It's always motor home madness. You go to sleep, wake up, and ones squeezed into a gap you never knew existed.
He's bang on form. Greipel pretty much led him home, and must be fuming. He'll be a Sir if he keeps going and catches Eddies total... And bags a medal at Rio. Incredible he's now second ever stage winner. He also credited Eisel for doing 20km into a headwind to get him to the front at the end, and EBH and Renshaw for emptying themselves to lead him to the best spot to launch his sprint. A team that gets no offices credit in the record books, for the benefit of one man who gets the glory. There are no plaudits for the men who sacrifice themselves to get him coddled and safe to the end game. Some sports could learn from that selflessness.
Getting quite addicted to it. Amazing to think that after 6 hours of riding / racing, it comes down to a photo finish.
Like lots here I cycle... I'm interested as to your average speeds on a ride... I'm 54 and cycle 60/70 mile rides and average 18.2 mph.... I'm told thats not bad for an old man though I'm knackered when I finish. What put it in perspective was listening to the tour highlights just now and David Millar was saying 'in passing' that a training ride, probably 150 miles ha!! was at about 35 kmh which is close on 22mph...
I am out in the summer 3 times a week over 50/60 miles at a time and average 16.5 miles an hour and I'am 68.
60 miles!! That's equivalent of Hull -> Leeds (and I know before anyone says, that you probably do a loop to / from your house). So do you take part in competitions or owt? As for 150 mile rides, my eyes are bleeding just reading that. One hundred and fifty miles! And I guess they must do that regularly to do TDF. I remember 'when I were a lad' with my Coventry Eagle, riding to/from Hornberg, and that was classed as an expedition
Very little chance Charlie, once they get to the climbs Quintana and Froome will take over. He is probably the best all round rider, but cannot get enough time gap in hand on the stages where he is at his best.
I do a fair number of 20/30 mile rides with a few 60 milers thrown in,and the odd 100 mile ride,usually for these i catch the train to York,ride out to Hemsley then a loop over the moors to Hutton le Hole then home via Malton and Wetwang,i'm a slow rider though,average speed for me is around 11/12 mph and i'm happy with that,mid 50's age wise.
Sagan? He won't win the whole thing. He can't cycle up mountains. He is a puncheur... What the French call a rider that can deal with the stuff inbetween pan flat (power sprinters like Cav) and the mountains that the skinny lads fly up (Froome). Sagan wins the green jersey for being the best all rounder, but he hasn't a hope of winning. Only those that can survive the hills, and have the time trial and all round legs can win. He isn't that sort of rider. Google puncheur for more
As for the speeds, Greipel was turning a 54 front ring, and an 11 back ring on today's finish. He said he made a mistake as it was uphill and that's his biggest gear... The sort used by time trial riders on a flat course. Not many on here could turn the wheels in a gear like that, never mind uphill. They are on a different planet. By a mile. Even compared to the best club riders.
Good on you John.... its just great to get out. Though its pretty flat around here. I went out with some friends near huddersfield about 4 weeks ago and I 'bonked' - cyclists will know what this is... they thought it was hysterical that I was gasping on what they thought was a normal ride.. bloody hilly.
I wonder where Cavs endurance came from as he was essentially a track cyclist. A guy breezed up along side me sometime last year who had ridden at semi pro sort of level or so he said and I was asking how much energy they save sitting in the peloton. He said as much as 30%, maybe thats something to do with it.. ?
I heard this also that they hadn't realised it was an up hill finish, poor planning to be honest. Also the gears they are turning as you say we probably could turn them at all.
I am in Pocklington, so go out towards Driffield where there are some reasonable climbs. It is a good place to be , if I go west towards Leeds its quite flat, or East it is more hilly. Most Sundays I go from Pock through Londesbourgh to Market Weighton, then down the North Cliff/South Cliff road to North cave, through South Cave to Elloughton and up to Swanland to see my son, then down to Hessle to see my daughter, then back home. P.S. When I go to see City play at Huddersfield I notice it is nice and hilly.
maybe not in the mainstream media but there is in the cycling media and probably most importantly the teams who know the value of the domestiques in their various guises. The strange thing is that the best climbing domestiques would be possible GC contenders in their own right - though often lacking that little extra ,as per Porte, to actually win a grand tour except possibly the Giro but some of that is due to the timing
