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Great race so far for Jake and Fred.
Impressive win on his new bike, which he left lying on the floor while celebrating!
Great finish to the Women's Tour de Suisse too.
I'm kind of rooting for Remco at the moment. Will be good to have a spare superhuman to keep the racing interesting if Pog or Vinny have a mishap.
Today should be interesting, some decent climbs. Usual preview on The Inner Ring. I agree on Remco, would love to see him break the duopoly.
https://inrng.com/2025/06/dauphine-stage-6-preview-combloux/
Really appreciate you kicking things off again—had no idea the Giro was already starting! Like others here, I’ve missed a chunk of early season action due to the broadcasting changes. That TNT price tag is rough.
Shoutout for the Velogames league too—nice to keep the tradition alive. I’ve just dusted off my account and joined the mini-league. Team probably won't survive the first mountain stage, but it’s part of the fun.
Also, if anyone’s cycling around Ilford or East London and knows some quieter routes (especially for post-work loops), I’ve been exploring via local resources like this one:
👉 https://estateagentsilford.co.uk/ — it’s mostly about property and services, but oddly found a couple useful bits about greenways and development plans that may impact bike routes in the area.
Anyway, looking forward to some solid race chat here again this year. Let’s see if Pog does Pog things again or if we get a surprise GC shake-up. 👀🚴♂️
reports of Pog's demise exaggerated
reports of Pog's demise exaggerated
There was a lot of talk that he may well have been riding the TT to a plan and a specific pace, not to win but either as Tour prep or as mind games to make people think he was not on form / not having a good day.
Takes a minute on ving on a cat 2 climb, barely looked out of breath
Lets see tomorrow on the big stuff, hopefully a different story or the tour is going to be a forgone conclusion
Normal service resumed.
Yes, I drove down that climb earlier in the week. I think Pog rode up it faster than I drove down.
When you consider that Tadej has ridden the classics season but Jonas has based is full season around race it's pretty mad that they are so close.
Wouldn't surprise me if Tadej was riding tempo at the TT in order to not blow up as he's managing his form
Wouldn't surprise me if Tadej was riding tempo at the TT in order to not blow up as he's managing his form
I did see an ex pro suggesting that it was either a bluff or maybe more likely a training ride for the Tour time trial in that he had a bottle on the bike for what was a short ride which he'd not of done had he been going for the fastest time
Looks like Tadej was back on the correct supplements again. How anyone can pull out that big a gap that quickly is a mystery
Not quite so comprehensive today, though sometimes the speed he kicks at is amazing. After that he was just managing the gap, it seemed ('til Vingo pushed at the end)
I reckon it'll beTdF mind-games all round tomorrow
Good to see Ben Tulett in the top 10 - is going for GC in a smaller race his next step?
I thought Pog was very subdued in the interview at the end of today's stage rather than his usual cheery self.
Once again, it's got dull now that Pogacar is literally just toying with everyone.
Getting the bottle for Sivakov from the team car was more a show of strength than anything I think. A big "look at me" to the whole peloton. I'm strong enough, and have enough of a lead, that I can drop back to the car, collect some bottles and then ride in the wind all the way to the front of the peloton.
And then at the end, he was managing the gap then just eased up and coasted into the finish looking like he'd just finished the Sunday club run. Behind him Vingegaard finished looking like he'd had a shower in his own sweat.
It getting a bit boring now tagej disappears and no one goes with him. Why can he do it and no one else can.
Why can he do it and no one else can.
Maybe because he's better than the others.
Going to miss Gary & team's highlights after this year's TdF.
was thinking exactly this when they were showing the clips of Bardet fetching his gloves on the demand of his daughter. Just a lovely little part of the race that I don’t think we’d ever see on the TNT coverage.
As for Pogi dominance, it’s definitely more impressive than exciting or interesting. Visma have shown here that they can dismantle the UAE team a bit and I suspect they’ll also need to dissect Pog a bit too like they did in 2022. Here’s hoping we get to see some cool tactics.
