TdF Stage 4 Le Tourniquet? No. Just road rash. SPOILERS INSIDE

[Dwight Schr-ute]

Sorry Creekster if I'm stepping on toes by starting today's thread. Or for trying to be too creative with the title.

So Froome hits the hard deck 5k I to the stage today. A bit scratched up but ended up riding most of the stage with a brace on his wrist. This could be a pretty big deal during the cobble sections of tomorrow's stage.

Also, Andy Schleck officially out of the Tour. What a disappointing career he's had after showing so much early promise.

[Dwight Schr-ute]

TdF Stage 4 Le Tourniquet? No. Just road rash. SPOILERS INSIDE

Oh yeah. And Kittel get's another stage win. Dude's a monster.

[Moliere]

I wonder how Froome will react. Remember that his terrible Dauphine showing came after he hit the deck before the final stages. He was in complete command until that incident and was out pedaled by Contador on the mountain stage and then totally flamed on the final stage. We'll see how mentally tough he is....but he's also lucky they don't have a big mountain stage coming up for a couple days.

[creekster]

Sorry Creekster if I'm stepping on toes by starting today's thread. Or for trying to be too creative with the title.

So Froome hits the hard deck 5k I to the stage today. A bit scratched up but ended up riding most of the stage with a brace on his wrist. This could be a pretty big deal during the cobble sections of tomorrow's stage.

Also, Andy Schleck officially out of the Tour. What a disappointing career he's had after showing so much early promise.

No problem! I'm glad you did it.

Schleck was a sad sight today. Just a few years ago he was there on the mountain with Contador (remember how he threw his chain preventing him, supposedly, from staying with contador?) and now our enduring image is of him standing, injured, on the side of a narrow French or Belgian lane (wasn't the 2012 crash in the Ardennes? My memory is not so good anymore). He was an immense talent but he never panned out. It was so hard to believe that this year he was part of the team to be a domestique for his brother Franck. That just makes no sense at all. But so it is. I wonder if he ever really comes back now. Crashing out as a domestique following two years of rehab? I would not be shocked if he is done, as a practical matter, even though he is still very young.

Not sure about Froome. If his wrist is damaged it will make tomorrow a huge suffer fest for him. Just to survive. Froome does not exude a lot of confidence right now. He is not riding like the same guy who a few years ago would turn around and disgustedly wait for Wiggins to catch him in the mountains. He looks timid and tentative. Tomorrow will be interesting for him.

And what the heck is Voeckler doing? I guess he got his and the sponsor's name out there for a long time, but really, wasn't that a but silly? A two man break on this profile? Hmmmm. Even bobke noted that it didn't make much sense.

Finally, in the "why they aren't like you and me" category: Near the end of the stage, as they were pulling into Lille, the peloton had just caught Tommy Voeckler and things were heating up as the pace quickened. Coming back from a commercial they had a tight shot of a BMC rider at the head of the peloton, the tip of the spear if you will, who was pushing pedals at about a 28-30 mph pace (at least). Instead of being deeply into it, gripping the bars and working hard, this guy was relaxed with his forearms on the top bar and his hands just dangling in space off the front. It sort of amazed me. No stress, leading 160+ bike riders at what I consider break neck speed, and he is just sitting there, cool as a cucumber, like he is on the trainer watching TV. These guys are amazing.

The cobbles (and pave) will be fun. If you are only going to watch one or two stages this year, you might want to make this one of them. It should appeal to NASCAR fans too, as there will be a lot of crashes. Let's see who the fates favor on the bricks. Allons-y!

[RC Vikings]

Not sure about Froome. If his wrist is damaged it will make tomorrow a huge suffer fest for him. Just to survive. Froome does not exude a lot of confidence right now. He is not riding like the same guy who a few years ago would turn around and disgustedly wait for Wiggins to catch him in the mountains. He looks timid and tentative. Tomorrow will be interesting for him.

And what the heck is Voeckler doing? I guess he got his and the sponsor's name out there for a long time, but really, wasn't that a but silly? A two man break on this profile? Hmmmm. Even bobke noted that it didn't make much sense.

Finally, in the "why they aren't like you and me" category: Near the end of the stage, as they were pulling into Lille, the peloton had just caught Tommy Voeckler and things were heating up as the pace quickened. Coming back from a commercial they had a tight shot of a BMC rider at the head of the peloton, the tip of the spear if you will, who was pushing pedals at about a 28-30 mph pace (at least). Instead of being deeply into it, gripping the bars and working hard, this guy was relaxed with his forearms on the top bar and his hands just dangling in space off the front. It sort of amazed me. No stress, leading 160+ bike riders at what I consider break neck speed, and he is just sitting there, cool as a cucumber, like he is on the trainer watching TV. These guys are amazing.

The cobbles (and pave) will be fun. If you are only going to watch one or two stages this year, you might want to make this one of them. It should appeal to NASCAR fans too, as there will be a lot of crashes. Let's see who the fates favor on the bricks. Allons-y!

I'm not sure how many times you can go down before it really begins to affect a guy mentally. The pain in his wrist he can push beyond but the fear of going down again on the cobbles has got to be a huge handicap tomorrow.

Voeckler may think it makes him look brave and bold and perhaps to some in France it does but in reality it just makes him look stupid and selfish.

I'm always amazed when the peloton is cruising along and some rider will take both hands off his bars to open up some package of food or take off some arm warmers and even more so when they do it going uphill.

Tomorrows stage should be exciting.

[creekster]

I'm not sure how many times you can go down before it really begins to affect a guy mentally. The pain in his wrist he can push beyond but the fear of going down again on the cobbles has got to be a huge handicap tomorrow.

Voeckler may think it makes him look brave and bold and perhaps to some in France it does but in reality it just makes him look stupid and selfish.

I'm always amazed when the peloton is cruising along and some rider will take both hands off his bars to open up some package of food or take off some arm warmers and even more so when they do it going uphill.

Tomorrows stage should be exciting.

Selfish is exactly what it is with Voeckler. It's almost like that first famous break all those years ago when he held yellow for a week or so and all the French loved him and he was adored for struggling with his jersey open and his tongue wagging ruined him for any real bike racing thereafter. He seems to want to recreate that moment. ANd he is encouraged by the French, who have gone so long without a proper champion that they forget what they should be cheering for.