TDF Stage 1 (Spoilers likely)

[FastforaSlowGuy]

Woohoo, it's here! Ted King is getting some solid TV time.


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[chengher87]

Jens hunting the polka dot jersey? Attacks straight from the gun, not really taking a victory lap for his last tour is he?

[jr59]

Jens is caught, but I sure do enjoy watching him.

Go Jens Go!!!

[FastforaSlowGuy]

David Millar visibly upset in the commentary booth.

[kurto]

Yikes. Glad I didn't pick Cav for my fantasy team.

[MattTuck]

Yikes. Glad I didn't pick Cav for my fantasy team.

Looks like a collar bone. Nice dig for Fabs, but not enough.

[kurto]

Looks like a collar bone. Nice dig for Fabs, but not enough.

Yeah, as soon as he went down I though collarbone. It's a really tough break for him, especially in England. Good move by Cancellara, and if anybody could make that work, it'd be him.

[echelon_john]

My fantasy plan is coming together flawlessly.....BWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA! :banana:

[FastforaSlowGuy]

Nasty fall for Cav. In slow mo, it's clear he went down straight onto the right shoulder. Major bummer for him. Great OPQS leadout, but that attack by Spartacus really threw in some confusion.

Really glad I picked Kittel for my team, though!

[joosttx]

Martin is going to win two stages as a result of this crash.

[1centaur]

Why oh why oh why does Cav find himself doing that aggro leaning thing when the other top sprinters do not? Am I being charitable if I say his team blew their wad early and he was desperate to get into the top few? Did at least his subconscious know he did not have it today and his inner child started seeking excuses? Is it a little guy thing, a la Robbie McKewan? I suppose he'll say Gerrans crossed his line and he was defending position but still...

[gemship]

I saw this thread so I was compelled to google Cavendish. Now that I read about his stage ending all I can say is he reaped what he sewed. Trying to push guys while sprinting really shouldn't even be allowed and I think he took that rider down too...real nice.

[nbl78s]

Looks like a collar bone to me to... Also looked like a desperate move in the sprint - looked to me he was taking a risk with a very low percentage chance of success at that point. Should have played it straight and lived to fight another day :(

[weisan]

He knew he had screwed up... It's written on his face as he tried to make it to the finish line post-crash. Otherwise we would have seen a different reaction.

[firerescuefin]

Eurosport is reporting that his X-Rays was negative for a broken collarbone...Good News.

[FlashUNC]

Cav got boxed in. It happens. But the answer isn't head butting Gerrans to the point he nearly takes out a Europcar rider in the process. The save from the Europcar rider was unreal.

Not one of Cav's finer moments.

[Wolfman]

Totally Cav's fault.

[retrofit]

Totally Cav's fault.

Yep. Cav's lean-in initially moved Gerrans aside then Cav's front wheel clipped Gerrans front wheel from behind.

Kudo's to Fabian for a gutsy stage one move.

[pdmtong]

Eurosport is reporting that his X-Rays was negative for a broken collarbone...Good News.

bad news is report of a separated shoulder (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tour-de-france-mark-cavendish-crashes-in-stage-1-sprint)

[velotrack]

I like Cav and he does take up a lot of room when he sprints, but I really hope he can continue whether it was his fault or not. He's grown up a lot as a rider and I would like to see him win a few more stages this year.

We all knew Kittel was on the rise, and it seems like this year will be no different.

Nice to see Jens Voigt out there.

[PaMtbRider]

Cav admitted it was his fault and said he will personally apologize to Garrens. He is definitely showing more maturity than in the past.

[ultraman6970]

Cav is a realized rider, he had won everything he could win already. Then you get time to mature. Good for him.

[FlashUNC]

Report from OPQS was torn ligaments and an AC separation for Cav.

He's going to try to go tomorrow, but I imagine his race is done.

[laupsi]

Classy apology by Cav, showed a lot if grace in time of humiliation.

[Bstone]

Nice apology if a bit unexpected. Real desperation move. How is Simon Gerrans?

[F150]

Hope Cav heals, and Gerrans continues.

