The biggest mountain stage of the Tour, with three big climbs, altitude and bad weather too.
Géant Vert: a lively stage with Jonas Abrahamsen going in the early breakaway with Quentin Pacher, Mathieu Burgaudeau and Vincenzo Albanese. The Norwegian was only being caught in the streets of Valence, some suspense and Lidl-Trek had to work hard to chase.
Ineos tried a move mid-stage, accelerating up the Col de Pertuis to launch Tobias Foss across to the breakaway but was a “wet firework” as they say in French, even it briefly split the bunch and at one point Florian Lipowitz made a move prompting Jonas Vingegaard to react which in turn meant everyone had to close it down. Wout van Aert tried on the Col de Tartaiguille later.
The was a crash at the flamme rouge, three riders on Jonathan Milan’s wheel bumped together and fell, luckily for the Italian his back wheel wasn’t involved but he was the last rider to keep clear of this and it denied Tim Merlier and others the chance to challenge for the win.
With no big rivals Milan seemed destined to win but there was a momentary fright when his stampede made the rear wheel slide out but he had it under control.
50 points for the stage win and 11 from the intermediate sprint, has Milan got the green jersey sewn up? He’s on 312 points with Tadej Pogačar back on 240 meaning the Slovenian would have to win today (20) and tomorrow (20), and in Paris (50) to get to 320 points while Milan can hope to extend his lead in the uphill intermediate sprint today at KM23 or tomorrow at KM8. So the addition seems favourable for the tower of Tolmezzo. Instead it’s the subtraction to worry about, missing the time cut during the next three days.
The Route: 171km and 5,450m of vertical gain. You could get more vertical gain for this distance in the Alps but only just and the first 40km on the flat and then up the Romanche valley are hard because the race will rage here, all on a tiring road that keeps changing with a mix of false flats and ramps.
The Col du Glandon’s 5% slope is the average because it’s got two descents on the way, a lot of the time it’s more like 7% as it climbs up past a series of reservoirs. The descent is the main road to the valley floor, no side tracks this time.
There’s almost no pause in the valley as it’s straight up the other side to the Col de la Madeleine, again climbed via the main road and a regular climb for the most part to 1,993m which as pedants know is the true height of the pass and the 2,000m label is marketing. A long descent with some flat portions awaits and then 15km up the valley road to Brides-les-Bains and beyond.
The Finish: the Col de la Loze but a different side, the previous two visits were the western side via Méribel, this is the eastern flank through Courchevel. It’s easier, but only just and the upper slopes are a steep cycle path just like the other side. It’s an hour’s climb or more.
It’s a ski station access road to Courchevel but with its steep parts, the graphic above doesn’t capture the 10% sections along the way there. The steepest part is after the resort town and passing close to the altiport airstrip but this time not using it. There’s a brief respite before it rises up and takes the narrower cycle path and stays steep all the way to the line for three long kilometres.
The Contenders: did you know Tadej Pogačar (UAE) cracked on this pass in 2023? He seems to be reminded of it every day and obviously wants to make amends. Over four minutes clear on GC, he just has to win the stage, there’s no need to launch any kind of raid although if could choose he’d want to be alone in the picture.
Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-LAB) is looking better, now able to trade attacks and not get distanced in return. So he has a chance today in a straight contest with Pogačar. The unsettled question is whether he’ll settle for second or whether he’s willing to risk this. The pair are on a level ahead of the rest so it’s hard to see another rider getting away from them if the stage win is still in play.
Visma-LAB can win the stage by sending a rider forward but today they don’t get much chance to sit on and save energy as there are few flat roads but Sepp Kuss and Simon Yates might be reserved to accompany their leader.
This looks a stage UAE will try to win but the breakaway has a chance, especially as Pogačar’s team has tried to control things at times but come unstuck. So pick among climbers. Michael Storer (Tudor) won in a blizzard in Paris-Nice but is perhaps suited to 20-40 minute climbs more than over hour long ones. Ben O’Connor (Jayco) is just having a difficult season but these long climbs suit. Thymen Arensman (Ineos) already has a mountain stage and one in cooler conditions. Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-Quickstep) is said to be more interested in tomorrow’s stage but this suits too.
Lenny Martinez (Bahrain) is after mountains points and there’s 20 for the first two HC climbs then 40 for the Loze while team mate Santiago Buitrago seems to be getting over his crash injuries.
 |
Pogačar |
 |
Vingegaard, Storer, Arensman |
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VPP, O’Connor, Buitrago |
Weather: 20°C in the valleys but wet and cold at altitude.
TV: KM0 is at 12.20pm the finish is forecast for 5.30pm CEST. Tune in for the whole stage if you can as it should lively and decisive. Otherwise the Col de la Loze starts around 4.20pm.
Postcard from Courchevel
Mountain passes are natural features of geology. Paving them is a human endeavour. The Col de la Loze is a new climb, paved in 2019 and used by the Tour de l’Avenir that year. It’s not even a road, in winter it’s a ski run, in the summer it’s a cycle path and normally closed to traffic.
This speaks to the increasing value of cycle tourism. Courchevel and Méribel on each side of the pass want to establish the climb as special challenge in the Alps much like a theme park owner hopes to attract customers with a roller coaster that’s higher or faster.
This isn’t new for cycling in the Alps, plenty of ski resorts have downhill MTB runs in the summer. But now road cycling is getting in on the act. Just like theme parks you can imagine the temptation, if the Col de la Loze is 2,304m above sea level, why not pave a pass at 2,500m? Better still go to 3,000m so a ski resort can now boast the highest paved pass in the Alps. Invite the Tour de France which won’t be able to ignore the appeal and new climb can be created.
Fanciful? Sure, but try climbing the Col de la Loze for yourself. It is unlike anything else with sudden ramps, flat sections and hairpin bends seemingly added for the fun of it, it’s not a natural route up the mountain in the way some roads follow ancient paths, and others feature engineered grades to smooth out the mountain so vehicles or weaponry could make it over. So if a route can be created to attract cyclists then anything, including gimmicks, is possible.
My pet theory is that Pogacar performs best in the cool and damp. This stage looks mammoth so we will see.
I’m not sure it can be a pet theory when the rider himself has acknowledged this and it was the widely accepted view until last year’s Tour! He seems to have moved beyond now as last and this years victories in searing heat show but you’re def on the money this should be to his liking. Unless his cold is worse than we thought or adapting to the heat has changed his preference. It’s hard to imagine he’ll not want to take today’s stage to put 2023’s defeat to bed.
I would hope that Visma would not go for the stage win with anyone other than Vingegaard. They have to try to win the tour, even if it’s a forlorn hope.
Typo alert: (there’s no need to launch any kind of raid although if could chose … should be “although if he could choose…”)
Are there any descents today when jumbo could try and put pressure on Pog? This seems to be something they’ve been practicing
Any because of the rain but not especially because of the course, the Glandon and Madeleine both feel like they have long straight sections but there are places. As you say Pogačar complained about them attacking dowhill in the Dauphiné.
Great thought, will watch out for this – remember Schleck getting uppty once about descent attacks.
“damp squib” is the English version of wet firework.
Hope for no stage neutralizations because of the weather, but these are very expensive investments on their bikes.
Pogacar can sit on Vingegaard’s wheel all the way to Paris, so it really is up to Visma to scratch their heads and come up with something. One hope is some help from another GC hopeful if guys start having a bad day. A litle quid pro quo might make some difference. All Visma can do otherwise is up the tempo and see what happens.
A breakaway win seems unlikely but we saw VPP win on Ventoux, so one lucky guy in a big group has a good day and it’s possible but how much time would they need at the bottom of la Loze? 15 minutes?
Any plan Visma have relies entirely on Jonas being able to distance Pog. He hasn’t had that ability so far. Of course, there are two ways that can be achieved though: Jonas does it by his own efforts or Pog shows weakness. I wonder if the fact its very likely to be raining helps anyone?
I’m appreciating how ‘VPP’ has become canon in cycling circles. I feel like if you aren’t condensed to three letters then you haven’t really made it.
A certain rider colloquially known as Pogi might disagree.
Let’s not be too restrictive in terms of the exact number of letters. And for the record, MVDP has 4 letters.
The larger distinction is that the others are initials while Pogi & Vinge are just short form nickname ls of their family name. I guess we can draw the following:
if you are known as a condensed initial, you kinda made it to the top (mostly for one day race/GT stages).
However, if you have a family name that is “nicknamed”, then you’ve made it to the top of the Tour. The shorter that nickname is, the more dominating, and importantly, popular you are: Pogi has 4 letters, Vinge has 5, Froomy is 6 (but he’s not popular).
Okay, if we consider Rog, maybe not just Tour but GTs in general which Rog was pretty dominant as a multiple winner (just not in the Tour).
Yes, there’s really only one guy who can get away with a single letter!
G? 🙂
His brother must be ‘APP’ then.
Regarding the new cycling path, I heard a couple of years ago that a new route was under paving from Méribel to Tougnète. Any insider updates on the progress of this project?
It’s open and has a 20% section near the top and is higher than the Loze at 2,400m. It goes from Les Ménuires, the resort/town below Val Thorens and is for now just a one-way climb. I think there’s a good chance it’s on the Tour route soon. It’s sometimes branded as the col de Tougnète but it’s technically not a pass and more a peak.
The idea seems to be to pave the other side one day so road cyclists can do the Loze and Tougnète in a loop but that’s not there yet. The Tour could try this one day but only if in one direction as can’t imagine the bunch going down the Loze into Méribel as the road is too narrow and it’s too steep. You can ride down but there’s just no space to adjust your line in places.
I don’t think Vingegaard and Visma care about another second place and expect them to go all out today, probably trying to get a gap on the Madeleine (ascent or descent). They will probably try to send riders like WvA and Campenaerts ahead and use them on the descent and flat part.
I also predict the plan will fail for the simple reason Jonas will not be able to ride Tadej off his wheel, rendering all tactical genius useless.
I hope I’m wrong and Jonas takes three minutes today, setting up an absolute nailbiter for tomorrow.
I’ve no idea whether it’s true or not, but according to the Netflix documentary Vingegaard has lost some confidence on descents since his massive crash last year
I tend to think the question to be answered today is “What does Jonas want?” Does he want second place? Then he just sits on and follows and rides through the stage. Does he want first or nothing? Then he fires men ahead of him (Benoot, Campanaerts, Van Aert, Yates), does what he did on the Ventoux stage, and goes from a long way out – say half way up the Madeleine. We are talking death or glory stuff. We will probably get somewhere in between because I can see Jonas waiting until the final climb and the higher reaches of even that. Perhaps then a modest win for him? I think Visma will be a lot more active than UAE but then if they still want to win they have to be. I cannot see Pog setting out to win the stage. Its more a case of if it comes to him he will accept the opportunity.
I feel that the only way Jonas can win this year is if he gets the slightest whiff early on of Pogi on a jour sans and sets off on a Froome style Sestriere raid.
The Col de la Loze climb is very long. If Vingegaard drops Pogacar halfway up the climb he can win back two minutes (or more). And they still have the climb up La Plagne tomorrow, which can also give-rise to big time-gaps. Vingegaard does not necessarily need to drop Pogacar on the Madelaine to win the Tour. But I think he does need to win back at least one minute on the stage.
Do Visma need satellite riders today? Use up Affini, Victor and Wout for a solid hard tempo on Glandon, then Tiijs and Matteo on Madeline even harder and then leave Simon and Sepp for all out at bottom of Loze… hope Pog gets tired and Jonas can go long!
Easy to type, harder to execute.
Love being an armchair DS.. just a nod and open fresh beer when proved totally wrong.
There is quite a long valley stretch between the descent of the Madelaine and the start of La Loze. A satellite rider here would be very useful if Vingegaard has got a gap. I am sure that his team will try to get someone in front of the peloton for this eventuallity.
The problem there and all along is that it’s helping Pog too and Vinny hasn’t dropped him on a climb and doesn’t look like he can despite yesterday’s efforts. But if that’s their best plan and Vinny isn’t giving up, then go for it and cross fingers that Pog has a bad day (not seen this year apart from maybe the TT at the Dauphine).
The Green Jersey contest between completely different sorts of riders can get really interesting. It’s silly of Pogi not to have really contested it. He will regret it.
I find it hard to believe that when Pog finally sits back and rests on his multitudinous laurels, surrounded by grand tour and monument wins as he will be, he will suddenly feel a tinge of regret for the green jersey he never even really tried to get.
This. What’s silly is ASO structuring the competition in such a way that the yellow jersey might win it by default
I agree, it renders the Green jersey somewhat pointless.
