GrumpyOldGuy

Yah, I guess,........... I always sort of think back to that TDF when Ullrich went over the edge and disappeared down the cliff, he and LA were the only two in contention, and LA, give him his due, immediately sat up and waited for big Jan to climb back up and out over the edge, it took a while, and I clearly remember LA looking around and watching to see Jan's curly mop of hair appear over the top...........maybe those days are gone in the new peleton,... but in that case, I would have to say I am not in favour of the new peleton then.

Wow, he really has been in the wars of late. Sad to see him go, but I really cant see how he could continue.

Yah this part may give him something to think about......With the notable exception of ninth-placed Pierre Rolland (Europcar), the main field (led by Sky) showed great sportsmanship by slowing down for Evans. Not impressed by his attitude today.

Yah, but he didn't make any friends today either, Uran seems to have been the luckiest of the remainder and lost the least time, Scarpo, Quintana, Pozzivivo, Rolland all around the same time but Rodriguez at almost 10 minutes back is done for.

Yah, I see that, they really did race on and take advantage, so I think the comments are fair. Personally I would have thought, Evans of all people, been the personality he is, would have at least sat up and not conscientiously looked for the advantage. I am also not convinced on the positioning issue, when the crash happened many of the guys around him also went down, Evans just got lucky in my opinion and I think it was unfortunate he decided to take advantage of the incident. But, Yah, I guess he sees it differently, and he isnt here to make friends, still very opportunistic though.

Come now Swiss,.... everyone knows there are NO bad Asics. :D

Ha, Ha, Yeah these Ethiopian guys and gals are phenomenal runners and most got to the world stage by pure talent alone, one of them was Bikila Abebe, he started running simply out of necessity to get to the shop, school, friends etc and he didn't have shoes so just ran barefoot, later he was well known for training barefoot on the cobblestones in his city, eventually he was picked up by an American coach and with the right training became one of the best runners the world has known, but when his career ended he went back to Ethiopia and contributed donations to schools, chapels, even sponsored a small clinic, a terribly interesting man. I know you like reading (and maybe running) so if you feel like it try and find some books on him, maybe they are on kindle,.. a very interesting life story indeed.

Okay, fair enough, I didn't know that, but I would imagine that they are still somewhat gifted, "born runners" maybe?... as opposed to the rest of us "produced runners"?..... or in my case, "pretending to be a runner"

Hmm, maybe but its a long stage as well, cant see Matthews in the mix here, I would favour a GC contender trying something here, maybe Evans, seems he is itching for a stage.

Gonna have to try and watch today, think its the longest stage of the race and finishes on a nice little Cat 2 incline, .............of course I am backing Scarponi for a win.

Yes agreed, but to be fair Zola was a track athlete (ie) short distances in relative terms, and never ventured into the long distance type running until much later in life, but even she wears shoes now. The Ethiopian athlete you may be thinking of is Bikila Abebe who was known for training barefoot over the cobblestones in his home city, a tremendously gifted athlete and possibly a genetic freak as he was perhaps the only athlete I can recall who ran longer distances barefoot competitively , but he too later started using shoes.

Wow, he was running the race barefoot? Okay, fair enough comment, although thats not something I have seen either (barefoot runner over such a distance) I accept there are obviously some (crazies ) as you state. In my opinion there are very, very, very few genetically gifted runners over long distances with no need for support or stabilization, and almost all long distance runners will tell you as they get fatigued their style suffers, this is a known and common fact, and this is where a good pair of shoes is vital to stabilize and cushion the foot and maintain as constant a foot strike as possible, unfortunately these Vibram shoes have neither stabilization or significant cushioning ability, so in my humble opinion over a long distance you will pick up injuries a good shoe might have avoided.

I am definitely old school when it comes to shoes, running style (ie) Neutral, overpronator etc and distance. Maybe these shoes are fine for short distances, (I have tried them but never liked them) say 10kms or there around, but, I have a few Comrades, as well as a few other marathons under my belt, and I doubt very much you would walk away injury free after 42 / 54 / 90 odd kms in these shoes. I understand Talus is the expert in this, but as a layman but an active runner for over 30 years now, I have yet to see anyone complete a marathon in them.

Struggling to find time to watch, only saw the end on SKY Sport News late last night, sadly it looked like most of the sprinters were on the deck or coasting home to stay upright, never the less Nacer will go down as the winner even if in my opinion it was a sort of one horse race.

Ha, Ha, talk about an opportunist.

Hmm, yah, could be although Kittel is looking really ominous. As for me I am hoping for Ali Jet to poke his nose out and take the stage, those old legs might still be feeling strong after such a short stage.

....BUT on a very important note (to me anyway) I understand Scarponi crashed and was seen at the Doc a few times, seems he finished but not sure of his condition.....any news on that.?

Ha, Ha, Yeah, I only managed to catch the last 20 odd kms but it was shocking programming, as someone else said I'll watch on RAI for the remainder of the week,.....and if the racing is boring you can brush up on your Italian.

Indeed, more or less better put than me. I would like to see Wiggins ride, its a pity his suggestion he may ride the Giro didn't really pan out as I think he would have been a strong competitor, but I also think Wiggins is a very strong personalty, he wont like riding in support even if on the records he says he will. If he rides, and I sincerely hope he will, like any world class athlete he will ride to win, I dont think playing second fiddle will be on his agenda.

Sure, I dont have any issues with Lance, whatever his past he didn't win 7 tours by loafing in the do-nut shoppe. I also think motivation is a huge factor in any athlete and the fans expectation to always be at your best can be very tough to deal with. I think Chris may also suffer a little from the stress of that expectation. Unlike a Valverde, Wiggins or a Contador his experience of the weight of his massive success at the tour may be his downfall, I hope not, but its a very common problem experienced by many athletes of all disciplines. I am wondering if Wiggins will ride the TDF this year and if so for a podium, he appears to be in good shape at the moment and in my opinion this man is pure class.

Ha, Ha, yeah, I know the feeling. ....but I agree and in all seriousness the 94.7 is a fairly simple race, and you can be competitive on about 8 hours a week quite easily. Of course the on the day anything can happen, (and usually does) but its quite achievable.

Hmm, Yes, it seems Chris is not at the level he was last year yet, but its still a way down the road for the TDF, 'berto on the other hand is, as you say is flying. I am an unashamed 'Berto fan, I think he has one of the most positive and never say die attitudes out there in the pro peleton. I think he has had to endure some scathing press and some even more scathing social media comments, but instead of sitting in his armchair and whining he has remained upbeat, focused on the positives and just generally gone out there and trained and raced as hard as he could. Theres a lot to be said for that.

Yeah, agreed, he is a great talent, but I am not sure he will stand up to the established competitors, guys like Rodriguez, Scarponi, Evans, even Basso have "been there done that" its not new to them and they dont roll over easily.

Hmm, maybe, still some tough climbs though. I think maybe this year one of the deciding factors will be the extreme distances, there are 6 stages of 200 km plus with two stages of 247 and 249 kms in relatively quick succession, that will take some recovery and if you have a bad day on any of those stages its over. Mont Zoncolan and the Panarotta look to be the two deciding mountain stages, so if you still have some legs then its anybodies game.

So far it appears to be Kiserlovski, but the team is so light in the pants its hardly worth a mention, apart from maybe Hondo, expect to see them sunning themselves at the back.