# Stage 9. The climbing gets serious.



## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

Tour de France 2017: Stage 9 Preview | Cyclingnews.com


----------



## KoroninK (Aug 9, 2010)

If Movistar allows Amador to go out in the break and the break is allowed to stay away it´s a great shot for him to try to win the stage.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

I'll be watching Froomestrong's 'performance'  .


It will be interesting.


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

Another attack from the start straight into a Cat 2 climb. Demare is off the back already and looks like he has still got a dose of the Tom Dumoulins


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

Mori is out. Looked in a lot of pain (shoulder?) after an off involving Gesink who is reported to be in an ambulance. Seemed to be a fairly slow uphill incident. Very bad luck for these guys


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Already have guys 10min off the back and the first HC climb hasn't even started yet  !


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

cda 455 said:


> Already have guys 10min off the back and the first HC climb hasn't even started yet  !


3 riders now 14min off the back and their only in the middle of the first HC climb.


It's going to be a looooong day for some of them.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Just summitted the first HC climb.


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

Herrada down and out

Demare might have problems with the time cut


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Geraint Thomas crashes hard on the descent!!


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

3 riders 20min off the back after the first HC climb  .


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

The race is all over the road and the rider info is a bit confused. Race radio is now saying Herrada is back up and riding but Thomas has a broken collarbone.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Heck yeah, they're all over the road!


We probably won't hear whose off the back (And how far back) until the last climb.

Edit:
4 riders 30min off the back during the second HC descent!


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Said 4 riders are now approaching 40min off the back   !


----------



## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

Thomas is *OUT*!!!!


BTW, just waiting to see what kind of spectator idiocy awaits on the Mont du Chat climb....


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

No Time Toulouse said:


> Thomas is *OUT*!!!!
> 
> 
> BTW, just waiting to see what kind of spectator idiocy awaits on the Mont du Chat climb....


Yep.


Apparently, he broke a collar bone.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

The 4 riders off the back are holding steady at 36min back.


And the last climb is coming up.


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

Completely OT but I've flown into Chambery airport a number of times and it is a bit exciting. You get a lot closer to these mountains than you would like

Meanwhile it looks like Demare has lost hope because he has let his two FdJ minders go up the road


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Wow.


So the heartbreak begins....


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

Froome has a technical needs a bike change. Aru and Quintana immediately attack!

All back together because other riders weren't happy


----------



## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

Looks like Gallopin is back to gallopin'......

This should be a great stage finish; steep downhill all the way to the finish at the bottom.

Looks like Qunintana is poised for a move.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Clentador has cracked!


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Dan Martin has a NASCAR crash!!


Edit:
Richie Porte crashed with Martin. His was much worse. 

They're taking him to the hospital for sure. 

Neck brace has been applied.


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

Porte down looks and in a bad way. Martin came off as well but he looks OK - so far.


----------



## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

Porte is out. He's been taken out in an ambulance.


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

No Time Toulouse said:


> I think Porte is out.


No doubt about it - he hit a wall at high speed. Still on the ground with medics. Horrible crash


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Dan Martin back in.


Solo chase at 2:30min behind leader.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Wow.


2nd and 4th taken out in one stage!


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

New leader!


Bardet just pulled ahead.


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

Bardet caught


----------



## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

Damn....another photo-finish!

Uran, Barguil, Froome, Bardet final placements.


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

Barguil fights back and wins the stage!

BUT the photo shows Uran is the winner!!


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

coldash said:


> Barguil fights back and wins the stage!
> 
> BUT the photo shows Uran is the winner!!


Confirmed it is Uran


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

By a tire height!


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

The Dan Martin/Richie Porte crash was pretty horrific!


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

cda 455 said:


> The Dan Martin/Richie Porte crash was pretty horrific!


TdF are saying 72 Kph. Walls aren't very forgiving. Hope he is OK


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Barquil has to be heartbroken!


I believe that's his hometown where they finished.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Barquil got the KOM jersey.


But on the podium it was clear he was disappointed at not winning the stage.


----------



## KoroninK (Aug 9, 2010)

Herrada finished the stage with the sprinters. He is still in the race depending on how things go over night and tomorrow during the rest day. He does have a knee injury of some sort.


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

Renshaw Mark Dimension Data 
Konovalovas Ignatas FDJ
Guarnieri Jacopo FDJ 
Delage Mickaël FDJ 
Démare Arnaud FDJ 
Sagan Juraj BORA - hansgrohe
Trentin MatteoQuick-Step Floors
van Emden Jos Team LottoN L-Jumbo

all are over the time limit.


