Wow, what a race. Froome's attacks have been rendered useless by my 'teamwork'. So far this has cost him. Diesel can be a good fuel some of the time, but without a few explosions you can't win, and I am the rainy day which is muting his gunpowder. In fact, this seems a Tour for the explosive riders. It's like the Vuelta, Rodriguez holding, with Contador and Quintana on his tail! And what stages we are seeing, maybe cycling is better without Sky?
Unfortunately, Sky aren't gone yet. They still boss the team rankings, with 3 riders in the top 10 (if you include me). Froome is the ugly duckling in the Spanish speaking GC,n for that to change. You see, to me, 3rd is a bit too good. I can't do anything when we hit the final climbs, I see that now, but he'll be desperate, and desperation can be taken advantage of. The mission is still on!
A mountainous stage, but no summit finish. Normally Sky would steer well clear of a stage like this, but 4:35 in 2 stages requires desperate measures. Sky might be starting to get suspicious, but I know Froome is planning something, and I know it won't work :evil:
Contador has experience of this sort of thing, so he seems the only GC leader with any sense. He sends Roche to mark Froome tightly, but I don't see him sharing the load!
Rodriguez's team is shattered, no one has the strength to chase. The gap is rising, but not out of control, there is still hope.
This stage is a real strength sapper. Thanks to the high pace, with 128km left, the peleton is down to 30!
Froome is too strong, even for Roche. Some of the GC leaders are now chasing. There is panic everywhere, even at Sky. Only Henao, Wiggins and I are in the peleton! There'll be no help should this move fail.
What's going on? Quintana, Contador, Horner and Kreuziger panic! They form their own chase group. It seems I may have underestimated Froome again. I need to stay calm.
Meanwhile, as my plan unfolds ahead, I take the chance to deaden the legs of Froome's teammates. May as well sabotage the team competition too.
Now, to steal all of the team's water bottles. Well, better safe than sorry, Froome can't be hydrated now can he? I won't even bother describing my other devious plans, for my own shame and for time's sake.
And, sure enough, Mr Froome is shattered, with 40km left. My sabotage behind has worked, (much more than I can tell you without feeling a bit guilty!). The gap is closing, how long left now?
But what's this? No, surely not, what are they doing? They've stopped riding, the gap is growing again. Uh oh....
Contador and Rodriguez fly by Froome. He's failed, and he's losing time now.
Rodriguez flys by Contador. Surely here he has cemented his yellow jersey, Quintana loses a minute. They thought it was all over, is it now?
Froome was desperate with 4:35 to make up. Now he's lost another 11 minutes. This really is game over! Turns out Froome isn't Contador or Schleck, at least not with me here. He just beats my group, while Henao and co. lose even more.
Froome is now 5th in GC, at 15:35. What a turnaround. Rodriguez has 2:22 on Quintana, 5:46 on Contador, and then there is the great gap, all from today! Horner next best, at 12:19! Henao falls to 13th, 34:20 behind. Sky lose the team stakes as well.
The high pace caused 5 abandonments, including our very own Bernhard Eisel, who never really recovered from the crash. 124 people came in more than half an hour behind. What a stage.
@Jesleyh and YvesStevens: It sure was a great one!
@Ian: Yes, it looked pretty close from he start, but once Froome cracked the time just grew and grew.
@Sutty: Overall yeah, a few stage victories are nothing really, are they?
@lordbenji33: ummm, if you say so...
What a Stage!
Wow, that is all that can be said. I'll try and elaborate anyway. I feel I've been part of cycling history today. It doesn't get better than this, particularly if you're not a fan of Sky. Such a selective stage hasn't been seen in recent history. The top 4 were the only ones within 5:00, and 10th place 11:10 behind! All of this kicking off from the very start, people dropped only 5km in. All of this caused by one man's attack. And think this wasn't even a summit finish.
As far as I can see, my GC spoiling mission is over. There's no way Froome will make the podium, never mind win the thing. He'll be destroyed for Semnoz, even if it had worked. They'll be no attacks I don't think. This leaves only the Champs. Boasson Hagen will give it a try if he hasn't collapsed by then!
The entire peleton is broken after yesterday. A finale, maybe, more likely a breakaway win and a half hearted strike from Quintana behind. A good chance to take an overview of the team' race.
(All facts subject to change )
Froome. A disappointing race for him. He came into this Tour as a favourite. He comes out of it a failure, an embarrassment if you believe the media. Is this his last chance to win a Tour? I don't think so, but any damage will be on the inside. (He's not winning the KOM by the way)
Henao. He came into this as Froome's superdomestique. I think he surpassed that. For a lot of the race he was right up there. He might not have been the best team mate, but he was a great rider. In the end it was Froome's last gasp that hurt him the most. He too is empty handed.
Bradley Wiggins. After a brilliant 2012 Tour, his return has been less than spectacular. His time trial's were good, but nothing special. His mountain performances have been plain disappointing. His TT rival Tony Martin even beat him. Not even a top 25 GC. Nothing special, but nothing awful either.
Joseph Dombrowski. The American has had a great race. He is 34th in GC. Every stage he has been one of Froome's key men, then shined, stronger than even his key lieutenants on occasion. If Froome won't win another Tour, I wouldn't count out this man.
Edvald Boasson Hagen. The Norwegian has had a mediocre tour. He held the yellow jersey for a day. However, he hasn't managed much on any terrain, TT, hill, flat or mountain. His sprints have been oddly poor and he hasn't got a stage.
