[Other Sport] Tour de France 2021

[KeegansHairPiece]

How can one man be so much stronger than the rest of the field He's hardly breaking sweat on these mountain stages.

To be fair, it's only the second stage he's won. He gained most of his time on TT then stage 8 in the Alps when he was 49 secs behind the stage winner. These last 2 stages Vingegaard and Carapez haven't really left his side, he's tried to drop them but been unable to. He has a superb UAE team riding for him, I might be wrong but they've suffered less from the early crashes that hit Roglic and the likes of Ineos hard.

Geraint Thomas won La Rosière by 20 secs and Alpe d'Huez the following day in 2018. Sometimes it just falls into place for a rider in great form with the team working for them.

 

[Bold Seagull]

You naughty boy, you know damn well the implications of that piece of Liggettesque commentary.

Was it undone today, I didn't get a chance to tune in?

 

[Stat Brother]

Was it undone today, I didn't get a chance to tune in?

I've just this second finished watching and I can't remember!

 

[Bold Seagull]

I've just this second finished watching and I can't remember!

It's a pretty damn important observation in terms of whether he's on the straight and narrow I think. What about his socks, both fully pulled up and at a perfect height? I mean this kid is unflappable.

 

[1066familyman]

How can one man be so much stronger than the rest of the field He's hardly breaking sweat on these mountain stages.

He wouldn't be so much stronger than Roglic, who crashed and went home early. Vingegaard was there really as a dom for Roglic but is proving his talent by hanging in there with Pogacar now.

A fully fit Bernal would have competed with Pogacar and Roglic, but he rode and won the Giro, so isn't here. Thomas and Porte were perhaps there to see if Dave B could deliver on his promise of 'exciting' riding when they realised Carapaz is not on the level of Pogacar and Roglic so they could go with a three pronged attack perhaps? That went tits up with crashes early doors and so Ineos reverted to a poor relation type.


So in summary, Pogacar is stronger because his only really serious rival has already gone home.


If you're fishing for THAT story then really you need to start checking out climbing times and such like, but even they don't tell you the full story. I haven't bothered checking all that out myself because I know that Pogacar hasn't just appeared out of nowhere, and I've seen the depth of field here.

 

[1066familyman]

I've just this second finished watching and I can't remember!

I've read a few cycling autobiographies in my time. Wasn't it Froome who mentioned that he always looked for an unzipped jersey as a sign of weakness in other riders?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

It's a pretty damn important observation in terms of whether he's on the straight and narrow I think. What about his socks, both fully pulled up and at a perfect height? I mean this kid is unflappable.

It was fully pulled up throughout, and he laughed and chatted the whole way up, before saying "Sod this, see ya!"

Hmmmm.

 

[Motogull]

I NEVER unzip. You can't let standards drop.

I chuckled at Cav looking ragged out of the saddle behind a team mate sat up going a no hander. I think it was a 2% climb.

Poggy does look like he's taking the piss it has to be said.

 

[banjo]

I NEVER unzip. You can't let standards drop.

I chuckled at Cav looking ragged out of the saddle behind a team mate sat up going a no hander. I think it was a 2% climb.

Poggy does look like he's taking the piss it has to be said.

I’m always half unzipped, how else can I show off my hairy chest.

 

[zefarelly]

https://twitter.com/LeTour/status/1415978848206925827?s=20

Legends.

 

[Motogull]

Fukk it.

 

[pb21]

Looks like he got himself boxed in.

 

[1066familyman]

I see this thread died on its arse.

I'll congratulate Pogacar then, since no one else seems interested.

Shame there was no serious GC challenge in this Tour. But it wasn't all bad. Some exciting racing and nice stage winners, the Cav story, and saving the best until last....Ineos got bugger all bar a place on the podium and the honour of leading Pog out on a couple of occasions

 

[The Lemming Stomper]

I see this thread died on its arse.

I'll congratulate Pogacar then, since no one else seems interested.

Shame there was no serious GC challenge in this Tour. But it wasn't all bad. Some exciting racing and nice stage winners, the Cav story, and saving the best until last....Ineos got bugger all bar a place on the podium and the honour of leading Pog out on a couple of occasions

.

This with special mentions to my man Sonny Colbrelli who proved he was more than a crap sprinter and Franck Bonnamour who was my rider of the Tour...Pleased he won the combativity award

 

[Bold Seagull]

Cavendish even shows the rest how to do a proper handlebar slap [MENTION=435]Stat Brother[/MENTION]!

 

[Motogull]

I could never warm to Julian Alaphilippe.

However, he so obviously and selflessly rode for his team and for Cav. He's a good man. He has done the rainbow jersey proud.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I could never warm to Julian Alaphilippe.

However, he so obviously and selflessly rode for his team and for Cav. He's a good man. He has done the rainbow jersey proud.

I don't get how you can't warm to him. I warm to him more than nearly all of the peleton.

1066 is right, the thread did die rather quickly. I, for one, switched off pretty quickly after the stage to Paris - I know that I shouldn't have, really, but I was disappointed.

Pogacar was pretty untouchable...well done him.

 

[Bold Seagull]

So picking up on [MENTION=3858]Motogull[/MENTION] and [MENTION=19321]Pogue Mahone[/MENTION], say there is a big night out planned, going to be a lot of fun and shinanigans, if you could pick 3 riders from the TdF peloton who would it be? (not necessarily a rider you most want to meet, we're talking great night out..)

I'm going;
1. Geraint Thomas (although as a relatively new dad it could go 1 of 2 ways, either he's back home and in bed by 10pm, or he needs the release and has it large!)
2. Peter Sagan
3. Rigoberto Uran (to keep things going if it gets late and we need a 'pick up' )

 

[Motogull]

So picking up on [MENTION=3858]Motogull[/MENTION] and [MENTION=19321]Pogue Mahone[/MENTION], say there is a big night out planned, going to be a lot of fun and shinanigans, if you could pick 3 riders from the TdF peloton who would it be? (not necessarily a rider you most want to meet, we're talking great night out..)

I'm going;
1. Geraint Thomas (although as a relatively new dad it could go 1 of 2 ways, either he's back home and in bed by 10pm, or he needs the release and has it large!)
2. Peter Sagan
3. Rigoberto Uran (to keep things going if it gets late and we need a 'pick up' )

1. Cav
2. Caleb
3. Alaphil

 

[Bold Seagull]

1. Cav
2. Caleb
3. Alaphil

Hang on, I thought you couldn't warm to Alaphillippe and Cav is getting you all in a fight by 10pm.