I seem to recall that Froome pinched the points jersey at the Vuelta in 2017 by finishing 11th on the final stage (a position he raced for) which royally upset Matteo Trentin who was poised to take it.
Personally, I’m not one who thinks of the points jersey as “the sprinter’s prize”. Its a jersey anyone capable enough to challenge for it can go for. And may the best rider win.
What does ‘default’ mean here?
Green was originally a competition designed to reward placings on stages. That is still the fundamental basis of the competition.
Pogacar has 4 stage wins and 3 2nd places plus three other Top10 positions. He has two more stages, possibly three with Montmartre, where he can improve that situation. How is that winning it by default?
On the one hand we hear regularly that Tadej is praised for his attacking style of racing, his ability to win on a variety of parcours, and he is compared to Merckx both in his desire to win bike races and as the greatest cyclist of all time. On the other hand, we hear regularly that it’s silly that he wins or could win the Green and Polka jerseys by not targeting them, by default 🤷
Of course he will.
Anyone seeing Pogacar being interviewed briefly on Velo Club last night would judge the guy was not in the best shape or mood.
Admittedly he’d just done a wet stage, but there were other markers: his face was grey with road grime but his eyes were dull, and he was dressed like a Michelin man with umpteen layers and a hat (sensible or worried?). Most of all his answers were curt and far from his usual chipper self.
Certainly all the riders are now being ground down by this stage, but he looked fragile. A wet and cold mountain stage will test him. Should be an interesting day.
Good spot thanks JB, I had not seen this.
Still expecting a strong ride but we’ll see…
The thought seems to be that Tadej Pogacar has a cold of some sort, hardly surprising most of the riders will pick up bugs of some sort during the race. Whether that is getting worse or is sufficiently bad to affect his power output we shall see today. Certainly if he is “under the weather” riding up (coming down might be worse) mountains in wet and cool conditions is less than ideal.
Hardly surprising Pogačar was wrapped up well and not so chatty after yesterday’s stage.
It was cold and wet, and he’d just avoided a crash.
Pog’s mask has slipped somewhat this last week or so and more are seeing it. Jeremy Whittle had a quote from him yesterday about arrogance that I’ve not seen picked up anywhere else.
Here it is – “Arrogance is something, trying to win the Tour de France is another thing. I think a lot riders would see us as arrogant because we want to control every single kilometre of this race. We don’t try to be arrogant, we just try to make our race as easy as possible. I think – this will sound super-arrogant – but some guys can stay quiet.”
Johan Bruyneel’s been in the news this week too, also concerning arrogance. Can you imagine the furore if that last sentence had been attributed to him? Or Lance Armstrong? Or, among possibly many others, Dave Brailsford?
This just feels like column inches to me… there’s no mask to slip – it’s pretty obvious Pog’s a nice bloke who likes to win and winning will always bring some needle somewhere along the way?
When you get interviewed a hundred times a week in the heat of a stage race of course things get said that might get misconstrued especially in someone’s second language but we can all use our own eyes to see what’s right there?
This generation overall have been nothing short of a joy in so many respects, Pog, Vin, MVDP, WVA, Rog etc – they’re all clearly nice guys at heart but all of them may have made a few missteps here or there to get pulled into an unfavourable news stories and the longer they compete the more this will happen, time generally sours even the most friendly competition!
My take on all their personalities:
Roglic is pretty flippant with a fairly phlegmatic view on life, maybe the result of so much bad luck, it’s just taken English-language audiences a long time to catch up with his humour, which seems strange as Brits often pride themselves on a British sense of humour! My one question on Rog is whether he’s as laconic in his own language? I can imagine he’d be a really enjoyable person to get to know – especially as he gets more world weary.
Pog’s the happy go lucky guy who’s fighting to keep a sunny disposition as he grows older and the pressure of talent and expectation find ways to wear you down! I often wonder whether Pog would be a different person if he hadn’t won so young? It feels like his journey in the past few years has been more defined by coming to understand how good he really is rather than a normal riders efforts to find their place in the bunch.
Vin is the quiet family man, clearly nervous and unsure of himself initially but his resilience and determination are qualities it’s difficult not to respect in anybody even if he’s unlikely to be the life of a party! Similar to Pog he just seems like a nice guy trying to do his best having been blessed with otherworldly physical capabilities. I think as time goes on his two Tour victories will come to be more and more respected as we all realise the kind of rider he was up against – plus I’m glad he’s riding in this era otherwise he’d feel a little too similar to Froome and we’d be lacking a touch of charisma at the front end of races!
