Le Tour 2019 “Now with spoilers”

Rohan Dennis WTF mate....abandon on the eve of the time trial

Three big days coming up for the GC. Time trial, Tourmalet, and then a 'peaky' stage in the Pyrenees on Sunday. Should go quiet through the rest day and next two stages before the Alps, Izoard & Galibier, Iseran and a hell of a final meaningful stage to Val Thorens. Going to be fun to watch.

Surprised that Movistar, with Quintana, Valverde, Landa and Soler aren't challenging more strongly. Pinot, Uran, Bardet, Fuglsang, Barguil and Porte all below par too. Alaphilippe seems to be doing it on his own, with little team support. I'm looking at Bernal Gomez, Kwiatkowski and Poels to put "G" top of the GC come the rest day.

Nooooooo.

Wout van Aert crashes on the TT, coming around the last turn...with the best time.

Caught the barrier on the inside of the curve, cutting it too close. Still down where he fell. Looks hurt. This kid was having a legendary first tour.

e: Shit. He's out.

Man. What a bummer. Sad to see.

Wow. That was impressive.

I’m liking this Alaphilippe dude.

No shit. Gee has a fight on his hands (as if he didn't know that already)

just like Wout van Aert ( ) the barricades took out the parachutist with the maillot juane.

I saw Froome as Lance II and dislike Sky so Thomas gets guilt by association for me. Don’t know if Alaphalippe has what it takes but would love it if he did.

and another ugly uninteresting French city

Wow! That was a ride today.
Julian Alaphilippe ripped that one.

I managed to tune in for the last 40 riders. Great time trial today.

That changing bikes thing was never going to work.

The race of truth. It is always a race within. A kinetic introspection. A means to answer questions of fitness and pain threshold. How deep can you push yourself?
But, within the Tour, that answer is wrapped in the preceding and following stages. So, the question becomes, "How deep can you afford to go"?

Alaphilippe, won. But, did he go too deep? Fourteen seconds clear of Thomas. He's 1:26 clear on GC.

Tourmalet is next.



Then three category 1 climbs the next day over 185 kms. Then rest.

Great tour!

When I retired a few years ago and we had decided to sell the house and move to the beach for as long as we could manage it, a friend sent me an ad for a villa rental out in a small village about where the Tour was a few stages ago. It was amazingly cheap. In the Google street view, there was a GS parked in the courtyard.
Train station was a mile up the road.

Reminded me of this,



And of course,



Good times.

I really wish they'd have a running virtual GC position graphic.

Alaphalippe! Pinot!


Yes!!!!! What a day!

Think it was 2014– for me - Bardet and Pinot unheard of, fighting for the White Jersey with panache.
Have been a fan of both since.

13 road stages, 13 winners. So cool.

e: Wait. 12. Forgot the TTT.

Movistar— every year team fights hard for a leader that just isn’t there. Every year.

Got to be impressed with Alaphilippe. Bugger-all support from his team, yet there he is. Looking more and more like it's his to lose.

Someone forgot to tell the Dutch Kruijswik that this stage had a little bit of a hill.

I saw the last 5K this morning before a ride of my own.
Now, I'm rewatching the Ad-Free with the sound down.