This image sums up Chris Froome‘s valiant defensive ride on Sunday’s stage nine, as he attentively tracks Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde, who is in turn being pulled along by teammate Ruben Plaza. Sky’s team leader never let Valverde out of his sight all day.
Froome (in yellow) pays close attention to Movistar’s Ruben Plaza (front) and Alejandro Valverde (middle) (Image: ASO)
Sightings of Irish riders at the Tour de France are infrequent – only ten have raced the Tour in its 100-year history – but those who do are frequently successful. On Sunday, Garmin-Sharp’s Dan Martin became the fifth Irishman to win a Tour stage, after Seamus Elliott, Sean Kelly, Martin Earley and Stephen Roche. Continue reading
Orica-GreenEDGE cultivate an image of being a bunch of fun-loving fellas who play as hard as they ride – the sort of guys who would park their bus on a finish line, for instance – and this latest video set to the tune of AC/DC’s You Shook Me All Night Long is exactly the sort of thing you could never see Dave Brailsford sanctioning.
It features riders and staff from both the men’s team and the Orica-AIS women’s squad – including Simon Gerrans and Daryl Impey, resplendent in their Tour de France yellow jerseys. Plus, watch out for fleeting cameo appearances by reigning world champion Philippe Gilbert and one Eddy Merckx. Honestly, I’m not joking. #OGErocks
And, in case you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past year and this has somehow escaped your attention, here’s a link to the team’s version of Call Me Maybe: