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talk of some pidders pogi agro vids from yesterday, couldn’t find anything though 😕
Pidcock said something about Pogacar's attack not being all that. The interviewer then went to Pogacar and said "Pidcock says..." which was clearly a dig to get some sort of reaction but Pogacar shrugged and said he didn't care then I believe there was some sort of comment yesterday that his "not up to much" attack had given him yellow while Pidcock was 21" down and then Ineos / Pidcock said something about "we expected it, 21" is nothing, 3 weeks to go, blah blah".
I hate the trash talking and the attempt from the interviewer to generate a bit of controversy.
Saw it on itvx highlights. Your description is about right.
Yeah I don't think there's much in the Pidcock and Pogacar stuff. Just the standard UAE weren't riding on the front, maybe they'll have to now stuff. Very boring.
Definitely think spoilers in here. If you don't want to see spoilers, then in the first instance, don't visit a bike website, and in the second, if you really really must, then don't click on a TdF thread! It's not like we're whacking spoilers in the thread title.
Although if Cav* wins today, a separate thread, with a spoiler as the title is more than justified!
*I can't see it. Philpsen always seems on it from the get go. Cav has historically taken a few to get going. Also I just don't think that the form is there. Really hope I'm wrong.
Groenewegan sporting the latest aero accesory.......................
brand new aero tyre for Sam Bennett
I think purely on yesterdays stage that the race is a bit more open that i thought it would be, I thought it was going to be another Pog-show, but Jonas and Remco both seemed in better fettle than i thought.
Not even sure where Remco came from, one minute he seemed to have been left with the peleton, next he seemed to be 20m behind the two of them, but that was the TV coverage trying to cover too many people i guess.
+1. Having 4 guys tied on GC at the top after the opening weekend is very good for the "will they won't they?" tactics and questions and speculation.
I've switched to ITV4 - camera is with Cav as he stops with the car for a double wheel change. Millar pointed out that he's got full aero shoe covers, aero water bottles, he's doing a planned wheel swap onto his preferred sprinting set-up so he's up for this one.
Remco must've TTd like I don't know what - those 2 seemed to be riding pretty damn hard
Still think it's a 2-horse race though (mind, until VERY recently I assumed Pog would walk it; he must have been shocked to see Jonas so close when he looked round)
Pog should’ve attacked at the bend just before he did, but he was on the wrong side and would’ve had to go the long way round. As it was he attacked without enough horribly steep stuff left and into a chicane where he couldn’t go absolutely flat out.
Attacking round the riders right hand side 50 metres earlier might have bee different.
Dylan Groenewegen is Batman!
🎵 No that was Bruce Wayne 🎵
The first hints of organisation as the two 4th cat climbs approach.
Can we (I) have a brief synopsis please? Might watch the final few km's live if I get enough work done.
Wow an attack. Well this is exciting...
Can we (I) have a brief synopsis please? Might watch the final few km’s live if I get enough work done.
Literally nothing has happened all day other than a couple of wheel changes. It's like they're on a club run. Not even a breakaway. Everyone is cooked after 2 big days in muggy heat plus tomorrow is a killer stage too.
So they're just rolling. Jens Voigt on the moto reckoned it was the most laid back he'd ever seen the peloton in his entire career.
There is now a lone attack - seemingly more for TV and laughs than anything.
It'll build up in a bit for a sprint finish and there'll be a final 15km of chaos.
From looking at tomorrow's stage I reckon Cav will be screwed if he doesn't get the win today.
Tomorrow looks even more brutal than Stage One was.
Tomorrow looks even more brutal than Stage One was
Time limit will be more generous tomorrow, and he's not been struggling anymore than Jakobsen really. It'll be tough but I reckon he'll survive.
Cheers @crazy-legs sounds like a good one to miss!
Tomorrow looks even more brutal than Stage One was.
It's the Galibier! It's a classic TdF mountain stage, albeit slightly shorter than normal. 2 x 2nd cat mountains then Hors Cat, over 140km. It's a proper mountain stage up a proper mountain but I'd prefer to ride that than the first stage.
20km to go, all properly picking up now, team formations coming together, speed is right up. Cav's up there in position too - he's at least getting set up for it.
That got chaotic very quickly. Even the commentators are still trying to work out what happened.
Big crash with about 3km to go split the bunch up a lot, MvdP was already off the back with a mechanical at 6km to go so the Alpecin sprint train had to do a quick bit of recalculation.
Rickaert (11) & Ballerini (8) were the only riders from Alpecin and Astana in the top 110
Very pleased with that result, though i wonder why Sir Cav ended up where he did.
Biniam Girmay is the first black African to win a stage of the tour. He’s also cool as heck.
Richard Carapaz is the first Ecuadorian to wear yellow. He is also cool as heck.
Double cools
Richard Carapaz is the first Ecuadorian to wear yellow. He is also cool as heck.
Carapaz, in spite of being current/defending Olympic Champion, has not been selected for the Olympics this year, I suspect this is a dig at the selectors as much as anything.
But yes, he's very cool.
Delighted for Biniam. So often the bridesmaid.
He was quite overwhelmed in his post-race interview. Lost for words.
Cav was full of praise for him as well. Admitted that the Astana team were caught out by the crash thus scuppering his own chances but then switched straight to praising Girmay, saying what a moment of history it was.
He’s also cool as heck
He is indeed very lovely, he was wonderfully overwhelmed by the moment but it was a proper win and it is unlikely to be his last. Been a great start to the tour so far
I'm glad Biniam won....
