Brussels sprouts a new winner? Tour de France 2019

[San Bernardhinault]

Do we not consider Pinot a GC contender this year?

[ursus arctos]

I was using "other" to mean not him or Alaphilippe (who I consider highly unlikely, but not impossible)

That said, I do think Kirby's suggestion that the race will come down to a battle between the two Frenchmen is quite deranged.

[San Bernardhinault]

I really like Alaphilippe but it does seem a bit overblown to expect him to hold on in the big hills. Like you, I don't consider him a real contender which is why I didn't follow your phrasing.

My opinion on the construction quality and stability of Pinarello's bikes is not changing.

[ursus arctos]

De Marchi with a bad crash in the opening km and has abandoned

[longeared]

Flicked over during an ad break in the cricket to see the 14 man break has ten minutes lead, so that should stick then.

[ursus arctos]

Nico Roche is best placed in GC and he is more than 23 minutes down

No one from INEOS, Deceuninck or Groupama FDJ

[Mumpo]

I wonder how llong it will be before drones replace the camera motorbikes?

[Felicity, I guess so]

Presumably cheaper than helicopters, too

[caja-dglh]

I wonder how llong it will be before drones replace the camera motorbikes?

The problem for now has to be endurance (or cost for ones that can last) vs two blokes on a motorbike. It does seem strange they haven't worked out how to avoid creating a drafting situation though.

[ursus arctos]

Well, if you listen to much of the peloton, they know very well how to avoid drafting, there are just certain riders that they are happy to assist.

[Snake Plissken]

There is a very good article on Ars Technica showing why drones wouldn't really replace helicopters for filming.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/07...our-de-france/

[longeared]

If Fuglsang thinks that was a tow then he's clearly never watched the Giro d'Italia.

[longeared]

Peloton has split in the crosswinds. Pinot, Fuglsang, Uran, Porte and Bennett all caught behind.

[ursus arctos]

Bennett is going to lose time.

Pinot et al may make yet it back.

[longeared]

Pinot's group got to within a dozen seconds, now they've gone so hard they're blown all the domestiques out and the gap is going out again. Almost half a minute now.

[longeared]

"A classic Movistar moment" says an exasperated Millar as they drop three riders back to collect Landa when Quintana's in the front group.

[ursus arctos]

The descent into Albi is going to be interesting, as it is reasonably steep

[longeared]

Pinot's group a minute back. Oh, Thibaut.

[ursus arctos]

What the heck has happened to Bennett? Four and a half minutes?

[longeared]

So, the debate about taking van Aert to the race, then.

1:40 loss for Pinot.

[Kevin S]

Ach, and Rigo was in that group too. Enric Mas still up there though.

Was there debate about taking Van Aert? If I were in Jumbo Visma's management I'd have been wondering how you could justify leaving him behind. But even so, that win was beyond expectations.

[ursus arctos]

There was some debate, yes, but it seemed not be coming from the team.

Four stages out of ten, three different winners and the TTT. Not a bad first half of the Tour for Jumbo.

[ursus arctos]

Cycling News is reporting that Bennett was sent back for bottles just before the split . . .

Could both Bennetts be changing teams very soon?

[Kevin S]

https://twitter.com/ProCyclingStats/status/1150788407926448129?s=19

[jwdd27]

Why was Bennett, the rider 4th in GC, being sent back for bottles? Do they just take it in turns, or is it decided by the type of stage they're on?
I would have thought that if you've got a guy in the top 10 you protect him a bit in case the riders in front crash or have a nightmare.