- We are now at the first rest day
of the 2017 Tour de France.
So I think the time is right, Matt, to look back
over the opening nine stages of the race
and discuss five key talking points.
(energetic music)
- One of the biggest stories of the opening week
of the Tour de France was the disqualification
of Bora-Hansgrohe's World Road Race Champion, Peter Sagan.
After he was accused and found guilty by the race jury
at least, of causing the crash of Mark Cavendish,
which in turn led to both John Degenkolb and Ben Swift
come to grief as well.
Now Peter Sagan immediately apologised
to Cavendish at the finish.
But was Peter Sagan entirely to blame?
- Well, the main focus was on that angled right elbow
of Sagan, just at the point where Mark Cavendish
is trying to go through a quite small gap
between Sagan and the barriers.
Was that elbow out just for balance purposes?
Was it deliberate?
Or was it just moved out by the bike of Mark Cavendish?
Well, most former pros and current professional riders
and many observers seem to disagree
with the disqualification of the world champion.
What it does prove is that no rider is too big
to be ejected by the jury of the Tour de France.
(powerful music)
Our next talking point is not really something
that we've learned through the 2017 Tour de France
but these opening stages really remind us
of just how brutal the sport of cycling can be.
I mean, just take a look at this list of injuries sustained
by the riders over the opening nine stage of the race:
Alejandro Valverde, a fractured leg and kneecap,
out for the rest of the season.
Jon Izaguirre, a fractured lumbar.
Geraint Thomas, a fractured collarbone.
And Mark Cavendish, a fractured shoulder.
- We'll add to the mix Luke Durbridge
with ankle ligament damage.
Robert Gesink with another fractured collarbone.
Manuel Mori and also Jesus Herrada
and of course Richie Porte all hospitalised.
What it does remind us is the fact that cyclists
are so, so vulnerable with only Lycra and a helmet
protecting yourself from road furniture
and of course, the tarmac.
Now, I've got still the utmost respect
for the guys and girls who still race bikes
but this sport certainly isn't for the faint-hearted.
- No, it's not at all.
(smooth music)
- Just how good is Marcel Kittel?
As we head into the first rest day
of this year's Tour de France, he's already picked up
stages two, six, and seven.
Although, they haven't exactly been perfect.
His lead-out train hasn't exactly
been firing on all cylinders.
Yet, despite that, he still proved to be the most powerful
and arguably, the smartest, too.
- Yeah, on stage two he emerged pretty late
in what was a chaotic headwind sprint
to take the victory there.
Then, on stage six, he was dropped off
by his last lead-out man, Fabio Sabatini,
albeit with still 800 metres to go.
As you said, he showed immense strength
and intelligence to go from 12th at 250 metres to go,
overtaking the last couple of riders
inside the last 100 metres to take the victory
by a clear length.
- Yeah, then with stage seven,
he inadvertently mistook the 150 metres to go board
for the 200 metres to go board.
Yet still generated enough power
to pass an absolutely flying Edvald Boasson Hagen.
Well, just.
- [Dan] Yeah, by a picture, wasn't it?
- [Matt] Yeah.
- And the ground that he made up over those closing metres
was made all the more impressive by the fact that
they were travelling at that point in excess of 70 kph.
(groovy music)
Francs have a new cycling superstar in the form
of 24-year-old Lilian Calmejane of Direct Energie.
After his fabulous solo stage victory
on day eight of the race to Station des Rousses.
- The Tour debutant was always gonna be one rider to watch.
Especially after his stage win in last year's Vuelta Espana,
and also he's run into the Tour de France where he's won
no less than three stage races.
But the sheer manner of and style of his win, I think,
surpassed all expectations.
And he even overcame a bout of cramp
with 3Ks to go, panache!
- The question is though, Matt, where does his future lie?
I mean, will he start to focus on the hillier classes,
like Lombardia or Liege-Bastogne-Liege or will he continue
to focus on stage wins at the major tours?
Because as you point out, he's now got two major wins
to his name from that point of view.
Or will he develop into a major GC threat,
particularly at the Tour de France?
Now, the French will certainly be hoping it's the latter
because it's now 32 years
since France last won their race overall.
But I think he's the next Thomas Voeckler.
- And he was actually channelling the spirit
of Tommy Voeckler, who is of course,
riding this Tour de France,
with a bit of tongue wagging down at the finish straight.
But I think also, the big question, Dan,
will he remain with Jean-Rene Bernaudeau's team?
Of course, he's only Pro-Conti,
I think he's going up to World Tour next year
Watch this space.
(slow groove music)
Our final talking point is gonna be
the ever-controversial unwritten rules.
Now the issue of unwritten rules has again reared its head
on the climb of the Mont du Chat
where Fabio Aru clearly attacked
when Chris Froome was having a mechanical.
- Yeah, frankly, I'm sick of this.
Firstly, this year was Tom Dumoulin at the Giro d'Italia
in Poogate and as you said, Fabio Aru attacking Chris Froome
when clearly, at that point,
he had some kind of mechanical problem.
But then moments later on descent of the Mont du Chat,
Richie Porte and Dan Martin hitting the deck,
nobody waited for them.
- [Matt] Good point.
- My opinion is that this needs written down in some form
even if they're not taken as official UCI regulations,
that the riders get together and write down
what they see as right or wrong and come to some kind
of conclusion so that we're not always debating
whether they should be attacking or shouldn't be attacking
on social media after each event.
- Do you know what, Dan?
That's a really interesting point
because that is how law first came into force.
It's called common law.
It's basically what people generally,
through common sense agreed that was wrong or right.
But I don't think they should ever be written down.
I think the spirit of sports--
- What? You don't think unwritten rules
should be written down?
- No, I'm gonna be really controversial.
- That's controversial.
- It's a controversial subject
and I'm gonna be controversial.
I don't think they should ever be written down.
I think the peloton actually self-regulates itself
pretty well, as we saw.
We saw Fabio Aru attack.
The rest of the bunch, Nairo Quintana, Richie Porte,
all looked around, slowed the pace down,
so I do think there is still that control
but what I also think, Dan, is that
there's always been the unwritten,
the unwritten rules have been around for a long, long time
in the peloton, of course, hundreds of years.
Hundred years old.
But I think they've been distorted
through the lens of social media.
I think we get a warped perspective
of what happens through TV, etc.
So I think things are fine as they are
but real fertile ground for debate
and as ever, we'd love to know what you think about it.
- Yeah, I think that social media though,
has shown us that we, as fans, don't know where we stand
in these situations and we're confused
and we don't really know what's going on.
- Good point.
- And I would like to know what's going on
by writing down unwritten rules.
- The unwritten rules (laughs).
- So as Matt says, please let us know your thoughts
on the unwritten rules.
And whether you should think that riders
should be able to attack at moments like that
in the comment section down below this video.
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And there are a couple more videos
which you might be interested in.
Now, down here is a look from Tom Last on Aero Tech
at this year's Tour de France.
- And if you click down here, it's gonna be where me and Dan
look to the benefits of sitting behind a moto in races.
- Dan and I.
- Dan and I, oh sorry, I meant Dan and I.
That's not an unwritten rule, that's a rule, isn't it?
A grammar rule.
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