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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 27, 2017 - 10:37am PT
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It's that time again! The Grand Daddy Of The Classics kicks off on July 1st. Looks like this years' tour will most definitely be decided in the mountains since the ITT is the 1st stage. My personal GC picks for the podium:
1st: Chris Froome (Team Sky)
2nd: Richie Porte (Team BMC)
3rd: Nairo Quintana (Team Movistar)
And taking the Green Jersey.......that's a no-brainer
Peter Sagan
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DaveyTree
Trad climber
Fresno
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Jun 27, 2017 - 10:43am PT
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YES!!!!
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Craig Fry
Trad climber
So Cal.
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Jun 27, 2017 - 10:44am PT
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Richie Port will be one of the stars of this Tour
He is on fire!
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 27, 2017 - 11:29am PT
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Agreed! He just needs to stay forward and conservative in the peloton for the first few stages and avoid getting caught up in the "pre-game" jitters. Contador made that mistake last year.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Jun 27, 2017 - 11:43am PT
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Will any Americans have a chance?
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 27, 2017 - 11:58am PT
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Our best hopeful is Tejay Van Garderen. He looked good during the Giro d' Italia back in May. But its likely he'll be helping Richie Porte, his BMC teammate, in the mountains to take the general classification.
Now that most teams recruit internationally, the days of "Us vs. Them" really don't exist. These days, fans watch for raw talent and guts, from wherever that cyclist may come from. I'm a fan of Peter Sagan (Slovenian), long before he came to Liquigas....while he was gassing out as a Mtn cyclist. ;) Although he may never be a GC contender and is clearly a sprinter, he's a true master at bike handling!
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BruceHildenbrand
Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
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Jun 27, 2017 - 12:28pm PT
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Tejay won't be riding the Tour. Look for him at the Vuelta. Here is the complete BMC roster:
Damiano Caruso (ITA), Alessandro De Marchi (ITA), Stefan Küng (SUI), Amaël Moinard (FRA), Richie Porte (AUS), Nicolas Roche (IRL), Michael Schär (SUI), Greg Van Avermaet (BEL), Danilo Wyss (SUI).
I understand the TV broadcast will be using real-time CGI to make it appear that Chris Froome is actually comfortable while riding a bike.
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 27, 2017 - 12:30pm PT
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That's interesting news. When did BMC announce that?
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Craig Fry
Trad climber
So Cal.
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Jun 27, 2017 - 12:31pm PT
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Froome looks like Sheldon from "Big Bang Theory" on a bike
his head bobbing, his spindly arms shaking and twisting in what looks like intense pain
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 27, 2017 - 12:33pm PT
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I love having our local brewery change the channel to watch the Tour, as all the baseball weenies moan out, "Geez, this sh*t?! Who wants to watch doods in tight shorts?"
Bwahahaha.....suffer biotches!
King Of The Descent!
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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Jun 27, 2017 - 06:39pm PT
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Froome does not seem as dominant as in the past. I predict he will not win Le Tour . . . Unless of course the doping protocols are better than ever.
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BruceHildenbrand
Social climber
Mountain View/Boulder
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Jun 27, 2017 - 07:51pm PT
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Mooch,
BMC sent me a press release on June 22. Tejay did the Giro(and won a stage) then the Tour de Suisse so he is probably due some rest.
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Richie Porte Ready to Lead BMC Racing Team at the Tour de France
22 June, Santa Rosa, California (USA)
BMC Racing Team is backing Richie Porte in the pursuit of the yellow jersey at the Tour de France when racing gets underway in Dusseldorf on Saturday, July 1.
Sports Director Fabio Baldato said a strong team has been assembled to support Porte from Dusseldorf through to Paris.
"To have Richie Porte on the podium at the Tour de France would be a great result. Of course, we are lining up to win the race, to win the yellow jersey. We are going all in for Richie. All nine of our riders are coming to the Tour de France in good condition and we have a strong team. When we started planning for the Tour de France in December last year, these were the nine riders we had in mind," Baldato explained.
"We expect Damiano Caruso and Nicolas Roche to be the last two teammates with Richie in the big mountains. We have riders like Alessandro De Marchi and Amaël Moinard who will be crucial before and between the medium mountains. For the flat stages when the race is fast and difficult, we have our rouleurs; Stefan Küng, Michael Schär, Greg Van Avermaet and Danilo Wyss. These are the riders who will protect Richie and bring him to the line safely."
