Tour de France 2024

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The Giro league code still works.

I am looking forward to it!

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League Code: 159285217

I gather Pogacar, Vingegarrd and Evenepoel all broke Pantani’s record for the Plateau de Beille climb yesterday…(I know that in itself raises eyebrows).

It is however maybe worth bearing in mind that according to some reports on TV they had a favourable wind ..I do know the climb is fairly straight with only maybe a couple of hairpins once you get above the main tree line with about 5 km to go, so tailwind could be a factor.

As far as P verse V goes I think a lot is down to (as @TonTonMacoute mentioned) Vingegarrd hasn’t really recovered from his accident, though he has a reputation of coming good in week three so the Alps might be interesting.

BTW hats off to Cav (and his team) for getting in just under the cutoff time…that looked like it really really hurt….Andre Demarre scrapped inside with 30 seconds to go and one poor sod (?Welten) made it to the top but didn’t make the cut.

It is however maybe worth bearing in mind that according to some reports on TV they had a favourable wind ..I do know the climb is fairly straight with only maybe a couple of hairpins once you get above the main tree line with about 5 km to go, so tailwind could be a factor.

thanks for this... I want to believe its clean and you've given me hope. I actually didn't watch yesterday as I had become despondent. Ive been watching live during the week through the day so far

I'm surprised Geraint Thomas is riding with a positive Covid diagnosis. I doubt he's the only one, but I can't imagine it makes him very popular in the peloton. I hope it's not a case of last man standing by the end!

I think there are a few of them doing so . The clue is usually if they arrive/leave in the team car, masked up, rather than in the team bus.

Yes once out of the trees, its predominantly straight, i rode this last year and it was brilliant heading toward the top, had a lovely breeze during the last 6k, its still bloody steep though!!!!

The main reason so many riders beat Pantani's time is that the first half of the climb was ridden so fast and TP etc had an armchair ride, then stuck to Jonas's wheel after he attacked, Pantani on the other hand, rode in the wind for most of the climb.

I was amazed Jonas has ridden so well, i genuinely thought he'd struggle to make top 10.
But for me, as a huge Remco fan, i'm so pleased he has confounded his critics and had (so far) a fantastic first tour, he is such a competitive rider and has paced his efforts brilliantly.

Really think we are in for some very exciting stages, including of course the ITT into Nice, the top 3 is not a done deal.

@Alexandra2001

Hi

Yes once out of the trees, its predominantly straight, i rode this last year and it was brilliant heading toward the top, had a lovely breeze during the last 6k, its still bloody steep though!!!!

Yep, Plateau de Belle is steep and seemingly never ending…

It’s one of our local climbs and often gets used as the final ascent on our big annual sportive. I’ve done it a few times over the years, though less so recently, and I’ll have to admit I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with that particular climb, the emphasis being on hate….

As you say the Tour and podium positions aren’t decided yet.

I was pleased to see a good ride by Simon Yates yesterday though disappointed he didn't win. We first met both twins when they were starting off their professional careers at Orica Greenedge and my now adult son was a very star struck primary school pupil. They were both absolutely lovely with him and we've followed their careers with interest ever since. If the rumours are true this is probably Simon's last grand tour with Jayco so I'd love to see him take a stage.
They've also been my favourite team for a long time, through their various iterations (I'm in a Backstage Pass video but I'm not saying which one! ) Not sure what I am going to do when my favourite rider leaves my favourite team...divided loyalties there!

I'm annoyed that i didn't notice that Oscar Onley was in the Tour as I'd have picked him as a fellow Scot - and I presume he'd have been "cheap"

@notimagain Would that be the L'ariegeoise? we've done that 4x, would have done it this year but the transfer at the end was mess, Ax to Tarascon, is dangerous using the N Road and tough going via the Route de Corniche & it looks like they cut the route short too.

Never done the XXL versions!

Ah yes, that’s the one.

Like you I’ve not done the full leaded course but done the Mountagnole (the 120 ish km, sort of XL version) a handful of times..I have to emphasize I was pretty hopeless at it all and often in contention for the Lanterne Rouge. Even with a triple ring and the biggest cog I could fit on the back I usually ended pulling the Voiture Balai around the course …but I always somehow managed to finish.

Sadly old age plus increased domestic and other commitments have got in the way of cycling in recent years and I’ve got too much of a yellow stripe up the middle of my back to subject myself to that sort of abuse without putting the training in beforehand.

Its such a beautiful area, we made good friends with B&B owners in Ax, who have sadly sold now, another reason why we didn't do it again this year but the plan is to return in 2025..... as you say, its a tough call to do the training required, the hills in cornwall, though lots about, just haven't the length, so i always suffer lol!

