Tour de France 2021

Wow @WillMelling is that your photo?? Brilliant if so, what a look! A few years back I got to hear Eros tell the story of that stage, and the circumstances that came together that day. Brain-bending stuff.

Oh I say, Eros Poli.

Yes - that was really good.

Superb article and interview with Poli here, and some video. 171km solo break https://cyclingtips.com/2016/07/where-are-they-now-eros-poli-the-giant-of-ventoux/

The Trek-Segafredo idea of supporting Koen De Kort with a handsign that highlights all the fucking fingers he lost is not a good one.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ_s4QZHJNV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Like that joke that if Jesus ever did come back, do you think he’d want to see crucifixes everywhere?

^^^ that Poli article is brilliant.

One of the comments is another account from the day and worth reading.

Ventoux is beyond iconic.

Cycled up it (from Malaucene) in the late 90s.

Rode past someone who had crashed and died on the road on the descent down to Bedoin.

At 60kph on the descent, and therefore in very quick succession, we passed a Gendarme's car, a bike lent up against the Armco, a body under a plastic sheet with their feet higher up the road than the head.

All of this barely processed in not much longer than it took for my tyres to go "thwitt, thwitt" through the stream of blood that ran across the road.

There wasn't much chat between me and my two brothers when we got to the bottom of that descent.

Going back and doing the Galérien (all three ascents plus the forest road) is on my list of things to do. In 2011 I had a brief chat during PBP with Paul Rozelle who did the Galérien on fixed 3 days before riding PBP. Nutter.

the Columbians

Now you're just trolling.

Could be worse, they could spell it Coulombians, and then you could charge them with something.

I stopped trying to ride downhill as fast as possible after a few similar experiences. A few on events; one locally where the road had a huge patch of subsidence on the outside of a bend which caused a big stack, helicopter ride and stay in ICU for one guy and 3 or 4 big ones in one year at Ride London (which in fairness were probably not a mistake made by the injured riders, given the standard of some riders on RL).

The most recent was the worst. Right next to where I used to live there are three steep hills (between 12 and 23% gradient). Bloke picked 23% gradient route (in 3 years I rode down it once, it's a stupid downhill on a bike), lost control, hit parked car, flew a long way before hitting a second parked car to bring him to a halt; the police said he died on impact. Heard the crash but didn't see it.

Downer thread >>>>

Hadn’t occurred to me, but my memory just wonders whether there is a better descent then Ventoux to Malaucene.

toys hill to brastead chart

Descending into Budva in Montenegro was pretty special.

+1, it's heavenly

There’s only one person at this year’s tour who could get round Cav.

https://youtu.be/bhMAoCo3jOk

Polhill to Bromley South ❤️❤️❤️

Polhill to Bromley South ❤️❤️❤️

Where dreams are made

Hmm. Planning to cross Ventoux riding from London to Nice.

Looks like Malucene -> Sault is the logical direction, but, is it worth doing it the normal way of you've never ridden up it before?

Malaucène was my favourite of the 3 climbs, but the iconic image of riding up towards the station is from Chalet Reynard.
IMO, if you only have time for one ascent, don't bother with the Bedoin climb unless you want to tick it off. Zero views until you get to the Chalet.
Les Gorges de la Nesque aren't to be missed either.

Todays stage profile.

How much more time will Pog take?

Malaucene is my favourite climb, it's more varied in gradient and the views are much better. Just less claustrophobic too.

Bedoin is just a unrelenting grind until you get to Chalet Reynard. Then it's great.

Sault is a very pleasant climb until you join up with the main road.

Descent down to Malaucene is my favourite ever by quite a long way.

I’m thinking Yates/Chaves for the win from the break today.
Dual purpose to try and knock Cavendish out the time limit.

Hopefully his bike will be right on the weight limit, no ultegra biz today!
Think it helps having the downhill run in.
🤞🤞🤞