MVDP the hardest one to really pin down, I love watching him on a bike but can’t hide a slight wince when I see him pull up to a cyclocross in a Lambo… I get the feeling his just a pretty simple guy – fast cars, sun, maybe some golf, probably some beach babes along the way – maybe he’s just not that interesting? But doesn’t stop him also being a nice guy, and I often think he’s done really well to never come across as arrogant as it would be easy for someone like him to, with all the good looks, charm and talent. He’s got that Captain of the School Football team vibe.
WVA is the earnest hard worker. His spat with Remco a few years back would be interesting to know more about, but to me he just seems someone who toils, worries, occasionally overthinks but never stops working. You get the feeling that somewhere he’s wrestling with his own mind, no dark demons, just some kind of light anxiety or even sense of inadequacy that also happens to be his fuel. It seems tragic it’s starting to look likely that he might retire with only a single Classic win.
Remco was the only one I found pretty dislikable to start with as he was clearly arrogant without the charm to pull it off but recently he’s been humbled and suddenly feels like a far more likeable as he’s had to be increasingly realistic about the limits of his capabilities. Not that he’s suddenly particularly interesting! Although I do worry that last year’s double golds may end up being the pinnacle of his career but let’s see how it all pans out. I’d happily cheer a TDF win for him as he’s going to have to work extremely hard to get it.
Agreed! On all accounts.
@oldDAVE A very interesting take on things/characters. I don’t agree with it all. But a lot rings true.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBKS02RtcLE
Robbie McEwen summed it up well yesterday (and you only need to rewatch the crashes before both sprints): Pogi has yellow. To go for green and get wiped out in a sprint on a dangerous road and he loses everything. The whole team was invested in overall success. Both De Lie and Milan were very lucky to stay upright to the line.
The opportunity may well present itself again in the future to win all three jerseys outright but yesterday would have been a risk too far.
Pogačar was asked yesterday if he wanted the polka dot jersey and just said no, yellow only… and presumably the stage today.
Pogačar won’t be fussed about the maillot vert, and there’s no way he would ever target it. In any case, Milan could finish OTL today or tomorrow, so Teddy could yet win.
Of course, it’s often a classification open to some creativity… Sagan hoovering up points uncontested by getting in breaks on lumpy stages; and, my favourite, the peloton allowing Hushovd’s somewhat incongruous alpine odyssey in 2009, to narrowly beat Cavendish, winner of six stages.
If Tadej is feeling under the weather, I expect a repeat of yesterday. Thats an attack with 100m to go to gain 2 seconds on JV and a “beat you again” sense of satisfaction.
The “King” of the Mountains needing three outrageously sticky bottles to keep up on an HC climb. Yet if by far the best climber in the race wins the competition as well as the GC that is somehow wrong 🤔
Lenny Martinez should lose the jersey for those gratuitous tows uphill alone. Almost Nibaliesque. Fortunately Pog has now overhauled him and martinez looks completely toasted.
Bless little Lenny’s cotton socks – he got a massive eight-point penalty for that bit of blatant cheating. That’ll teach him! Gotta love the UCI.
The points totals shown on the broadcast suggest that he was handed a soft penalty of 8 KOM points, not even enough to nullify the points he got after being towed up the Col du Glandon.
Vingo also scored well and moved into second place, so Martinez doesn’t even get to borrow the jersey now.
If I was in charge, I would have made the penalty 81 KOM points (i.e. putting him on -1) and announce with gratitude that he has agreed to donate his winnings for the race to some charity.
If Pogi wins this stage or concedes no time and people will say it was boring that’ll be a shame, it’s an intriguing day.
but the stand off in the valley was very interesting, maybe it’s a day for the purists but I’m enjoying – I also feel a bit sorry for Visma getting constant criticism, at least they’ve had a go all tour and today’s no different.
