They are riding DI2, there is a reason many top riders choose mechanical on cobbled stage, harkens back to Sagan in Roubaix this year being stuck in the small ring with 10k to go and having to do a bike change.

Yup. my mistake. AG2R is on SRAM wireless, not FDJ.

Yeah. If anything that is a good endorsement for SRAM wireless. As Caley Fretz pointed out, it's probably a loose cable and not a battery issue.

Um...no

Pinot clearly doesn't have the mental game to do it, but there have been plenty of 5+ min gaps for the stage win. As recent as early 90's there was a 20+ minute gap for the stage win.

Yeah, but not with a Tour contender.

If they aren't within 2 or 3 minutes with the "crowd" of GC favorites by the time they hit the real mountains, forget it.

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Rick, "Retired" hobbyist athlete
Trying to come back slowly from acute A-Fib

There is almost no way that Pinot can win the Tour. But, he can still make a decent race out of it. The question is, to use the recent Giro as an analogy, is he going to be more like Porte and just fade away or like Hesjedal and keeping plugging away? My guess is that he'd rather go for a win in one of the big mtn stages rather than work hard every day to maybe make the top 5.

*face palm*

Yes. At this point he'll likely tank more time in the GC so he gets the green light to get into the break on a few of the mountain stages or maybe he contends for the polka dot. His GC race is dead.

Hell yeah. I couldn't stand him in previous years, but that moment he elbowed the rider who wanted to nudge him away? Gold. If he keeps racing like this I might just grow to like The Spider.

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ZONE3 - We Last Longer

No point him trying to make a race of it with the amount of quality that is ahead of him already in the GC. Likely to lose more time in the TTT as well I'd have thought. His best bet is to lose enough time to completely put himself out of the running in the GC and then target stage wins and KOM points.

Its too bad we can't start a thread about Tony Martin's winning bike position on Matteo's smaller bike haha (seat too low?)

I think the key lesson to learn from Tony Martin today is that if you have a big enough German engine then what bike you're on doesn't matter too much! The man is an absolute legend.

Yes, cycling's turned a corner, didn't you get that memo?

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Swim. Overbike. Walk.

Sometimes I forget this is a triathlon site.

Matteo's saddle is actually 3cm higher even though he's shorter according to an interview Martin gave.

Sagan was absolutely amazing today. It's mind blowing that he was able to sprint for third place after all the work that he did for Contador.

Any guesstimate on Tony Martin's FTP?

Yes. Hopefully he can refocus after today's stage. I have rooted for him the past few years, but the last two days he's been getting spooked (yesterday) and a wee bit petulant (today). He can still pull out a jersey or even a solid top 10 finish, if not a podium if he rides smart. I'll empathize a tiny bit, as I've experienced a stupid Di2 battery fail (or whatever it was) during a race (except stuck in the small chainring).

Cool to see Martin ride hard for this win and the yellow jersey today. After the last few days, it's got to taste sweeter.

Uran has been riding well and under the radar. He had a solid ITT and is still in the top 10, less than a minute back. Perhaps he can pull something out if he didn't gut himself at the Giro.

As recently as 2006 there was nearly a 30-minute gap for the stage win.

Not that that's relevant.

Jens! won the stage, Pereiro took 2nd (and the Tour), and McEwen won the field sprint 29:57 later.

Anybody see him offer up a breakaway to the other sprinters after the intermediate sprint? I don't care what he's on the dude is just a lot of fun to watch.

LMAO!
the replay just showed it. hysterical. the stunned "hell no!" look on Gripel's face was great.

I am more curious to know his average power for the last 3000m!

He just needs some Marc Madiot motivation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMmyyEOeVTs

By the way, whose bike did he get....he seemed like his position was totally dialed in on an "on the spot replacement bike"

Edti: OK Matteo Trentin's bike and Tony is 7 cm taller!!!