Every site sponsor gets thank-you note and Trek have been here in July and August with a promotion for the new Emonda frame.
There’s also a reminder about the supporter caps and your chance to win one below too.
Trek have revamped their road range with the new Domane and Emonda frames this year and the firm is one of the manufacturers to have its own pro team. Readers following pro cycling will know Trek Factory Racing for their road team and there is the formal UCI ProTeam with its World Tour licence. But there’s also a wider squad with triathlon and mountain biking teams too.
You might see “just” a square box with an ad but this keeps the wheels turning. Sponsorship and ads make this site work, quite literally during the Tour de France when there are so many readers that there are extra bandwidth charges, the hosting company said there were up to 30 readers a second during July and there was a consequent drain on bandwidth. You might have got “error establishing database connection” error messages from time to time, hopefully this is fixed or reduced.
Luckily all the income doesn’t just go on IT hardware. It helps with detours to visit race courses for example several stages of the Tour de France to pick out hidden climbs in the Vosges or get the measure of the final time trial course. Looking ahead it’s helped with upcoming races like the Farrapona stage of the Vuelta and the Ponferrada course for the World Championships, fun to ride and helpful for previews. Thanks to Trek and their UK office for the support, they’ve been sponsors in April and last summer too.
On the subject of housekeeping, a reminder that new supporter caps are coming. There will be the option for a large one and also for a white one too. If you want and if you can, you can sign up online with Prendas as this helps them measure the demand – they promise it’s just to see how many people might be interested, it’s neither a pledge to buy from you nor are they harvesting your email address for marketing. Thanks for all the support so far.
Win a cap: finally if you’ve made it this far to read a note of thanks, here’s a small reward: pick the winner of Thursday’s Vuelta Stage 6 to win an INRNG cap and a bonus surprise too… don’t get your hopes up, it’s not an Emonda frame. Rules:
- leave your answer in the comments below (not Twitter or email please)
- the winner or closest pick will win
- in the event of a tie, a name gets selected at random
- get your answer in before 5.00pm Euro time on Thursday
Nairo Quintana
Dan Martin
R. Uran
Wilco Kelderman
Froome
Quintana
Froome
Joaquim Rodriguez
Dani Moreno
Julian David Arrendondo
Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador
…thanks to Trek
Yaon Bagot.
Alejandro Valverde Belmonte.
Alejandro Valverde
Adam Yates
Adam Yates
Cadel Evans.
Alejandro Valverde
Froome.
Fabio Aru
nairo quintana
Christopher Froome
Quintana
Fabio Aru
quintana
Froome
Quintana
Purito!
Dan Martin
Dan Martin
Sergio Pardilla
Me!
El Pistolero
Robert Gesink.
Thanks for all the work you put into this site, it’s a great read.
Dan Martin
Esteban Chaves ftw!
thanks, INRNG and sponsors!
Dan Martin
Valverde
Just to mess with us.
Hejesdal
Quintana.
Arrendondo
Dan Martin
Chaves
Nairo Quintana
Dani Moreno
Chris Froome
Carlos Betancur will dramatically quit the sandbagging on stage 6!
And thanks very much to INRNG & sponsonrs!
Purito
Dan Martin
Romain Sicard!
Let’s hope he won’t puncture again in the last kilometres.
Joaquim Rodriguez
Fabio Aru
Valverde
Thanks for your work and thanks to sponsors for keeping this site up 😉
Evans! 😛
Joaquím “purito” Rodriguez
Nairo Quintana
Nairo Quintana
Chris Froome
Amets Txurruka
Dan Martin
Quintana
Dan Martin
Dan Martin
Quintana
Yates
Ryder Hesjedal
J Rodriguez
Purito
(Actually I think it’ll be Dan Martin but there are too many with his name already)
Nairo Quintana
Barguil
Dani Moreno
Joaquim Rodrigues to win, surely….
