jyl

TvG would have been dropped out of the top three, maybe the top five, today.

busygizmo

Based on what?

Only time he got dropped was on that steep climb to Mende which was always going to be an issue for him.

Marcus_Ti

So Froome had a rock stuck in his rear triangle evidently...

And was shocked at Nibali's lack of delicate sensibilities for not stopping what he was doing and having a cup of coffee while waiting:

Nibali vs. Froome: Misunderstanding or breach of etiquette? - VeloNews.com

RJM

yeah, I read this. If true, Froome sounds like a cry baby.

Leinster

They brought Dowsett and Malori too, but Dowsett's long gone, and Malori wouldn't be nearly enough on his own.

jyl

Why does Froome think Nibali was attacking him, the yellow jersey? Nibali was so far down, his attack was irrelevant to Froome. Sky conspicuously ignored all of Nibali's attacks in the previous Alps stages, it is silly for them to say this Nibali attack suddenly mattered.

If anyone might have been threatened by Nibali, it would be the guys at 5th and further back on GC. They didn't have any problem, they could have chased, they didn't and tough on them.

I think Froome wanted to win this stage, but he couldn't have anyway, and he can't say that Q was helped by N's attack.

Between the Martin crash/bottle-throwing incident and this, we have the makings of a nice feud going. Hope it carries over to next year!

Caretaker

Re Nibali attacking Froome when he had a mechanical: I checked my recording of the stage and Nibali clearly looks back to Froome as he pulls to the side of the road and instantly starts his attack. For any rider in a group to attack when the race leader is having a mechanical is IMO bad sportsmanship. If he had already begun his attack I'd say ok just bad luck for Froome and the attacker is entitled to continue but not to see him having trouble with his bike and then go.

The fact Nibali wasn't a threat to Froome's yellow jersey is irrelevant, by attacking he is forcing others like Majka and Contador to react and the group inevitably speeds up.

Leinster

Yeah, not a classy move by Nibali.

The sad thing is, the way he rode once he was clear, he could've waited for Froome to get back on and made the same move, and still made it stick. The people who were interested in covering him were still there, and Froome had 8 minutes on him and was watching Q and V. He makes that move 500m sooner or later, and I think he'd've won the stage anyway. But he absolutely had to make a show of turning around and looking to make absolutely sure Froome was held up, before attacking.

Brilliant ride to bridge up to Rolland, stay clear and win the stage. Bit of a ****ty way to make his break.

DLBroox

What was the Martin crash/bottle-throwing incident?

USAZorro

Nibali thought Froome caused the crash that took Martin out and tossed a water bottle at him.

Considering what happened on stage 2 though, I don't see why Nibali would have felt constrained by such "ettiquette", even presuming Froome's little glitch gave him the opportunity to exploit launching the planned attack.

Leinster

When Martin had his crash in Le Havre, he also bumped Froome, who chain-reactioned into Nibali. All Nibali saw was Froome taking him out, so he blamed Froome for the accident and threw a bottle at him. After the finish, Froome popped round to the Astana Caravan for a quick clear-the-air, Nibbles apologised, and everybody went home happy (except Martin, who had a broken collar bone and was out of the Tour).

Caretaker

Spectator caught on video spitting at Froome as he chases in the last Kms.

Tour de France: Video captures spectator spitting on Froome | Cyclingnews.com

Hope they track this guy and charge him.

Athens80

Yes.

It's a race. I say let 'em race. Neutralizing the race should be limited to extreme circumstances. If a fan comes off the side and pushes the yellow jersey down, it would be "questionable" for a top GC contender to use that opportunity to attack. The sticky mechanical bother that Froome ran into today does not qualify.

As previously noted: Froome and Contador did not hesitate to go with the attack and gain 1:28 when Quintana and Nibali were caught behind a crash on stage two. It was all fair for Froome and Contador on stage two and it was all fair for Nibali on stage nineteen. Furthermore, they were all quite content today to zoom past the head of the race, Bardet, who perhaps was vulnerable only due to a mechanical.

