Hi R.H.,

Couldn't agree more...and what about Jens turning himself inside-out for that breakaway. Top man!



I taught him everything of course...





Cheers,

Simon.

WTF Simon, is that you in those pictures ? Way cool man.

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Keep On Rolling

Hi R.H.,

Yep. Quality stalking at last year's Tour Of Britain, and the bottom photo was from earlier today at a pub in Brad's adopted home town of Eccleston.

Jens was brilliant fun: taking the piss out of his mechanic for having shit music playing, joking about having to hold his beer gut in and generally being the kind of bloke that you hoped he might be!

Cav just seemed bemused that someone wanted a photo and a word of thanks!

Cheers,

Simon.

Froome is better than wiggins

CHARTRES, France (AP) — Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome will share a glass of champagne during Sunday's final stage of the Tour de France to celebrate Britain's historic 1-2 finish in the world's most prestigious cycling race. Their better halves might not be up for it.
Wiggins' wife and Froome's girlfriend have been at the center of a Twitter dispute that started after Stage 11. Froome was told to wait for his leader in the ascent to the ski station of La Toussuire. That day, Froome was clearly the best, but his Sky team's race strategy forced him to stay in his support role.
Michelle Cound took to Twitter to express her disappointment at Sky's decision to fully back Wiggins in his bid to become the first British rider to win the Tour at the expense of her boyfriend.
"If you want loyalty, get a Froome dog... a quality I value... although being taken advantage of by others!" Cound wrote.
Catherine Wiggins was quick to respond, praising the great work of Wiggins' teammates Mick Rogers and Richie Porte during that stage without mentioning Froome.
"See Mick Rogers and Richie Porte for examples of genuine, selfless effort and true professionalism," she wrote.
The tweet was immediately followed by another short message from Cound, who retweeted Wiggins' note with the comment "Typical!"
British rider David Millar, who will team up with Froome and Wiggins at the London Olympics, tweeted: "Oh SNAP! Sky have WAG (wife and girlfriend) WAR on Twitter. This (expletive) just got real."
Froome, picked by many as a future Grand Tour winner, has been a loyal and dedicated teammate to Wiggins. But he has sometimes expressed his frustrations and could not help showing his own strength in the mountains, making race followers wonder whether Sky was backing the right man on the road.
Their partners' sniping flared again this week in the Pyrenees when Froome had to stay with Wiggins in the climb to Peyragudes, letting another stage victory slip away for the sake of his boss.
"Suddenly not so in the mood for Paris on Sunday, what a joke," Cound wrote.
The South African photographer again expressed her disappointment following Friday's 18th stage won by Mark Cavendish after an impressive collective performance by Sky.
"Team work is also about giving the people around you, that support you, a chance to shine in their own right," Cound tweeted.

Next year, it will be Froome's turn if Wiggins accepts to play the game.
If not, maybe Froome could ride for another team.

Quote
GOO
Wiggins' wife and Froome's girlfriend have been at the center of a Twitter dispute

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Keep On Rolling

Hansie, the first Tour-free day always feels a bit strange. Fortunately we have fine weather instead, since weeks.

Thanks for all the stage-schemes and comments. I think we pretty much are Tour-experts on our own merits, as Doxa would say.

For me no Olympic Games. I hate them. Nationalism and commercialism at its worst.

I long for the Olympic games. I like the atmosphere, the tension that rises little by little after the rounds or heats.
In every sport, you have a bit of nationalism or patriotism which I prefer. It's very rare to have fights during the Olympics like you have in soccer for instance.

Quote
kleermaker
first Tour-free day always feels a bit strange

So true. Withdrawal symptoms allover here

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Keep On Rolling

With a little help from his friend...Wiggings

Millar: Tour champ Wiggins will repay Cavendish in London
By Tom McGowan, CNN
July 27, 2012 -- Updated 1430 GMT (2230 HKT)

Bradley Wiggins' best finish in the Tour de France prior to this year was fourth in the 2009 race.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Bradley Wiggins can help Mark Cavendish win gold, according to Robert Millar
Wiggins became Britain's first Tour de France winner on Sunday
Sprinter Cavendish won the Tour's final stage in Paris for the fourth year in a row
Londoner Wiggins is a three-time Olympic gold medalist
(CNN) -- Newly-crowned Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins has been backed to aid fellow Briton Mark Cavendish's quest for Olympic gold in Saturday's 250-kilometer road race.
The Londoner became Britain's first winner of cycling's toughest test last weekend, while sprint star Cavendish won the Tour's final stage in Paris for the fourth year in a row despite sacrificing his hopes of retaining the green jersey.
Wiggins' triumph owed much to the hard work of his fellow Team Sky riders, including Cavendish and fellow British Olympian Chris Froome, who finished second in the overall standings.
And after leading out Cavendish for his victorious burst along the Champs Elysees, Wiggins is being tipped to guide his compatriot to a first Olympic medal in the opening cycling event of the Games.
Blue Sky thinking delivers historic yellow for Wiggins
Wiggins 1st Briton to win Tour de France CNN Explains: Tour de France
"I think Bradley will go to the Olympics with the aim of repaying Mark Cavendish for his work and sacrifice in the quest for the yellow jersey," Robert Millar, who finished fourth and was named King of the Mountains in the 1984 Tour, told CNN.
"In a way, having the Olympics in London will be more motivation for Bradley to keep things together for just a little longer."
The race, which starts with nine laps of Box Hill in the county of Surrey and finishes in the shadows of Buckingham Palace, will see hoards of British cycling fans line the streets in a bid to spur their Tour heroes on to medals.
Wiggins is already a three-time gold medal winner after successful Games on the track in Athens and Beijing, so it possible the Londoner could struggle for motivation in the wake of his historic achievement?
"After the Tour there's a sense of anticlimax," Millar said. "The most important race of the year is over and you have to decompress, let the stresses go."
The Scot, who never went to an Olympics, believes Wiggins can emulate his previous track success on the road, where he will also compete in the time trial.
"Regarding track cycling and confidence, I'm sure the mental preparations and processes you go through at an Olympics are similar to what you experience at the top level on the road," he said.
"The Tour is over a longer time scale but the insecurities you may have, anguish and stresses you encounter will need similar management.
"Confidence comes from doing well, meeting your targets, hitting the objectives, and when you do that and have good support around you then that builds and builds."

[edition.cnn.com]