Dani Moreno above was me
Quintana
Dear INRNG, thank you for all your excellent work on this blog.
Thank you Trek, for seeing the value in this blog and ivesting your advertising moneys in it. One day- perhaps soon and largely due to the above kind of support- I will seize to begrudge you for how you treated Mr. Lemonde.
Who will win tomorrow’s stage? Crystal ball says to forego the surprise prize and just thank INRNG for all his excellent work. Crystal ball knows best..
Joaquim Rodriguez
Froome, just because he wants to prove something
Froome
Chaves
Scratching around for someone who hasn’t been picked…Mikel Landa.
Quintana
dani moreno
Uran
Froome
Froome
Dani Moreno
nairo quintana
Dani Moreno
Quintana
Nairo Quintana
Joaquím “purito” Rodriguez
Haimar Zubeldia Aguirre
David Millar….longshot.
R.Hesjedal
Chaves
Danny Martin!
Rodriguez! (I’m hoping, anyway.)
Thanks for your work on this site, Inrng. I learn so much.
And thanks to Trek for sponsoring. I might be tempted by a new bike, but my 9 or so year old Pilot keeps me smiling and has a lot more miles to go (barring bad accidents!)!
Joaquím “purito” Rodriguez
Aru
kennaugh
chris froome
Chris Froome I reckon!
Fabio Aru
Cadel
Thanks Inrng for your great work!
Andrew Talanksy
Ryder Hesjedal
Piti
Froome
Given that tomorrow’s stage isn’t that open, may I suggest predicting top 3 to reduce the possibility/number of draws for future events? If there’s a draw on 1st place, then 2nd & 3rd prediction can be used to choose the winner. That might creat more work of course.
Anyway, thanks for the excellent blog.
I think Cadel will win it!
Alberto Contadour
Quintana
Dan Martin
Julian Arredondo (thanks Trek!)
Purito!!!
Alberto Contador
Ivan Santaromita
Contador 🙂
Ryder “Frigging” Hesjedal …for obvious reasons…Dude, Sorry for the intensity, must apologize… Another Canadian thing we do
Alberto Contador
J Rodriguez
Thanks to Trek!
Joaquim Rodriguez
Adam Hansen
Froome
Sammy Sanchez
Paul Martens
Purito
Talanksy
Winner Anacona
Esteban Chavez
Nairo Quintana.
Moreno
Kenny Elissonde
Julian David Arrendondo
merhawi kudus
Definitely think he could be the real darkhorse. He has absolutely nothing to lose – not fighting for the GC at all, only 20 years old, and after his showings in the Tour of Langkawi and Route du Sud one can see he has the class when the road gets steep.
Chris Froome
Wilco Kelderman
I’m going to punt on Cadel Evans.
Joaquim Rodriguez
Joaquin “Purito” Rodriguez
Dan Martin
Warren Barguil
Dan Martin
He of the dodgy beef – Contador.
Fabio Aru
Alejandro Valverde
Dan Martin
Chris Froome
Nairobi Quintana
Not a ‘hat’ contender, just a big thank you to TREK for their support of this blog.
Dani Moreno
Andrew Talansky to win, assist from Ryder – if these two can get away on a break and not be seen as GC threats.
Louis Meintjes
Dani Moreno
Quintana
Chris Froome
Chaves
Nairo quintana
Esteban Chavez – OGE
Wilco Kelderman
Esteban Chavez
Nairo Quintana
Go Rigo Go! Uran Uran and his Friend Carlos B. will break away some time before Finish. on the final climb the favorites around quintana get nearer and nearer, Rigo tries to get Carlos to the Line but its too much for him, Betancur loses Urans wheel and gets caught exhausted by the favorites, rigo goes on, hes almost spent but manages to finish two seconds before a fast approaching rodriguez.
Joaquim Rodriguez
Adam Yates
Fabio Aru
Chris Froome
Merhawi Kudus
Wilco Kelderman
Nairo Quintana
Talansky
J Rodriguez
Dan Martin
Dan Martin for me.
