La Grande Boucle

[goosano]

Sports hardest endurance event starts today-the Tour de France

The set up of the stages is made for Bradley Wiggins to be the first ever British winner

Here's hoping

[goosano]

Phenomenal perfomance by Cancellara to win by 7 seconds-almost 2% of time taken

Irrelevant however in the greater scheme of things. Brad must be delighted to take 10 seconds off Cadel. 5/4 looks very good odds on him now

[Eyrie]

Bookies seem to think it's a two horse race. My interest tends to increase once they hit the mountains, but nice day for Wiggins.

[Sergey]

Phenomenal perfomance by Cancellara to win by 7 seconds-almost 2% of time taken

Irrelevant however in the greater scheme of things. Brad must be delighted to take 10 seconds off Cadel. 5/4 looks very good odds on him now

10 seconds over today's 7k bodes well for Wiggo with another 93k of TT'ing to come. Could easily eke out 2 minutes in the TT's that are still to come.

Menchov rode a good time today and is a bit of a concern. Maybe been on the Cobo juice :wink:

Dangerous looking stage tomorrow as there's seemingly a little bottle-neck bridge just before the final 3k climb. FWIW - I've backed Oscar Friere e/w at 33/1. I do fancy Sagan/Gilbert...but there's no value at the odds. Friere could ride well and nick a place and/or the win.

[Purple & Green]

Team sky look very strong and brad has been superb this year,only raced 4 times though. Wouldn't touch him at the odds on offer, glad I backed him several months ago before contador and schleck went missing.

[goosano]

I think I've seen it all now. A breakaway group had to stop for 45 seconds at a lvel crossing to let a train pass halving their lead!!

[Eyrie]

Cavendish laid down a marker today. Even without a lead out train he can still do it.

[Sergey]

Curses - Laid Cavendish at circa 2.63 for around £150 this afternoon. Should have hedged out and took a small hit,,,but let the bet run, hoping for the best.

Get it back on Sagan tomorrow at 2/1

[Eyrie]

Curses - Laid Cavendish at circa 2.63 for around £150 this afternoon. Should have hedged out and took a small hit,,,but let the bet run, hoping for the best.

Get it back on Sagan tomorrow at 2/1

Good call.

[Sergey]

Good call.

These 198 runner fields are easier to predict than a 6 runner handicap at Lingfield :agree:

Cav at 11/10 is a decent bet for stage 4. I'm on.

[jodjam]

Bad fall for Cav but should be ok for a shot at todays stage.

The new lad Sagen is some rider. Very entertaining to watch.

[Eyrie]

Very impressive ride by Team Sky today. Five men at the start of the final climb, and they blew away Evans' support. Not fussed about Wiggins keeping yellow, as long as he has it two weeks today.

[Eyrie]

Looking like its the Year of The Brits as David Millar adds another stage win to those of Cavendish, Wiggins and Froome.

[CropleyWasGod]

Looking like its the Year of The Brits as David Millar adds another stage win to those of Cavendish, Wiggins and Froome.

Strangely, none of them born in the UK.

Wiggins - Belgium
Froome - Kenya
Millar - Malta
Cavendish - Isle of Man.

[jodjam]

It's Wiggins tour now. Although today is a long stage there are no threats to Sky. Wiggins will have no worries with Saturday's time trial and can sip champagne during Sunday's procession to Paris.

Some achievement. Seems a decent lad too.

[Eyrie]

Year of the Brits indeed. Chapeaus to Wiggins for being the first Briton ever to win the Tour, Froome for finishing second, Cavendish for winning on the Champs Elysses for the fourth time, and all three of them plus Millar for seven stage wins.

And a special chapeau to Dave Brailsford. Must admit I just shook my head when he made that prediction, but he's delivered ahead of schedule.

Now bring on the Olympics!

[jonty]

Murdoch and Sky ruin everything....








:tin hat:

[Purple & Green]

Year of the Brits indeed. Chapeaus to Wiggins for being the first Briton ever to win the Tour, Froome for finishing second, Cavendish for winning on the Champs Elysses for the fourth time, and all three of them plus Millar for seven stage wins.

And a special chapeau to Dave Brailsford. Must admit I just shook my head when he made that prediction, but he's delivered ahead of schedule.

Now bring on the Olympics!

Brailsford is incredible - what he's done to British Cycling deserves a knighthood. Wiggins beat his nearest rival by over 6 minutes, and no one else within 10 minutes, that is dominance.

Did I mention I backed Wiggo @ 22/1 last September? I knew something big was afoot when they rushed him back in to the Tour of Spain after the whole team waited for him when he crashed in last years tour de france giving up any chance any of them had on GC. I wonder if Team Sky will put out the columbians along with Froome in the Tour of Spain:- if so they are going to be hard to beat.

Brilliant last couple of days though - Cav showing that he is still the number 1 sprinter in the world and if I can find reasonable odds I'm going to have wee bet on a Cav/Wiggo double at the Olympics, although it has been noticed that Cancellara and Martin buggered off home from the TDF early.

[goosano]

I wonder if Team Sky will put out the columbians along with Froome in the Tour of Spain:- if so they are going to be hard to beat.


The Vuelta will certainly be a climbers race-seven mountain top finishes and three steep uphill finishes. After the Angliru last year they've come up with the Cuitu Negro riden for the first time. It is steep and has a previously untarmacked final section, which includes segments at 25 per cent and averages 17 per cent in its final 500 metres. that'll sort them out

[NOLA]

Wiggins will for sure win this years BBC sports personality of the year, and well deserved for a great achievment!