Tour de France 2021

I’d be amazed if he doesn’t start. He’s tough as hell. Every sleeping policeman will hurt him.

Bar the spectator incident is there any reason behind this year being particularly crashy?

Thomas is there

Spend millions on 'marginal gains' when really just need to send him to a weeks summer camp with VCL youths.

No prologue to set the GC. More teams having the depth to run trains from >50k out to position GC riders, amidst every other lead-out.

Some people are saying disc brakes, but I’m not sure about that one.

Feels the same as last year to me, I remember everyone saying it was because of coming out of not much racing

The choice of roads is the main problem. It was the same at the Giro stage when Landa and Dombrowski crashed. Everyone know the stages where there are going to be crashes in advance, and then we watch it play out. Grim.

all of the above plus everyone's super horny

Either not updated or Ewan is hard as nails.

https://www.letour.fr/en/withdrawal

all of the above plus everyone's super horny

Is this like the Olympic village, have they all been issued condoms but been told not to fuck each other?

I think it’s updated after sign on is closed
I’ve read elsewhere that Hincapie is saying G is a DNS for today.

everyone’s super horny

top-shelf #insight

Did he cross the line - I see he was listed last, but given the same time as the winner? What's the deal with that? If you crash in the sprint you are deemed to have finished?

https://www.letour.fr/en/rankings

Ewan has broken his collarbone apparently. Won't start today.

Good point. I thought you still had to cross the line and that has to be unassisted too and (being careful not to cause any controversy or upset in a horrible situation) he may have done in the ambulance.

Matt Rendell apologised he didn’t know the answer to that.

I thought there was a new fashion of frosted tips in all the jersey classification photos, but on closer inspection it's just terrible lighting.

"Go slow" protest in the works

Yep, seems a bit odd. Lotto tweeted that he's definitely out - but they are so quick fixing these collarbones I wonder if anyone will ever get one pinned and be back on it over night!?

Just interested that a guy that clearly didn't ride over the line still gets classified. Must be something to do with the crash in last 2km means he's awarded the same time, but still odd they couldn't DNF him last night. Anyway, semantics in the great scheme of things.

Two of the crashes yesterday (Haig and Roglic) happened on narrow, twisty roads with sprint teams and GC teams moving up for positions.

Chris Boardman on the ITV highlights suggested this is racing in Brittany.

Also, Roglic didn't ride the Dauphine, so he's lacking sharpness which is why he crashed. Thomas rode the Dauphine, so he's tired, which is why he crashed.

Roglic and Thomas just crashed - don't see how you can blame the UCI for that. Ditto for most of the others.
The only bit that looks dodgy to me is the end of yesterday's stage. The downhill into it, tight bends and then kinked road to the line seemed designed to try and ensure crashes rather than minimise them. The UCI are dicks for that, no doubt.

also, both horny, which is why they crashed

Ouch.

1 Attachment

😬