Last day of the Dauphine, MvdP is off the front: 3:50 to the peloton, so an outside chance of a stage win
Tour de Suisse starts today too. Not showing live on tnt today but you can find streams if you look
I'm not hopeful of the current top handful of riders knocking seven bells out of each other in TDF this year, after Vin recovering from crash last year and Pog recovering from crash in '23 iirc.
Pog, with or without supplements, looks well ahead of Vin; Even etc.
Valentin Paret - Peintre needs a pie or two (also his brother, also Lenny Martinez). Considering the telly put 10lbs on, they all must be painfully thin in the flesh.
Good win for Oscar Onley in the Men's TdS queen stage.
And... Inner Ring TdF guide is out. https://inrng.com/tour/
On the subject of the Tour, BikeRadar has a great interview here with Ned Boulting:
Very good result for Oscar Onley in the TdS overall, with Finlay Pickering and Joe Blackmore also in the top 20 overall.
So many great British riders coming through - what are we, 13 years after 2012? So 6-12 years old at the time?
TdF starting on Saturday - Velogames anyone?
TdF starting on Saturday - Velogames anyone?
Same code / league should aplpy all season long, so if you entered the GIro and / or Dapuhine and now enter the TdF, you'll be in the league.
Entry is now open on Velogames
And a a reminder
The code for the STW mini league is 170623027, and that league will cover you for ALL velogames competitions so we can use the same one for the TDF and the vuelta
Not sure if I'm more excited for the TdF itself or the STW league 😂
So many great British riders coming through
Yep. Great to see more Brits winning the national champs. 😏
32 points for Pogi in Velogames 😮
So many great British riders coming through
Yep. Great to see more Brits winning the national champs. 😏
Colour me confused... my comment was a week ago. 34 British riders on World Tour teams now.
https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/british-worldtour-riders-men
15 entries in the mini league already but do remember to keep checking back - rider lists have not been finalised as there are some teams with only 4 or 5 riders listed, and a couple with TEN!
I'm in - if there is a change in roster I'm assuming I can make changes up until Friday?
if there is a change in roster I'm assuming I can make changes up until Friday?
You can change until Saturday lunch
Entries will close at 13:15 CEST (12:15 BST; 07:15 EST) on Saturday 5th July 2025.
It's nearly time
My team is in (2nd draft)
Can anyone see a world in where Pog is ever really under threat this Tour ? I just can't see any way Vingo is getting anywhere near him... well, he'll be nearer than anyone else.. but still.... Nah.
Injury, illness, heat stress, crash, some other kind of incident... but apart from that, no.
I am in, 3rd in the Giro comp, so fingers crossed I guessed right again this time. Pog + 8 others.
Can anyone see a world in where Pog is ever really under threat this Tour ?
No
Maybe a remote chance where pog gets all excited in week 1-2 and expends effort to minimal gain. Then come stage 18 he bonks and vingo pulls massive time on the loze. Echoes of 2023. Pog bonk is not unheard of. Except it is not 2023 and quite a lot needs to happen for this to occur.
Team Higgo entered again for another year. Fresh off winning the Dauphine 😁.
So are we saying if you choose Pog' in your team, your are handicapped....I have left him out, be more interesting;) Hopefully 🙂
So when Pogacar won it last year it was by 6'17"
Looking at his form this year, no one will come close to him. So do we reckon he'll get the winning gap up in to double figures this year?
do remember to keep checking back - rider lists have not been finalised
I had assumed that riders would magically disappear from my team if they weren't on the start list but they don't. Seems you actually have to check against the rosters. I'm not going to do it again though - I'm in as is, unless a "high-tariff" rider drops out
I left Pog out of the Daupine velogames and that was a BAD plan.
Team Tarte Tatin is ready for action. Trying my hardest to get good riders and not just the guys I like :O)
30 in the league, tha's not bad.