Good stage yesterday was happy that one of my team won! The rest of them are not doing so well sadly. Apart from Pog, obviously.

Geraint Thomas is doing his Watts Occurring podcast during the Tour - it's quite nice - they don't say much really but they do waffle on a lot, so quite relaxing to listen to

Just watched today’s stage and I too have doubts that won’t go away.

David Walsh wrote an article the other day about a carbon monoxide rebreathing technique that some teams (including UAE) are using. He was very cagey about it but he has clearly drawn attention to it because of its links with haematocrit levels.

No one wants to be allowed to win but I’m afraid Pogacar has gone down in my estimation, I thought his annihilation of everyone else, when he has such a clear lead, was lacking in sportsmanship.

CO rebreathing isn't banned, so even if he is using this, he isn't doing anything wrong. Haematocrit levels are monitored via biological passport, any sudden unexplained increase could lead to a ban....

IF riders are doping, it might well be on weight loss, fat utilisation, whilst keeping and increasing muscle, they'll also be using drugs no one has ever heard of.

Personally, i think not, riders like Pogacar are using training methods unheard just a few years ago and once in a while, exceptional riders come along....

On winning, of course he is going for maximum time (and wins) over everyone else, would you expect a F1 driver to back off in the final races if he had already secured the drivers championship?

First bit…yep, I’m slightly uneasy but Vingegaard isn’t at his best following his accident a while back so it’s hard to judge.

With regard to the last para and sportsmanship…don’t forget there’s still time (just) for Poj to suffer a mechanical/crash/off day and ship a load of time..so I think it was entirely reasonable for him to try and increase the lead…

With regard to the last para and sportsmanship…don’t forget there’s still time (just) for Poj to suffer a mechanical/crash/off day and ship a load of time..so I think it was entirely reasonable for him to try and increase the lead…

Yes, but he could still have done that without depriving Jorgensen of the stage - his palmarès plus £11,000

It will be interesting to see if he makes a habit of it or if someone in the peloton has a word.

Yes, but he could still have done that without depriving Jorgensen of the stage - his palmarès plus £11,000

Which of course would have reduced the time he put into Vingegaard and possibly wouldn’t greatly please the UAE back room team who (if tradition is observed) get a cut of the total prize pot the team has picked up at the end of the Tour - that latter point might in part be explain why his DS was heard on the team radio a km or two from the end telling him/encouraging him to go for the stage win.

Vingegaard has won the last two TdFs and had no qualms about building up a seven and a half minutes margin over Poj last year.

I think it is a bit idealistic to expect Poj should have taken his foot off the gas today when he had the opportunity to cement the win and give himself a decent time buffer in case something goes wrong on the road tomorrow or on Sunday.

TBH if people think "Doping" then look no further than Visma, Mateo was out front all day, yet lost to Pogacar by just a handful of seconds, Pogacar had a somewhat more protected ride.....

Then there is Jonas, how a guy who had his injuries is even in the Tour, let alone 2nd is mystery, Remco is no slouch yet Jonas cruised in behind him.

Me? i just think these professionals are all on another planet

& its unrealistic to expect the yellow jersey to gift wins, fair enough if Mateo had rode with Pogacar over the last 10k but Mateo simply wasn't strong enough and of course is Jonas's team mate.

"have a word?" Pogacar and to a lesser extent Remco are the two patrons in this era's peloton.

I'll reserve judgment on both of them even though Vingegaard is on my team and Pogacar is not : I think the science of the training nowadays is off the scale. Until proven otherwise, I'll give them both the benefit of the doubt.

I remember all the insinuations last year of Vingegaard when he eviscerated Pogacar in the time trial. But being an uphill finish, some of the difference could have been attributed to Pogacar's only recently healed badly broken wrist that meant that he couldn't use the TT bike going up the hill.

Meanwhile…..I wonder if Cav is going to make an attempt at being the outright winner of the Lanterne Rouge..looking at the interesting end of the GC there’s a whole bunch in contention for the award going into the last two stages…😁

Feel sorry for the riders that miss the time cut, i know they have to have a cut-off but with the top riders breaking all time climbing records & stages being so brutal perhaps these need to be a little more generous?

Pogacar said he will let the break go today and enjoy the stage with his team... anyone think he was being serious??

I think it is a pity that the Tour ends in a time trial. It could never be quite the same as the Champs Elysees but Nice does have a long promenade that could be part of a similar finish.

You have to admire the sprinters for suffering through the final mountain stages without even the reward of a sprint stage to finish on

Quite, though i guess the organisers were trying to relive the 1989 Fignon vs LeMond TT nail biter into Paris, Jonas's crash and Pogacars dominance saw that plan wrecked.

So pleased for Cav though, if he can make to Nice, its a brilliant end to his fantastic career.