Congrats to the host communities and fans, looked like a great turnout. Only one idiot spotted running up the road in their whitey-tighties. Gotta love the woman who chose to go formal and wear the strapless emerald green gown.

All hail "Cote de Buttertubs"

[shovelhd]

Yep. Cav's lean-in initially moved Gerrans aside then Cav's front wheel clipped Gerrans front wheel from behind.

Kudo's to Fabian for a gutsy stage one move.

It looked to me like they hooked bars but there have been no reports of that. If it's a grade 3 sep then he may be out. You can't pull on the bars.

[weisan]

For me personally, really only three things happened in stage 1.

1) Long Live the King of Breakaway!
In tribute to Jensie, here are a couple of quotes & facts from and about the man himself. Some can be directly attributed to him, others are just legends...:p

Jens no longer has a shadow because he dropped it repeatedly until it climbed into the Saxo Bank team car claiming a stomach ailment and retired.

"If it hurts me, it must hurt the other ones twice as much."

Jens’ big ring is 56. His rear cassettte is 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-12.

"I get paid to hurt other people, how good is that?"

When Jens Voigt rides off the front of a peloton, he’s not actually riding faster, he’s pulling the earth closer towards him.

"In the hierarchy of the family, I’m just above the dog. But I like it that way."

Can't get enough, want more? Check these out:
http://cyclingtips.com.au/2010/06/what-would-jens-do/
http://www.radioshackleopardtrek.net/polls/jens-voigt-quotes/

2) Spartacus - Other than Jensie, one of the most exciting riders to watch in the peloton. He tried to pull the same trick back in 2007 except that time it actually worked!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJNLMYpr2TM

3) Yorkshire - the whole town...no, the entire nation showed up to cheer and support the riders in the opening stage. Every riders' interviews mentioned just how great the crowd was.

[pdmtong]

Unreal crowds. Jens thru the wall of noise http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/07/06/3a9uzy9u.jpg

[Jack Crank]

Hooray for Jens Voight! And Fab. Who woulda thought that the team who showed up ready to win the 2010 TdF would be making so much ruckus in 2014.

Bummer about Cav, even if it was his fault, it's still sad to see it happen in front of a hometown crowd and his mom.

[tiretrax]

Trek may be the dark horse.

Yorkshire is incredible - the people and the parcours. They need to have some classic-style races there.

Glad Cav realized it was his fault and apologized - all to no purpose because Kittel and Sagan just passed him.

The announcers suck. I wish I could get steephill.tv through my cable. I can't wait for Horner to retire and take the mike.

Millar was a bore; when does Wiggo come to gripe?

[thegunner]

The announcers suck. I wish I could get steephill.tv through my cable. I can't wait for Horner to retire and take the mike.

chromecast!

[zmudshark]

Not a Cav fan in the least, except for admiring his sprint, but he showed a lot of class in his statement today. It was definitely a bonehead move on his part, and at least he owned up to it.

Hope he can race a few more days, at least make it through the UK.

[Web1111a]

chromecast!

Which app on chromcast?

[bikinchris]

If I had a fantasy team, I would put Spartacus on it for the stage tomorrow. It looks like Belgium without cobbles.

[thegunner]

Which app on chromcast?

oh i just meant to cast the tab from browser, that's what i've been doing.

[Keith A]

What happened here:
194 Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin - Sharp 0:04:15

[FastforaSlowGuy]

What happened here:
194Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin - Sharp0:04:15

I think that has been updated. He flatted within the 3K mark.


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[MattTuck]

What happened here:
194 Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin - Sharp 0:04:15

From Velonews

There were alarm bells when Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp) showed up at nearly four minutes back in preliminary results. The Critérium du Dauphiné rider was well positioned all day, but flatted in the closing kilometers. Luckily, it happened with less than 3km to go, just inside the “safe zone” where time gaps caused by mechanicals and crashes are not deducted.
Read more at http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/07/news/gc-opens-rodriguez-struggles-horner-survives-froome-sprinter_334493#ALUDfrM4vPCb94sh.99