Also by my reckoning Pog definitely doesn’t look his normal effervescent self, he looks very concentrated and not entirely happy. You’d think if he were feeling good he may have swapped turns with Jonas in the valley, feels like he’s being cautious to me. Similar maybe to Ventoux. I think casual observers thinking he was pale the other day or unhappy after the rain yesterday may have been right – still doesnt mean he’s about to ship any time.
if this all blows up though there might be an essay to write on the ins and outs of UAE/VISMA’s battle:
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/we-crashed-into-the-car-tadej-pogacar-reveals-pre-stage-collision-with-visma-lease-a-bike-team-car-at-tour-de-france/
getting in the way of Pogs foodstops, attacking when his peeing, knocking him off before a stage *(I’m joking, sure it was an accident) but feels like Visma are really throwing the kitchen sink at Tadej!
Promising at first! It’s the first stage I’ve watched all the way through this year, and while it felt like the balance might shift during the first two climbs, CdlL turned out to be a bit underwhelming. And it didn’t do much to change my doubts about Pog…
A damp squib of a GC battle. Disappointing from Jonas in the end. Why did Visma isolate Pog only to let his team come back?
I think Vingo/Visma really tried but to no avail. I expect a copy tomorrow.
According to Jonas after the finish “they didn’t want to work together” – meaning him and Jorgensen between the Madeleine and the Col de La Loze. I thought it was pathetic. Why do that work on the Madeleine just to give it all away? The simple fact is Jonas has got nothing and Pog doesn’t need to do anything.
@Rimbrakes. Got to agree that whatever tactics Visma employ aren’t going to work because at some point Vinny has to gap Pog and he can’t do that. But they need to do better than tow Pog to the finish where he can sprint clear, again.
@rimbrakes
You can hardly fail Vingo/Visma for at least trying. It may have been a Hail Mary pass on Madelaine but as it didn’t work and the energy visibly drained out of Vingo on CdlL what else should they try?
As much as I detest Pog, he handled it as he should — rode at 95% and simply waited it out.
@MediumMig really? They got everything set up by isolating Pog and having numbers only to let it all get turned around and end up on the back foot.
The best I could come up with at the time was that they wanted a chance to run the same tactic on Loze as on Madeleine ie. an outpost in Jorgensen and a Kuss/Yates train to launch Vingo while breaking Tadej and not caring about his team, betting that they couldn’t help him much. Whatever the tactic was, either in real time or in post facto rationalisation, they had not the legs to implement anything.
@KevinR
Problem is that isolating Pog does nothing. He just need to glue himself to Vingo’s wheel and stay it out. A tired Pog can rely on still being able to take 10-20 seconds on Vingo on a climb like CdlL. A fresh Pog could probably have taken 3 minutes more. It doesn’t matter anymore how many riders Visma have left around Pog and Vingo.
Damp squib is right. One of the biggest letdowns in recent memory, right up there with the shortened stage in 2019.
This Tour has to be seen as a massive failure across the board for Visma. I know a lot of teams would love to trade places with them, but considering their objectives coming into the race they have fallen woefully short. I’m hoping (probably delusionally) that they will finally accept what is now painfully obvious, and leave Jonas to his own devices and try to collect some crumbs for the rest of the Tour. Might not be possible with Jorg and WVA not looking anywhere near their best, but nothing could be worse than today.
@MediumMig I don’t call what Visma did today “trying”. I call it “a token effort”. If this Tour lasted the rest of the year Jonas would not be able to gap Pog.
* unless you’re Australian. Jayco must be breathing a massive sigh of relief.
@rimbrakes
Vingo is reportedly hitting his peak performance, delivering his best watts ever. It’s not really his (or Vismas’) fault that Pog 2.0 seems to have turned into a completely different rider since 2023.
I agree, though. The Tour could stretch on for the rest of the year, and it wouldn’t change a thing.
Last year, 18 riders finished within an hour of Pog in Paris. If we’re lucky, that number might kept up to 13 this year!
I agree – don’t think Visma did that much wrong, they’re just trying but it’s hard when one rider (who might not even be at his best) is still head and shoulders above you, it often makes everything you do appear stupid.
If Visma rode in the valley that may likely have just left Jonas on the front for a 20km climb – so I’m not sure it was as simple of a decision as it first appeared. The stand off may have actually helped Jonas lose less time than he might have otherwise. Whether they were looking to replay the last attack with Jorgensson ahead, or whether they were really looking for collaboration or whether it was just a chain of events they didn’t have full control over, in the end it might have been the best outcome they could’ve hoped for.
