Grand Slam or Sham? Tour de France 2018

[delicatemoth]

I was far too grouchy about Thomas on the previous stage, and that was a fine win yesterday. Peed off about Nibali, and all those bloody flares the spectators were letting off.

The sprint field has slimmed out rather, but Sagan's still there, as are Demare and Colbrelli, who will presumably be pretty psyched.

[longeared]

Porte gonna Porte.

https://twitter.com/richie_porte/status/1019961359692386306

https://twitter.com/richie_porte/sta...61359692386306

[ursus arctos]

Range Rover with a Monegasque number plate

[Felicity, I guess so]

Any cyclist who drives one of those loses all respect

[Kevin S]

Rule 25, innit.

[Felicity, I guess so]

I've googled 'rule 25' and got nowt..?

[Kevin S]

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

[Kevin S]

Something about the smirk here suggests to me that Sagan has been telling Thomas how good the jersey looks. "Looks great G, are you planning to keep it, or what...?"

[longeared]

" 'ere Geraint, you seen my wife lately?"

If anyone is looking in wondering what is happening, a four man break with de Gendt went, FdJ have ridden unnecessarily hard behind, it's going to be a sprint, and the European Synchotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble was great.

[longeared]

Today was a Peter Sagan day.

[Kevin S]

Bike throw ftw.

[longeared]

Did anyone hear Wiggins as the studio guest on ITV4 - if so what did he have to say? Only just got back in.

The race situation is that a break of 32 has formed including Alaphilippe, Sagan, Gilbert, Calmejane, GVA and Rolland. I assume I'll get to call an attack by the latter at some stage.

[ursus arctos]

They have 8 1/2 minutes, and a win from the break is quite possible.

[ursus arctos]

Gap out to 14 1/2 minutes, the winner will come from the break.

[longeared]

There we go. ATTAQUE DE PIERRE ROLLAND

[longeared]

Great win for Omar Fraile and Sagan gets fourth!

[Levin]

Mende always gives good finishes doesn't it?

[ursus arctos]

And today we get two.

[ursus arctos]

Nice attack from Roglic, poor day from Bardet close to home.

[ursus arctos]

Wiggins ruffling feathers.

Sir Bradley Wiggins says that even he has found some of the revelations about the Team Sky Jiffy bag scandal ‘scary’ and ‘sinister’. “There’s a few people bricking it,” he claimed about the possibility that further details might emerge, adding that he believes it’s in “certain people’s interests for it not to come out”.

Asked whether Team Sky could have handled it all better, he said: “Probably, yeah, in terms of record-keeping etc etc. But there’s things that have come to light with this whole thing; that we’ve found out since, that is quite scary actually. It’s very sinister. And we’re still not at the bottom of it. We’re finding stuff out daily, and it’s to do with the package that never was, and all this stuff, and it’s quite frightening actually.”

Asked whether he would one day like for the full story to come out, replied: “Oh, God yeah. It’s… once it’s all stacked up and pieced together, it’s quite shocking actually.

Surely if he really cared about transparency he could discuss matters as to which he has personal knowledge.

[longeared]

I like the idea of there being more to come on Jiffybaggate. Perhaps he's going to tell us who leaked the story to the Mail in the first place (Shane Sutton) or that they were actually delivering pedals.

Actually I heard the second part of Wiggins talking to Matt Smith and the nature of the conversation was quite funny. Wiggins was being all alpha male with some diplomacy while Smith was veering between deference and Partridge. There was a particularly awkward exchange when Smith brought up Wiggo's comment from earlier in the year about Tom Pidcock shouldn't sign for Sky. "I didn't really mean that" said Sir Brad in a jokey slightly aggressive manner "Oh I'm sure you didn't" replied Smith.

Good ride from Roglic on the final climb. We said before the race he needed to produce a performance that showed he could contend for Grand Tours. He's achieved that.

[ursus arctos]

Very hectic first 20km, without a break being established

[longeared]

Looks like it's finally gone now, that was a hell of a bun fight. 29 riders there apparently so the stage winner is coming from that.

Demare got dropped as soon as they left the neutral zone. He's now six and a half minutes back with Sinkeldam trying to keep him in.

[longeared]

Two in two for Astana as Magnus Cort Nielsen outsprints Ion Izagirre and Mollema.

[ursus arctos]

Moscon has been thrown off le Tour

https://twitter.com/SadhbhOS/status/1021100377561878528?s=19