stage, with two more successive to come. I’m surprised Sky chose to ride on the front of the peleton all day when they had no intention of attacking. Wasted energy for me.

I never said it wasn’t boring. I wanted it to turn out differently, but found the breakaway and execution, first class. Froome will be content right now I’d imagine but don’t disagree with your comments about SKY’s strategy today.

I’m starting to wonder if Froome has had down time, necessary, after the giro and is building back up to be at his his best for the Pyrenees?
If other teams start thinking the same we could see some fireworks. Otherwise we have to accept that everyone else is in total awe of their team strength and are riding for second.





SPOILER.
Movistar finally go to the front and two gc contenders immediately dropped.

I’m not a cyclist or fan of professional cycling per se, however I do watch the Tour de France on occasion. I’m truly in awe of these athletes, that has to be most grueling of sporting events. I can’t comment on the doping accusations, as I don’t follow the sport. I did follow the Lance Armstrong debacle to some extent, fascinating to read how orchestrated his cheating was, hopefully the cheating has been minimized since then.

Dimension Datas timing system is a disgrace and I hope they are canned for next year.
They are often more than a minute out and then they correct themselves in two second segments. Shocking.

What a stage. Fantastic racing once they opened up and raced.

I sat alone in the house and applauded the telly when Thomas went at the end. Tough decision for SKY, do they keep Thomas as a domestique, or allow him to race Froome. It reminds me of Porte dragging Wiggo up the mountains and having to wait for him at times.
Personally I'd let them race. Was it last year Thomas crashed out when he was looking really handy. He deserves any success he gets.

Great ride from Thomas to win the stage .For once I have to hand it to the French for keeping the attractive young ladies at the presentation of the various shirts.

Awesome ‘G’ at the end of a brilliant stage. All set up for SKY now.

Fantastic ride by Thomas.

I believe Sky want to win the race first and foremost and if and when they have to pick between them will go with whoever provides them with the best chance.

Ideally they will stay first and second and they will be allowed to fight it out between them on the final mountain stage.

Alp d'Huez today

I don't have a bucket list but if I did, watching the Tour on Alp d'huez would definitely be on it. Coupled with having a go at riding up it myself.

14 kn, 1,100 metres in height.

I'd need some serious training though!

It might have to wait until I'm old enough to buy an electric bike!

14km of continual uphill doesn't bear thinking about - and it's not even the longest of the classic Tour climbs. Cragg Vale is Britain's longest continual stretch of uphill road and what's that? About 5 (fairly gentle) miles?

All the sprinters have gone now. Looks like it's too severe a test for the guys who bring the spectacle on those town finishes. In fact you can see how the organisers have made the sprinters job harder and harder over the last few years with uphill finishes, narrow twisty streets and punishing mountain stages. Probably all to stop Cavendish breaking the stages victory record. Well the show piece on the Champs Elysee will be a stroll for Sagan now as he wins green again.