Any regular rider—even TP a few years ago—would face tough days, but somehow even the usual highs and lows don’t seem to faze him anymore. I’m sorry to say, but it’s starting to resemble the Armstrong of the past more and more…
People have been saying for several days that Pog is ill too but he set the fastest ever time on Mont Ventoux whilst ill and beats Jonas on every uphill stage. Whilst apparently ill in the eyes of the readers of tea leaves.
I think people need to stop seeing things.
A fresh Pog would just have done it 2 minutes faster. No problem.
Sorry @rimbrakes – I completely agree many have foreseen a Pogacar crack on little evidence, and as you say reading tea leaves… I’ve not expected Jonas at any point to drop him and make up four magical minutes.
But – at the same time – he himself said he had a cold, and both the Ventoux and today were out of character for how defensively he rode so I actually think two things may be true at once…
Yes he’s not about to crack.
Yes he’s also not at 100% and therefore reigning in the attacks unlike last year. He’s certainly looked a little different the past few days as others here have noted.
As you say he still took the record on Ventoux but a normal Pog would’ve either attacked earlier or ridden away, as that was the first attack Jonas has covered in nearly 18 months. At the time I wondered if it was just the headwind but I think today we got our answer – he’s just managing his vast resources to bring this home now. Will be interesting to see whether there’s another stage win to come once the jersey’s sealed? Paris?
I don’t see Pog’s attacks this week as completely full blooded or as the attacks of a man who is needing to attack to win more than he already has. But he is tired – as anyone would be this deep into a Tour – and any passing mild illness would have some minor effect I must admit. As many others have said, however, he doesn’t need to win every stage by minutes and he can beat Jonas stage by stage at will as it is. And none of this is remotely a sign of anything approaching a “crack” or “weakness”. It just amuses me when people see things that aren’t there, that’s all. And I admire Pog’s seemingly new found professionalism. It only makes him an even better rider.
on another note – Oscar Onley?!?
can he make up 22seconds??
can Picnic Postal help somewhere unexpected??
race for 3rd suddenly got interesting today.
kinda think Red Bull should have got Roglic to drop back and help Lipowitz in the end, can see they’re racing their own races and dovetailed nicely today but when it comes down to it now they have to protect 3rd over 5th surely?
Onley seems to be a smart and strong rider. I wouldn’t be surprised if he outlasts Lipowitz and I find it even less beleiveable that Rog suddenly can find legs to jump ahead.
Picnic has hatched a real gem.
On the basis of today – Onley hanging with the best 2 until the final few metres, and Lipowitz cracking – with no rest until another big mountain day tomorrow, Onley must have an excellent chance of getting on the podium. That would be some result
Tomorrow looks like one of those classic last-chance stages, where everyone is wiped out and just trying to hold on for dear life. I expect some riders to struggle on the Col du Pre, don’t know if all the riders in the top 10 will make it to the base of La Plagne together. Then all bets are off, best man wins (by wins I don’t mean the stage, I mean takes time). No drama for the top 2, then tons for 3-5. I can even see Gall going early to see if he gets loose enough to take multiple minutes. I fully expect that someone will crack, no idea who.
There’s a distinct possibility that the podium contest will be close enough for GC action on Stage 21, which would be insane. Or someone could be up by two minutes by the end of the day tomorrow…
Mohoric is having a very quiet Tour…and season..does anyone know why?
Old age 🙂
Hard for Visma to apply any pressure after Jorgenson imploded and fell out of GC. Had Almeida still been in, I think it’s more likely we see Jonas getting worked over for second. Hopefully, we’ll see a couple of starlets leave UAE to add a bit more depth and it’s not all on JV.
I’m not sure what happened with Jorgenson, but did it ever really matter? Every time Pogi got isolated, he just destroyed everyone anyway (or cruised in on their wheel and pipped them at the line). Visma’s plan to work Pogi over failed because Pogi never got tired, not even for a second. I find that hard to explain, but maybe he’s just that amazing.
Can anyone tell me if there is a name for an inverse satellite rider. One who gets dropped as soon as its starting to get tough and then waits for his captain to sit up and call him up for the last difficulty of the day.
Plenty of call for them today.
Well, Pog’s 4th TdF victory will have to have an asterisk: Vingegaard, I’m sure, would have won by 5 minutes tomorrow if the cows hadn’t gotten sick.
What a wild reason for a course alteration! And a potentially horrid one.