2017 Tour de France thread

I'm watching the stage previews on nbcsports.com and supposedly there will be highlight clips also after each day - each day is another stage and it lines up with the day of the month which makes it easy

- I really don't see how these guys are clean, their capacity seems beyond comprehension, like running 4 minute mile marathons for days

- take a look at the downhill ride on stage 9 where froome is straddling the bike over the front wheel at like 40+ mph

http://www.nbcsports.com/video/league/tour-de-france

Predictions:

1. Team Sky and Froome dominate the tour and win again.

2. Quintana will sit on Froomes rear wheel the entire tour and never attack.

3. American TJ van G will be in the top 10 most of the tour but suffer a horrific day and plummet down the standings.

4. Sagan will easily win Green again due to a bunch of 2nd and 3rd place finishes.

5. Tom Doumulin wins Stage 1.

Over Skill wrote:

5. Tom Doumulin wins Stage 1.

Well, that's going to be tough seeing as how Doumulin isn't even riding the Tour this year.

perhaps a side discussion while we wait for the 1st

do you think the Tour will ever grow up and have women race (in their own race)? do you think they will ever stop the stupid use of "trophy girls" ?

can you imagine if either of those two conditions existed in the running world at elite races, ie. no women racing and models posing on the podium? how much of an uproar there would be?

but why wrote:

perhaps a side discussion while we wait for the 1st

do you think the Tour will ever grow up and have women race (in their own race)? do you think they will ever stop the stupid use of "trophy girls" ?

can you imagine if either of those two conditions existed in the running world at elite races, ie. no women racing and models posing on the podium? how much of an uproar there would be?

There was a women's Tour de France. No one was interested in it or watched it so it lost money and got cancelled. If women want a women's Tour de France, they should at least watch it in high enough numbers to justify how much is being spent on them.

Trophy girls are here to stay. Why would there be an uproar? Do you throw rotten eggs at models or something?

Besides the money, I think a big barrier to a womans bike racing and especially long stages like TDF is that men don't want to see women taking nature breaks.

Nobody will come out and say this but the europeans would be mortified if 200 women pulled off to the side and pull down their bibs to pee.

but why wrote:

perhaps a side discussion while we wait for the 1st

do you think the Tour will ever grow up and have women race (in their own race)? do you think they will ever stop the stupid use of "trophy girls" ?

can you imagine if either of those two conditions existed in the running world at elite races, ie. no women racing and models posing on the podium? how much of an uproar there would be?

I'm not sure what is stupid about the use of podium field. As far as women's racing goes, there are some women's-only races. Should there be an uproar about that?

There are some women's races but they never go beyond 70 miles or so and they no where near as taxing as a 3 week stage races with the majority of stages exceeding 100 miles. It's very dumbed down.

Stinky wrote:

About the same time it became LetsTalkPolitics 😁

I thought it was LetsYellPolitics

How come Froome isn't skeletor anymore? Off the juice?

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/froome_arms.jpg

If he can get this skinny and still retain power then you have to ask why he isn't doing that anymore.

Froome can't get those "jiffy" bags anymore to drop weight and boost muscle since Wiggins was outed for cheating by doing the same thing. All the Team Sky riders look relatively fat this year after their doping program got leaked.

Skinnest guy wins.

You blind? Froome is almost as skinny as this guy: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sbev-AYuYCw/TLa1Dpff7DI/AAAAAAAAAAk/69lo8UUmZfo/s320/stickman.jpg

Marcus Pantanius wrote:

How come Froome isn't skeletor anymore? Off the juice?

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/froome_arms.jpg

If he can get this skinny and still retain power then you have to ask why he isn't doing that anymore.

I don't even like cycling, but I always watch the TDF. I can't get enough of the scenery and smart British accent commentary.

Also, always a chance that some dumb Euro steps out in front of a bike and gets totally blasted.

No, he WAS that skinny last year. And he was the strongest he's ever been. This year he is not that skinny. Why?

Do you have a pic from last year? i can't see how he could be any skinnier based on this pic.

Is the pic this yr or last. Looks skinny. Is there a comparison photo?

That pic is from last year

http://50.23.173.8//upload/media/pics/JUNE2017/307598Froome-Quintana.jpg

He's skill skinny but not vein popping auschwitz skinny

My fav part of the year. Mornings with Liggett, Sherman and Bob Roll !!!

Could be worse! ha