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

What a wacky tour!

Every year holds some other crazy surprise that one would swear has no chance of happening.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

coldash said:


> Renshaw Mark Dimension Data
> Konovalovas Ignatas FDJ
> Guarnieri Jacopo FDJ
> Delage Mickaël FDJ
> ...


Wow!


You think the TDF director will give quarter?


----------



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

That was brutal! nice to see Uran back on form. who had him as top colombian and podium threat at this point in the race? I hope Porte is ok; that was one of the most awful crashes we've seen in quite a while.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

The post-race show made an interesting/good point:

Why is the group with Froomestrong cooperating with him in the last few kilometers  ?


*"You want to chase Froomestrong; YOU chase".* That was the commentators point.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

dnice said:


> I hope Porte is ok; that was one of the most awful crashes we've seen in quite a while.


Yeah; he slammed into that wall _*very*_ hard!


I wasn't kidding when I said, "NASCAR crash"  !


----------



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

Uran had a great reason to cooperate, cause he's fastest in a sprint, not necessarily a tour contender (at least he wasn't until today) and is racing for the win. The rest were interested in putting time into Dan Martin and Quintana. Given those options, I thought at the time, and still do, that working together made sense.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Whoa!


Just found out Gesink is out of The Tour with a fractured vertebrae (L1)!

From his Tweet:

View attachment 319710


----------



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

Holy crash fest Batman!! I just got home from a ride to catch the last few minutes of the replay and was greeted with news of mass carnage, bloodshed, and mayhem. I saw Bardet pour his soul into his breakaway effort and Uran and Barguille duke it out for a photo finish. Good stuff from the racers, but sad to hear Porte and others are out with serious injuries. Wow...


----------



## 4Crawler (Jul 13, 2011)

cda 455 said:


> Yeah; he slammed into that wall _*very*_ hard!
> 
> 
> I wasn't kidding when I said, "NASCAR crash"  !


Porte has a fractured collarbone and hip per the reports. Apparently Martin is OK, but he found out his front brake was not working after the crash, must have been interesting the rest of the descent with only one working brake.


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

Rashadabd said:


> Holy crash fest Batman!! I just got home from a ride to catch the last few minutes of the replay and was greeted with news of mass carnage, bloodshed, and mayhem. I saw Bardet pour his soul into his breakaway effort and Uran and Barguille duke it out for a photo finish. Good stuff from the racers, but sad to hear Porte and others are out with serious injuries. Wow...


Not sure if you caught it but Uran's rear mech was FUBARd and he as stuck in the 11 gear since Porte's crash, with only the front derailleur working.


----------



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

9W9W said:


> Not sure if you caught it but Uran's rear mech was FUBARd and he as stuck in the 11 gear since Porte's crash, with only the front derailleur working.


Just read that! He and Dan Martin are my heroes of the day. So crazy!


----------



## KoroninK (Aug 9, 2010)

If I was in that group I'd have no problem working with Froome to put time into those behind. Aru and Bardet are up there on time. Aru had a teammate with him as well.

Another thought is Quintana is going to be lucky if he gets a top 10 overall finish. At the moment he is proving that he is not as good of a GT rider as either Contador when he was at his best, or even 2 years ago when he did this double and won the Giro then finished 5th at the Tour or his own teammate Valverde who is not a GT specialist like Contador is and Quintana is supposed to be. Last year Valverde finished 3rd in the Giro and 6th at the Tour (then throw in the 12th at the Vuelta for good measure).


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Good points indeed on cooperating with Froomestrong.



Please forgive me but I have to admit;
This is looking waaaaay too much like the 1999-2005 era.

Teams isolate Pharmstrong in the mountains and continuously attack him. He blows them all away by counter-attacking up said mountain.


Today; teams isolate Froomestrong in the mountains and continuously attack him. He answers every attack and even counter-attacks.


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

cda 455 said:


> Today; teams isolate Froomestrong in the mountains and continuously attack him. He answers every attack and even counter-attacks.


The yellow mantis bores me too. Those new Kask helmets are absolutely hideous. They remind of cheap form molded socialist era plastic kitchen sink drain covers.


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

cda 455 said:


> Good points indeed on cooperating with Froomestrong.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


... and yet Froome is now 18 seconds ahead of Aru despite being 40 seconds ahead after the stage 1 TT.


----------



## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

Can someone please explain to me why AG2R were leading the peleton while they had 3 riders in the breakaway? SuperDumb and those announcers didn't get it either!


