Recent content by s.i.

Hmm that's how Nibali lost the Giro last year, though.

Chris Froome will win this bike race. Hoping to see Landa try something like last years short stage. Although this one is shorter and harder. And if I remember correctly it was Contador who initiated that attack.

By the way. How good a sprinter is Greipels lead-out man Jasper de Buyst? Could he aim for a top 5-10 now that so many sprinters DNF? (If he doesn't go in the break, that is).

Bora and especially FDJ should chase the break. Maybe with some help from UAE and Bahrain. Should be able to reign it in? Demare is FDJs best chance for a stage win, Kristoff probably won't get a bigger chance to win a stage again than the remaining flat stages of this Tour.

Yves Lampaert to sneak away while Sagan looks at GvA who looks at Degenkolb who looks at Terpstra who looks at Stuyven who looks at Gilbert.

Watch out for Kwiato. Rooting for him to get a stage win. What do you think about Jasha Sütterlin and Stephen Cummings?

Podium 1. Quintana 2. Froome 3. Porte Green: Sagan KOM: De Gendt White: Meintjes Top 10: Contador, Bardet, Aru, Meintjes, Chaves, Valverde, Majka Breakthrough rider: Calmejane Most stage wins: Kittel Cavendish stage wins: 1

Is someone going to sprint for Orica and Direct Energie? Impey and Petit maybe?

What do you think about Gregory Rasts chances of being selected to the Tour team? There may be better alternatives if you're going to pick the 9 best riders, but he is a good road captain and has participated in the 3 last Tours with Trek.

Špilak, Zakarin, Martin and Kristoff is pretty much what they got. Zakarin isn't riding the Tour this year afaik. Martin is going for the ITTs (and maybe try to win from a break or something) so he has no need of support. Kristoff, Mørkøv and Bystrøm are all on outgoing contracts, but unless...

True, but in 2008 Contador didn't ride the Tour, though.

I already wrote that they had strong captains. It's the same hand Movistar has now with 2 strong GC riders in Valverde + Quintana. But were they controlling the race? No imo.

Also remember Navarro destroying everyone except Andy Schleck in the 2010 Tour.

CSC/Saxo was a good team, but they were nothing like Sky. They had strong captains (Schlecks and Sastre), but not a mountain train controlling the race. Their domestiques where either power houses, like Cance, Larsson and Zabriskie, or mediocre climbers like Cuesta and Anker Sørensen.

On paper Skys roster here kind of seems stronger than many teams can put together for the Tour. Reckon Henao is in ok form, probably Thomas too, curious to see where Poels is at.