Pro-cycling thread

Expect wout to up the anti again

Poor Wout P, briefest glimpse of him winning

weird tactics in the last few ks.

WvA works all day in break for some reason, pushes break further and further so he cannot be a satellite rider at the end. Gets dropped on final climb and clearly isn't going to win, but keeps riding and doesn't even try drop back to help vingo who is isolated (maybe it was too big of a gap, but he helped make that gap!)

Yates rides away from Pogi instead of helping keep pace / taking some amount of wind. Doesn't really make sense even if you are thinking about his GC status as he is far too far from Pog/Vingo to be an actual threat and 3rd + 2nd do not = 1st. Ends up getting passed by them anyways.

Vingo looks stronger than Pog in the final two K's but doesn't even try an attack over Rodriguez even when it looks like he has some distance from Pog. This one can be explained by him being on the limit / not wanting to give Pog a free ride, but with GC so close it doesn't make sense to not at least try.

If Pog had gaped Vingegaard he would have had Yates and Soler waiting for him up the road, and we’d be praising them for their tactics.

If Pog had gaped Vingegaard

Do not want

Cannot unsee 😖

I think this might be the day Vingeegard effectively lost the tour. Think he could have been braver, presumably he was on his limit.

Still don't understand wouts attempt .

Nuff said.

I'm not sure I understand bike racing after this week

Yes it’s very strange. Surely Vingegaard isn’t happy with his tiny lead at this point? He seemed in better shape than Pogacar today, I really don’t understand why he didn’t attack. He can’t be saving it all for the TT can he? Seems a risky gamble.

And Pog’s tactic of very explosive attacks in the last km of every summit finish - he’s only ever going to gain a few seconds each time, even if he can get away. They are both having their teams work insanely hard and then not doing anything much at the end of each stage. Maybe they really are perfectly matched, and both absolutely on the limit, but it doesn’t look like that - it really seems they are both saving something.

Only a couple of really big stages left. It’s been fascinating but weirdly unsatisfying!

At least the trope that Jonas is just a diesel can be pushed to the side. I bet about 90% of his training from the last year has been uphill sprinting

It's a really intriguing race. Normally the tactics wouldn't seem to make much sense but they are so far above everyone else, and so evenly matched, that as long as they get to the last climb together without having made too much effort it doesn't matter who else is there; Jumbo pull, Pogacar sits on, UAE pull, Vingegaard sits on. Jumbo might have had something else planned today before the crash affected them, who knows? Vingegaard did look comfortable. I'm sure Pogacar is really relieved that Roglic went to the Giro though, he'd be in the same trouble as last year if Roglic was there.
Happy for Poels, his team sponsor is detestable but he deserves success.

Don't normally watch ITV coverage and certainly not rest day broadcasts, as it used to be just stage recaps but they've actually got some new footage of some of the crashes (bike cams) as well as doing some other side stories and interviews. #csb

My thoughts are they fear each other they both know up close and personal just how good the other is.
So they both know that one mistake could be the one that looses the Tour. So they are both being cautious putting off the big big bold attack at the bottom of the climb for fear that it could hand the win to the other, so they both hold back a bit, to save a bit just incase, for another day?

Could it be that they might not they go all out full gas on the TT tomorrow because of the Queeen Stage on Wednesday? I wonder.

Could it be that they might not they go all out full gas on the TT tomorrow because of the Queeen Stage on Wednesday? I wonder.

No.

Probably goes without saying but I think it'll be close. I'm hoping for an under 20 second gap either way. Think Jonas will edge it

Apparently there's bike changes on the TT today, plenty of room for disaster.

It's not mandatory but likely they will change at the bottom of the last climb.

@xavierdisley wrote a great summary of the stage on Twatter.

Here you go: https://twitter.com/xavierdisley/status/1680908089237577728

Thanks @xavierdisley Love these!

Nice one! Here's the thread for anyone who doesn't have Twitter

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1680908089237577728.html

There's a really good article on the factors teams have to consider by Ronan Macloughlin on the Escape Collective, for those that subscribe.

This thread/TT analysis is brilliant!
Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

Anyone know what time the big two are off?

15:58 and 16:00 UK time.