[DaveC]

[mr__j5]

This year I am going for:

1. Contador
2. A Schleck
3. Evans
4. Van Den Broeck
5. Leipheimer
6. Wiggins
7. Gesink
8. S Sanchez
9. Horner
10 Vande Velde

Well a small improvement on last year. 4 of my predictions made it into the top ten. These guys should pay me to not tip them.

[Stubbs]

Cav amongst the greats:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/jul/24/mark-cavendish-tour-de-france?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

[fatkid2000]

David Millar has his view.

A British athlete who can actually deliver what he is suppose to.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cycling/14269959.stm

[Snoops]

[Anyways I think Andy Schleck will get it this year, Contador should be knackered. Evans is getting to old for the podium.

  I'll get my coat

[DaveC]

The mrs has reminded me how close I came to knocking Mr Evans off his bike in the middle of his home town over here a couple of summers back ... I told her the Schleck's offer wasn't good enough...

[peewee]

The mrs has reminded me how close I came to knocking Mr Evans off his bike in the middle of his home town over here a couple of summers back ... I told her the Schleck's offer wasn't good enough...

What were they offering?

[Stubbs]

First part of the Boston Big picture series

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/07/2011_tour_de_france_part_1.html

[duncan]

HTC-Highroad disbands.  If Cavendish has moved to Sky it will be interesting to see how he fairs.  The HTC lead-out was one of the great sights in sport in the last quarter century. 

[fatkid2000]

Due to the Sport news being cluttered up with football, you may have failed to notice that Brad Wiggins is leading La Vuelta, with team-mate Froome in second.

[Duma]

  Forced work to watch ITV4 this afternoon as I thought he might take red today. Looking really strong and not panicking at others attacks, just dieseling back to up to them. Massive props to Froome for the work he's put in for brad, and still only losing a handful of seconds. His TT on Mon was brilliant too.


Still reckon nibs will prevail in the end tho.

[Danger]

Still reckon nibs will prevail in the end tho.

Me too, I can't see Nibali not taking at least 11 seconds on the Anglirú on Sunday

[mrconners]

Hmmmm 


Cobo wins without even looking slightly in trouble, also his output was similar to that of Pantani when he destroyed the alp record.


I know all are innocent untill proven guilty, but you have to be a little suspicious.

[Duma]

Was a little worried by how easily he seemed to destroy the field. Still, the Angliru looks awesome, those ramps that brad cracked on toward the end are insane!!

[fatkid2000]

So 2 Brits finish 2nd & 3rd in a Grand Tour. (ADmittedly one was born in Kenya)

2 Brothers from Leeds finish 1st and 2nd in the World Triathlon Championship. (Alastair Brown-Lee - left after one term Cambridge Uni, he was studying medicine, to pursue Triathlon)

And a Welsh girl wins the Women World triathlon championship.

Look on BBC sports website and you'd never know. Why can't this stupid country accept we are shit at football and celebrate these great athletes.

[Palomides]

So 2 Brits finish 2nd & 3rd in a Grand Tour. (ADmittedly one was born in Kenya)

... and the other one was born in Belgium...

Amazing effort from both of them though.

[chappers]

... and the other one was born in Belgium...

to an australian dad...

im so glad that sky have come of age. and proof that wiggins was no one hit wonder. if only he hadn't fallen at the tour, what would he have done??!

[webbo]

Two more medals at the world road champs.Gold for Lucy Garmer in junior womens road race and bronze for Andrew Fenn in mens under 23 road race.
3rd in medal table 5 medals so far.

However what do we get on the sports news golf for fucks sake.

[webbo]

And the medal that we've waited 45 years to win again.What a performance by the whole british team and to stick with the game plan depite everyone else knowing.

[gremlin]

What a race! The brits performed brilliantly and didn't panick when break went away.
They just stayed on the front and mile after mile while the rest of the teams took a free ride!
It nearly all fell apart at the end but somehow cav found his way through. Amazing! 

[fatkid2000]

Well done Cav and the Team.

I liked David Millar's interview - as big as winning the 1966 world cup!!!

[Palomides]

Whooops

Bit light on the massive mountain days and bit heavier on the TT kilometres.

Looks like Andy S may have missed his chance last year.

[chappers]

made for wiggins that.
shame he will be riding for cav.

[BB]

made for wiggins that.
shame he will be riding for cav.

But Cav won't be going for a GC win will he? I see no reason why a team can't include contenders for both the green and yellow.

[chappers]

yeah...of course cav won't be going for the gc.   
but he does require a group of riders to chase down breaks and deliver him 200m from the finish line every flat stage (i understand that he still won even after renshaw was ejected), and a group of riders to nurse him over the mountains.

so with that in mind you have to worry that wiggo, who would surely be a key part of the break catch team will have enough energy to get up the mountains the next day with cadel et al. let alone thomas, uran, froom, edvald etc... who will be required to do two jobs, lead out cav and protect wiggo.

at htc cav had an entire team of top flight riders working for him and him alone, can he win with half a team, or a tired team who are busy trying to also win the gc?

no one at htc came close to winning the gc with cav riding - rogers 37th in 2010, VELITS 19th 2011.