Eddy Mercx tto start 2019 TDF

OFF

AS Big Mac would say

Sagan beaten in 2nd

The old lay the field tactic works wonders once in a while :D

They don't make them like Mr Mercx anymore , can you imagine Froome , Indurain , Lemond , Armstrong and co winning umpteen one day classics ......no me neither.

Lemond certainly used to ride all of the Spring Classics before hix eahly tours.

Ineos to win a maiden tt trial?

29 mins 18 secs

Is it a winning time?

Still leading
JUST

Only Jumbo can stop them
NOW

beaten

nobody watching the tour this year?

sAGAN wins

betfair have plumped for two schachmanns again today and two bilbaos for good measure. no doubt chaos would ensue if two of the four won the stage.

great ride by the breakaway teums takes it from chicone. i stupidly didn't green out chicone green near the end so took a tiny loss. thomas just smashed that finish, bernal and him basically flipped outright, that's a big statement from him as he overtakes aliphilipe just before the line

We seem to be back in the era of the top guys not attacking until the top of the climbs .......no point moaning when a time triallist wins again then is there?

who's moaning?

Yes, maybe more domestiques for lots of teams prepared to stomp out attacks now? Even Bora chasing down attackers.

Good finish today.
I would like to see Pinot win the race , he has been a contender on so many occasions ....... and in an era of cyclists rarely 'going for it' on the climbs he has regularly attacked .

The TDF has far too many of these 'filler' stages today  , other than getting from A to B .....a yawnfest.

In more interesting news.
In 2014 the TDF came within 10 miles of my house , it was a wonderful day with hundreds of thousands of others on top of a moor as Nibali win the stage .....and the race.
In 2019 the Tour Of Britan will come within 20 metres of my house
On the final day after reaching the highest point of the stage , a one mile descend of 550 feet .
I regularly cycle up and down , 12% in places .
The rode surface is a potholed death trap for these elite cyclists at the moment ,I presume a large tarmac operation will be occurring soon.
Seeing these guys hit up to 70mph on this descent will be fantastic.

Van Aert wins the sprint

Time for a rest DAY

Yates
WINS IN SPRINT FINISH
OUSIDER OF THREE

AMAZXING

Mountain stage and contenders don't race.......this race is becoming the the worst of the grand tours to watch every year.

fAV vAN DE AERT
CRASHES

Thomas DE GENT TAKES THE LEAD
Amazing

Yellow jersey wins the race

WOW

Alaphilippe layers praying he cracks soon   


200             £73
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Yellow Jersey gonna

WIN

Great to see Pinot win .
In an era of very timid cyclists he has always gambled and attacked time and time again.

Allahhillipe shows no signs of cracking yet and let's be honest Thomas and Bernal are not Froome .
The longer he stays in the lead the more the crowds will be rocking as they see the possibility of the first home winner since Hinault .... think it was back in the 15th century.

Another cracking Ride by Pinot , Alaphillipe Blown away , Its wide open as we head to the Alps

May well end up as a Classic  its near that now ...

That was more like it .
Memories of Channel Four back in the 80's and attact attack attack.

Pinot is just the man in the mountains.
SKY must be looking to switch to Bernal now ......could be the second successve year they have the defending champ being a super domestique for another rider.
Yellow jersey showed first signs of weakness.

It was suggested pre race it was the most open for 20 years.....with 6 possible winners still .... it is !

yESTERDAYS STAGE WAS FANTASTIC

Having watched every minute and the replays( im sad )

My thoughts on the first 6 in the betting to win the race and my odds I take

Pinot
Strong climber but Thursday/Friday stages look likely to be a heatwave
against him  My odds 5-2

Thomas         
Current champion but is he at full pace?
             My odds 7-2

Bernal
Would be the youngest winner since 1957-Jac Anquetil
He was born at altitude and would NOT mind the heat
             My odds  9-2

Krujswik
Dosent seem to be in the best form
             My odds 6-1

Buchman
Top climber,but is he good enough in heat/altitue
             My odds 10-1

and finally the leader of the race
Alphippe
Looking at Thursday/Friday/Saturday stages hes going to need a
motorcycle

            My odds  25-1

Therefore my bets are
Lay
Alphippe 5 points at better than 5-1

Win
Bernal  1 point at 5-1   


GL

Interesting views on the protaganists Lucky

Krujswick
Dosent seem to be in the best form

He is in the top 6 with a fighting chance , he has flattered to deceive so far in his career......won't have a better chance.

I do not think Pinot will let the heat stop him from winning ......can he really be any more uncomfortable that a welshman ?

tODAYS THE DAY
Toughest final stage of the tour
Who ever is in Yellow at the end of the day
Will win the TDF

Can't see past Pinot & Bernal.
I would like Pinot to win , he is an old school climber and the TDF is always framed for time triallists to win.
And a French win would be great over the next few days.

But ..... if Bernal is not under orders he could go clear from a long way out today and make everyone suffer.

I think Bernal but hope for Pinot.

Quintana destroys the field
But the Yellow jersey retains lead

Hes the winner

Egg on Face


Just hope BERNAL CAN PULL IT OFF

Great ride by Quintana
Surprising lack of aggresion by the chasers.
As for the idiot on Eurosport saying that Allaphillipe was in 'big' trouble as he was dropped 500 metres from the top...... it took him no time to catch them.
The post race guys said they didn't understand why they did not attack with 5 k to go ....me neither ,

But the Yellow jersey retains lead

Hes the winner

Alaphilippe is the bookies 4th favourite at 4/1

Ineos have two players and should try sending one man clear on the big climb of the day and make the Yellow jersey chase but.........so often these teams who have options do  nothing of the kind.

Presumably Pinot was feeling the heat yesterday as he made no attacks at all.

Bernal looks the only one capable of taking the race from him.

I expect him to try and take at least a minute back today .

Eurosport pundits think most of them are more worried about losing their place than risking going for the win .

Thursday was magnificent , yesterday was underwhelming (Quintana apart) .....let's hope today is a cracker.

Hoping Moviestar set up this stage
Could be a CRACKER

Pinot at the medical car before the big climb  ....doesn't look good

OUT

Bad luck

rACED CANCELLED
sACRA bleu

Bernal over 40 secs clear

First Columbian WINNER

Hell of a day today.

Snow ploughs clearing away rivers of slush down in the villages FFS.

Perhaps the French WILL DECIDE WITH no CLOCK
That the original times at START stand

I mean they want a French winner

Such a shame , but the race had to stop.

Bernal will be delighted
Alaphillippe will not ....nor will Yates who lost chance to win the stage.

45 SEC LEAD
Provisional

fINAL RACING STAGE
heavy RAIN AROUND
Will this stage finish?
Fav odds collapsed overnite due to short stage

Comon the Columbian

Champion

Emulates Eddy Mercx
by doing Suisse/TFD
double

2019 sees the number of South American grand tour winners double.
A very dull last stage as the contenders could not be bothered to chase Nibali down .
The last day , why on earth are the climbers not going for the win ?

I think Bernal might have attacked to win the stage but that might have broken Thomas and threatened his 2nd the GC - once Alaphilippe was dropped the job was done - team orders to ride conservatively unless the YJ was threatened.

Late start today

Wggo on the
CHAMAPGNE

Think last years winner could WIN the sprint

Never watch the last day , it is like watching paint dry as they do lap after lap of the Champs Elysses......just do one lap and call it a day

Lemond & Fignon had the most ever memorable finish to a tour ......so they never did it again.

I think Froome should retire
He wont beat Bernal