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Elle, BMC Racing are an American team.
Tejay van Garderen's team.
Yes, they were fastest today. All competitions within the Tour start from Day 1. It often happens that the yellow and polka dot jersey are held by the same rider.
Eddy Merckx once held yellow, green, and polka dot.
If the yellow jersey also holds the polka dot jersey, the yellow jersey takes priority and he wears that.
The polka dot jersey is then worn (but not awarded to) by the second placed rider in the Mountains competition.
Yes, you will soon pick it up...and ask.
Tuesday is Bastille Day so should be extra exciting and like all of France, I want to see a French stage winner!
The stage is finishing at a ski resort called La Pierre Saint Martin. It is well known for the discovery of caves there.
So, Elle, there is much more than cycling going on!

Sorry, Elle, the jerseys are not decided until we get to Paris. Though realistically the Mountains jersey and the yellow jersey will be already decided.
It is very, very, bad form to attack the yellow jersey on the final stage to Paris.
But that will do you for now.
Remember, things can and do, happen, on the roads of Le Tour de France, and we are still a long, long, way from Paris!

Hi, Rusty!
Has P in the Dark finished now? You will be glad when the girls are home safe and sound. It's been quite a disturbing time all round.
Any news about the ospreys? Are they still in situ? or have they been driven away by the noise and turmoil? What about the chicks ?(you did say they had chicks?)

Thank you for clarifying those points that I raised...I'm feeling a little more confident that I'm getting the idea of it all now.
Yes, I will ask if I need to know more.... that's the way to find out things! (it's why we have a tongue in our heads!)
I like the idea of the background knowledge that emerges!

Have you started reading about Father Flanagan?

I had forgotten about that funny rule by which the runner up in the Mountains competition got to wear the polka dot jersey, even though he is not, strictly speaking, entitled to it. Interesting.

One thing though about the 14th July, I hope there are no bangers or flares - there were some today already and the police dealt with the offenders.

Strictly speaking, bangers are officially allowed once a year : on Bastille day; but this year is so dry (and breezy) in a good half of France, I hope it will not create more fires if youngsters throw their bangers out of a car window and the banger ends up in a corn field. Please don't think i am exagerating, I have seen it happen or heard about it many times.

We crossed (again) and now you have confused me?
Are you saying that jerseys other than the yellow are not worn en route but only on arrival in Paris?
No that can't be right - I've misunderstood you somewhere....?

Oh, yes, Elle, I will relax when the young ones are home.
This is the last night.
Not a cheep, excuse me, about the ospreys.
Our press would not consider that a story.
No money in ospreys. And they likely would not know an osprey from a canary, anyway.
They should have chicks but with all the disturbances recently, who knows?
The parent birds leave first for the journey back to Africa.
Not started Father Flanagan.
It is strange where things lead you.
I was exploring the Tour route across the Pyrenees and the Alps and the European mountains in general when I came across the story of Otzi the Iceman.
Do you know it, Elle?
Otzi came out of a glacier and was around 4000 years old. He had perfect teeth. No sugar in the diet in those days!

What I mean is, Elle, the final destinations of the jerseys wont be known until the race is ended.
Only once that I can remember did the yellow jersey change hands on the last day. When LeMond took it from Fignon, but that stage was a time trial.
The polka dot jersey will be decided, and the yellow, but possibly not the green.

Oh, I don't know what happened to my reply re the Federer v Murray match. Must have been my fault.

I did say in that reply that Sue Barker had said the Davis cup would be on the BBC and I hope I heard that correctly as like you Elle, I also only have Freeview.

Hello, lilacwine, I didn't see any reply from you about Federer v Murray- maybe it's in the big black sin bin in the sky.....(like happens to emails sometimes!)

I can't recall what Sue Barker said about the Davis cup - but let's hope you are right about it's showing on the BBC.
I somehow have a feeling though that it isn't normally shown anywhere where I get to see it? don't recall it's usually being televised on BBC - could be misremembering though!

Elle, P in the Dark.
I would imagine you only get Kent news where you are and not news from Scotland.
I do not know if this will have affected the police presence at P in the Dark, but our force has had a lot of controversy to deal with in the last few days.
A car went off the motorway and crashed. It was seen and reported to the police who acknowledged and logged it. But somehow, they did not turn up to investigate the crash until three days had passed.
They found a young male driver dead and his passenger, a young woman, in a very bad way.
The young woman has since died in hospital.
Obviously there is a huge investigation going on.
I am wondering if this has had any effect on the chaos at P in the Dark.