A stage in Brittany, the region of France where cycling as a sport is the most popular. There’s the now familiar finish at Mûr-de-Bretagne, two times up like the last time.
Reprendre La Manche: it took two hours of violent racing for the breakaway to get clear, 47km/h and on hilly terrain too. Moves formed and failed until Mathieu Van der Poel was away with Quinn Simmons, Ben Healy, Will Barta and Harald Tejada.
They were dangling clear, often 10-20 seconds and Eddie Dunbar, Simon Yates and Michael Storer bounded across to make eight. This latter trio almost had it easy, making one move and getting in the break while Healy had tried repeatedly.
Van der Poel had to make choices. Surrendering the stage to ensure he could keep up the pace to take back yellow and collect points for the green jersey?
Healy only made one attack but it was a textbook move, drifting off the back of the group to better accelerate so nobody could react with 40km to go. There was a stand-off among the rest and with that Healy was away in his crab-like asymmetric style, “chaplinesque” writes Alexandre Roos in this morning’s L’Equipe.
A lively stage, a regret that the finish wasn’t as frantic as the start. There was a moment of suspense in the finish as the clock counted down and by one second Van der Poel took the yellow jersey. It was close and Visma-LAB accelerated hard in the final, presumably hearing Van der Poel had cracked and there was a chance to keep Pogačar in yellow and add to his fatigue. They missed by a second but the bigger picture is that if all they can do is try to put Pogačar in yellow then… Pogačar is going to be in yellow instead of them.
The Route: 197km and 2,450m of vertical gain. There are few difficulties but the race is close to the coast and exposed througout.
With 20km to go the race climbs up to the village of Mûr-de-Bretagne/Guerlédan and then takes a right turn onto the finishing circuit.
The Finish: the same finishing circuit as 2021. The main road climb is climbed twice. It’s a long open road and not a particularly technical climb but climbing it twice will thin down the peloton and blunt the legs of some of the heavier riders. Once over the line there’s a second climb and then a gentle descent.
There’s a right turn onto the foot of the climb to slow things and then the same road to the finish. It’s 2km at an average of 6.9% but this isn’t an average climb, it’s got 500m at 10-12% before the 1km to go point and then the slope eases off to the line. It’s all on a wide road.
The Contenders: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won here in 2021, the route suits, he’s got a yellow jersey to defend and the finish is where he can score points than Jonathan Milan. Only he’ll be rinsed from yesterday and he’s a one day rider rather than a stage racer, he put his implosion yesterday down to the efforts in previous days.
A breakaway is possible but far from certain, it’ll be easier to control the race on the flatter terrain. It’s almost self-fulfilling, if a four longshots go clear than they won’t stay away, if there’s a raging battle for an hour then things change. The former seems more likely but reach Paris and some might rue not throwing everything at it here. Plus UAE probably want Pogačar out of yellow and this is the last chance to do it with two flat sprint stages looming; but Visma-LAB want the opposite.
Tadej Pogačar (UAE) is the obvious pick for many reasons but his team can set a strong pace to get him to the line.
This finish has rewarded a rider taking a flyer before, think Dan Martin and Alexis Vuillermoz, both riders capable of sustained anaerobic efforts on steep climbs. Who is there in the peloton today? Lenny Martinez (Bahrain) fits the bill the best, especially as Michael Woods (IPT) is 38.
It’s hard to see past more riders. Thibau Nys (Lidl-Trek) has been tipped before, to no avail but we’ll see again as he’s suited for the finish. Axel Laurance (Ineos) can go deep in a sprint. Marc Hirschi (Tudor) fits on past results but he’s been discreet this season.
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Pogačar |
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Van der Poel, Martinez, Laurance, Hirschi |
Weather: sunshine and 26°C. The wind is back with a 25km/h breeze from the NE and it could gust to 40km/h and with this crosswind risk is back.
TV: KM0 is at 12.25pm, the intermediate sprint at 3.30pm and the finish is forecast for 5.15pm CEST.
Postcard from Yffiniac
The Tour de France is a palimpsest. This phrase was used the other day, but it’s in the spirit to use it again today. Today’s stage goes through Yffiniac, birthplace and long-time home of Bernard Hinault, the jaw jutting five-time Tour de France winner.
Today and the stage to Superbagnères alike we might hear plenty of Hinault anecdotes during quieter moments of TV. While France waits for another Tour de France winner, they’re unlikely to be “the new Hinault” as he was as much a force of character as a physical specimen.
His debut in the 1978 Tour de France was notable because he led a rider’s strike that year, aged 23. It before he took the yellow jersey that year too, he became the peloton’s patron by hostile takeover.