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

coldash said:


> ... and yet Froome is now 18 seconds ahead of Aru despite being 40 seconds ahead after the stage 1 TT.


True; true.


I remember in the mid-2000s when Clentador rode before he got busted.

He looked just like Pharmstrong and Froomestrong: Paced himself throughout The Tour, answered every meaningful attack with energy left to spare, and rode off the front of the Peloton to take a stage or two. 



I'll admit I'm be a little facetious, yet also being dead serious in my observations.


----------



## DaveG (Feb 4, 2004)

cda 455 said:


> Good points indeed on cooperating with Froomestrong.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Today was an interesting day (I was really pulling for Barguil) but I am left feeling that no one is going to come close to beating Froome and that dampens my enthusiasm for watching the rest of this thing. I am surprised no one on this thread is talking about the dooshy move of Aru attacking Froome right after he flatted. Its good the other riders reigned Aru in.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

DaveG said:


> Today was an interesting day (I was really pulling for Barguil) but I am left feeling that no one is going to come close to beating Froome and that dampens my enthusiasm for watching the rest of this thing. I am surprised no one on this thread is talking about the dooshy move of Aru attacking Froome right after he flatted. Its good the other riders reigned Aru in.



Honestly the GC has been more or less a done deal for Froome, when he's in a race, for years. Sadly, the main race most people focus on is the GC.


----------



## MoonHowl (Oct 5, 2008)

DaveG said:


> Today was an interesting day (I was really pulling for Barguil) but I am left feeling that no one is going to come close to beating Froome and that dampens my enthusiasm for watching the rest of this thing. I am surprised no one on this thread is talking about the dooshy move of Aru attacking Froome right after he flatted. Its good the other riders reigned Aru in.


Aru's attack may have been in poor style but didn't see anyone slowing up when Porte and Martin crashed. Not so sure about slowing up for the yellow jersey when no one else gets that benefit.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

DaveG said:


> Today was an interesting day (I was really pulling for Barguil) but I am left feeling that no one is going to come close to beating Froome and that dampens my enthusiasm for watching the rest of this thing. I am surprised no one on this thread is talking about the dooshy move of Aru attacking Froome right after he flatted. Its good the other riders reigned Aru in.


The NASCAR Martin/Porte crash is the main focus it appears.


But yeah; Aru attacking was questionable. 

Dan Martin appeared to have chewed out the riders that attacked.


However; one of the NBCSN commentators made some good points: 
Is 'old-school' peloton ethics still in use in the peloton?

Why should I wait for him when he's in trouble only to have him smoke me later at the sprint line?

Riders still 'attack' at the feed zone.



Just food-for-thought.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

MoonHowl said:


> Aru's attack may have been in poor style but didn't see anyone slowing up when Porte and Martin crashed. Not so sure about slowing up for the yellow jersey when no one else gets that benefit.


Aru claims he didn't know that Froome had a mechanical FWIW....***

**Note I don't believe him a wit...how do you not see the arm of the guy in front of you going up as you then go to ride under his armpit?


----------



## Old Man (Apr 8, 2012)

This slowing thing is bogus.. Time to ditch the unwritten rule...


----------



## gofast2wheeler (Oct 13, 2011)

Well, Di2 all most cost Froome tour. Another reason to stay with mechanical, had to say it. Attacking another rider with a mechanical is different than attacking from falling off bike. Bike control is part of the racing if you fall because of over cooking corner etc I feel other riders should not wait, being taken down by another rider complicated especially when other riders are in lead going downhill and challenging for yellow. Should Froome have waited for Martin no to much at stack. Looking at the contenders right now Aru looks strong but his 3 week form is not tested he might fade. Froome without any accidents should hold till Paris, good for him.


----------



## burgrat (Nov 18, 2005)

Old Man said:


> This slowing thing is bogus.. Time to ditch the unwritten rule...


I agree. Mechanical issues should be fair game. Each team and rider are responsible for making sure things work. If it doesn't, then tough sh!t. I blame Armstrong for this crap. I don't think this was an issue before him. If it was, then stop it. It's called a race.


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

gofast2wheeler said:


> Well, Di2 all most cost Froome tour. Another reason to stay with mechanical, had to say it. Attacking another rider with a mechanical is different than attacking from falling off bike. Bike control is part of the racing if you fall because of over cooking corner etc I feel other riders should not wait, being taken down by another rider complicated especially when other riders are in lead going downhill and challenging for yellow. Should Froome have waited for Martin no to much at stack. Looking at the contenders right now Aru looks strong but his 3 week form is not tested he might fade. Froome without any accidents should hold till Paris, good for him.



