2016 Tour de France/Vuelta

[Johnny Byrne's Boots]

Put snowploughs on the motorbikes.

[Kludgehammer]

The Mt Ventoux events, through the lens of popular culture

[Clucking Bell]

...... and a third win for Froome. Chapeau!

I'm quite pleased that Mollema ended up outside the top ten after his moaning about Froome and Porte getting the same time on the Ventoux stage. Only slight disappointment was Yates not finishing on the podium but, two out of four jerseys for the Brits ain't bad.

[the pink palermo]

Can someone explain to me how we , as in GB, went a zillion years without looking like winning this , to winning it almost every year .

What's changed ?

[Bend it like Repka]

Can someone explain to me how we , as in GB, went a zillion years without looking like winning this , to winning it almost every year .

What's changed ?

1) Dave Brailsford
2) The end of major drug cheating in cycling.

[Claretdave]

1) Dave Brailsford
2) The end of major drug cheating in cycling.

And a ton of cash.

[Denbighammer]

Pinky, BiLR and CD are spot on.

The 'aggregation of marginal gains' programme that Brailsford masterminded on the track has been taken onto the road. Everything has been looked at, even the kit they wear has been reduced in thickness to improve aerodynamic drag.

Also, SKY's budget is bigger than any other teams (c.E28m). In short, they can pay potential Grand Tour winners more money to ride for Froome than they would earn being the star on another team.

[pablo jaye]

I love the last stage of Le Tour - the traditions, camaraderie, the scenery and then the full on sprint around Paris, continue to make this one of the best sporting spectacles of the year.

[White Goodman]

Can someone explain to me how we , as in GB, went a zillion years without looking like winning this , to winning it almost every year .

What's changed ?

Agree with the reasons why but please don't tell me Chris Froome is British.

His link to these isles is even more tenuous than Johanna Konta.

I'd imagine he 'became' British as funding was better than in either of the other countries he should be representing

[the pink palermo]

Whitey, I'm only going by what the meeja call him , I've no idea where he is from .

[Claretdave]

Agree with the reasons why but please don't tell me Chris Froome is British.

His link to these isles is even more tenuous than Johanna Konta.

I'd imagine he 'became' British as funding was better than in either of the other countries he should be representing

Nonsense. He is as British as Lennox Lewis.

[Johnny Byrne's Boots]

And Zola Budd, and Kevin Pietersen, and Tony Greig, and Alan Lamb...


Question. Why does everyone assume Froome has won? Can he not, in theory at least, be overtaken on the final stage?

[White Goodman]

Whitey, I'm only going by what the meeja call him , I've no idea where he is from .

He's from Kenya and speaks with a Saffer accent and has never ever lived here.

[Clucking Bell]

Question. Why does everyone assume Froome has won? Can he not, in theory at least, be overtaken on the final stage?

In theory, all things are possible.

However, for Bardet to take four minutes out of Froome on a short, flat stage would require the rest of Team Sky to withdraw from the race and every other team to gang up on Froome. Even then, it would be well-nigh impossible.

Realistically, the only way Froome could be beaten is if he crashes and doesn't finish.

Aside from all that, it's not the 'done thing' to attack the yellow jersey on the last day. The final stage is a procession until the get on the Champs and then the race is just for the sprinters.

[White Goodman]

Aside from all that, it's not the 'done thing' to attack the yellow jersey on the last day. The final stage is a procession until the get on the Champs and then the race is just for the sprinters.

Unless it's a time trial a la 1989

[pablo jaye]

Answer: in theory yes, but the last stage of the tour is traditionally a parade until they get to Paris. It's an opportunity for the leader to soak up the adulation and glory of winning what is a pretty arduous 3 weeks of cycling so far - I think Froome has notched up 80 hrs or so of racing in this one.

There are a lot of traditions and unwritten rules in the peloton. The leader does have a lot of say in how it races on a race day and for instance, if a rider high up in the leaderboard (the GC) takes a tumble or has a technical problem in the race, the peloton will hang back for him and let him rejoin - which is a pretty good sporting gesture. Naturally, spending so much time together in the peloton and across a season, inter-team friendships will form and I reckon that this show of respect for other sportsmen is something that is admirable.

The flip side of course showed itself when U.S. postal and lance were in their pomp and allegedly pretty much bullied other teams to their advantage -- one rider had the temerity to try to break away and was hauled back by the peloton where LA told him in no uncertain terms that that he shouldn't have done it.

[Johnny Byrne's Boots]

Thanks gents, although I'd like to see them exercise such restraint if there were only a few seconds in it

[Clucking Bell]

He's from Kenya and speaks with a Saffer accent and has never ever lived here.

During the old apartheid days that was quite common. I've met lots of Saffers whose parents had made sure they had a British passport, just in case.

Also, to paraphrase old red nose, if you're good enough, you're British enough

[White Goodman]

I get all that CB, I just can't get behind these people who switch at a very late stage. At least with some of the others they come and live here.

Froome is the worst of the lot by a country mile. Flag of convenience, nothing more

[Iron Mark]

I get all that CB, I just can't get behind these people who switch at a very late stage. At least with some of the others they come and live here.

Froome is the worst of the lot by a country mile. Flag of convenience, nothing more

British father, mother with two British parents according to wiki. Any sports where he wouldn't be allowed to represent Britain?