The following year Hinault got annoyed by the TI-Raleigh team trying to split the race on a flat stage of the Tour. Despite the might of the Dutch team – think Visma-LAB today – they did not quite manage it. Annoyed, Hinault decided to show them how it was done. He dumped the chain in the 12 sprocket and rode off. Panache? Possibly, but now he alone wasting energy with rival teams rotating to keep him at one minute. So Hinault’s own Renault team started chasing in order to stop him wasting his energy in a show of pride. It’s hard to imagine the scene today, Bahrain might have been wiser to get Lenny Martinez to call off his enery-wasting attack on Stage 4 the other day but they could just have asked him on the radio or sent a team car up alongside.
The order to chase came from Cyrille Guimard, Hinault’s directeur sportif for many years. At the pre-season training camps Guimard insisted all riders assemble for training on time, a value to instil before anyone turned a pedal. All complied, except Hinault who would rebel and complain. Guimard had to make an exemplary punishment of a young rider, “pour encourager les autres” to borrow Voltaire. Only on the inside Guimard admired the rebellion, to have a rider who refused to submit was an asset because if Hinault was late it was not because he was lazy, it was because he was a rebel. Once he pinned a number he would be only to happy to overturn riders and hierarchies.
I had Kevin Vauquelin pencilled in for this stage before the tour. Given his animation of stages 2 and 4 and his TT effort he clearly has good legs. Tonight he gets the steep finish to the line that was misisng on stage 2.
I think think this is a good shout as long as it’s a forlorn break day. If KV goes early Pog could be happy to let him go as he’s another rider that won’t survive the alps and he should be content putting time into Jonas and Remco on the final ascent of the Mûr.
He’s good at uphill sprints too so can contest the finish against the rest. He probably won’t much room in the break, as much as he’s expected to wilt in the mountains he’s too good for teams to sit back and hope this happens.
Along with Onley I very much hope Vauquelin gives the GC a good go. Nothing to lose, lots to learn.
Brailsford returning to Ineos, Total joining as sponsor, and those transfer rumours. It’s all done deal, isn’t it? But who knows if that’s the right formula these days.
For today, Alaphilippe! Maybe? A small chance? No…
I have Kevin Vauquelin penciled in for every stage of this tour
It was a gutsy and well played win by Healy! But his “crab-like asymmetric style” does not cut an elegant figure on the bike. To my eye, his riding line wobbles like a penguin, and I’d be most nervous positioned next to him in a tightly packed peloton!
I think it might be why he didn’t cut it riding MTB!
All you guys talking about Healy’s style reminds me of the old guys choosing players in “moneyball”.
Healy rode 46 km/h for 3 hours using only 268 watts(i saw a EF post about if). That is incredibly efficient!
Pretty or not, the other guys in the break were nowhere near him
> Plus UAE probably want Pogačar out of yellow and this is the last chance to do it with two flat sprint stages looming
Nils Politt said yesterday that the Mur is a big goal for them (in the brilliant ARD podcast “Tourfunk”). But it was also speculated that he didn’t know how close the gap to MVDP is. Will be interesting to see whether that stops Pogi.
I wouldn’t count out Mvdp, in cycloX they race back to back days so a good night sleep on his whoop and seeing a yello skinsuit to put on he will be motivated
Given his apparent strong position Tadej Pogacar seems rather on edge. Visma’s tactics were pretty pointless but perfectly legitimate, he should simply shrug and move on. I cant see that MvdP will have the reserves of energy to win today, he has used up so much over the past week that I can see the win today, yellow jersey and green being beyond even him. If Visma want to “keep up the pressure” the most likely result is a Tadej Pogacar win, lets hope they settle for a quiet day and a decent size break goes.
I was wondering about the tactics surrounding Simon Yates. He was present in the break, but why? Did they think he could win the stage? Or did they think he could act as a satellite for WvA? It did not make much sense to me.
I assumed he had gone as a satellite rider for either WvA or maybe there was some vague plan for an ambush. Neither of which made a lot of sense. Perhaps he just fancied a day out in the break, lovely countryside 🙂
Getting his training in for week 3 would be my guess. There’s always ‘superdoms’ that people initially think are underperforming early on but are actually saving themselves for the high mountains. Kuss and brother Adam seem to be doing that too.
Yeah, that’s what he pointed to in an interview on ITV. He said his legs were getting better. So it was a training ride as he prepares for week 3’s climbing (after all yesterday had nearly the same amount of elevation gain as a mountain stage).
I interpreted the interview a bit differently – he seemed quite downbeat that he had to go for the break on a stage that didn’t actually suit him. Sounded to me like Visma wanted somebody in the break and his move was just the one that worked. I wonder whether they’re already looking at plan B options for stage wins? Potentially win-win as Yates wouldn’t be needed to support Vingegaard yesterday, so there’s perhaps no harm in trying for a stage.
