Tour de France

Not just snow, there was a landslide too

Crazy stuff!! Not steeped in cycling, so need to ask this question: When a natural event like this occurs (can't remember one) which prevents the stage from being completed, why is the entire stage not just cancelled and the times the riders had before the start maintained?? Nobody foresaw this happening, and although Aliphillipe was draining time on the climb - as we saw yesterday, his ability to descend surely would have seen him probably - if not definitely - limit his losses to retain yellow. Indeed, he was starting to claw back a second here a second there!

Is it not unfair on him that an element of the stage that he excels at was the cut off point for cancelling it, while retaining times up to that point, and declaring a finish time as if the stage had been completed?

A few said that he would likely lose more time tomorrow, so delaying the inevitable, but that is pure speculation!

He’d gained about 5 seconds on Thomas and not as much on Bernal. The finish of the stage was due to be at Tignes which is a Cat 1 climb so although we’ll never know it’s likely he would have lost more time on the final climb to all the main contenders and dropped out of the top 3 and maybe the top 5.

(26-07-2019 17:09 )hornball Wrote:  Crazy stuff!! Not steeped in cycling, so need to ask this question: When a natural event like this occurs (can't remember one) which prevents the stage from being completed, why is the entire stage not just cancelled and the times the riders had before the start maintained?? Nobody foresaw this happening, and although Aliphillipe was draining time on the climb - as we saw yesterday, his ability to descend surely would have seen him probably - if not definitely - limit his losses to retain yellow. Indeed, he was starting to claw back a second here a second there!

Is it not unfair on him that an element of the stage that he excels at was the cut off point for cancelling it, while retaining times up to that point, and declaring a finish time as if the stage had been completed?

A few said that he would likely lose more time tomorrow, so delaying the inevitable, but that is pure speculation!

its happened a few times before and they always do it to a pont where it was timed normally not much of a fuss but seeing the leader who just got shafted is french then will surely be an outcry

Aliphilippe apparently gave his yellow jersey to a young boy who was seen freezing at the end of play yesterday!!. Not saying others wouldn.t have done this, but this guy is a class act!! maybe heard his name before, but perhaps not so prominent! How has he come to the fore in this tour?? or was he not team leader before, and just one of the gofor(s)?

The second last climb was the big climb of the day, would have been interesting to see how much time he would have brought back on the descent

Tomorrow's stage has been cut to 59km due to landslides.

Poor old Allaphilippe, you have to feel for him.

But Bernal is a popular winner and undoubtedly deserved the Yellow Jersey.

A very good Tour, perhaps slightly anticlimactic in the end after all the drama the lead up to final two Alpine stages.

^ Agreed Alaphilippe made the Tour exciting and I wish he had held on to a podium place. The final week was always going to be crucial though and Bernal deserved his win. Thomas also showed what a class act he is with his comments in the last few days.

(27-07-2019 17:45 )SecretAgent Wrote:  ^ Agreed Alaphilippe made the Tour exciting and I wish he had held on to a podium place. The final week was always going to be crucial though and Bernal deserved his win. Thomas also showed what a class act he is with his comments in the last few days.

Sad to see Alliphillipe end up out of the podium positions!! Deserved better for the ride he had, and the Tour he gave us! I am still a little unhappy I guess at yesterdays events. Couldn't be helped with the mudslide I know, but to not cancel the stage outright, and take the results from the climb, when Julian couldn't even make use of his specialist skill to the fullest extent, a little sour for me!!

Today showed he had lost his power to compete I guess, but maybe if he hadn't had to make that first climb before neutralisation yesterday...then who knows.

Anyway congrats to Bernal, and the class reaction of G.

Wish they would re introduce the final day time trial to Paris once more myself. It may happen again 'Lemond/Fignon that is. A thought that it couldn't, is no reason to not provide for the possibility surely?? In Principle, I don't like a coronation. The race is supposed to be 21 stages. Race to the line up the Champs Elysee