The Pre-Tour de France thread v2.0

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  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,620
    m.r.m. said:

    Not entirely sure why Lefevere has to go through the media with that.

    Cos he a prick.

    The pressure he's put on Evenepoel to try attract cash shows no regard for his wellbeing.

    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    Someone I used to race with years ago has been riding the Tour route and has done the first 3 stages over the last 3 days and had them on Strava. The first 2 were pretty hilly - 10,300' and 8,600' of climbing - and even today's flat stage was over 6,000'.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    m.r.m. said:

    Not entirely sure why Lefevere has to go through the media with that. Seems like something they could hash out privately. Lefevere doesn't seem like a "cover your censored " type person. Maybe he is trying to motivate Bennett indirectly, because there is a breakdown in direct communication?
    Seems harsh and somewhat unjustified looking at Bennett bringing in decent results rather consistently.

    Love it for Cavendish. Will definitely make the Tour even more special.

    Seems unprofessional airing your laundry in public like that
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • N0bodyOfTheGoat
    N0bodyOfTheGoat Posts: 6,065
    Has there been any facts and/or rumours of any jersey winner favourites deciding to postpone Covid jabs until after TDF, just in case they get nasty side effects that affect their final trainers and/or race performance numbers?
    ================
    2020 Voodoo Marasa
    2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
    2016 Voodoo Wazoo
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,620
    I've heard it about some Olympians. I think it was mentioned when the triathlon was on TV the other week and there wasn't even any adverts to watch on other channels.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,108
    rick_chasey said:

    Savage


    Is that typical of him Rick ?

    I guess if he feels Bennett has messed him about when he's built the team's tour squad around him then he's entitled to be angry.

    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    gsk82 said:

    I've heard it about some Olympians. I think it was mentioned when the triathlon was on TV the other week and there wasn't even any adverts to watch on other channels.


    Pidcock said he had to take a few days off as he felt ill after his.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,717
    "Ollie" is busy this July...

    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444


    Trek Segafredo
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,575
    Mark Donovan named in the DSM team, so that's ten British riders on the start list.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    We are just one team short now, so who are we waiting on? JV's pink panthers of course.

    Here's a very important line up and I am not sure that it works.
    Looks like a mixture of support for the champ and a bunch of stage hunters.


    UAE TEAM EMIRATES

    BJERG Mikkel
    FARIA DA COSTA Rui Alberto
    FORMOLO Davide
    HIRSCHI Marc
    LAENGEN Vegard Stake
    MAJKA Rafal
    MCNULTY Brandon
    POGACAR Tadej
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,575
    blazing_saddles said:

    We are just one team short now, so who are we waiting on? JV's pink panthers of course.

    Here's a very important line up and I am not sure that it works.
    Looks like a mixture of support for the champ and a bunch of stage hunters.


    UAE TEAM EMIRATES

    BJERG Mikkel
    FARIA DA COSTA Rui Alberto
    FORMOLO Davide
    HIRSCHI Marc
    LAENGEN Vegard Stake
    MAJKA Rafal
    MCNULTY Brandon
    POGACAR Tadej

    If Richie Porte, or WVA for that matter, did a 20 hard minute effort on the penultimate climb of a mountain stage, would Pogacar have any team-mates left?

    Would you also back that team to be able to look after a leader in serious echelons?
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    I think the weakness in UAE is podagar himself . I think he is a tad undercooked ... He better come good
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,610
    mididoctors said:

    I think the weakness in UAE is podagar himself . I think he is a tad undercooked ... He better come good

    If Pogacar is undercooked, does that make Roglic tartare?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    Dorset_Boy said:

    mididoctors said:

    I think the weakness in UAE is podagar himself . I think he is a tad undercooked ... He better come good

    If Pogacar is undercooked, does that make Roglic tartare?

    Roglic is so undercooked he's still mooing
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    mididoctors said:

    I think the weakness in UAE is podagar himself . I think he is a tad undercooked ... He better come good

    Not much to do in week one though. A short TT, and don't get caught out.
    _
  • amrushton
    amrushton Posts: 1,313
    Well staying on your bike and being near the front is quite important too. Just doing that is hard enough for some riders
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,692
    No 3km rule on the early uphill finish stages, so week one could be gc carnage
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    Some said the weather is bad fir Brittany over the weekend?
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    Roglic is going to crash along with G . Podagar is going to underperform . Richie Porte wins the tour
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    Carapaz struggles in the tts Tao drags ineos across the line in the third .
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    mididoctors said:

    Some said the weather is bad fir Brittany over the weekend?

    Met Office app showing sunny spells and maybe a shower or two. Winds generally light but gusts to between 20-30mph so the is some risk from that especially for the very early part of Stage 2 that runs along the northern coast as winds are going to be northerly. Doesn't look like the weather will cause too many issues though.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,593
    edited June 2021
    Tuesday may be an issue. There are warnings of serious flooding in parts of Normandy (not sure if that relates to next week or yesterday though). The stage doesn't quite go into the areas covered but it isn't far away.

    https://vigilance.meteofrance.fr/fr
  • ocdupalais
    ocdupalais Posts: 4,317
    I’m sure someone will have already mentioned this, but as the two favourites, and not much to choose between them in terms of strengths and weaknesses, it’s quite possible we could find ourselves in an identical position with Rog and Pog to 2020 going into the final TT. I know there’s no Planches Des Belles Filles, but imagine what would be going through Rog’s mind (and everyone else’s) on the start ramp…
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    The Procycling magazine team's Tour predictions don't exactly fill me with optimism for an exciting, unpredictable race.

    https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/procyclings-tour-de-france-predictions/
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,912
    Something always happens
    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    The draw for the second round is now complete. The full draw is:

    Van Aert v Costa
    Nibali v Konrad
    Alaphilippe v Hirschi
    No pro rider v Valverde
    Ludvigsson* v Padun*
    Yates v Buchaman
    Van der Poel v Stybar*
    Thomas v Fuglsang

    *Absent
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    edited June 2021
    draw?


    edit - betting h2h?
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    shirley_basso said:

    draw?


    edit - betting h2h?


    Football Euros but with cyclists from those countries
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,340
    edited June 2021
    mididoctors said:

    Something always happens

    This. The most hyped stages rarely deliver (though I think we've had more hits than misses over the last couple of years) and supposedly crap stages can blow up into 160km of constant attacking for no understandable reason. It's a GT - stop worrying and just enjoy whatever happens.

    Looking back at last year's preview thread though, when we were all discussing Covid rates in various departments that the race passed through, I'm kind of glad we're back to pre-emptively slagging off the parcours.

    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships

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