Geraint Thomas. The Welshman has been a solid team mate all Tour. However, that's it. He hasn't had a chance to ride for himself, only for Froome. He has been more helpful than Sky had hoped, but he doesn't look like he will realise his full potential, at least not in the mountains.
Finally, Ian Stannard. The Brit was brought to perform on the flat, but that's all he managed. As soon as the road turned up, he fell back. On a GC team this isn't that helpful, a workorse wasn't what we needed, so Stannard has disappointed.
Of course, Eisel didn't make it to today. The same goes for him as to Stannard. While not in a leadout train, he doesn't contribute much. His crash meant he was weak, even for his best days.
Then there's me. I haven't come to this Tour with the same objectives as the others of course. However, I think I have done well with my own goals. Sky has been disappointing, and therefore. I have done well.
Froome did some work early on, but he wasn't as strong as Quintana and Rodriguez.
Quintana won, but it was little consolation. Rodriguez cements the GC, Froome takes a podium, but it will be his last in this Tour.
Froome remains 5th. However, Henao gives up completely. He looses 22:00, and slips to 28th in GC.
The final, historic stage of le Tour. Sky have had a terrible race so far, but all hopes are on Edvald for a last hurrah. I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen. The make or break moment of my mission.
The peleton entered the Champs in an untraditional manner. The break was formed, so it was the sprint workers on the front, not the yellow jersey.
The Sky train was dominant all day, things were going well.
Then it was my turn, Boasson Hagen was right up there.
Then I stopped completely, halted, Edvald swerved, but it was mighty close.
Edvald was completely caught out.
I rolled along at 15kph. May as well lose some time, wouldn't want to give Sky and credit for my GC.
Time to stop, well might as well. Sky will certainly be remembered, but not for the right reasons
Apparently, this counts as abandonment... Oh well, I was there for at least 4 minutes
Edvald was 12th, but more important is the chaos of the sprint, and behind
Greipel won the stage, with Kittel 2nd and Demare 3rd
In summary, GC wise. Froome 5th at 15:35
Henao 27th at 56:00
Dombrowski 31st at 57:51
Wiggins 33rd at 58:56
No one else within an hour!
@Matthewrp and Sutty: It's been a bumpy ride but finally we've got there
Generic Tour Overview
This Tour has been a fascinating one. With Sky's controlling hand cut off, the racing was free again, and boy was it exciting! The first few days didn't come to much, a few hilly stages, and a few flat ones. Sky were quickly on the back foot with a terrible Team Time Trial. Then came the mountains. Froome cracked, but ahead the race was brilliant. Rodriguez, Contador and Quintana fought it out, as they would do again.
The racing only truly began on Bastille Day. Froome won, but even behind him Rodriguez was extending his lead yet further. The 15km solo of Froome was incredible, but not exactly exciting. This was all about to change The Time Trial was dominated by Sky, but it only brought things closer at the top, no changes. Alpe D'Huez. What a stage.
Right from the bottom the GC men started the fight, and continued it to the top. Attack after attack after attack after attack. The same order came through again though. Rodriguez, Quintana, Contador. This would become a pattern.
Froome's losses left him desperate. Stage 20, to Le Grand Bornand, was one of the greatest in your history. Froome's 200km solo, but not all went to plan, for any rider. For 5:46:56, everything hung in the balance. The breakaway (Froome ) was holding. Panic gripped the peleton, and the big GC men formed a chase group for a good 100km themselves. The truest ever test. No teammates, no tactics, brute strength. It was Froome against the world. The world won.
The full implications of that stage have not yet come to pass. Froome lost, but he risked everything, and put his body on the line. He deserves respect, if not acclaim, for this. The time gaps alone were immense. 6 riders within 10 minutes says it all. By now the GC was basically decided. Semnoz was an anticlimax. Tired GC men fought, but Rodriguez held firm, and won le Tour!
The GC was not the only contest. Cavendish's retirement ended dreams of a Briton in green. In the end Germany dominated. Kittel and Greipel contested every stage, and they were there at the end, 60 points over 3rd, but in the end Marcel Kittel was victorious. Greipel 2nd and Sagan 3rd.
Rodriguez was the first man since Merckx to win both the GC and the mountains. Quintana was 2nd, and a 200km ride was the main source from Froome's 3rd. Quintana dominated the young rider stakes, taking 24:24 from Kwiatkowski and 45:56 from Chernetskiy (3rd). Sky's late Tour troubles lost them the team stakes, which were inherited by Saxo-Tinkoff, mainly thanks to Contador, Kreuziger and Roche (3rd, 6th, 9th).
This Tour will go down in history, as full of exciting attacks, brutal stages and legendary rides. Sky has played its part in that, but still comes away with nothing.
![imageshack.com/a/img842/2482/7sst.jpg[/spoiler]<br />
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Clearly I'm not the only one worried, Rodriguez makes his move, and the gap falls again before you could say 'Purito'.<br />
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[img]https://imageshack.com/a/img827/8931/obel.jpg](https://imageshack.com/a/img842/2482/7sst.jpg[/spoiler]<br />
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Clearly I#39;m not the only one worried, Rodriguez makes his move, and the gap falls again before you could say #39;Purito#39;.<br />
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[img]https://imageshack.com/a/img827/8931/obel.jpg)
