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Chapeau, indeed.
He rode 55km with broken bones in his back.
His nickname, Spartacus, is well deserved!

Yes, Chapeau indeed ChrisE!

Regarding tomorrow, I prefer both Voeckler and Quintana to play it as safe as possible - if they lose a bit of time, they can make it up on the flat roads to Mur de Bretagne, just before the team time trial - but the main thing is 'Don't get injured' !

A great pity. Twice this year this has happened to him.
I think it is his last Tour, too.
As he said on Saturday,
"Maybe it is time for the old lion to make way for the young ones"

Evening, Rusty!
Dare I ask how you are feeling after such an upsetting day racing-wise? I do sympathise with you, but I cannot really comment on the situation , as I do not understand the ins- and- outs? It's a sport I have never seriously followed.
I have enough to do keeping up with the tennis and the Athletics!
Speaking of the former...what a to-do in the Djokovic v Anderson match. Novak was two sets down and looked to go out to Anderson.... but he made a tremendous recovery and the game was two sets all, when it was postponed until tomorrow because of bad light.
I wonder which of the two the delay will favour?
Sport apart.... have you had a good day?

Elle, not a bad day. I shampooed my hall carpet and forgot to buy ice cream, so, not too bad.
No, you wont follow Cycling.
It is very much a Cinderella sport in this country.
Newspapers would rather fill a sports page with a graphic account of John Terry's sore toe than get off their butts and find out about cycling.
The World number one woman cyclist is a Yorkshire lass who is racing in Italy's top race this week and not one word about her in the press. I refer to Lizzie.
Who is Anderson? Let us hope he wins!
I am saying that merely to irk you!
I have had heavy rain for the last hour.

Hi, Rusty!
I'm glad your day wasn't too bad, despite the sports disappointments!
Speaking of John Terry's broken toe.... I'm assuming that your own toe is now well recovered? I'd completely forgotten to ask about it? If I recall correctly, when our son broke his big toe, it was a couple of months before 'normal service ' could be resumed. 'Normal service' in his case being going back to Judo!
Kevin Anderson is South African. A very tall player, I think 6 ft 8in? he is a strong server and uses his height to great advantage.
I'm hoping for Federer to win, not Djokovic! but I do like Novak as I think he is a good sportsman and very gracious towards his opponents should they happen to beat him (!) as happened recently in the French Open. I know you don't like him!
It's been a nice day here - much fresher than of late. No sign of rain (not yet anyway!)
Who will you support in the cycling now that your favourite is no longer taking part?

Elle, yes my toe is fine.
It was just left to heal itself and after a few days, when the pain diminished, I forgot about it. I will take more interest in the tennis as the week goes on.
You have to grasp, Elle, that crashes on the bike are par for the course. There will be more tomorrow.
So, it is not uncommon for a rider to suffer injuries like Fabian. Two years ago Johnny Hoogerland was side-swiped into a barbed wire fence by a press car (which did not stop!). He was ripped to bits, but rode on, bleeding from his wounds, trying to hold on to his polka-dot jersey. He kept the jersey and went straight to hospital to be stitched up. Not unusual for a bike rider.
I also vividly remember the day Fabio Casartelli was killed descending in the Tour. His head hit a concrete bollard and he died in the helicopter taking him to hospital. Cycling is a tough sport!
And it is a long way to Paris!
Tomorrow I will enjoy the cobbles. Maybe a day for Degenkolb or Stijn Devolder, we shall see!

Morning, Rusty!
I hope you have a more successful day with your cycle-racing than yesterday - it all sounds very bloodthirsty to me! An extremely dangerous sport, which I wouldn't have expected!
Ladies' Quarter Finals today, preceded on Court 1 by last night's carry- over match between Djokovic and Anderson.
A "must" to watch , if you can!! (if only so you can 'boo' Djokovic! I'm joking!)
I'm going to have my hair trimmed this morning (why should the dog have all the fun?! mind you, she does look nice after her 'shampoo and set' yesterday!)
Enjoy the cycling? Who will you support today?

Morning everyone,
Good morning Rusty

Hope you had a good night despite last night's bad news.

Have just had a peep at Cambrai area weather and they now seem to think it will half sun half cloud, but apparently no rain - that sounds OK.

Having never really watched the Paris-Roubaix race in toto, I don't really know who to support; my main concern, as I said last evening, is that the guys I like do not take risks!

Good morning, Elle and Pigale!
Fine day here.
Who will win at Cambrai!
I hope to see some of the war cemeteries around Cambrai, too.
The main concern of the teams with GC contenders will be to protect them going over the cobbled sections.
Geraint Thomas will have to look after Froome, otherwise I would think Geraint would have a good chance of winning, but...will Sky let him ride?
Probably not. So, as Fabian has gone, my choice is John Degenkolb, for today's stage.
Who do you think, Pigale?