Le Tour...

[Pompey1985]

I'll never own a property.

Seems nigh on impossible unless you have or a rich partner.

Is that an offer?

[HappyHour@TheBreweryOfLife]

Froome out.

And that's any interest I had in the Tour gone.

[pomp 'n circumstance]

Froome out.

And that's any interest I had in the Tour gone.

Keep the faith - we've lost Cav on the first day and Froomie fell yesterday and attempted to take on the cobbles of the stage today with a damaged wrist. He fell 3 times in lashing rain and was never going to make it. Still, the Sky boys managed to get Richie Porte who was Froomie's No 2 into contention and he'll now be leading Team Sky. Overall, he now lies 8th and they haven't reached the mountains yet.....the Italian Nibali looks favourite, but Richie Porte could go close....

[No Shot Sherlock]

Froome out.

And that's any interest I had in the Tour gone.

Keep the faith - we've lost Cav on the first day and Froomie fell yesterday and attempted to take on the cobbles of the stage today with a damaged wrist. He fell 3 times in lashing rain and was never going to make it. Still, the Sky boys managed to get Richie Porte who was Froomie's No 2 into contention and he'll now be leading Team Sky. Overall, he now lies 8th and they haven't reached the mountains yet.....the Italian Nibali looks favourite, but Richie Porte could go close....

I wonder if Dave Brailsford is now regretting his decision to leave SBW out of the team

[pomp 'n circumstance]

I wonder if Dave Brailsford is now regretting his decision to leave SBW out of the team

Ahh....hindsight is a wonderful thing - but I think Dave Brailsford probably made the right decision. Froome and Wiggo is a toxic mix and not good for Team Sky - Froome is a climber, whereas Wiggo is a time trialist who does a bit of climbing! Neither is at their best this season and I don't think either would have won the Yellow jersey.

[pomp 'n circumstance]

Rumour hath it that the retirement of Froome might have been a blessing in disguise - apparently in training, Ritchie Porte, Froome's No 2 was regularly outriding Froome and was easily the strongest rider.

Nibale did not defend the Yellow Jersey today and a Frenchman now leads on Bastille day tomorrow, which also happens to be a fearsome mountain stage with 4 high category climbs. Porte dropped to 5th overall but rode near the front of the main pelaton and spent the day on Nibali's back wheel. Of all the main protagonists for the Yellow Jersey, Richie Porte looks the strongest - the next 2 weeks will tell us if he can win once they each the Alps and the climbs in Spain. With the Sky team around him, don't rule him out!

[BaffinsBlue]

Watch the French riders go hell for leather on Bastille Day.

[pomp 'n circumstance]

Watch the French riders go hell for leather on Bastille Day.

One brutal day in the mountains with the worst weather I have ever seen, the French challenge was sunk on Bastille Day and the French rider in Yellow lost over 4minutes. The favourite Alberto Contidor is out and Nibali reclaimed Le Maillot Jaune with an incredible ride. Also Ritchie Porte of Sky is now up into 2nd place. With the Alps and the Pyrenees ahead he is a serious contender........

[The Cincinnati Kid]

Overnighting at Amphetimine Sur Mer with a stopover and Le Bloodbanque.
Seriously though....this sport has been riddled with drugs for 1/2 a century....don't take it any more seriously than the WWF tbh. Who's got the best drug hiding med team?.....thats who will win.

[pomp 'n circumstance]

Overnighting at Amphetimine Sur Mer with a stopover and Le Bloodbanque.
Seriously though....this sport has been riddled with drugs for 1/2 a century....don't take it any more seriously than the WWF tbh. Who's got the best drug hiding med team?.....thats who will win.

A tad cynical CK - the dark arts of performance enhancement cannot be laid exclusively at the door of cycling -Olympic sprinters, swimmers, weight lifters have all featured, although Lance Armstrong flew the flag higher than anyone else.

Le Tour and particularly Team Sky have installed a fierce no tolerance level, but there will always be cheats in any sport looking for their 10 minutes of fame.

[The Cincinnati Kid]

Overnighting at Amphetimine Sur Mer with a stopover and Le Bloodbanque.
Seriously though....this sport has been riddled with drugs for 1/2 a century....don't take it any more seriously than the WWF tbh. Who's got the best drug hiding med team?.....thats who will win.

A tad cynical CK - the dark arts of performance enhancement cannot be laid exclusively at the door of cycling -Olympic sprinters, swimmers, weight lifters have all featured, although Lance Armstrong flew the flag higher than anyone else.

Le Tour and particularly Team Sky have installed a fierce no tolerance level, but there will always be cheats in any sport looking for their 10 minutes of fame.

Gosh Pomp....I only had to wait 4 days for a banned doped biker story.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/cycling/28354686

[This Time Next Year]

Gosh Pomp....I only had to wait 4 days for a banned doped biker story, about something that happened two years ago and despite the headline had nothing to do with team sky, and in fact only further emphasises team skys no nonsense approach to drug cheats.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/cycling/28354686

[pomp 'n circumstance]

That story refers to Tiernan Locke's win in the 2012 Tour of Britain and before joining Team Sky. It was Sky who blew the whistle when they found suspicious blood samples when they tested him in training, later. They suspended him immediately and excluded him from all further racing in their team. Since then, as in other sports, there have been other cases including Alberto Contador - but in the main the sport is a lot cleaner then say athletics, where sprinters have continued to cheat in far greater numbers.

Back to Le Tour and the riders are in the Alps today, where the mountain men take over - I expect a titanic face off between Nibali and Richie Porte of Team Sky who is proving an able deputy for Chris Froome.......

[This Time Next Year]

That story refers to Tiernan Locke's win in the 2012 Tour of Britain and before joining Team Sky. It was Sky who blew the whistle when they found suspicious blood samples when they tested him in training, later. They suspended him immediately and excluded him from all further racing in their team. Since then, as in other sports, there have been other cases including Alberto Contador - but in the main the sport is a lot cleaner then say athletics, where sprinters have continued to cheat in far greater numbers.

Back to Le Tour and the riders are in the Alps today, where the mountain men take over - I expect a titanic face off between Nibali and Richie Porte of Team Sky who is proving an able deputy for Chris Froome.......

Definitley looking forward to todays stage.

Despite me following it I don't think my wife quite 'gets' it. She seemed quite surprised when I said today would be a good stage because they're finishing by going up the side of an Alp.

"What, an actual Alp, like where Alpen comes from? That's insane"

I didn't mention they go up several, and then cycle across to the Pyrenees for good measure...