Ventoux Tips It's Cap To You, Chris 'King Of The Mountains' Froome

Le Tour De France may be lacking some of the stars from last year, Bradley Wiggins to name just one, however this hasn't made boring viewing. The Manx Missile, Mark Cavendish, has looked in inspired form taking four stage wins and Chris Froome, even without Wiggins by his side, looks ever more likely to become the second Brit in as many years to bring home the yellow jersey in this, Le Tour's 100th edition.

Yesterday's stage 15 was one of the most exciting legs in recent history and also the longest at 240km. What most cyclists hope for at the end of a long ride is a nice flat or even a down hill finish, but not this time. With 21km to go, 181 pro cyclists were faced with arguably the most daunting sight in southern France, Mont Ventoux. This infamous mountain has claimed any lives, including Britain's Tom Simpson in 1967, however on this occasion it was dominated by Froome who absolutely obliterated 179 other riders to retain the yellow jersey and obtain the King of the Mountains jersey on Bastille day.

Only one other rider was on par with Froome throughout the climb, Team Moviestar's little Colombian Nairo Quintana, who somehow managed to keep a pokerface for 20.5km and not even grimace until Froome left him 500 metres from the summit.

Quintana, only 23 years old, broke from the peloton with about 6km to go and caught every rider between himself and the leader at the time, Sylvain Chavanel. Soon Chavanel broke and fell down the field allowing Froome to break from lead out man Richie Porte, and catch the wheel of Quintana. The two struggled up the 7% incline for what seemed forever until the climb became 10% and Quintana cracked, handing the stage victory to Froome on a sweaty platter.


Nairo Quintana (Left) and Chris Froome (Yellow jersey) ascend Mont Ventoux.

This incredible win by Froome extended his time gap to his nearest rival, Bauke Mollema, to 4 minutes and 14 seconds with only six stages left, giving the impression that it's going to take something very special from this years elite to dismount Froome from the top step of the podium.

Fergie's Time is Finally Over, Moyes Time is now

Many people will agree with me when I say that Sir Alex Ferguson has been the greatest manager of all time, leading Manchester United to 38 trophies in a stunningly successful career that spanned over two and a half decades.



I started consciously supporting Man United in 2001 when I turned eight, as it was the first birthday that I was given the gift of a football shirt. Despite being made of polyester it became my life, wearing it all weekend and sleeping in it at night. My parents have always said that I was sporty from an early age but it was Man United's Premier League win in 2000-01 that really sparked my intense interest in football, and I have never looked back since. One thing that stands out from that birthday for me was when I looked on the back of the shirt and there being no name. I instantly questioned this and my Grandma took it upon herself to cut and sow the name of my favourite player onto the shirt; name was Ryan Giggs. It wasn't perfect by any means but it signified a new era in my life, something my family hadn't come across before - the football supporter, player and most importantly, reviewer.

Sir Alex is the mercurial leader that every manager, and even player, aspired to be. He combined being a gentleman off the pitch, along with aggressive competitiveness and ruthless determination on it. Perhaps his most infamous mark on the game is that of 'Fergie Time', the phrase in fact that gives this blog it's name. 'Fergie Time' has on occasion given United enough time to draw or even win the most important games of the season, giving forth accusations that Ferguson was bribing the officials, all of which is untrue. Most famously is the derby match with Manchester City, which ended in a 4-3 victory for United after Michael Owen's 96th minute winner.

For 12 years I had never known anything other than a Sir Alex Ferguson led Man United, so when he declared his retirement on 8th May 2013 my heart sank. 1st June 2013 signalled a new era for Manchester United with the acquisition of former Everton manager, David Moyes. Most Red Devil fans would have been pleased with this appointment because as was pointed out by the press on many occasions, Moyes is cut from the same cloth as Ferguson; he's Scottish and, having spent 10 years at Everton, looks to be a good long term investment for United. All we can hope is that not winning a trophy in his first season doesn't spell the end, afterall Ferguson didn't win anything in his first 5 seasons. It may be hard for some United fans to face but it may take some time for everything to gel back to the unity that was the Ferguson dressing room, and what with Moyes replacing all the backroom staff, we really are starting with a clean slate.