Rest day musings

For all the flat stages in which an early break gets brought back in time for the bunch gallop, this Tour has sure been full of drama. That is often the case at the Tour, but I don't remember one in which there were so many points of debate within the first nine stages. From the Sagan-Cavendish incident, to the photo finish on stage 7 to many moments on Sunday's stage 9. It feels like we're two weeks in rather than one.

And with each debate so the last debate drifts out of mind. I have said it a few times already, but the Tour moves fast and not only on the road. Something else will happen next week that will move the narrative on once more. And how refreshing too that the controversy is about what is happening on the bikes, if you know what I mean? Rest days ain't what they used to be. All we're doing now is looking back at what has been and considering how it all adds up to what we will see in the days ahead.

Descending

The hottest talking point today is descents. Should they be a potential factor in the race or are they too dangerous? Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas both crashed out of the Tour on the back of downhill crashes. Some feel it has no place in a bike race, but if that's the case why not do away with sprint stages too? Invite the best ten climbers and have them race up a mountain each day for a week and see who does it fastest. I get that the better climbers end up winning the Tour, but it ought to be a rounded test. Besides, the final descent yesterday was in this years Dauphine. Nobody complained then. The individual rider can regulate their own speed and risk by using the breaks on their bike.

Going up a mountain fast is vital, but you have to be able to come back down again. There are sprint stages and time-trials too. Sometimes there can be cross winds or cobbled stages.  The Tour is a rounded test of fitness, attrition, nerves and skill, with a pinch of luck. For all the terrain across a three week journey, each rider must choose when to make his moves or take his time in order to make his time. The one who survives it all the best, with that luck thrown in, will wear the yellow jersey in Paris.

To attack or not to attack the yellow jersey

So what is the rule? Or should I say, the unwritten rule? If I write it here does it become written? Nobody knows, of course. More often than not it is up for interpretation and depends on the mood of the riders involved. Though yesterday I am in no doubt that Fabio Aru crossed the line.

It's one thing not to wait if a rival suffers a mechanical incident, but to attack right from under his raised arm? Well, that's stretching it. Aru claimed he didn't know, but shy of him thinking Froome was waiving to spectators, how could he not? All they had to do was maintain their rhythm and make Froome chase back up. To attack in that manor smacked of desperation.

Yellow on the first rest day

All three times Chris Froome has won the Tour de France he has carried the yellow jersey into the first rest day. Yesterday he ensured he did it again. Only 18 seconds separates him from Fabio Aru with Romain Bardet in third at 51 seconds, though this isn't his smallest lead at a first rest day.

The first year Froome won the Tour, in 2013, he entered the rest day with a 1'25" lead over Alejandro Valverde. He would go on to win that Tour by 4'20" ahead of Quintana. Valverde would finish 8th at 16'26". In 2015 Froome led Tejay Van Garderen by 2'52" at the first rest day and went on to win by 1'12", again ahead of Quintana. Van Garderen didn't finish. And then in 2016 Froome came into the first rest day with a 16 second lead over Adam Yates with eight others within a minute. Much like this year before yesterday's stage. In the end Froome would prevail by 4'05" over Bardet with Adam Yates in 4th at 4'42".

In fact, the past five Tour's have seen the yellow jersey at the first rest day go on to win the Tour. In 2012, Bradley Wiggins led by 1'53" from Cadel Evans going on to win it by 3'21 from Froome with Evans back in 7th at 15'49". And then in 2014, Vincenzo Nibali led Richie Porte by 2'23". He went on to beat JC Peraud by 7'37" while Porte was a distant 23rd at 1h1'08".

But this is only a recent trend. In the five years before 2012, nobody who was in yellow at the first rest day went on to win the Tour. Froome's rivals will be hoping to break the current trend in 2017.

What now for Contador?

Talking about rest days? Albeto Contador could sure use one. El Pistolero is no longer the cyclist he used to be. His force has been fading for a few years now, but he has never looked more exposed than he did yesterday when he lost 4'19" to Froome. He now sits in 12th at 5'15". Not even Contador, with his ambush style tactics that can come back from this. Should Contador instead swallow his pride and focus on a stage win? Would he be willing to ship more time in the hopes of doing so? It won't be easy for him to become that kind of rider, but it has been 7 years now since he last won the Tour (though he was later stripped of that one). There have been six Grand tours, not counting this current Tour de France, since he last won one. That was the 2015 Giro d'Italia. At 34 years of age, the best of Contador is now behind. If he want's to keep racing, he will need to reinvent himself.