2015 Tour de France rest day

Odds and ends on a few different topics.

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My two cents on Froome

In absence of any real scandal–no positive tests, no serious rivals to the yellow jersey, no fights within the peloton, even Tinkoff himself seems to finally be in Sagan’s corner–the cycling world has fallen back on the routine question of whether or not the maillot jaune is doping.

Is he? I don’t know.

Here’s what I do know.

Chris Froome is not a lovable character like Adam Hansen. He is not a beautiful climber like Alberto Contador. He is not aggressive like Mark Cavendish. He is not an underdog like MTN Qhubeka. He is not up and coming like Warren Barguil. He is quiet and distant, a reserved outsider who, for a number of reasons, has never been fully embraced by the public and the media.

He has generally maintained his good form that was priceless in Wiggins’s 2012 Tour victory, consistently achieving results in recent years. Yet his outsider status, coupled with the rise of social media which demands constant stories and the lingering suspicions in this post-Armstrong era, means the default mode is to publicly wonder if he’s clean, while no one else in the peloton must defend himself daily.

No one questions Sagan, the perpetual bridesmaid. He has six second place finishes at the Tour this year alone and has ridden in the break the last three stages leading up to the final rest day. The Slovakian may not be the winningest rider, but he is one of the most consistent.

Quintana’s podium worthy 2013 Tour performance, widely hailed as the revelation of the year, was never criticized.

Contador’s triumphant–and speedy–return to racing and winning after breaking his leg last July raised no eyebrows.

I’m not suggesting that any of these results were come by dishonestly. But I do believe that if this was a juicier edition of the Tour or if the competition for yellow was tighter, the media wouldn’t publish so many “clean or not?” headlines. Let’s not forget that even in a group of world class athletes, someone has to be the best.

We watch sports to see the impossible become possible. Running a sub 4 minute mile was touted as humanly impossible until recent generations. In cycling, a new hour record has been set five times in the last year alone and Rohan Dennis opened the Tour with the fastest ever time trial. The feats of today would be unimaginable to the peloton of a century ago. However many watts-per-kilo Froome is pushing, someday it will be topped. In the meantime, there’s a race to watch.

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A few more photos!

Luis Angel Mate signed an autograph for me in Utrecht. Photo credit: Brake Through Media.

Getting Merhawi Kudus’ signature in Abbeville. Photo credit: Steephill.tv.

I hiked somewhere around eleven or twelve kilometers to get to the summit of Col de Manse yesterday (and then, seeing how flat it was up there, I promptly did a U turn and found a better–steeper–spot further down!). While I’m sure the peloton didn’t pause to enjoy the scenery, I certainly did.

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Dream or nightmare Tour de France

Dream: MTN Qhubeka. Receiving a wild card invitation to the Tour was already a victory but the team wanted more. Daniel Teklehaimanot wearing–and earning–the polka dot jersey and Steven Cumming’s never-say-die win on stage 14 prove that MTN can compete with the World Tour.

Dream: BMC. Rohan Dennis was expected to be competitive but few thought he would beat Tony Martin and Tom Dumoulin in the opening time trial. The Australian did so in a commanding fashion, receiving the yellow jersey for his efforts. Winning the closely contested TTT heading into the first rest day was a huge boost for the team. They have said all along their goal is to put Tejay Van Garderen, currently in third, on the podium. The American is not the only one fighting for the podium but short of a complete meltdown, BMC should consider the Tour a success.

Nightmare: Europcar. They lost their World Tour status over the winter due to a lack of funds and the well established team is still searching for a title sponsor for 2016. Bryan Coquard hasn’t been able to compete with Andre Griepel in the sprints and despite Thomas Voeckler and Cyril Gautier infiltrating breakaways, the French outfit, while riding the biggest French race, has yet to announce a new backer for next season. They’re not just fighting for a win, they’re fighting for survival. Let’s hope they don’t go the way of Euskaltel.

Nightmare: Orica Green Edge. Simon Gerrans can’t seem to catch a break this year, which was confirmed when he crashed out of stage 3 with another broken collarbone. The Australian team lost two more riders and Michael Matthews, who impressively managed not to abandon, effectively missed the bulk of the sprint stages healing from injuries. Their plan was to stage hunt and go for the TTT, but have been unable. The Yates twins, Adam in particular, have been the team’s saving grace.

Mixed: Etixx Quick Step. Three stage wins for three different riders and the yellow jersey would normally be a dream for any DS, yet the Belgian squad lost Tony Martin and Mark Cavendish has looked flat next to Griepel.

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What’s next

There are 13 teams without a win and just five more stages. At this point, Greipel must be the favorite for the Champs-Élysées and you can count on Contador and Quintana to have a go in the Alps. Don’t be surprised if Froome tries for another stage.

• Cannondale Garmin will try to get in the breaks for either Ryder Hesjedal, Dan Martin (if he’s healthy), or possibly for last year’s dark horse stage winner, Ramunas Navardauskas.
  
• Giant Alpecin will continue to say Warren Barguil has complete freedom, but the boys in black will do everything they can to land him in the top ten. Degenkolb will keep his eyes on Paris.
• After winning the 2014 Tour and putting on a great show at the Giro, Astana has been remarkably unremarkable so far. The GC riders will never let Nibali get in a break but Fuglsang may be able to sneak away.

The green jersey has been decided so long as Sagan makes it to Paris and Quintana will keep the white jersey. There are still plenty of KOM points up for grabs with nineteen categorized climbs remaining but unless Rodriguez gets in a couple of breaks, Froome may well hang on to the polka dots. As for yellow? With Contador understandably tired from the Giro, I suspect Quintana will be Froome’s biggest threat.