Tour de France (Contains Spoilers) 🚴🏼‍♀️🇫🇷

What a race that was!
I am devastated for Marc Hirschl. He deserved more than second but Pogacar is the best rider in the race at the moment.
Roglic also pipped him. He just went a bit early in the sprintt
It's a pity landa lost time in cross winds as he looks strong. Never looked in bother at all today. Deserves to be further up the GC leaderboard
 
I have Hirschi in my CQ Manager team (had him last year as well). Another classy young rider. I had Pogacar last year and wishing I'd picked him again, but he was expensive after the Giro. Doh!!

Pogacar is some talent.
 
Good read about Pinot in the below article. But did get me scratching my head.. Why is Bardet not given an outside chance to win the tour? I've always fancied Pinot more than Bardet to win the yellow jersey but that is probably because he has a bit more TT ability but Bardet has as much talent if not more when it comes to climbing. He's had 2 or 3 podium finishes in the tour and can attack on the big climbs as well as any other rider in the GC race when on top form.

I think of Pinot more of a steady climber like Dumoullin who doesn't really attack of the front but more seems to hold his pace and hope others crack around him. Bardet has a bit more flamboyance.

https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/8674/is-thibaut-pinot-the-most-human-of-all-professional-cyclists
 
Bardet is a poor time trialler I think and usually puts pay to any GT ambitions that have ITTs. This years climbing ITT may suit him better but hes still inferior to his rivals.

https://www.procyclingstats.com/statistics/start/head-to-head/thibaut-pinot-vs-romain-bardet

Yes I get that Bardet is a poor time trialler but he's still had more podium finishes than Pinot and Pinot has a history of not finishing the tour. Even that article is ruling out a French winner despite Bardet currently sitting in 4th in the GC and only 30secs down.

Bardet has always had huge time losses in the TTTs as well but no TTT this year and a climbers ITT gives him the best chance he's going to get surely.
 
Yes I get that Bardet is a poor time trialler but he's still had more podium finishes than Pinot and Pinot has a history of not finishing the tour. Even that article is ruling out a French winner despite Bardet currently sitting in 4th in the GC and only 30secs down.

Bardet has always had huge time losses in the TTTs as well but no TTT this year and a climbers ITT gives him the best chance he's going to get surely.

Can’t see Bardet making the podium myself. Too many good riders around him.
What’s Martin like in a TT?
 
So far btw - Ineos, UAE, AG2R, Trek and Movistar all Covid free.
More to follow
Fingers crossed

Same for Cofidis and Bora

Appear to be some rumours about jumboVisma....
 
Yes I get that Bardet is a poor time trialler but he's still had more podium finishes than Pinot and Pinot has a history of not finishing the tour. Even that article is ruling out a French winner despite Bardet currently sitting in 4th in the GC and only 30secs down.

Bardet has always had huge time losses in the TTTs as well but no TTT this year and a climbers ITT gives him the best chance he's going to get surely.

Go back 3 or 4 years are Bardet was still very much the darling of the French and the TdF hope. I think it was 2018 or 2019 when he actually came out and said maybe I'm not going to win, maybe I should just focus on stages and the KOM. I think that probably accounts for some of the decline in focus on him. Plus the rise of the next generation (and his perpetual crap TT skills). But I do agree, he's very under the radar this year, but looks pretty good. If he hits top form he could do something, and even the TT suits him like you say.
 
More gossip chewing on Twitter I see. Let’s get the Tour going again.

Every rider clear to ride

Update - Prudhomme tested positive :oops:

And, 1 member of Ineos, AG2R, Mitchelton Scott and Cofidis wider teams have tested +ve and been sent home
Could be interesting - effectively a yellow card. 1 more and the team is out
 
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Just noticed that mid-stage they'll be passing through this weird fortified citadelle, Brouage, where I spent a week a couple of summers ago.
Watch out for the transporter bridge at Rochefort too.

Brouage.jpg
 
Enjoyable stage with all the carnage in the crosswinds. Finishing with the 3 most likely riders doing battle to the line.

I just checked and it was 2015 when we last got to the first rest day without Sagan taking a stage. He won the PC Jersey that year without taking a single stage. Maybe the same will happen this year.
 
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