Tour de France Stage 11

Poor old Talansky abandons this morning after all that kerfuffle yesterday!

Looks like Degenkolb's back on form......probably bringing him in tomorrow?

I don't know why I didn't pick Gallopin today. Seems obvious in hindsight. Oh well. Not the worst day ever for me, Bardet finishing high helped. No changes for tomorrow, saving the transfers for the proper big mountains.

brought sagan and gerrans in, and gallopin instead of trentin for his 6 GC points- that worked for a change!

I had Kwia in, hoping he was going to have a better day but he died off towards the end. Swapped in Sagan and made a few other changes for tomorrow, the last real chance for him to have a go for the next few days.

Another rubbish day - just Sagan and Gerrans in top ten - which is about par for the course this year

3,4,5,9 plus Nibs & Purito for me today.

I did have Kwia in my squad but he's out as I wanted both Gerrans and GVA in. I might regret it, but there it is. I don't know how much his & Martin's doomed escape took out of him, or what his powers of recovery are; I'd guess he'd be happy to roll in with the main GC group (and I doubt he'd be allowed to get away in a break, he's not that far down in GC still).

Famous last words, maybe...

Sagan
Nibali
Pinot
Porte
Bakelants
Chavanel
Voeckler
Visconti
Vachon

Wanted a Saxo rider but couldn't decide who so stuck with my original plan...

Sagz
Nibbles
J-Rod
Rogers
Voeckler
Bakelants
Van Summeren
Gerard
Taaramae

MUST RESIST TRANSFERS TOMORROW

Nibs
Porte
Pinot
Bardet
Rogers
Albasini
Tommy V
JVDB
TVG
1 transfer saved

1 penalty for me today.

Joaquin Rodriguez (KAT)
Simon Gerrans (OGE)
Peter Sagan (CAD)
Vincenzo Nibali (AST)
Daniele Bennati (TSB)
Matteo Trentin (OPQ)
Rein Taaramae (COF)
Giovanni Visconti (MOV)
Alexandre Pichot (EUC)

Roche and Trentin in for today. Instead of Sagan

Surprised nobody thinking kwiat for today

Sagan
Gerrans
GVA
Chavanel
Nibali
Bardet
Pichot
Vachon
Tara-May

No changes for tomorrow.

Contador has to come out today obviously and it looks like Purito is going to be KOM so that's an obvious replacement.

Bertie droping out probably means we can start considering Bennati for stage wins on the medium/flat stuff.....not yet though.

I don't think I've seen as many French Flags on my team for a long time:

Contador/Fuglsang/Machado/VanDenBroeck out

J.Rodriguez/Bardet/Peraud/Albasini in

Nibali
Porte
J-Rod
Bardet
Peraud
Pinot-SKY's the limit!!
Voeckler
Albasini
Bideau

Today you'd think would be a nailed-on lumpy transition stage breakaway win. But this is a very Sagan-ey stage too, and Cannondale have a few peloton alliances that might mean it comes down to a punchy sprinter finish.

By the way, anyone have any thoughts on what Tinkoff-Saxo will be riding for without Contador? Majka made it fairly clear he didn't even want to be there, Kreuziger (who presumably would've been 'plan B') was popped before the race, Rogers is there but has a Giro in his legs...

Nico Roche stage win?

Tell you what, though - the Vuelta should be fantastic.

Hope nobody misses the Cancellara news...

Can someone check the Dumoulins points on the various stages. Looks like they may be wrong on at least stage 2 and stage 10 with Sam getting Tom's points.

Changes made, fate sealed. Roll on the last-minute retirement announcements.

There is no stage tomorrow, its a rest day