Pro-cycling thread

I've got Jorgenson and Woods in my fantasy team today. Rubs hands

USA are going to declare war on Canada at this rate...

Lol, woods didn't even look at him as he blasted past

Hearbreak for Jorgenson. 48k on his own

Got mugged on the line too. Harsh

Tactically he was perfect.

Yes bumped off the podium was rough for Jorgenson

Pidcock in some company

Great stage. Harsh one for Jorgiepoo

I love Jorgo. Such a shame. Also have a soft spot for Woodsy. Very conflicted.

GC is prime time rn. This rest day couldn’t come soon enough for Vingo. Like a stumbling fighter praying for the bell.

Vingegaard isn't going to win the Tour.

I hope you're right, but that's a big early call. The long alpine climbs suit him better and the tt is too short to make much difference. Whether Pogacar's form will continue, improve or fade due to interrupted preparation or comparative freshness is the real question.

Not that I'm picking on you about this especially, but where does this view that longer alpine climbs suit Vingegaard better and, by implication, are worse for Pogacar come from? You hear it a lot, but the evidence to support it is patchy at best.

It seems to have become accepted wisdom and I'm curious as to why and how.

“The death zone”

I think it's a big call too.

However, I am wondering if Pog's injury-related reduced Tour prep has left him fresher than
Vingegaard and now he's riding himself into form just like the old Chris Froom/Ineos tactic.

I feel like this rest day is well timed for Vingogo particularly though.

Next pogacar -vingegard battle going to come on Friday’s summit finish or is there a chance for something before then?

Edit - have just looked through the stages. 13 through 17 look like one brutal stage after another.

Probably because he is 6kg lighter, and with identical W/kg uses less energy over multiple longer mountain stages.
Though it hasn’t doesn’t really seem to affect Pogacar much.

Same accepted wisdom that Colombians are mountain goats as they are better adapted to altitude probably.

I didn't say the alpine climbs would be worse for Pogacar. As the lighter rider, with what appears to be an enormous diesel engine the long steady Alpine efforts should suit Vingegaard better than the more explosive changes of gradient in the Pyrenees. There is some limited evidence of this from last year, but nothing conclusive.

.

Vingo doesn’t have the double threat of Rog, which cracked Pog on Granon (although he probably shouldn’t have chased). Plus Pog bonked, apparently. Hopefully he’s got a pocket full of Trackers this year.

Kuss is useful but doesn’t need to be chased. Jumbo look strong but not sure how effective they are when it matters.

Pog will win this tour by more than two minutes. Vingo should podium.

I’m right, but if I’m wrong it’s cos variables.

I know you didn't. As I said before, I'm not picking on you about this, but you are saying what seems to have become received wisdom, that Vingegaard is better suited to longer climbs and, as you rightly say, there is limited evidence of this.

There's a similar thing happening with Pogacar in that people believe he doesn't like the heat and he's weaker at higher altitude, even though the evidence to support this is also patchy. (He didn't look too troubled by the heat yesterday for example).

I just find it an interesting phenomenon, how something is said by a journalist or commentator and becomes accepted as fact because, presumably, people tell other people and everyone accepts it.

Every time the camera showed Pog on the climb yesterday there was a teammate dumping a bottle of water over him. At the time I was wondering whether that was theatrics or whether he was actually suffering. I guess the finale showed the answer to that. He was feigning suffering on the Tourmalet stage too. I reckon he plays up to the fact that people don't think he can handle heat and altitude.

Every time the camera showed Pog on the climb yesterday there was a teammate dumping a bottle of water over him. At the time I was wondering whether that was theatrics or whether he was actually suffering

Spotted that too - certainly fooled me.

I honestly think he took a surreptitious, on-bike, nature break and was showering down.

Pog is going to sit in Vigo's wheel for the next 2 weeks with the occasional overtake to take a bit more time. JV have no way of baiting him out so can only try attacking the mountains and hope he cracks. Unless they both crash on a descent. I've got an outside bet on Gaudu making it on to the podium.