((((( 'LE TOUR' de FRANCE 2016 )))))

Good work CMi is great to have a long overdue thread up for this wonderful event. Not sure where MC or SP the 2 most prolific contributors on this forum are but hopefully they will be a long soon with their respected thoughts too.

This really does look like one of the toughest TDF's in memory for me, there will be no hiding place or no recovery on a long pan flat TT, the winner will have to climb really well and climb really well throughout the 3 weeks.
As early as stages 2 and 5 there are opportunities for upheaval in the gc with difficult finishes then we hit the Pyrennees in stages 7 to 9 for the first real mountains, so this will be a severe test from the very first week.
You then have Ventoux in the 2nd week the day before the first TT, which is not flat by any means but coming the day after Ventoux will be very difficult and could see big gaps appearing in the GC by now.
The final week culminates with 3 big mountain stages with a very hard uphill TT in the middle, so we could see great changes in gc right up to the penultimate day!
It all makes for a great spectacle and a very brutal 3 weeks for the riders!

The line up of riders is superb with many teams looking super strong on paper! Virtually every star rider and gc contender is here, there must be 20+ riders with ambitions of finishing in the top 10 overall! So we should see some great action and some classic climbing stages with attacks after attacks.

With all that said no matter how strong the field is, you do get the feeling that this will come down to the 2 big riders, Chris Froome and Nairo  Quintana. With so much climbing to be done and the way these two have dominated on the big mountains over the last couple of years, with the immensly strong support teams they have, it's difficult to see anybody being able to live with them over the 3 weeks.  You would have to say Contador and Porte are the 2 main challengers to them, with maybe Nibali (surely will be Astanas main hope when Aru bombs) but it's difficult to see any of these being stronger enough over the whole 3 weeks to win it???

I haven't bet Froome or Quintana yet as feel it is too close to call but I do feel Froome may just have the edge with his experience, his  TT skills and the super team he has around him, just not sure I want to play at 6/5??

My only bets so far are Landa at 7/4 for top 10, feel certain he will prove to be Froomes main right hand man when it comes to the big tests and even the TT's seem to suit him so he should  comfortably be inside the top 10 and could be an outside chance for a podium.

Pinot at 28/1 ew for the mountains classification. A great climber up the very best on his day but does tend to have an off day or 2 which will likely see him out of the picture by week 3 which will hopefully leave him free to go for the polka dots??

Adam Yates 7/2 for the young rider catergory, can see why Barguil is odds on for this but think Yates maybe a more pure climber and slightly stronger in the tt's and could overhaul barguil in the 3rd week??


Be good to hear any thoughts other people have on the outrights at this stage.

Whatever happens it promises to be a thrilling 3 weeks, so may the strongest rider win!

Gl all.

Anyone doing the E'tape on the 10th ???

http://netstorage.lequipe.fr/ASO/egp/etapedutour/edt16-lr-page-a-page-bd.pdf

gaps where correct, but Cav was distanced already at the cote.

Porte unlucky today, but lost a lot of time, happy for Sagan, Contador obviously handicapped and out of the race for the win.

Gap to Jasper Stuyven was not correct with 1k to go

Unbelievable, seems there was money to be chewed up on yesterdays stage. In the office for today's stage so hopefully more of the same to come. Not sure there's much value to be had in the bunch kick.

Mark Cavendish has joined cycling legend Bernard Hinault on 28 Tour de France stage wins...only 34-time stage winner Eddy Merckx of Belgium is ahead of him.

Tuesday's 4th stage is the longest of the race at 237.5km and takes the riders from Saumur to Limoges. A sprint finish is again expected where there is a slight uphill kick to the finish line.

Think the finish here is too hard for Kittel from what we think the final percentages are. Is it too hard for Greipel and Cav as well?

I hate backing Matthews as he always lets me down. I've gone with him e/w for this one.

THE 4th STAGE so far...

http://www.bbc.com/sport/live/cycling/36608806

Poor Sam Bennett. Tour tracker has him a couple of minutes off the back of the peleton already.

Plenty of double figure odds about Kittel on here. 16-1 in the last km

WD to anyone who had KITTEL - winning margin was less than the top of my knob

Who carews about the sprint only racers? Even mention Cav in one sentence with Hinault and Merckx is a disgrace.

And Sagan the most versatile racer of the present, most talented rider since Merckx, wouldn't surprise me if he does a career similar to Kelly and Jaja turning from a sprinter/puncher to a classics hunter and then winning some (more) stage races

Got lucky with kittel,though was out busy today so tool 11/1 this morning on here,just watched highlights,hello catch me ifyou can

Very pleased for Greg after all the Classics near misses and the despair of Flanders.

http://www.bicycling.com/racing/2016-tour-de-france/van-avermaet-wins-big-in-stage-5-of-the-2016-tour-de-France

Worth the read

http://www.cyclingfans.net/2016/images/2016_tour_de_france_stage6_profile2.png

CADEL Evans fears Richie Porte’s Tour de France dreams have been shattered by a freak puncture on the second day of the 21-stage race.

Porte, on a career-first maillot jaune assault, copped a flat tyre 5km from the finish line of a routine stage two to leave himself with plenty to do. Evans became Australia’s only Tour de France winner in 2011, but knows how costly even the smallest deficits can be after finishing second by seconds in 2007 and 2008. “As someone who has lost the Tour de France by 23 seconds, on one side I can say his chances of winning are over,” Evans said. “On the other side I can look at it in an optimistic light and say it will take pressure off him and it will help him ease into the position of team leader.”

Asked if a podium spot was still realistic for Porte, Evans said: “I think it’s still a possibility, but of course with every second lost the chances become less and less. Let’s see what happens. Now that they’ve come to some more selective days the nerves lessen and hopefully we’ll see less crashes and it becomes less of a lottery just to get through.”
Another nibble at 40's