Another edition of Tour Tweets of the Week – packed, absolutely packed full of controversy, conspiracy theories (okay, we’re guilty of spreading one of those) and come-hither looks. We’re loving Rogue Landa, WaWa Barguil, Baby Blackbird and Mick Jagger and wondering what to think of Bidon Bardet, Rogueless Landa, and the UCI commissaires.
My kingdom for a bidon
Bedhead Bardet went all attackity and won stage 12, but not without controversy. Rigo Uran and George Bennett were penalised 20secs because they took drinks after the refreshment cut-off time – but then video evidence showed that, egad, so did Bedhead. But he wasn’t penalised.
Bedhead makes the big time
There was a lot of talk about what exactly the rules are. And the strange way the commissaires looked the other way at Bardet’s drink.
They weren’t going to take the victory away from Bardet so they waived the penalty for Uran and Bennett. If only they’d admitted their mistake around the Sagan/Cav incident …
Rogue Landa
Mikel Landa has a reputation for being a maverick and going rogue if he’s feeling good and feeling aggrieved that his team won’t let him go. Until now, Sky has kept Rogue Landa under control, but he looked bored (and strong) on Peyragudes on Thursday’s stage as he led what looked like a below-par Froome up the climb. But then Froome lost his wheel and Landa didn’t help him find it – although not sure how he could have on the steepest part of the climb, he could hardly stop, but he didn’t get the chance to win the stage. But it was all just like 2012 when Froome was stronger than Wiggins.
There was a hashtag that sprang up during Thursday’s stage #LandaFaces – because it always looks like he’s thinking about something other than what he’s doing.
‘So Mikel, tell us again how you misheard what we said…’
And on the next stage, was this the Sky plan or a Landa plan that is now a Sky plan …
At the end of the stage, Froome and Kwiatkowski looked to be chasing down their own rider, as they chased down all the attacks from Dan Martin and Simon Yates, even though – in reality – they weren’t too much of a threat to them. And they should have made the yellow jersey work to chase that down. But Aru did hardly any work in the last kilometres. But it ensured that Landa didn’t get into yellow and didn’t get within threat of Froome’s time.
Looks like we’re back to Rogueless Landa. For now. Who knows what’ll happen in the Alps?
But who’s watching Mick?
Mick Jagger could spring quite the surprise this Tour as it seems no one is paying any attention to him – although he’s riding better than he has in his airport wilderness years and is only 29secs from the yellow jersey. I might just put my money on him to be on the top step in Paris.
Baby Blackbird, down but not out
This guy animates races. Like no one else in the peloton. Full stop.
(Personally, I would never put Quintana in the same league as Contador. Quintana just follows Contador. Never takes the chance himself.)
Due to his exploits with Landa, Baby Blackbird was named Most Combative Rider for Stage 13.
Birdsong, out but not down
This was just painful to watch – Jakob Fuglsang started Stage 13 but was in such pain, he rode without hands every chance he got. He was halfway through the stage before he gave up. He shouldn’t have started in this condition. We wish him the speediest of recoveries.
We wuv you, WaWa
Barguil did his duty to his team today, going back to the car for bidons as the team raced to get Bling his Tour stage win. Chapeau!
Aru – oh Aru …
It was the best to times, it was the worst of times. On Friday’s all-out stage, Fabio Aru hung onto his yellow jersey but just following wheels and possibly capitalising on the fact that Froome didn’t want to see Landa go into yellow (well, why else would you chase randoms down?) Then he got lost in the bunch and completely stuffed up the finish of Saturday’s stage and lost his yellow jersey, and fell to second place with 19secs behind Froome.
I reckon being attacked by a giant ham – or is it a small dog – what the hell is it? – is what put Aru off his game in Saturday’s stage.
Landa is talking out of his ass with this speculation – you can see it on Aru’s face, this was not planned.
This is what Michael Valgren said in an interview with the Danish press about why there were no Astana teammates with Aru in the last 10km of that stage.
The Gruppetto
KwiatKrush
Great photographs!
We’re still hoping for a Greipel stage win in this year’s Tour so that his record keeps going (and also because we think he’s great).
FDJ only have about 4 riders left …
Feeling seasick looking at this
Looks like someone’s a fan of That Boy Phinney!
I honestly don’t know what to say about this. Sometimes Sagan looks like Kid Rock’s younger brother – and that’s not a compliment.
Schleck The Elder is going to get very very hot on the mountain with that strange binliner jacket on.
>cue banjo music<
Spare a thought for Robert Gesink, in his tuff plastic girdle. Reminds me of the shape of the robots in I, Robot.
Marginal gains nose ring™
THIS would make it interesting!
On the Mont du Chat, perhaps?
Big-bellied men in slo-mo …
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