Tour de France 2021

man has a monaco mortgage and 2 kids, I wish him luck and success

Absolutely. He’ll take over the job after Brailsford has derailed.

Late to this, but why was Vingegaard working with Pogacar today? He's the yellow jersey, make him work and then try and beat him for the stage.

Jumbo-Visma 'tactics' are idiocy. They could do with a lesson from Movistar.

He got pissed off with Carapaz just sitting in 3rd wheel, so had a word with Pog.

Carapaz absolutely did the right thing. Vingegaard should learn from him, not get pissed off.

Coz Pog is cool. Peer pressure.

Yup, but youth n all that. Give him time.

why was Vingegaard working with Pogacar today?

To secure second place by eliminating Uran. Carapaz doesn't TT as well as Vingegaard or Uran it seems.

Surely he was just trying to get as much time as possible on Uran and with Pogacar having to reason to work that hard, and also wanting to save himself for a win, it made sense to do turns?

He probably wouldn't get very far attacking Pogacar. Pogacar was also doing them a favour in GC terms by taking turns on the front.

Pogacar is like a one-man Sky train.

Yeah, even I'd bought his bared teeth for like 30mins. When he was fucking with his Garmin though I was like "nah, this dude's been playing the whole time". Lovely play. Only 4s behind Vinegar Guy now.

why was Vingegaard working with Pogacar today

Working on the assumption that Pog wasn't going near full gas and could leave them behind at any point in time?

Carapaz is the Toni Kroos of cycling. Similar away jersey as well.

Everything that is being said about Froome now has been said about AreCav.

If he's happy to finish 159th and so are those who pay his wages, it's his life.

Late to this, but why was Vingegaard working with Pogacar today?

Yeah. What a nob. And people getting salty with Carapaz for not riding? What on earth? If Pog and Vinegaard are dumb I mean youthfully exuberant enough to domestique for him for a bit in their own (and hardly altruistic) attempt to win the stage, why not?

but cav gives us drama; froome gives us hammerhead karoo

Working with Pog was the right choice. Both were benefitting. Start wheelsucking like Billy and he'll try to run away or stop giving everyone a free ride. It's not like Pog needed to put more time on anyone, just wanted the stage.

Start wheelsucking like Billy and he'll try to run away or stop giving everyone a free ride

I think if he could have just dropped both of them, then he would have just proceeded to have done just that. Why would he not, unless he couldn't, or didn't believe he could make it stick?

He would be a lot more inclined to do so if Vingo was just sitting. Or just sit behind and save himself for a sprint. Either way the tour is done, better secure the podium.

Either way the tour is done, better secure the podium.

It was about winning the stage, not winning the tour, because yes, it's pretty much done. The stage is what Pogacar wanted; he made that clear earlier when he attacked the favourites group. That he couldn't drop everyone was his problem, but Vinegard decided to share that problem, giving up his opportunity to sit on and have a good chance of getting the stage and further neutralising Uran for free in the process. Uran had already been dropped by this point.

He didn't win the stage and he didn't secure anything, in the end.

Everything that is being said about Froome now has been said about AreCav.

If he's happy to finish 159th and so are those who pay his wages, it's his life.

Preach. I doubt he's happy about finishing so low down the order, but if he wants to ride the TdF and has a place in the team then fair play to him. God knows, I'd be in the broom wagon before the neutralised section on stage 1 finished.

As a great man once said, "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

I respect Froome far more for trying and failing than just giving up.

I'm sure Froome will be better next year, not Grand Tour-winning form, obviously, but definitely better. Who knows if he can ever be a genuine contender again, but he won't be in the gruppetto next year.

they should rename it the froome wagon

@Brommers@Oliver Schick

Agree, Agree.

Show some respect. Around here it's called the Betancur Wagon #ClassAct