A) Froome never confirmed it was a Di2 problem

B) Froome is using ovoid chainrings...renowned for fing up shifting for decades.


But sure blame Di2 instead of the first obvious choice...


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Does anyone know if they officially eliminated any riders due to time constraint?


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

burgrat said:


> I agree. Mechanical issues should be fair game. Each team and rider are responsible for making sure things work. If it doesn't, then tough sh!t. I blame Armstrong for this crap. I don't think this was an issue before him. If it was, then stop it. It's called a race.


I remember as far back as the '70s riders wouldn't take advantage of others over a mechanical.


Of course; said riders over the decades have been inconsistent with applying said unwritten rule(s).


----------



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

What exactly are the unwritten rules anymore? Attack the gc leader when he needs to take a dump, but not when he has a mechanical or crashes of his own doing or crashes because his teammate or another rider falls in front of him? It's so confusing...Greg Lemond said during the telecast that aru was not wrong to attack at that time? 

As well, Froome is a little too precious and cagey sometimes methinks. Recall his "pee beak" so that his teammates who had crashed could get back on last year.


----------



## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

Waiting up for a leader seems about as rigid a rule as any in cycling.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Old Man said:


> This slowing thing is bogus.. Time to ditch the unwritten rule...


Greg LeMond agrees with you:

Cycling: No reason for Aru and others to wait for Froome, says LeMond | Reuters


----------



## No Time Toulouse (Sep 7, 2016)

I'm just glad the finish wasn't a squeaker between bar-GAY and bar-DAY......


----------



## PBL450 (Apr 12, 2014)

No Time Toulouse said:


> I'm just glad the finish wasn't a squeaker between bar-GAY and bar-DAY......


I think it would be bat GEE (can't write in actual phonetics on my iPad but it's a long e.


----------



## gofast2wheeler (Oct 13, 2011)

When Froome was interviewed he said he could no longer shift, I would think rear der was issue front shifting not as detrimental.


----------



## ogre (Dec 16, 2005)

cda 455 said:


> Does anyone know if they officially eliminated any riders due to time constraint?


According to Velonews, this was at the bottom of the results - four from FDJ are out:

Out of time: Arnaud Démare (FRA/FDJ), Mickaël Delage (FRA/FDJ), Jacopo
Guarnieri (ITA/FDJ), Ignatas Konovalovas (LTU/FDJ), Mark Renshaw (AUS/DDT),
Matteo Trentin (ITA/QST), Juraj Sagan (SVK/BOR).


----------



## RkFast (Dec 11, 2004)

Cant wait for future stages when the peoloton must wait for Froomey to finish his milk and cookies. 

There are local cycling clubs more competitive than this "race." If you cannot attack a competitor when he is dealing with issues that are part and parcel of the "game" than the event is nothing more than an exhibition.


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

duriel said:


> Can someone please explain to me why AG2R were leading the peleton while they had 3 riders in the breakaway? SuperDumb and those announcers didn't get it either!


Just read an article which quoted the sports director of Ag2R. They know these roads best on account of having their headquarters in town. Riders were intrstructed to stay up front and DESCEND first. 

Judging by the Carnage this call was spot on. 

Sorry posting from mobile.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

RkFast said:


> Cant wait for future stages when the peoloton must wait for Froomey to finish his milk and cookies.
> 
> There are local cycling clubs more competitive than this "race." If you cannot attack a competitor when he is dealing with issues that are part and parcel of the "game" than the event is nothing more than an exhibition.


:lol: :lol:


----------



## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

RkFast said:


> Cant wait for future stages when the peoloton must wait for Froomey to finish his milk and cookies.
> 
> There are local cycling clubs more competitive than this "race." If you cannot attack a competitor when he is dealing with issues that are part and parcel of the "game" than the event is nothing more than an exhibition.


Remember, Froome is British. It will be tea and biscuits. I believe that so far the race has been finishing before tea time, but that may change now that he's in charge...


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

The difference between these cases is that with Dumoulin's dump and the Porte/Martin crash, the attach was already underway before these incidents happened. On Stage 9, Aru waited until Froome had a mechanical (Rear der stuck) and as soon as he saw Froome was in trouble, he then attacked.

The thing about unwritten rules is that they are unwritten. They are a series of accepted conventions followed by the peloton. Some TV commentators, some viewers and others might not like them but it is the riders who make the call.


