The Official 2013 TDF SPOILER Thread (CAUTION, THREAD CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!)

Coach Rich

Please discuss all things '13 TDF here. Any spoilers posted to the Dashboard shall be dealt with swiftly and severely by Jensie!

Joe Matchette

Now that was interesting. Can't even begin to imagine the confusion...."The finish line is @ 3km...." "No, wait....", "No we are back to 3km...", "Never mind...original Finish Line."

So do the riders get bonuses for winning stages? (pardon my ignorance, please). If so, just think of the wailing and gnashing of teeth that will be going on tonight.

John Withrow

I can say that was one of the most 'interesting' Tour stages I have watched in a long time. Even Jess was glued to the TV for the last 30 mins. My two kids (5 and 7) were also watching intently. I would have still rather seen all of the top sprinters racing it out, but it was just plain entertaining to watch!

Coach Rich

I'm wondering of the bus driver and/or the "put up the finishing banner" guy are out of a job tonight...

morpheus

''Hey, Charlie...think we're gonna go a different direction and let Sammy drive the RV tomorrow...'''

morpheus

And, I choose to think that it was a factor in that last pileup. I'm betting that radio communications and spreading the word within the peleton was very distracting.

Coach Rich

Was that bus with the race organization or was it a team bus? Just curious.

Marc Robards

It was Orica GreenEDGE's team bus. Phil said the finish line banners are usually way higher than the top of the team buses but for some reason it was lower than usual today. I think they got it out by letting air out of the front tires. That bus driver was one stressed Aussie!

Good for Kittel though, no one thought he had a chance against the big three.

Sue Chapman

I just had the chant for Extreme Home Makeover going through my mind "Move that bus, Move that bus!"

Scott Alexander

Glad someone started this post! Also glad rich posted it to the dashboard!

The scheduled recording of the stage on NBC sports this morning spoiled it for me! They showed the end of the stage before starting it! So I found out who won, before watching the actual stage! So pissed about that.

I'm also convinced that the finish line changes because of that bus caused some of the chaos resulting in that spectacular crash. Fun tv to watch for sure!

Al Truscott

The best way to watch the TdF is on the mobile app...iPad, Phone, etc. $15, NO COMMERCIALS, every stage live from the start, able to stream "replay" on demand after the finish. HD, ( apple TV/Airplay, or proper connection) to your 42" flatscreen. I checked in @ breakfast, went out for a five hour ride, returned to stream bits in the last two hours, as well as Froome's crash BEFORE the race actually started.

As to the bus entrapment, what can you say? It's France, not well known for their logistic (Maginot Line, anyone?) deflating the tires is the answer to a classic brain teaser, why it took them so long to think of it...?

http://books.google.com/books?id=boP-jqnuowgC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=puzzle+truck+too+tall+for+underpass&source=bl&ots=MKWcqqmYlW&sig=muJzFBZGp-3qwK2s8JcTZNVSbyo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QFDPUc2qCYy_ywHVgoDYBg&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=puzzle truck too tall for underpass&f=false

benvanmarcke

Apparently the banner is higher to allow team busses to go underneath it, but gets lowered shortly before the riders arrive. In this case it was lowered but the Orica bus was late. The bus driver got instructions to drive underneath it.... In the rest was kinda funny. Enjoyed seeing my cousin go for it in the bunch sprint, but wasn't in a good position and had to ride in the wind way too early. Still 12th, not bad.

jdizzle

Glad to see a Felt cross the finish line first!!
Wish mine could do that...

Jeff Unruh

It must be said every year - Jens is THE MAN.

benvanmarcke

What is up with Americans and their Jens love... ;-) Great cyclist for sure, but there are 100 guys in the Tour that are as good or better. Seriously!

Al Truscott

Love for Jens has little to do with his cycling ability. Here are some things which make him worthy of attention:

Always ready with a quick quip..."Legs, shut up"
Self deprecating, does not seem to take himself too seriously
Persistence, still competing at a high level into his forties
A "blue collar" guy just trying to pay the bills...for his SIX kids
A real hard ass on race day. In the word of Phil and Paul, he's always " fighting with his machine", "turning himself inside out".
A team player

Two images stand out:

A high mountain climb the year A Schleck "won" the Tour...Jens went out on a breakaway over several cols, seemed to run out of gas. When the leaders' pack of schleck, constador,evans,etc pull into sight, Jens picks it up, leading Andy km or two.Then he bonks a second time,and looks so exhausted he seems to be going backwards.

And falling face first ( no "laying it down" for Jens) in the middle of a screaming hi mountain descent, breaking face,and pelvis, and coming back just as strong the next year @ age 39 or so.

He just seems to combine the guy you want to have a beer with, and the bike racer you wished you could be: making the very most of what he's got and having a world of fun while he's doing it.

benvanmarcke

Sure, i get that, but other than the age there are still many riders like that, except there is less interest in them.

Cary Blanco

Most importantly - what is up with Belkin Pro cycling - Team Blanco Pro Cycling was the best name for a Pro Tour team

@Ben - if you're cousin has an old kit just laying around ... just sayin' — it would have a good home.

Nemo Brauch

NOOOOOOOO!!!!! I'm so bummed about Ted King.

robin sarner

Just heard about Ted.     Maybe the powers will change the decision overnight?      He deserves the chance to fight on with his shoulder.

benvanmarcke

I disagree, it sucks to be out of the Tour with only a few seconds but that has happened to many riders before and will continue to happen to many riders in the future. They all have a reason why they did not make it... crashed, sick, tired... such is the Tour and it is up to ASO to decide if they allow somebody to start again the next day after missing the cut off.

If I crash a couple days before IM Wisconsin and race, and finish at 12:00:07am ... will it count? It won't, even if I deserved to be called an ironman, to be given a medal and finishers shirt for trying... Tough luck, but that's just how the Tour is.

Nate Parady

I was blown away at the team time trials. Anyone venture a guess at what the Average Watts being generated by these teams to go 40MPH on a flat...

Jeff Unruh

IIRC Jens put up around 320W avg for 4:15 in 2012 -- just a wild guess on the TT - around 500-550W?

benvanmarcke

Textbook sprint from Cavendish! Great lead out from Gert Steegmans also. Glad to see him be back at his level.

Scott Alexander

Wow. Just wow. The first day in the Pyrenees did not disappoint. Froome just crushed his competitors there at the end. Just epically destroyed them!!

We'll see if he can hold onto it tomorrow when there's several more high cat mountains to tackle! I sure hope so, he's just fun to watch.

Nate Parady

Froome is a beast...hard to imagine him doing that again tomorrow....

Al Truscott

This race is over. C'est fini.

benvanmarcke

I don't think the race is over, it's only the end of the first week. Riding two more weeks in yellow will be such a burden on the Sky team his teammates will be dropping like flies. Give it a week and we'll see a new guy in yellow. Plus, part of the challenge is to not get caught up in crashes or get hurt, so you never know what will happen.

Cary Blanco

Wow, exciting stage.

It's the tour anything can happen, but I don't see Froome losing the yellow.

Scott Alexander

If i recall, Wiggo got yellow right at the end of the first week last year and Sky held it for the rest of the tour, so it's definitively possible!

benvanmarcke

Well, we will see, but even before halfway through today's stage there was nobody from sky in the main peleton. Last year Wiggins had at least Froome with him, so i think this year will be more challenging for Sky.