Put a pound on him to be top three at 20/1......!
https://inrng.com/2024/07/tour-de-france-stage-4-preview-valloire/#more-44727
https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/tour-de-france-2024-stage-four-preview
Previews of today's stage from both Inrng and Rouleur. Interesting mix up having a mountain stage this early on in the Tour, again making for some really open racing.
Anyway, should be a great stage plus scenery. 🙂
talk of some pidders pogi agro
I think G might be more of a 'marked' man...just catching up with the Watts Occurring podcast after stage one, and G basically said that Jonas, and WvA, well in fact all of Visma, were fat 🤣🤣 (all tongue in cheek obvs)
https://twitter.com/Watts_Occurring/status/1807167024847843532?t=SFMhM9AQcrf1Mfb11pW7FQ&s=19
random images from yesterday
top ten in GC
CARAPAZ Richard EF Education - EasyPost 25 15:20:18
POGAČAR Tadej UAE Team Emirates
EVENEPOEL Remco Soudal Quick-Step
VINGEGAARD Jonas Team Visma | Lease a Bike
BARDET Romain Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 0:06
BILBAO Pello Bahrain - Victorious 0:21
MARTIN Guillaume Cofidis
BERNAL Egan INEOS Grenadiers
HINDLEY Jai Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
VLASOV Aleksandr Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe
Martin & Hindley also managed to snatch some places in yesterdays Meleé
It's going to be relatively chilly today for the riders though 10mph headwind all day may dampen any fireworks
Is the Galibier clear? Looked like full winter barely a week ago.
yeah loads of pics of people riding over
https://twitter.com/oddoxshi/status/1807995107351609647
https://twitter.com/valloire/status/1806964653395792259
the obligatory team car reaction
https://twitter.com/IntermarcheW/status/1807836766444892276
A nice wee reminder about part of the TDF machine.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/articles/cxxx568grlwo
That second photo down that @Klunk posted of Girmay crossing the line is a thing of beauty. Had to wait for the highlights last night, but I think the shout I let out was probably only a bit less than if Cav had won it. An amazing sprint!
So happy for Intermarché–Wanty as well - they've made a huge impact in only a few years.
chance of some rain later, would make the final descent extra spicey
Although I normally love the proper mountain stages most I woke this morning thinking, 'when's the next sprinter's stage?' Go Cav!
Is the Galibier clear?
The pics of the "blocked" road showed a clear carriageway where snow had been pushed back to prevent through traffic. The snow depths are amazing though, I've seen one section where they cut down about 5m through the snow to reach the carriageway
he he Jasper off to try his luck @ tour femmes
https://twitter.com/AlpecinDCK/status/1808057118135550336
I’m not mentally prepared for a Galibier yet. Can we ask them to put it off for a few days so we can learn all the new kits better before they hit the mountains?
I'm really struggling with a lot of the kits, especially the like of Visma Lease a Bike and those that have completely changed their normal look.
don't see the "Pogi Attacks" on that list 😕
https://twitter.com/TeamEmiratesUAE/status/1808080379749748754
Stage just starting now - let the mountain scenery commence!
Gutted I'm not seeing this live. Know the roads really well, we have done Serre Che and Montgenvre in our motorhome for the past two winters.
Typically next summer we're planning on watching a stage in person for the first time ever. This stage would've been perfect!
Looking forward to the highlights already! May or may not be able to hold out on checking the result.
that was brilliant, peloton pranking Mads 😀
MvdP is a beast ! break killer!
Blimey Bernal clinging on already! short mountain stages are manic 😀
that was brilliant, peloton pranking Mads 😀
Aarrggghhh - what did I miss???
Feels like a Pidders type day 🤷🏼♂️
Strong “HOLD THE F****** WHEEL!” vibes right through the peleton in the uphill run to the intermediate sprint.
Bernal dropped
Roglic struggling too!!!!
WvA back in g2 !
Going pretty hard at the front, no break sticking yet but it's causing damage further back. I think Bernal has got himself back into the front half of the peloton after that split.
UAE starting to wind it up
3625metres of climbing today, oof!
looks warmer than forecast.
UAE aren't taking it easy on this descent.
UAE aren’t taking it easy on this descent.
Did you see that then - One hundred and seven kilometres an hour heading into town at the bottom of the descent.
Crikey.
Come on Williams, my team needs a boost
Although on Eurosport they are currently discussing when Pog will attack, not if
Is it just me or are they on the Lauteret not the Galibier?! Technicality perhaps...
It's counted as the lower slopes of the Galibier, they turn off onto the Galibier proper shortly.
Nils Politt has done a monumental turn to drag the break back by a minute, he's just sat up, UAE are now coming to the front. WvA properly dropped now as UAE begin to turn the screw.
Oh the breakaway has just imploded, started attacking each other. MvdP dropped from the breakaway and picked up by the peloton.
Looks like a tough head/cross wind on the mountain.
eyes down everyone - surely this has to kick off very soon. 5km to summit
Massively reduced group now. Pidcock dropped, Carapaz out the back door.
Bernal and G still there though. Adam Yates on the front. Romain Bardet gone.
It's like a UAE team time trial with Vingegaard hanging on in there!
Wow, UAE are an absolute freight train!
frog in a saucepan stuff at the moment - upping the pace incrementally
pog goes, ving follows for a bit but can't hold it
This descent is going to be spicy with the snow and melt across the road...!
Carlton seems to think Vingo is a demon descender - is that right ??
not pulling out any time at the moment so maybe not, looks like it will come together
amazing roads