----------



## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

RkFast said:


> Cant wait for future stages when the peoloton must wait for Froomey to finish his milk and cookies.
> 
> There are local cycling clubs more competitive than this "race." If you cannot attack a competitor when he is dealing with issues that are part and parcel of the "game" than the event is nothing more than an exhibition.


Poor Porte, even though he's not Sky anymore but always the willing worker bee for Froome, it seems. Even had words for Aru for attacking Froome. Then Porte took a fall and nobody waited or even checked up for Martin. But I'm sure Froomey will send Porte some get well flower avatar over tweeter


----------



## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

Old Man said:


> This slowing thing is bogus.. Time to ditch the unwritten rule...


I totally agree.


----------



## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

coldash said:


> Froome has a technical needs a bike change. Aru and Quintana immediately attack!
> 
> All back together because other riders weren't happy


Quintana didn't attack. Just Aru. 

Go Fabio! :thumbsup:


----------



## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

cda 455 said:


> Wow!
> 
> 
> You think the TDF director will give quarter?


No. Not after they kicked Sagan out for nothing.


----------



## coldash (May 7, 2012)

il sogno said:


> Quintana didn't attack. Just Aru.
> 
> Go Fabio! :thumbsup:


Not that it alters the substantive point but Quintana was straight on Aru's wheel when Aru attacked.


----------



## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

9W9W said:


> Just read an article which quoted the sports director of Ag2R. They know these roads best on account of having their headquarters in town. Riders were intrstructed to stay up front and DESCEND first.


The AG2R riders were pulling SKY across the valleys, they were not near the descent. I get that directive, but not necessary until the road turns up or down.


----------



## taxidermy man (Mar 19, 2016)

So when Froome gets a flat in the final minutes of stage 10, every one will wait for him like they did for Porte last year???


----------



## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

il sogno said:


> No. Not after they kicked Sagan out for nothing.


His worst-jesus-impersonation-in-the-peloton was grounds enough.


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

I grew tired of watching clips of stage 9 so you know what I queued up on the TV while stretching? and enjoyed tremendously I must say!

Contador climbing the Mortirolo in 2015. What an epic epic climb! Contador flatted and Astana attacked leaving him in the dust. He got on the Mortiroloa and revenge climbed the entire thing...flying by people....stopped on Fabio Aru's wheel to refuel - who was pedaling squares at thsi point - and then just blew past them. Fulsang was given the OK to ditch Aru and went ahead to catch Contador....

Conti dug deep but at the same time stayed under limit. Cold blooded killer status: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O22lT1zGG-I

enjoy.


----------



## aclinjury (Sep 12, 2011)

9W9W said:


> I grew tired of watching clips of stage 9 so you know what I queued up on the TV while stretching? and enjoyed tremendously I must say!
> 
> Contador climbing the Mortirolo in 2015. What an epic epic climb! Contador flatted and Astana attacked leaving him in the dust. He got on the Mortiroloa and revenge climbed the entire thing...flying by people....stopped on Fabio Aru's wheel to refuel - who was pedaling squares at thsi point - and then just blew past them. Fulsang was given the OK to ditch Aru and went ahead to catch Contador....
> 
> ...


The Giro has been the more animated race than the TdF. TdF is more about show and grandeur, but the combatants seem to be guided in their fight. No freestylin' is allowed.


----------



## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

I am loving this guy's attitude right now. "To hell with it, tomorrow, I attack!" Win, lose, or draw, I am with him from this point forward.

Bardet primed for tactical battle at Tour | VeloNews.com


----------



## love4himies (Jun 12, 2012)

9W9W said:


> I grew tired of watching clips of stage 9 so you know what I queued up on the TV while stretching? and enjoyed tremendously I must say!
> 
> Contador climbing the Mortirolo in 2015. What an epic epic climb! Contador flatted and Astana attacked leaving him in the dust. He got on the Mortiroloa and revenge climbed the entire thing...flying by people....stopped on Fabio Aru's wheel to refuel - who was pedaling squares at thsi point - and then just blew past them. Fulsang was given the OK to ditch Aru and went ahead to catch Contador....
> 
> ...


One of my fav stages.


----------



## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

taxidermy man said:


> So when Froome gets a flat in the final minutes of stage 10, every one will wait for him like they did for Porte last year???


No.


When he does pee they'll demand the peloton to wait.


----------



## duriel (Oct 10, 2013)

TdF, ho hum, everyone I'm interested in is crashed, kicked out, or out of gas. We have the choice of who is going to win the mountains... Frome, who is going to win the sprints... Mr. K, that's all folks!


----------

