The Tour of France

[MrsB]

Stage 1 preview: Passage du Gois → Mont des Alouettes, 192 km (uphill finish)

Passage du Gois is a two-mile causeway known for flooding twice a day when the high tide rolls in. The Tour last visited here in 1999 when the slippery roads produced a 25 rider pile-up on stage 2. This year's start over the causeway will be neutralized.

This could be fun.

[Neil Young]

I had a holiday on the island of Noirmoutier in '98 I think. The Passage du Gois is a weird place. It's a very strange feeling to watch it emerge from and disappear under the sea.

Anyway I'm so excited, I just can't hide it.

[MrsB]

1999:

[Fredo]

Is the race showing live on TV here? I am not talking about the limited coverage on ITV, which normally shows the last 1 or 2 hours? I could watch the whole race on France 2/TF1.

[MrsB]

Team presentation photos

[Neil Young]

Is the race showing live on TV here? I am not talking about the limited coverage on ITV, which normally shows the last 1 or 2 hours? I could watch the whole race on France 2/TF1.

Pierre, Eurosport are showing all today's stage. They show more than ITV4, although that coverage too is improving.

You could try Eurosport Player.

Or you could just f*ck off. Frankly that would be better.

[ningnangnong]

Wow, exciting opening to this year's Tour!

Some big names losing plenty of time.

No surprise that Gilbert won the stage.

[Neil Young]

No surprise but it was a magnificent performance for that very reason.

Contador is likely to lose more time today which should make things interesting for the mountains as he'll have to attack. He may even try to gain some time back on the Mur de Bretagne during the week (Tuesday or Wednesday I think).

[ningnangnong]

The whole situation has definitely made the first week more exciting than usual!

[ningnangnong]

Saxo Bank have just blitzed the team time trial.

[ningnangnong]

In hindsight, they didn't blitz it at all.

Hushovd gets the maillot jaune. Evans misses out by a second after an absolutely fantastic ride by Team BMC

Contador once again loses time to his main rivals.

Intriguing start to this year's race.

[Neil Young]

Yes, it's very interesting.

It was amazing how Leopard (OK, Cancellara mainly, with a bit of help from Fuglsang and the others) managed to carry both the Schlecks all the way to the line with a deficit of just a few seconds to Garmin.

Andy Schleck is going to have attack in the mountains too - when it comes to the ITT, he's going to lose at least a minute, probably two, to the likes of Wiggins, Contador, Leipheimer and Evans.

It's set up for a good Tour.

[ronanm]

Hopefully Roche will get a top 10

[Resu]

Hushovd in yellow, big sprint stage today. A good stage for Cavendish. Garmin will protect the yellow jersey, and try to set up the finish for Farrar. So the rider with the rainbow/yellow jersey will probably be a lead-out man today.

[Darkon]

In hindsight, they didn't blitz it at all.

Hushovd gets the maillot jaune. Evans misses out by a second after an absolutely fantastic ride by Team BMC

Contador once again loses time to his main rivals.

Intriguing start to this year's race.

I disagree, Saxo don't have a team trial team at all, and I expected them to loose even more due to that. All things considered they did very well to only loose out by 23 seconds, when under normal circumstances it could be double.

But the first to stages have made a great setup for the mountains forcing Contador on the offensive - 1½ minute is borderline on what he can take on the time trial that is a long one-.