Cor Blimey! You mention free stuff and the commenst go wild.
I haven’t a clue who’ll win, probably one of the big three, but I’m hope someone Joaquim Rodriguez gets it, just to mix it up.
Chris Froome!
J Arredondo…por favor!
Warren Barguil
Barguiel
Joaquim Rodriquez
Joaquim Rodriguez
Fabio Aru
Samuel Sánchez. He’ll make an effort to break free downhill at 115km. After that it’s a matter of keeping enough distance until 150km. Downhils are his forté, so he should be able to keep the distance until the final climb…
Joaquim Rodriguez
Bertie
Purito
Froomedog
Dan Martin
Joaquim Rodriguez
Adam Yates
Joaquim Rodriguez
Joaquim Rodriguez
Joaquim Rodriguez
Yates!
Dan Martin
Dan Martin
Adam Yates
Contador is looking strong. He’s my pick for stage 6.
Thanks to Trek and inrng
More in hope than expectation… Purito.
Alberto Contador
Nairo Quintana
Dan Martin
Dan Martin
Merhawi Kudus
Chris Froome
Break to stay away…
De Marchi wins
Dan Martin
Fabio Aru
Nairo Quintana
Cadel Evans
Nairo Quintana
Chris Froome
Wilco Kelderman
Christopher Froome
Nairo Quintana
Contador
Dan Martin
Esteban Chaves
My heart says Contador. But ill say that Froome will take one today! So Froomey.
Dan Martin
Kelderman
Barguil
Adam Hansen
Aru
Dan Martin
Gotta go with quintana I think.
Love to think Dan Martin could do it though.
Joaquin Rodriguez
Dan Martin and thank you for the cap.
Chris Froome
Ryder Hesjedal
Dan Martin
Talansky
Cadel
Daniel Martin for the win
Froome
Dan Martin
Heart says Louis Meintjes… Head says Qunitana… but
Official INRNG Entry pick = Dan Martin!
Nairo Quintana
Froomey
Dan Martin
Kenny Ellisonde
Dan Martin for me too – he’s enjoying his racing this week!
Alberto Contador
Froome
Dan Martin!
Arredondo
Phil Deignan FTW. Thanks for the site boss really only place to be informed
Chris Froome to win stage
Nairo Quintana
Joaquim Rodriguez
Quintana, please.
Thank you
Kelderman
Joaquim Rodriguez
Quintana
Froome
Lead over 13 mins and still no-one likes the breakaway’s chances?
LLuis Mas
Joaquim Rodriguez
Joaquim Rodriguez
Dan Martin
Chris Froome wins the stage, with Quintana taking the red jersey
Dan Martin
Dan Martin
Warren Barguil
Nairo Quintana
Froomey
Dan Martin
Dan Martin
Rigoberto Uran for me!
Dan Martin
Froome
joaquim rodriguez
5.00pm cut off time reached now.
Thanks for the entries, let’s see what happens in the race now.
Valverde wins…names got put in a spreadsheet and a function used to pick one at random:
Tobias wins.
Please send me an email to claim your prizes.
Yay! Didn’t think there was a chance Valverde would win when he started pull so early but amazing win and that 16.7% drawing chance was on my side it seems:)
Thanks so much for this and for your awesome blog!
Maxime Monfort
Only 5 or 6 votes for the Green Bullet by my quick count. Perhaps this was a poll of “who would you like to see win?” rather than picking the actual winner? I used to like this guy until he was nabbed for the blood doping and refused to admit he’d been caught. Does he have enough form and audacity to create a LeMond vs Hinault or Contador vs Armstrong scenario against Quintana? Big stakes as I think he’s yet to sign a contract for 2015? Or does he already have assurances he’ll be the top dog on Alonso’s new team, so he’s ripe to stick it to Movistar and their new boy?