To the Top of Mont Panache

Stage 15: Givors -Mont Ventoux

Watching those final 8 or 9 k from yesterday, you really notice how cool Matteo Trentin keeps it. He doesn't go with any of the attacks and then in the final sprint just launches up from like 8th position at the last moment.  Amazingly, he noted this in the post-race chat, saying he was used to Cav yelling "WAIT!!!!" at him in the sprint, and so he waited.

Now onto today's big show.

Is this the fastest Tour EVER? Who needs EPO?

Wee Sylvain, the Boy King, and a couple of other Frenchmen are in this breakaway, as well as some non-French riders.

Oh, the NOSE OF MARMANDE is in there.  

I'm not sure how I feel about the Points Competition.  I think ever since Cav's been targeting it and not winning it, I don't like it.  But it does seem silly that the person who wins the most sprints isn't the person who wins.

Wee Sylvain just looking across there, you can see Mont Ventoux to the left of the road apparently.

42 kilometers to go: 21 metres of ascent, 21 metres to get there.

Oop Sylvain stalking Sagan up to the intermediate sprint there.

Certainly making him nervous.

But nope, lets him cross the line untroubled.

"Everyone knows, once you enter the town of Bedouin, you're leaving it on the Giant of Provence, Mont Ventoux." BOOM.

Take us to the top (well, the base of the mountain) G!

I sort of keep forgetting Andy Shleck is in this race.

There used to be some rule you couldn't ride if you were over 40??  How much less colourful would cycling life be without BIG JENS VOIGT.

Not so much Fun With Gert now, he's dropped off the back with Matteo.

Ryder is having an awful Tour.

"Sky are trying to string the peloton out and thin the peloton out and IT IS WORKING."

 Sylvain is gonna DO THIS THING. Wee Sylvain loves solo heroics!!

Wee Pierre dropped??  That IS "a bit of a shock" Phil, and not a nice one.

"He is the lone trailblazer on Mont Ventoux." Hellloo autobiography title.

"They'll break the tree line to the place where nothing grows." EPIC.

WHAT IS THIS MAN? Sagan pulling a wheelie and then saluting as he's back in the peloton.

OPQSers chatting on the front of the peloton. "Are we doing this?? I'm pretty tired," they seem to be saying.

This climb looks DISGUSTING.

"Thomas Voeckler taking his earpiece out, doesn't want to hear any more bad news," like YOUR BESTIE PIERRE HAS CRACKED.

Andy is out the back.

Klodi out the back. Sort of forgot he was in this race.

Bakelants is some kinda fighter. If he were French he would be the new Thomas Vockeler.

Oh Wee Sylvain is caught by the Euskatel and Jan.

Aww praise for Little Pete Kennaugh!

Is it weird that I don't like Nairo Quintana? I think it's because he sort of threatens Froomey and OPQS.

Jan's still out there???

We're trying to decipher how Froomey is feeling. His tallness makes him look always uncomfortable on the bike, but "he was turning up a very low gear, so that's a good sign".

Jan is I THINK being caught by the pelaton, but I thought that 10 minutes ago too.

Richie Porte is back from the dead and doing the old school Sky 1-2.

HOLY SHITE. They just all died. Richie Port set such a pace in like 1k that there are FOUR PEOPLE in this peloton.

"His friend and partner"??  Are they tryin' to pull the 1-2 in the Tour de Bromance as well?

Seriously though, Porte is an assassin. Froomey would be so lucky to have him as a civil partner.

Ridin' SOLO. GOOOOOOOO ON FROOOOME!!!!!!!!!

HE IS AMAZING!!!!

Straight across that gap LIKE A LEGEND!

Uhh, are those smoke cans a good idea? Isn't there like NO AIR up there already?

FUCKING HELL. STRAIGHT ON RIGHT PAST HIM!

"This is a guy that was ALSO born at altitude, let's not forget." LET US NOT FORGET.

Dude, Froomey should have been the first British Tour winner. SO MANY PEOPLE would've gotten into cycling. How could you NOT like cycling watching this?? WHAT A CHAMPION.

He's strategizing. "What's the situation? Can I BLOW THIS THING UP?"

I'll tell you what he won't be hearing in that earpiece THIS year: "Froomey, Froomey, did Brad give you the ok?"

"I dont know what languange they're talking." I dunno but I think he's probably saying "Mate, wanna get out of my slipstream and do some work??" Though maybe nicer. Apparently he's incredibly polite and says 'grazie, grazie' when he gets his musette.

"Mick Rogers will know all the weakness of Chris Froome."  Alllll none of them??

Lance Armstrong has piped up: "No gifts on the Ventoux", he says. I'm afraid I have to agree. Take the Ventoux, take the Tour!

How long is this gross Moon climb?? It goes on forever!

Looks like a gap, LOOKS LIKE A GAP!

YEAH!!!! HE GOT AWAY FINALLY!!!!

There needs to be a photo of this second right here, wherever we are, 5 hours 46 minutes 55 seconds, with the Observatory just up in the distance and Froomey riding up SOLO in YELLOW towards it. It is BEAUTY.

This is like the greatest day of cycling.

Bertie took quite a hit there.

You're right Phil we've never seen Ten Dam riding like this cuz last time we were on a mountain he fell and was BLEEDING FROM THE FACE.

I think it's time we shut up about the weakness of Froome's team now.  Yeaahh, it's possible to isolate him, but then he will KILL YOU.

Also, they're now being called the Magnificent Seven.

The past three days have been like the best in cycling in SO LONG.

Apparently Froomey and Quintana collapsed after the finish line needing oxygen.

Some amazing quotes:

"Dave Brailsford won't necessarily have WANTED him to win the stage, but it doesn't do any harm to have a swashbuckling leader."

"That was real flair today."

"A vicious competitor and then polite as you can be."


He looks like he can barely walk poor thing. Three times to the podium seems rather punishing.

What a gracious man.

Haha, he says the conversation between him and Quintana was him going "come on, we're getting a good advantage on the guys behind, let's try and work together."

This has become an actual war: "There may still be booby traps, but NOT going uphill.  "Yeah they'll need to use other terrain."

They cannot stop saying 'panache.'