It would surprise me. It's all about Paris.

Change of tack by OPQS. Huge injection of pace, Argos dropped and forced to expend a lot of energy to get back. Peloton in splinters. Mayhem of the most brilliant kind.

Valverde punctures. Four team-mates with him to pace him back, but OPQS are driving on so quickly they're stranded 35" adrift.

Boring, flat, transitional stage, eh? Not a bit of it. Belkin leap on the front of the peloton, Valverde and his buddies are gone, gone, gone, back in the Kittel group at 1'10"

Saxo have a go at distancing Froome as echelons form in cross-winds. And it might be working

This is setting up for a tremendous final week.

And today they used this skill to perfection.

Normally I'd agree with you. You do know the finish in Paris has been moved closer to l'Arc de Triomphe? Uphill finish, longer to go after the final corner. On this years form I don't fancy him.

It certainly made a flat boring stage interesting. Here's hoping Bert fancies bashing Froome next week.

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www.up-shack.com/assets/up/10866 ... 40c8b4.swf

Sagan wheelie-ing up Ventoux... Just when you thought you couldn't love him any more.

Another stunning statement from Froome and Sky.

Brilliant ride from Froome, such a shame that instead of celebrating such a magnificent ride, many journalists question the validity of such a dominant performance and ask the same old questions about doping.

Unfortunately, that is the legacy Armstrong et al have left behind for modern-day cycling.

See also the mens 100m, where six of the eight fastest men of all time have now been shown to have doped at some point in their careers.

Quote ="John_D"Sagan wheelie-ing up Ventoux... Just when you thought you couldn't love him any more. '" Have you seen this? nos.nl/video/529587-sagan-rijdt- ... eelie.html He just needs to lose that stupid goatee he's picked up.

Quote ="John_D"Sagan wheelie-ing up Ventoux... Just when you thought you couldn't love him any more. '" Have you seen this? nos.nl/video/529587-sagan-rijdt- ... eelie.html He just needs to lose that stupid goatee he's picked up.

Quote ="vbfg"Have you seen this? nos.nl/video/529587-sagan-rijdt- ... eelie.html He just needs to lose that stupid goatee he's picked up.'" I have seen that before, but always worth a repeat viewing. If it was anyone else, I'd call trickery. But it's not, so he gets the benefit of any doubt.

Quote ="vbfg"Have you seen this? nos.nl/video/529587-sagan-rijdt- ... eelie.html He just needs to lose that stupid goatee he's picked up.'" I have seen that before, but always worth a repeat viewing. If it was anyone else, I'd call trickery. But it's not, so he gets the benefit of any doubt.

Here we go again then.
Nico Roche among those in a group up the road. Saxo planning something? They're being given a short leash at the moment, presumably until such time as they persuade Roche that he should bugger off.

Those same journalists all used to celebrate magnificent rides until the truth was finally known re how those magnificent rides were 'fueled'.

I tend to take the view at the moment of giving it ' a while ' before being absolutely certain that there has been no doping going on.

As for Froome - I think we can say he's clean but I would never be certain about any of them. What this tour is telling me is that it is less likely that doping is going on. It also looks like any benefit Contador once had through his doping has gone - this is not the same Contador we have seen from seasons past.

Such a shame that despite all reiterations, there will always be questions surrounding any dominant indivual performance.

FWIW I am utterly convinced that Froome and the overwhelming majority of the peloton are riding clean. Any more high profile cyclists caught doping then any integretity the sport has built up over the past couple of years is gone and major sponsors would withdraw from the sport.

I have to say that I really empathised with Contador's indignation at Quintana pushing on at the front when the Spaniard had hit the deck.

Bertie has always been the epitome of a good sportsman who would never take advantage if a rival of his had some misfortune befall him. I mean imagine if in 2010 when he was battling with Frank Schleck for the Tour & Schleck had lost his chain on the final climb of a stage, can anyone seriously imagine that Contador would take advantage? Such a scenario is as unlikely as being able to buy a Spanish steak that isn't laced with Clenbuterol.

I'm not convinced at all. On the one hand I'm heartened that there were two riders caught earlier this year thanks to rumours in the peloton. That's a really positive step.

Prior to oxygen vector doping taking off though riders showed their Grand Tour talent early. Lemond was third in his first tour. In the 2010 Giro Froome was disqualified for hanging on to cars. In the 2011 Vuelta he was blowing Cobo away on the steepest climbs of the year and could have been the first British GT winner if Sky had switched leaders earlier.

So much else has changed since the pre EPO days that it would be daft to put all the changed effects down to doping. But [url=http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/11385/Anti-doping-scientist-warns-of-undetectable-EPO-variants.aspxthese aren't post EPO days[/url, and there's AICAR, Telmisartan and a host of other untestables out there too. Those latter two would perfectly suit the physical transformations of Wiggins, Porte and Froome.

Sky didn't exactly help themselves with who they've employed over the years.

I want to believe, and I'm very far from at the point of making accusations. I just think there's enough out there to support those who are suspicious. The best all of us can hope for is to find out ten years from now if and when retrospective testing is done on today's samples.

Oh and fsck Bertie. Fsck him with his ty pistol celebration.

Two rants

1. Feck off Contador (what Yorkshire-Red said below)

2. Feck off Froome - for complaining about Contador being reckless on the descent for two reasons. First of all - you don't have to follow him if you think he is being reckless and secondly - why when it is perfectly acceptable to attack on a climb/TT/windy day do certain pro cyclists think that attacking on a descent is wrong?

Has anyone else noticed how Froome looks like a praying mantis that has been sellotaped onto a road bike?

Agree with Haggis Fax about Froome too. Contador is generally a much better descender than Froome & given his inability to take time out of him in the climbs it makes perfect sense to have a go & take a bit of time back on a tricky descent.

Interesting course today. Apparently Froome is going to switch bikes at the top of the second climb from road to TT.

He pedals with his elbows and never takes his eyes off his power meter.