GreenAnvil

No. They should strip the guy down naked, tie his hands around his back, then tie one end of a 10 ft rope around the guy's balls, and the other end to Froome's bike seatpost... let him run after Frrome apologizing all the way up Alpe d'Huez as Froome counterattacks Q time after time.

Laggard

I remember the tradition being you don't take advantage of a crash or mechanical by attacking. If you have a mechanical or crash while someone is attacking then tough luck. Sometime during the LA era that morphed into fans wanting riders to basically stop and wait for a top rider if they crashed or had a mechanical. Basically people started demanding that the race be put on hold.

Unless that rider were not from the United States.

jyl

I don't think the yellow jersey's mechanicals or punctures should be reason for his opponents to wait. Teams should have an incentive to use more reliable components and more flat resistant tires. You want the fancy electronic shifting, you accept the weaknesses.

An external disruption, like the tacks thrown on the road in the 2012 Tour or the spectator who tangled Lance's handlebars in her handbag, should be reason to wait.

Crashes are tricky. If the yellow jersey pushes too hard on a descent and wipes out, tough luck; twist the knife. If he gets stuck behind a big pileup, maybe his opponents should wait; but if others race on, you can't be expected to lose time to them. If he gets taken out by another rider, or a TV moto, then probably should wait; but how are you supposed to know?

bauhaus92

Quintana / Contador and Valverde did not go with Nibali even though he telegraphed his move looking back at Froome twice before he went. Both Contador and Valverde had all the reason in the world to follow Nibali because their podium positions were being jeopardized. Even Quintana would have much to gain, far more than Nibali to go with him. Why didnt they go, honor. They showed respect and sportsmanship and they know you don,t attack a rival when they clearly had a freak mechanical.

WCroadie

Did froome wait for Contador when he crashed the other day? Nibali's attack has no outcome on the GC winner, Quintana and Valverde had every chance to go with Nibali. Another reason why I can't stand the froomebot, he's a whiny brat.

TCR Rider

Chapeau to Nibali. I haven't seen inspired riding like that since Floyd Landis....er never mind.

Seriously great stage today.

bauhaus92

No one waited for Contador because it was a downhill decent and everyone was strung out. No idea how long it took the GC guys to hear he crashed. Quite different than looking at the guy twice as he stops then go off like a rocket. You say Nibali's attack had no outcome but that's Monday morning QB talk. Quintana/Contador had no idea how the day would end up and how much time he would gain.
Another difference is when Contador crashed they didn't do an all out attack as did Nibali. Hate Froome all you want it doesn't make him a cry baby.

sprince

You're kidding yourself. A rock in the brakes is hardly a catastrophic misfortune. Contador, Valverde and Quintana would have all gone if they had it in their legs and it suited them at the time. Froome is being a bit of a diva.

Reynolds 

Just curious: so it's considered bad sportmanship if someone attacks while the leader has a mechanic, what if the leader has a cramp? Is it OK to attack or not?

Jseis 

Was it 18 where Froome called the "T" ? I thought he did it for two reasons, the first was to calm down the peloton but the 2nd, give TVG a chance to recover.

Seems to be occasional tradition in the TDF which I find arcane yet refreshing. N gets a pass 'cause #1 on his jersey but it was awkward.

WCroadie

Him *****ing about Nibali winning today when it will not affect his Tour victory makes him a crybaby.

Where was Contador's "honor" when Schleck had a mechanical and Contador attacked, looking right at him? Where was everyone's honor when Fabian crashed and broke his back, yet they kept racing and arguing with the officials when they neutralized the race?

Read the article posted above, the "honor" of not attacking yellow is a myth

sprince

Hopefully, it was some kind of secret signal for his team and nothing to do with calming the peloton, because that would be really stupid.