"We would love to start things well with the time trial in Dusseldorf. Stefan is really motivated and we saw at Tour de Suisse that he is in great shape. It is his Tour de France debut but we expect he will be on the podium, which means starting the race well, with a good position on the General Classification and with a good car position. Our absolute priority is the General Classification with Richie Porte but in Greg Van Avermaet we have the Olympic champion, two-time Tour de France stage winner and wearer of the yellow jersey in 2016, so we would love to see Greg win another stage when the conditions are right and Richie is safe."
BMC Racing Team General Manager Jim Ochowicz affirmed Baldato's appraisal of the team.
"Tour de France team selection is always hard and it was again for us this year. We have a strong and motivated team around Richie Porte and I think our objectives are clear. Richie and the rest of the team are clearly coming in with a lot of confidence from performances in recent races. We are confident but everyone starts from scratch in Dusseldorf. We hope to get off to a good start and keep the ball rolling across the 21 stages that lie ahead of us," Ochowicz said.
Porte is confident after recording one of the best seasons of his career in the lead up to the Tour de France, including victory at the Santos Tour Down Under, Tour de Romandie and second place at the Critérium du Dauphiné.
"The Tour de France is the big goal of the season and it has been a great season so far. I can definitely take confidence from my races and I feel like I'm where I need to be knowing that July is when I need to perform. BMC Racing Team has put a great team together around Greg Van Avermaet and me. I think we have strength in all of the areas needed," Porte explained.
"I am definitely a mix of excited and nervous. You can't deny that the Tour de France is the biggest goal of the season, but that means it's also another level of stress. It's a balance of being well-prepared and fresh enough to race at the highest level across 21 stages, but I feel like I'm in that position now. I'm just really looking forward to rolling out for the time trial next Saturday in Dusseldorf and then having a good three weeks of racing until we reach Paris."
Van Avermaet will line up in Dusseldorf as leader of the UCI WorldTour ranking and targeting a third Tour de France stage win.
"I'm going into the Tour de France with the same goal as always; to win a stage. After winning a stage in 2015 and 2016, and then wearing the yellow jersey last year, it would be really special to win a third stage this year. There are a couple of stages that are well-suited to me and aside from that, I'll be there to support Richie Porte to go for the win. I think if we finished in Paris with a stage win and a good result on the General Classification, it would be a really successful Tour de France from BMC Racing Team," Van Avermaet said.
Tour de France (1-23 July)
Rider Roster: Damiano Caruso (ITA), Alessandro De Marchi (ITA), Stefan Küng (SUI), Amaël Moinard (FRA), Richie Porte (AUS), Nicolas Roche (IRL), Michael Schär (SUI), Greg Van Avermaet (BEL), Danilo Wyss (SUI).
Sports Directors: Fabio Baldato (ITA), Yvon Ledanois (FRA), Valerio Piva (ITA).
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Jun 27, 2017 - 08:18pm PT
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not gonna lie, I'm gonna be doping through the entire event
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drF
Trad climber
usa
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Jun 27, 2017 - 08:20pm PT
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He who stays off the tarmac will......
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
Sands Motel , Las Vegas
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Jun 27, 2017 - 08:38pm PT
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Sounds like what Alexi Grewal said way back...
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enjoimx
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Jun 27, 2017 - 11:01pm PT
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Quick question for those of you who follow professional cycling:
Do you think doping, in some capacity, still occurs? Like maybe they do certain things during training, but don't dope near race time.....or maybe they still dope successfully for races even??
Just curious. I love cycling, but after watching the Lance Armstrong documentary on Netflix, got insight as to how rampant doping is/was.
I plan on watching the Tour this year....
I also plan on riding Tioga Pass tomorrow morning :)
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Jun 28, 2017 - 05:12am PT
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rottingjohnny
Sport climber
Sands Motel , Las Vegas
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Jun 28, 2017 - 05:33am PT
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Haven't seen any Livestrong wrist bands lately...?
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John Mac
Trad climber
Breckenridge, CO
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Jun 28, 2017 - 06:21am PT
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I think Richie Port has his best chance of winning the tour if he can stay healthy over the three weeks. However, I wouldn't rule Froome out at this stage since Team Sky has so much dominance. Froome could also be hiding his cards close to his chest and be in better form that people think.
I really hope Contador can be competitive and liven up the tour.
I think TJ should either become a super domestic and help the leaders or go for shorter races. He seems to always get sick after a week or two...
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Craig Fry
Trad climber
So Cal.
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Jun 28, 2017 - 08:03am PT
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Talk about downhilling expertise
Froome basically won the Tour last year by taking a summit then speeding off to the downhill while the rest of the pack was regrouping
and then risking it all on the descent at speeds no one could match,
he was even pedaling while in a low tuck, which was a new tactic not seen before.
It was quite the sight!
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