I had assumed that riders would magically disappear from my team if they weren't on the start list but they don't. Seems you actually have to check against the rosters.
On your team list, there's a column "StartList" that should indicate if they're still on a roster.
I think our best bet of a hard fought GC win, instead of a runaway Pog victory this year, is the extreme heatwave going on in France.
On your team list, there's a column "StartList" that should indicate if they're still on a roster.
Thanks nbt, not noticed that before
Anyone have an idea of how long it usually takes for the ITV highlights to become available on ITVX? Can't usually watch them when they broadcast at 7pm. In years gone by it used to be the following day before they were on ITVX, but I haven't tried for a long time as I had GCN/discovery before the price hike.
Highlights tend to appear by 10pm same day on ITVX
They got better at doing that as they realised people can't always watch and were complaining, i seem to recall last year they were normally up before the programme finished airing, or perhaps even earlier if it was on late (highlights on day 1 are not on till 11pm). No guaranteed time though
Anyone have an idea of how long it usually takes for the ITV highlights to become available on ITVX?
I've found it pretty variable. Anything from 9pm that night to 9am the next morning.
GCN have done a TdF preview here:
Definitely worth checking back against your raster. At least 2 of my team have gone from the list but were still on my team with a cross next to their names. Have changed them out. A certain top sprinter has gone from the list that many may have already chosen. So do check ....
A certain top sprinter has gone from the list that many may have already chosen.
Can you just tell us which sprinter it is?
Is anyone out in France to watch Stage 1 tomorrow?
The velogames who-is-in-what-list can be pretty random
I've been listening to BBC R5 for nearly 2 hours this morning, no mention of the world's greatest bike race, Geraint Thomas, only extended woffle about what the presenter had for dinner in Zurich as it's the women's euros. I'm losing access to most BBC output in a couple of weeks as I live abroad, no great loss.
ITS TEWER DEE FRAANTS TEIME BAYBEEEH
Lizzie Deignan is joining Ned and David in the Never Strays Far podcast, wonder if she might be in the itv coverage too?
Loooks like a sprinty stage today. Here's Jeff Ring over at inrng's preview:
https://inrng.com/2025/07/tour-de-france-stage-1-preview-lille/
Barring some kind of sneaky breakaway win, I feel like the relatively uncomplicated nature of the finale today will favour the teams with the best lead-out trains. As far as I can see, Alpecin and Lidl have by far the most firepower in this respect. In the past Alpecin have relied a bit on being a bit barge-y in the finale to keep position - it'll be interesting to see if the heft of Lidl'd Consoni/Milan combo can counteract this. My money's on Milan.
(The caveat being that trying to predict the first sprint of the Tour is always a fools errand)
Has G hit the ground yet? 😉
Has G hit the ground yet? 😉
I was in the LBS earlier and we more or less said exactly this! Sort of a "what do you think will happen in the Tour?" conversation and between us we got:
G to crash on stage 1
and
Pogacar to win every stage / wear yellow from start to finish.
ITV4 coverage from 11.45. Bring on the final year of funeral plans and donkey sanctuary ads.
GCN Tech video looking at some of the bikes and kit:
It’s live on ITV, yes, live now!
G to crash on stage 1
This misunderstands the lore of Geraint Thomas. Not for him the quotidian venture of crashing on Stage 1. That's for normal bike riders without his deep experience.
No, Thomas will wait at least a few stages before crashing in an unprecedented and baffling way. Maybe this year someone in front will have a puncture that leaves a little slick of sealant that he wipes out on. Maybe he'll get a heron trapped in his spokes.
Crosswind alert!!
Ganna and Bissiger out.
Roglic hasn't crashed yet I don't think.
ITV4 coverage from 11.45. Bring on the final year of funeral plans and donkey sanctuary ads
And the deeply disturbing Sun Life naturist ad. 🤢
Plenty of drama already.
Anyone else having transmission problems with ITV4? Very low quality picture. Other channels are OK