Bike shop Downey: Huge Win for Team Sky in 2012 Tour de France

For those following the Tour de France this year with our Downey bike shop,  what do you think  was the most incredible thing to watch? 
Not only did Bradley Wiggins win the first yellow jersey for Britain, but he seemed to do so with so little effort. Wiggins established his lead very early in the race, and held it for longer than some thought possible. The win seemed determined on Saturday, when Wiggins won his 2nd time trial.
Wiggins was followed closely by his teammate Chris Froome, who finished just 3:21 behind him. Froome exceeded expectations with his incredible performance on mountainous stages, forcing Team Sky to make tough decisions. The team placed their faith in Wiggins, and Froome was several times held back by the team strategy to push Wiggins ahead. The tension over this strategy exploded in a series of snarky tweets between Froome's girlfriend and Wiggins' wife, beginning in the 11th stage. 
Team Sky's teamwork also shone when they aided Mark Cavendish in cornering a fourth consecutive stage win on the Champs-Elysees.
Wiggins expressed pride in the team's strategy in "It's magnificent...For us to finish like this as a team, helping Mark to victory and allowing him to defend his record here... it's incredible."

Tour de France 17th stage report, with bike shop Downey

Nicolas Bouvy / EPA / July 18, 2012

Our bike shop Downey is following the Tour de France, in its final stages!

In the yellow jersey, Bradley Wiggins of Britain endured the tough, mountainous 17th stage of the race on Thursday, and said he is sensing this race is "pretty much over". 

With just three days remaining in the Tour de France of 2012, Wiggins seems secure in his lead. Wiggins finished third in stage 17, with an overall lead of two minutes five seconds  ahead of his teammate Christopher Froome, who came in 2nd in the 17th stage, ahead of Wiggins. 

The remaining stages in the Tour de France are two flat stages and a time trial, which Wiggins is predicted to do well in. With any luck, Wiggins will, in three days, be the first Briton to take home the Tour de France yellow jersey.

Alejandro Valverde of Spain enjoyed an emotional victory in the 17th stage. He is returning from a two-year doping ban, and survived a rough start to the tour, with no less than three crashes. A teary Valverde said of his win, “It erases all of the past.”

bike shop Downey's Tour de France recap 9th stage

Check back on this blog from our bike shop in Downey for reports about the 2012 Tour de France between now and July 22nd. Its been a rather brutal race from the very start. All of seventeen bicyclists are currently out of the Tour de France due to injuries from crashes, at the close of the 9th stage. This is the most cyclists to be out with injuries by this stage in the Tour de France since 1998. Britain's Bradley Wiggins, the 3-time Olympic track medalist, took the yellow jersey for the 1st time. Wiggins came ahead in the 9th stage time trial, victorious, only thirty-five seconds ahead of Australia's Cadel Evans. See the video above to watch the exciting finish of the time trial. Wiggins dismissed the speculation from some that he may have taken the yellow jersey too soon. "You can't get too cocky in this race and choose when you take the yellow jersey," the Huffington Post quoted Wiggins as saying. "I'd much rather be in yellow than in hospital – like half the peloton." Sunday, Wiggins responded angrily to questioning about whether his team's spectacular performance was due to illegal doping. Yesterday's 9th stage win gave Wiggins comfortable room in his lead, after France's Thibaut Pinot had his first win on Sunday's 8th stage, followed by defending champion Cadel Evans, with Wiggins taking 4th.