2014 Tour de France, Stage 5: Ypres – Arenberg Porte du Hainaut: 156km

[ILovecycling]

3 minutes for breakaway

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Froome is not really popular on CN

Perhaps he's just getting rid of the last few percent body fat - with each road rash?
He likes to suffer for his art I believe.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

BMC at the front

Cannondale now

 

[jens_attacks]

Sagan is ready it seems

 

[mastermind]

Perhaps he's just getting rid of the last few percent body fat - wit each road rash?

Marginal gains!

 

[murali]

sky fans, i know how u like to referring urselves as victims. but can we please enjoy the race?



nice to see cannondale taking charge.

 

[ILovecycling]

Cannondale now

Last 20 km possible for echelons when they will leave this town (Roubaix)

 

[Publicus]

Looks like Cannondale is upping the pace again.

 

[cineteq]

Froome is not really popular on CN

Indeed. What do you expect from a rider coming out of nowhere to win the Tour? Not to mention his awkward riding and radioactive behavior.

 

[TANK91]

What on earth are you talking about? I´d never said Tinkoff has targeted this stage as Astana (who seems to get a little personal here), i assume they are perfectly fine with sitting it out and hoping to survive. Don´t heard them want to have some parts cancelled though.

I was being sarcastic about them targeting it, you made it sound as if Sky fault it was took out, im sure if that was the case Contador and Nibali were delighted.

 

[Pulpstar]

Sagan is wearing Green, but I suspect he wants to wear yellow

 

[jens_attacks]

Grande Sep will kill them all today i think
including bauke

 

[murali]

i reckon 20 more km till the first cobbles.

any chance for break to be caught by tht time?
or shud CAN wait to catch them just before the sprint point?

 

[ILovecycling]

ouch bad timed mechanical for Kristoff

 

[phanatic]

Has the peloton quit? Or is Tony Martin riding all out to frustrate Cance? Would be so sweet.

 

[Matt92]

i reckon 20 more km till the first cobbles.

any chance for break to be caught by tht time?
or shud CAN wait to catch them just before the sprint point?

I don't think so, they're 3 mins ahead of the peloton, with 20 kms left.

 

[jilbiker]

A pretty tiresome argument - they're not. Wiggins would not commit 100% to backing Froome. Additionally, Brailsford is on record that Wiggins is not there in order to have a higher overall team morale. He would have split the team into 'Pro Wiggo' / 'Pro Froome' and 'neutral / afraid to join one or other'. He believes a strong team in harmony will beat a team with stronger individuals racing for themselves.

Porte is the GC fallback.

I think Froome's concern was about the loyalty of Brailsford not so much if Wiggins would pull for him. He is very aware of the "True" British and "Adopted" British cultural battle. If there was even a sniffer of a chance that Wiggins would take leadership during the race (like a Froome crash), Brailsford would switch. Reminds me of AC and Lance in 2009 and the loyalty of Johann. At least Froome could choose, AC did not have a choice.

Froome crashing today reminds me of AC in 2011 TDF, he was not meant to be there, the courtcase hanging in the background, then we see his first TDF crash (interesting it was wheels touching like Froome) and then another crash, just wasn't meant to be. I get the same feeling here with Froome. Not blaming him about the Wiggins decision, but I still think he should have buried the whole pot of stew and moved on.

 

[Matt92]

Has the peloton quit? Or is Tony Martin riding all out to frustrate Cance? Would be so sweet.

They slowed down for pee break. Not kidding.

 

[Franklin]

Has the peloton quit? Or is Tony Martin riding all out to frustrate Cance? Would be so sweet.

Cycling needs more feuds (I'm not joking). It's spicing things up a bit.

 

[murali]

Grande Sep will kill them all today i think
including bauke

BMC is showing interest. but watch out for OPQS. they are riding just behind the first team from the beginning. the moment someone launches, they will follow

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Looks like a Sagan/Nibali (ex-Liquigas) pact in act.

 

[Matt92]

Sagan willing to annihilate all lifeform anywhere

 

[ILovecycling]

Cannodale really drillin it

 

[King Boonen]

Anyone else's feed lost the left sound channel? Massively annoying...

 

[SKSemtex]

Looks like Cannondale is upping the pace again.

probably because of Kristoff