TopShelf TG Fiction in the BigCloset!
Congratulations to all the winners of the Tour de France
General Classification:
1st Bradley Wiggins
2nd Chris Froome
3rd Vicenzo Nibali
Sprint: Peter Sagan
Mountains: Thomas Voeckler
Best Young Rider: T. J. Vangarderen
Special Mention: Mark (Manx Missile) Cavendish
And, may everyone have a great Olympics!
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Comments
Tour Surpises?
Sagan winning the Green
or Van Gangarden winning white
or Cavendish not winning green
or Froome taking second overall
Not suprising (at least with hindsight)
Skys domination. (1st, 2nd, 6 stage wins, 2nd in team classafications)[Note: this is determiend by the top 3 finishes time for each team at each stage, and combine them)
Mark
Fantastic Tour de France
Wonder if Maddy Bell knows
May Your Light Forever Shine
My Take On The Winners
>> Sprint: Peter Sagan; Sagan winning the Green <<
The green jersey contest, as commentators have said, for the maybe 25 years I've watched the tour, is about the sprinter and his team's ability to get him to the finish and his speed against any other riders. They also say the contest is about consistency, finishing well at as many sprint opportunities as possible. I think if numerous other sprinters won all the sprint stages and intermediate sprints, but one rider finished second in all stage sprints and intermediate sprints, the one consistently getting second would win the green jersey.
>> Cavendish not winning green <<
It seemed to me that Cavendish was not trying for the green jersey or the team decided not to go for it. Cavendish and Sky usually only made attempts at stage wins. Maybe their idea was to rest the missile and the lead-out train, by not going for the intermediate sprints, so Cav and helpers would be more rested and more likely to win the stage sprint.
Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee
Cavendish vs Sagan
I agree with Renee. Before the race began, Mark said he wasn't going to compete for the green jersey. He said he needed to save energy for the Olympics. Since he is the world champion and has been doing this for a long time, I understand that he knows his lmitations, and is preparing himself for the larger event.
Peter Sagan, on the other hand, is just a kid. His wins in California and in the other races in Europe have been impressive. Yet, everyone was saying that these were just tune-ups and that we should await the Tour to see if he ranked up there with the best of the best. Well, I guess, after his impressive TdF, that he must now be ranked amongst them.
The real question for him, T. J. van Garteren, and all the other younger riders is where do they want to go in the future? Some may emulate Mark Cavendish. Others may follow in the steps of Thomas Voeckler and climg to the peak. Still others may seek to follow George Hincapie, who rode the Tour for 17 years, as the stalwart for many yellow jerseys. But, if they want to go home with the yellow jersey, they must look to Lance, Cadell and Brad. Each strove to become the best in two disciplines: time trial and climbing. Both require incredible determination and practice, Practice, PRACTICE!!! And, without an outstanding team, even that isn't enough.
So, we will watch these young men, cheer when they do well, and sympathize with them when things don't. Regardless, we'll be glued to our seats, watching them perfect their skills, while racing for glory ... and a substantial purse.
Red MacDonald