Along_the_Wire Apols, Granto, I forgot you’re working while I’m laid off on the couch stuffing canapes into my gob. No need for the running commentary tomorrow just in case you’re catching up again.

      LT42 all good Vin! The die is cast, but fuck me, WVA?! Gutted he didn’t take the polka dot, but he’s the rider of the Tour for me. Amazing.

      Rest of the race is a formality given the gaps and a shame it isn’t close, but it’s been a sensational race up to now.

      • LT42 replied to this.

          Along_the_Wire The die is cast, but fuck me, WVA?! Gutted he didn’t take the polka dot, but he’s the rider of the Tour for me. Amazing.

          100%. He’s unbelievable. I think if he really wanted to he could win every stage.

            Interesting that it’s seemingly changed from being about team support to being more about individual riders now. Like when I used to watch Evans, Froome, Wiggins, and prior to that Contador was it, It was all driven by team tactics. So what changed exactly? I’m not that genned up on it recently due to kids, but teams definitely don’t seem to drive it like they did. That’s why sky were always so formidable.

              Cankles-McJeggings I honestly think Pogacar changed it - when he first won the Tour he had a really shit team and he just followed the wheels of teams driving the pace and attacked from there. The bigger teams also seem to have multiple leaders these days, which was stupid in my view, but look at Jumbo - it’s done them proud. I think Ineos need to get themselves a hybrid sprinter like WVA or VDP who can be a workhorse too - replace Ganna with him.

                Not many of them about though is there? How many can afford to pay pog like wages of 6 mil a year ?

                Quintana has never done it either has he? I remember when he first broke onto the scene with Movistar was it? And everyone saying this guy is born and bred mountains and is a sure winner one day and he has never realised it. Probably never will now either. Didn’t see Nibili either this year, he usually fucks it up on the Giro. Is that what happened again? Or is he just old now?

                  Cankles-McJeggings Nibali is just old. Quintana won the Vuelta, but never kicked on and just isn’t the same rider. There are a lot of very good riders breaking through across a lot of teams

                    Quick Step were great last year and Jumbo Visma have been top class during this one, the epitome of team work.

                      LT42 If Pog & Vingegaard swapped teams, Pog would have won this tour. It was the stage where he was completely isolated and lost 3 mins which has done for him. So 100% its still all about the teams, despite there not being a sky train rolling around france.

                          apyssjw Yeah, you have to hand it to Pogacar as he’s been up against a Visma gang of brutes all by himself really, losing Majka when he did was the final nail in the coffin for him. Has McNulty been carrying injury or illness I wonder? he’s a had a poor Tour.

                              LT42 Has McNulty been carrying injury or illness I wonder?

                              Thought his tour would go down to the wire I must say.

                              Take my wife!

                                Along_the_Wire he just wouldn’t have been attacked repeatedly in the same way if defended by Rog and wva and probably would have matched vin on the climbs imho (plus vin had wva on the cobbles etc etc).

                                First tour in a bit where the time gaps are significant.

                                    apyssjw no mate, he was fucked, it wouldn’t have mattered if he had team mates, he broke. He had no team mates the last two years and won at a canter

                                      I think Sean Kelly alluded to this today, saying Pogacar maybe didn’t structure his season as well as he should have, going all in for earlier races and burning himself a bit for the Tour.

                                      So one for Grant to explain, how does Jonas, pretty much a pure climber in terms of build, come within a few seconds of the monster powerhouse WVA on a flat 40k TT?

                                      Mightily impressive and seems to throw out any notion of ‘build’ for this type of race.

                                        They all beat Ganna too. Anyone know when the men’s race starts? Is it after the novelty one?

                                        Thinking of shifting from running to cycling.

                                        Tooting’s answer to Wout Van Aert is en route.