I think you mean the finish was not as lively as the start.
The inclusion of Healy in the list of possible stage winners was a shrewd call by Inrng.
Was it generally known that, as later reported, he had chosen to don a skin-tight maillot and fit TT tyres?
If so, it was a clear statement of intent by the winner and one that played a part in his successful solitary breakaway.
If you look closely you’ll also see that he was wearing a long-sleeve TT skinsuit, with the forearms cut off, to make the sleeves go down to the elbow.
Bizarrely this also meant they were rolling up mid-stage – a very low-tech version of high-tech science (in need of the tour seamstress!)
Does this stuff has a real effect, or is it just a confidence boost and a bit of kidology?
Who remembers Armstrong riding a mountain stage with a down tube shifter for his front mech? Can’t have saved enough weight to be worth the effort.
I’d wager that was for more reliable shifting.
The competition for the white jersey is quite stiff this year.
I’m kind of assuming the 2028 Grand Depart will be in Brittany to mark the 50th anniversary of Hinault’s first win. Like they did with Merckx in Brussels a few years back.
Good for Ben Healy getting the win (and EF will probably be just as glad). Yates in the break was a strange move, but he got a good run out at least.
A likely Pogacar win if van der Poel is worn out by Thursday’s exertions, but maybe Visma will annoy Pogacar even more, just for some mind games. Yates in the break again perhaps!
Having been very discreet so far, any chance that Van Aert will have the chance (and legs) to go for the win today? Seems to be in range if he’s on form. I’m hoping he has can build his form like in the Giro, although might just function as a domestique today?
Away from this year’s race, I always enjoy reading Hinault stories, and didn’t know the one about Guimard ordering Renault to chase him down. Crazy.
Also, good to discover I have a Black & Decker like Le Blaireau’s, bought by my dad forever ago. Thanks INRNG (Increvable!) for that gem.
Did Hinault really have a 12T in ‘79, though? I thought they came later.
Could be the 13T? I was thinking the 11T was unlikely.
Can’t see how MvDP can win today (and I’m a big fan) against the man who miraculously never tires. MvDP has looked increasingly fatigued.
Just me, or do Visma’s tactics suggest some desperation? If they are trying to wear down Pog, as Niermann hints, well it also wears on Vingegaard the same extent. (Given their close finishes.) The racing in general has been full-tilt early, that doesn’t exclusively target Pog’s endurance.
I’ve been wondering the same thing, Pete. Maybe Visma thinks that they can wear down Tadej just enough to eventually drop him on at least one long climb in the last week, when Jonas will presumably still have his “long climb” legs. That would be a risky and aggressive strategy that could backfire on Jonas if he’s the one to tire first. But if in fact that’s their strategy, I respect their effort to go for it and not just let UAE execute their plan without interference.
I suppose they are trying to create dissonance that unsettles and introduce a level of stress, and the adverse effect that may have on Pogacar’s physiology? So maybe not about legs only.
Vingegaard is not exactly holding back in trying to hold Pogacar’s wheel during the sprints, it doesn’t look like conservation tactics to me. Maybe if Pogacar tires, Visma will claim tactical cunning, but in reality Pogacar’s physical state is out of their control.
I have a hard time imagining that Vingegaard himself doesn’t tire out and that this becomes a lopsided victory at some point…but who the heck knows. Pogacar could eat a bad cevapcici and have a bad day. Though I’m guessing it’s not on the menu.
Do cyclists still even eat real food at the hotel during grand tours? Or are they fed gels and other synthetics even then?
Larry Warbasse talked about this in an article in Cycling News (https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/the-giro-ditalia-is-darn-beautiful-and-damn-hard-larry-warbasse-column/). They do not eat normal food, especially as the tour progresses. Sounds like they have a very specific diet to allow them to eat so much while riding and not getting an upset stomach.
The reason I liked cycling when I was younger was because it let me eat huge amounts of junk food: bike tours with pounds of M and Ms and cured Italian sausages and big chocolate bars. Same with backpacking.
God, kill me now, I say.
The UCI should step in an regulate the diets and require the food to be based on a proper cuisine. Nothing but Italian food in the Giro, etc.
I remember when I first started watching cycling–it must have been early days for social media–the riders would post images of their lovely breakfasts of poached eggs and avocado toast and a nice coffee…
That’s unfortunate, I hear French Clenbuterol steaks are quite tasty.
As for Pog’s physical and mental states, all is fair game here. But how does one play head games with him at this juncture in his career?
I love a good clenbuterol steak!🥩