The 2016 Tour de France Starts Saturday
@teamfreak16 (43669)
Denver, Colorado
June 30, 2016 3:12pm CST
This Saturday, July 2nd, marks the start of the 2016 Tour de France. It will be the 103rd edition of the race. This year's Tour will start in Manche and end in Paris on Sunday, July 23rd. With the exception of two rest days, the riders will race everyday. This year's course will equal 2197 miles.
2-time winner and defending champion Chris Froome once again comes in as the favorite, but he will face some stiff competion for the Yellow Jersey.
2-time winner Alberto Contador should be properly motivated, as he has declared this his final year. And young Colombian climbing ace Nairo Quintana recently stated that he is ready to win the Tour.
Meanwhile, former Tour winner Vincenzo Nibali might not even be his team's leader (he says he's eying the Olympics, but we'll see how working for someone else sits with him.)
And Team BMC will utilize both Tejay Van Garderen and Richie Porte as co-leaders, which rarely works, and can create animosity (Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond come to mind,) and possibly a divided team.
I root for Van Garderen, but I'm picking Froome, as he is the strongest rider in the peloton. I'd like to see Quintana win, but until someone knocks Froome off the top rung, it's his race to lose.
Most of all, I'm just hoping for an entertaining Tour.
"Tour de France (Long Version)" Single "Tour De France" [1984]
11 people like this
9 responses
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
30 Jun 16
I guess the name Lance Armstrong is persona non grata.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
30 Jun 16
The announcers finally started mentioning him again, because they can't pretend those seven Tours never happened, so they will reference various key points that he had something to do with.
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
30 Jun 16
@FourWalls - Well, since they were all cheating, he was still the best of the lot. He still trained harder than everyone else. I honestly don't have a huge problem with the cheating itself, I assume they're all cheating anyway. It was his general overall bullying and stuff that I don't like.
4 people like this
@miniam (9151)
• Bern, Switzerland
30 Jun 16
@FourWalls
Lance was a good sportsman who foolishly accepted to be led astray by greed.
3 people like this
@toniganzon (77320)
• Philippines
30 Jun 16
I have always dreamed of joining tour de france but I know it'll only be just a dream lol
1 person likes this
@toniganzon (77320)
• Philippines
30 Jun 16
@teamfreak16 Yeah, they're just too fast and they seem not to get that tired at all! It's amazing and all those road bikes! Wow! 
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
1 Jul 16
@toniganzon - I got to see all of those bikes one night in Modesto after a stage of the Tour of California. Talk about drooling.
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
30 Jun 16
Yeah, there's just no way. I've been to three pro races here in Colorado. It's unbelievable just how fast these guys are riding.
@crossbones27 (53005)
• Mojave, California
30 Jun 16
Sounds fun, and competitive.
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (53005)
• Mojave, California
30 Jun 16
@teamfreak16 It is hard to see events like that live.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
30 Jun 16
@crossbones27 - Yeah, you kind of have to plan it well in advance.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
30 Jun 16
It's fun to watch. I'd like to see it live. When I was stationed in Germany, it started right over the border in Luxembourg. A friend and I were planning on going, but we had to go to to the field.
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
30 Jun 16
Sadly Canada doesn't have any riders of note this year. Ryder Hesjedal dropped out of the Giro and wasn't named to the team for the Tour. He's done a lot of crashing in the past but he is at times great.
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
30 Jun 16
@teamfreak16 I think age is starting to catch up with him though. I grew up around the block from former Canadian great Steve Bauer and on a bike tour I had my groceries checked in Carlin, Nevada by Rebecca Twiggs mother. She offered to have me camp in her backyard but I had to put on too many miles that day to stay on schedule. Both of those riders won silver at the LA Olympics.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
30 Jun 16
@koopharper - I once waited on Rebecca Twigg at a convenience store I worked at in the 80's. That was pretty cool.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
30 Jun 16
I like him. He was one of my favorite mountain bikers when he was racing those.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
30 Jun 16
I sometimes watch a stage 2-3 times in a day.
1 person likes this
@miniam (9151)
• Bern, Switzerland
30 Jun 16
@DWDavis
Following the whole tour will be a real task, l usually catch up in the evenings.But in TDS, l always make sure lm at the roadside to cheer when they pass close to home.
Never mind that they pass so fast if you blink you`ll nnot see them lol.
2 people like this
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
1 Jul 16
Spain, as part of the Pyrenees, and this year, Switzerland.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
30 Jun 16
Yes. He's the guy Nibali will be working for. I can definitely see him making the podium.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
30 Jun 16
He's come in 5th twice, so it's time for him to step it up.
1 person likes this
