Tour de France

Steve......how can you put Mercks and Cav in the same sentence?

Really?

We were lucky enough to go and watch Cav and lots of other GB Olympic hopefuls live at Manchester velodrome on 2nd January this year. It was always his goal for the year to try and get the one item missing from his tally of achievements, an Olympic medal, preferably Gold. He started as a track cyclist, all his training this year has been about preparing for the Olympics. Dimension Data knew this when he joined. But he has won four stages, and worn the Yellow jersey for them in the Tour, so I would think he has more than delivered on his membership of DD, a relatively new team. He could still have a few more TdeF rides in him, but I doubt he will make the cut for the Olympics again. I am surprised he carried on as long into this Tour. I for one wish him all the best, and fingers crossed that he gets a medal in Rio.

 Runrig said: two weeks ago...

Once Sagan has an unsurpassable lead in the points competition, the only reason Cav would stay in the TdF would be for a win on the Champs-Elysee. But he has a few of those already, he does not have an Olympic medal. If he thinks murdering himself over the alps will damage that chance he will retire before Ventoux.

And a few die-hards will think that dissrespectful, so what?

Okay, so it took until Berne for Sagan to amass the unasailable lead for the Green Jersey. If Cav had won yesterday he would have taken his chances in Paris, but it was a big ask and now he concentrates on Rio.

Come on guys, the TdF is the biggest race in cycling (and I am a big fan), but it is NOT the ONLY race in cycling. Cav wants an Olympic gold on his Palmares and I respect him for that.

The ACO won't sanction him for it, they need Cav in the TdF for the next two years to ensure cycling history still has a chance of being re-written.

And I am sure Bernard and Eddie would agree.

Well, I do agree that ASO won't block his entry in future Tours. They are a commercial organisation, in it for the money, not for the history and tradition.

They regularly make courses more suited to the riders that they're trying to court. They did it in the past, to encourage cycling as a sport in the USA (Andy Hampsen, Greg Lemond and a certain Mr Armstrong). They even contemplated having stages in the US!

Their current target appears to be the UK, with courses designed for Brit contenders (2012 with all its time trialling and lack of mountains, being a good example).

So no, Cav will not be banned because he's a 'good earner' for ASO. But yes, traditionalists will rightly believe that he has disrespected the sport and the event that has made him a millionaire.

It has to evolve as a race though, no matter how much traditionalists might wish it unchanged. It has done down the decades one way or another, be it in terms of equipment, health and safety, how the teams are set up, how the funding is gained, etc..... Sport of most kind is now very big business and millions of spectators world wide are happy to see their own countrymen doing well, this is just an extension of that really. I for one am perfectly happy to have had all the Sky funding for British Cycling, in all its many forms, and despite it almost totally ignoring a Women's Sky team. It has raised cycling's profile, encouraged a bit more participation and brought some top class, free to view sport to this island. 

Froom's performance and times in this latest time trial was "Awesome".   -----  Hm 

I really wonder how, on some days he achieves a performance what no other cyclist can match. 

K 

K, could I suggest you troll somewhere else please? 

Froome's performance today was exceptional.......especially after the efforts he's put in so far in the Tour.

I really do hope that he is an exceptional athlete......and that his team are not simply exceptional in other 'activities'.

(I did note that Porte's comeback in one of the mountain stages last year, after he had been blown out once, was rather unbelievable. He was with Sky then).

Assuming everything is bona fide.......well done Chris. The Tour is yours for the taking.

Froome was emphatic today. Only thing that could stop him now would be a crash with a motorbike... oh wait a minute...

It really is a race for second place, but what a race?

As for Froome? a darn sight more likely to be clean, than many a succesful cyclist of the 70's & 80's !

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