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Hi again Rusty,

Very glad at Froome's attitude, he is behaving in a very sportive way.

Degenkolb and Coquart could have something to say today - I hope Europcar is going to shine one day soon !
Sagan could be in the cards too; but it all remains very open!
At least they should have a very nice weather.
Have you heard anything about Quintana? Was he involved in yesterday's crash?

Good day, Elle,
From a fairly dreich Scotland (or is "fairly dreich" an oxymoron?)
Just had a visit from two granddaughters heading off to T in the Park, or as they call it (and think old granddad does not know, P in the Dark!)
On the way however, they and friends are taking part in a "flash mob" at Perth. Young folk!!!
I shall try and get across to you the ins an outs of teams in Le Tour. Each team consists of 9 riders.
The focus and aims of teams can be very different.
Some teams are targetting the overall lead in a race.
They will have a genuine GC (General Classification) contender. Nibali, Froome, van Garderen etc.
Those teams efforts will mainly be concerned in devoting their efforts to helping and protecting their chosen contender. These team riders, in Tour parlance are known as "domestiques", or water carriers. There is also an award for the winning team. The team whose overall collective time is the quickest. This team may be the team of the winning rider, but not necessarily so.
Tour tradition dictates that the winning rider gives every penny of his prize money to be shared between his team mates, mechanics, masseurs, cooks, etc.
A rider who takes the yellow jersey to Paris is very much dependent on the unswerving efforts of everyone in that team.
Outwith this, there are other competitions within Le Tour. The Green jersey for the points. The polka-dot jersey for the King of the Mountains, the white jersey for best young rider, yellow helmets for the leading team, and each day a "combativity" award given to the most "aggressive" rider, usually someone who attempts breakaways. This rider is distinguished the following day by wearing a red number, instead of a black number. Some teams, without a GC contender, target stage wins. The slowest rider to reach Paris is known as the Lantern Rouge (Red Light) and that too, is an honour. No official award is given nowadays, but that rider is a "Man of the Tour". He has made it to Paris, through the crosswinds, the cobbles, the crashes, the searing heat, the relentless speed, the high mountain passes, and often, illnesses. Very worthy of "respect".
Hope that helps, Elle.
Any more questions, just fire away!

Hello, Pigale!
At least Europcar tried yesterday, and Cofidis, so the French teams are having a go!
Quintana came down in the crash. He finished, and had cuts and bruises.
I presume he has signed on this morning?
He will be desperate to get to the mountains!

Hi Kenyatta
I have a small tablecloth which vario us cricketers signed people like Reg Simpson The Bedser twins and Dennis Compton I embroidered all the signatures about in all I dont know why I still have after 60 years and I dont suppose my family will consider it a family heirloom

Hi Doglet,

I reckon that if you have taken the trouble of embroidering that tablecloth, it means you treasured it at one time. It is a souvenir and still means something to you. Your family can do whatever they want with it later, the important thing is that it gave you pleasure at some stage in your life.

Rusty, you are so clear in your explanations to Elle that I think you could venture in writing one of these books 'cycling for dummies' -

ELLE, NO OFFENSE MEANT! I simply think that the way Rusty explains it all is clear and concise.

Thank you, Pigale!

Even I would not suggest that Elle is a dummy!!!
Only joking!
Once we get Elle past Wimbledon, she will have two weeks to take in Le Tour.
Who knows, maybe she will be as fanatical as us by the time we get to Paris!!!

Hi Rusty!
Thank you for taking so much trouble to explain all that to me.....there is a lot more to take on board than I envisaged when I asked the first few questions!
I will get back to you later on when I've had chance to digest all this information.
(Do you think if I print it all off and sleep with it under my pillow tonight, I'll wake up tomorrow having miraculously absorbed it all!)
Seriously, though, I had no idea that it was so complicated! I can already think of a few more queries......

Now, at 1 pm on Court No 1, Martina Hengis and Ladies Doubles partner, Sania Mirza are playing Kops-Jones and Spears if you want to watch it?
But it would mean missing your favourite (!) player , Djokovic, who is on Centre Court at the same time!

That's if you have time to watch anything - tennis, cycling or golf - what time are your friends arriving?

P. S. Pigale has a point... I can see it now advertised on Amazon...... "Le Tour for Dummies".....
But I get a share of the Royalties, okay?

Elle, I liked Martina for the person that she is, as well as her tennis.
I could never put "like" and "Djokovic" in the same sentence. Especially after making an idiot of himself by his ill-tempered shouting at a helpful ballgirl.
Not much of a man, in my opinion, so Miss Hingis wins every time!
My friends are on the way from Cairnryan now.
The "Belfast boat" got in earlier. They say it was packed!
The young ones have arrived at P in the Dark, too.

Dear Elle
re the new thread, thank you. I have asked Norah to send you a private message. You are very kind and I appreciate that