Brussels sprouts a new winner? Tour de France 2019

[Kevin S]

They've also extended Valverde's contract to include next year and 2021. Despite his age, he's still more important to the team (and its finances) than the others.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Matt Rendell has been talking very interestingly on ITV4 about the transfer market, team budgets etc

[San Bernardhinault]

I keep wondering why Quickstep still lead the peloton. There doesn't seem to be any need to control things on a day like today. If the lead stretched out to 20 minutes all the other teams would pick it up because they don't want to lose their top-10. And they still seem to be working more for Viviani's stage wins than the chance of Alaphilippe's potential yellow.

[longeared]

Convention really - no-one wants to chase (apart from the punishment chase that Total Direct Energie conducted earlier after they ineptly missed the move) so they're up front as the yellow jersey team to set a pace and keep their man safe. Though I do think they put way too much energy into Viviani yesterday (him and Morkov going for the intermediate sprint, FFS)

[San Bernardhinault]

I know it's convention, but it still seems wasteful at this point when they have so little firepower and need to keep what they have left for the next three days.

[Kevin S]

I suppose as long as they keep Mas's powder dry that's the main thing. He's either going to have to pace Alaphilippe up the mountains or, if JA can keep a good pace himself, Mas will be the guy to mark any attacks. The rest of the team is sprinters and classics guys. They're no use to Alaphilippe on the Galibier. Mas has seemingly given up on the white jersey in order to help JA, and given that he came second in the Vuelta, he's got to be capable of pulling off the loyal mountain deputy role.

[ursus arctos]

That Vuelta result is looking like an outlier, though. He has had a very mediocre season.

[longeared]

Allez Cofidis!

[ursus arctos]

His hopes are Periching, methinks

Trentin should win this

[Ray de Galles]

Did Tony Martin just try and shove Luke Rowe off the road there?!

[longeared]

Fine ride from Trentin there, that's four stage wins for Mitchelton now - ooh, an ibex - which is seriously impressive for any team but especially so for one without a sprinter. And Perichon outsprints Skujins for ... eighth.

[ursus arctos]

It definitely wasn't inadvertent, though I think it was more "no, son, you aren't passing me on the inside" than trying to force him off the road.

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/laflammerouge16/status/1154054190299136001

[ursus arctos]

Martin and Rowe have been expelled from the race

[Gawpus]

Seems a bit harsh, neither Martin or Rowe seemed to think there was much in it afterwards.

[Ray de Galles]

That's ridiculous, surely it will be overturned on appeal? Doesn't it massively distort the GC competition in favour of Alaphilippe and, especially, Pinot?

[Billy Casper]

That was my first thought too. If it involved team mates of Pinot or Alaphilippe would they have reached the same decision?

[longeared]

There will be no right of appeal based on previous incidents - see Sagan and Renshaw being disqualified in past years for "physical" incidents.

Also, yes, it sounds a hometown decision. Dumoulin got the wrong end of similar for drafting last year.

[Ray de Galles]

This is the fuller video of the incident apparently, Rowe seems to grab or lash out after being cut up (though that's not conclusive) but it still seems a harsh punishment ;

[URL]https://twitter.com/kd2357/status/1154080597146554369?s=21[/URL]

Rowe and Martin have done a joint mea culpa interview which, reading between the lines, seems to accept they're out of the race ;

[URL]https://twitter.com/teamineos/status/1154120355453329408?s=21[/URL]

[ursus arctos]

UCI saying that the only appeal is to CAS or the civil courts, each of which involve massive logistical obstacles before tomorrow's start.

Evidently the teams and the commissaires are speaking again in the morning, so perhaps a solution is still possible.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Kruijswijk’s support further affected by Bennett crash.

Quintana in the break and up to top 5 in the classement virtuel

[Sporting]

What (local) time is the finish expected today? I have some stuff to do but would like to catch the last hour or so.

[ursus arctos]

Per the road book, between 16h58 and 17h41

The break are currently a bit ahead of the fastest estimate, so closer to 16h45 or so if they keep it up (which they very well may not).

[Sporting]

Ta

[Felicity, I guess so]

Comfort breaks, then: seeing increasingly that riders don’t stop but cock a knee outwards and, er, let it flow. Never tried it- has anyone else..?