spectastic

quintana's nonchalant expression going up that hill is interesting, when you compare it with everyone else's

topflightpro

Quintana only has one facial expression. It never changes.

MDcatV

Staying on the bike is part of racing. I'm willing to bet that professionals realize this and have no thoughts of guilt about benefiting from it.

Thomas also won two mountain top finishes and has clearly demonstrated to have been better than CF throughout all aspects of this race.

Froome was down at the Giro by more than he is currently at the Tour, but given the dynamics of the TdF, I don't think a similar comeback is in the cards. It's a matter of whether he (CF) can finish on the podium or not.

Hermes

Yeah baby...On the track, Thomas is a former world champion and Olympic gold medalist in the team pursuit in 2008 and 2012. Of course, track does not seem to have helped Taylor Phinney. Does anyone else think Phinney is on drugs when he makes his cameo appearances on TV via his mobile phone video?

furiousferret

It wouldn't surprise me if Thomas beats Tom in the TT, though I wouldn't bet a paycheck on it. He's won a few prologues and was top 10 in the Olympics, so he's not not bad at the discipline and better the shorter the course.

Phinney is a bit off, that's for sure.

aplcr0331

Top ten in the sprint for this stage doesn't seem "off" to me.

TheKillerPenguin

According to road results, Taylor Phinney only has 11 upgrade points. So, he can't be that good.

redlude97

Agreed, but I think he feels a bit guilty about essentially splitting the team and its duties since they came in with coleadership and things have been ambiguous for the last week or so prior to yesterday. The team and froome and G all gave conflicting statements on who was riding for who and it simply wasn't clear if there were agendas there or not, hence why he looked "guilty" or uneasy with the questioning.

HTupolev

I dislike when Quintana gets out of the saddle. His front wheel flops around in a way that breaks his smooth stoic style.

Ttoc6

Here's my second hand story from a friend of a friend. (This friend is a pro CX racer and ex-pro on the road). He told me the only time he met Taylor was when Taylor's sister graduated from the same HS as him. They hung out before graduation and smked a bunch of weed together. So, Super far removed from it, but I believe him lol.

Hermes

Does anyone else think that Froome and Thomas' cranks seem shorter than other riders? They look like 155 mm cranks.

topflightpro

IIRC, that's Sky's thing. They run shorter cranks. I don't know how long they are, but they are shorter than one would expect.

Also, in the case of Froome, he's so long and lean, 170s probably look super short against his twig legs.

Ttoc6

Egan Bernal VS Julian Alaphillipe is the tour of the future.

spectastic

according to this, froome runs 175

Chris Froome's Pinarello Dogma F10 ? Pro Bike Gallery | Cyclingnews.com

even tt bike has 175 cranks apparertly

TheKillerPenguin

They might switch it up as the tour goes on. I can't imagine they maintain the same fit and flexibility as the race goes on.

Ttoc6

One of the major component manufacturesrs (maybe vision/fsa) put out a micro adjust seatpost the riders could dial in mm by mm during a stage. I want to say Nibali used it during stages to make sure he would maintain a proper fit with loss/gain of flexibility. So I totally see Sky doing something with crank length

aplcr0331

Damn Taylor Phinney really crashed pretty bad. In pictures it looks like a broken nose. Wonder if they'll do a concussion protocol and make him abandon the race? I'm not sure I would abandon at this point with 2 stages left.

furiousferret

Well at least Lawson Craddock has the Lantern Rouge on lock. Biggest accomplishment for an American in the Tour this millenia. So proud right now...so proud..

MDcatV

that future can begin after the Dumoulin vs. Roglic era has ended

Hermes

I liked the tour this year although I thought there was too much climbing and not enough ITT. Although the three best time trialists were on the podium.

Excluding the sprint stages, it seemed to lack any explosiveness on the climbs. Maybe this is an indication of less or zero doping. The teams seemed to play more defense especially Sky. Movi Star tried to make some things happen but it seemed weak.

IMO, Dumoulin and Roglic need to up their equipment game on the time trials. Dumoulin was lucky that Froome was playing with his radio and seemed to have some other issues as he squirmed in his saddle and reached around his back with one arm. Each minor position change cost him a few thousands of a second. Dumoulin should have trounced Froome.

What was with Roglic's TT helmet? No glasses or visor? I find it hard to believe that is the fastest setup. I think both guys need better equipment sponsors and testing and then take the results and do a lot of strength and adaptation.

Also, Roglic was very lucky in stage 19 with the motor staying too close and providing Roglic with less wind resistance. I ride behind the motor a lot at the track and even with the motor several bike lengths ahead, it make it easier to faster with less power. Froome and Dumoulin were both trying to catch Roglic by pedaling hard and could not on the downhill. Froome was pedaling by sitting on the top tube. I think Roglic reduced his time due to the motor.

Alaphillipe is the real deal in the mountains both climbing and descending. He has fabulous, power skills and talent. Plus he is a bit of a showman which should make it more interesting for fans and liked by sponsors.

furiousferret

I think this is a transitional year for the Tour. Froome, Thomas, Nibali, Cav, and Greipel are all going to start their decline while Bernal, Alaphilippe, Groenewegen, and Gavira are all on the rise. Not going to say that's going to happen next year but the status quo has changed.



Being 1 generation removed from Wales, I'm pretty excited. The Welsh haven't had this big a win since we won the Cat 4 San Bruno Hill Climb a few years back.

Hermes

Now that is funny. I miss the San Bruno Hill climb that I did each year on New Years day when we lived in NorCal. My wife has a friend in Cardiff and we visited her on one of our trips to the UK.

TheKillerPenguin

I dunno about a passing of the baton, at least as far as GC goes. This was Froome's 4th tour in a row and he finished on the podium and won the last 3. Dude's haggard and still better than almost anybody. I will wager his domination continues next year after he freshens up a bit.

Hermes

I agree. I think Froome got greedy but I totally get wanting to win the Giro TdF combo.

ntnyln

With the caveat that I'm a Froome fan, I don't see it as greedy. I see it as pushing yourself to the limit and seeing what your made of. Everyone was complaining after Lance set up the one race a year matters cadence and Froome has blown that wide open by taking chances with his "legacy."