Tour de France 2020

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jdrobbo
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Tour de France 2020

Post by jdrobbo » Mon Aug 24, 2020 9:43 pm

Just a few days to go so I thought I’d start a thread. Shame that Froome and Thomas have missed out but very understandable given their rides in the criterium du dauphine 2020.

Was in France last year, when Pinot and especially, Alaphillipe, really looked like bringing the yellow jersey home for the French (my goodness do they love this event).

At this stage, can’t see past Team Jumbo Visma and Roglic.

Really looking forward to it. Hope Bernal, Quintana and Yates go well.

tiger76
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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by tiger76 » Mon Aug 24, 2020 9:53 pm

I'm a layman about this event, however there's talk of a lot more climbs this year, that might explain why some of the time trial specialists have been omitted, Bernal was awesome last year, and he could repeat his triumph, but he'll be carrying the pressure on his shoulders this time, and not everyone can cope with that expectation.

It's no great surprise that Froome (injuries and lack of form) and Thomas (well off the pace the other day) have been left out, you can't pick a team on sentiment, and Ineos rightly have taken the decision on merit, and not on giving Froome a grand send off.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by huw.Y.WattfromWare » Mon Aug 24, 2020 9:53 pm

Strange year with 3 grand tours so compressed. Can’t see past Roglic or Bernal for France, although I heard a comment that the course has been designed for Alaphillipe.
Opposition could be weaker for Vuelta & Giro giving Thomas and Froome good chances. Ineos could strike gold again.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by TheFamilyCat » Mon Aug 24, 2020 10:22 pm

Alaphillipe's form wasn't great in the Dauphine. Roglic was by far and away the best in that race until he crashed - will be interesting to see the impact that has had.

With so little racing for all the riders this year, I think it will go right to the wire; the lack of preparation, I think leaves everyone susceptible to having a bad day.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by jdrobbo » Mon Aug 24, 2020 10:41 pm

Sepp Kuss was supremely impressive in the CdDauphine, after Roglic had crashed out. Will be interesting to see how he goes too.

Chester Perry
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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Chester Perry » Mon Aug 24, 2020 11:05 pm

Experience suggests you do not want to be starting the tour in top form - that should come in the final week, it is easy to peak to soon in this event and teams are essential - it will be in the interests of Ineos for other teams to carry yellow far into the race and ride with them saving their legs, though they have some exciting talent in that team with 2 grand tour winners - there is always the 2 positive Covid tests in a team in a week and your out joker card to play - Imagine that happening to Alaphillipe in yellow late in week 2 - to help Ineos out of a hole, that would lead to some strange (possibly dangerous) circumstances

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Garnerssoap » Tue Aug 25, 2020 1:38 pm

Carapaz for a place
Winner - I’d wait to see the news of whether Bernals fit. Although there don’t seem to be some of the massively high mountains just feel he can crack Roglic but by no means certain.
I do like the romance of a Pinot win and he didn’t look too far off in the criterium maybe a little each way.
The covid rule looks potentially harsh for any gamble but then again they can go over the bars at any point in the race - I still have nightmares about bundles disappearing in an instant on both wiggo and froome.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by claretonthecoast1882 » Tue Aug 25, 2020 1:41 pm

To those that know about the sport is Alaphillipe at 4/1 for King of the mountains priced correctly ?

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Garnerssoap » Tue Aug 25, 2020 1:57 pm

claretonthecoast1882 wrote:
Tue Aug 25, 2020 1:41 pm
To those that know about the sport is Alaphillipe at 4/1 for King of the mountains priced correctly ?
With a lot of mountains it could well be the overall winner who takes the polka dot but there’s worse bets at 4/1 however he didn’t look the best in the criterium.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Garnerssoap » Sat Aug 29, 2020 3:26 pm

And we’re off yay
Tricky conditions
Congrats to Lizzie. Great win
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Leisure
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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Leisure » Sat Aug 29, 2020 3:27 pm

Garnerssoap wrote:
Sat Aug 29, 2020 3:26 pm
And we’re off yay
Tricky conditions
Congrats to Lizzie. Great win
She was going very well on Thursday(?) until she got pushed in a ditch and had to abandon.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Leisure » Sat Aug 29, 2020 3:28 pm

Plenty of falls today on very slippy roads around Nice.

Danieljwaterhouse
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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Danieljwaterhouse » Sat Aug 29, 2020 3:58 pm

Backing the bike handlers today:

Sagan, wout and Viviani all have bets on

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Danieljwaterhouse » Sat Aug 29, 2020 4:03 pm

Wow, that was some crash

Chester Perry
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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Chester Perry » Sat Aug 29, 2020 4:29 pm

Peloton says enough is enough and slow it all right down - very sensible really given the way it has gone so far

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by huw.Y.WattfromWare » Sat Aug 29, 2020 5:09 pm

Alexander Kristoff takes stage 1 and the yellow jersey after another major crash with 2.9km to go. All riders involved get winners time

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by jdrobbo » Sun Aug 30, 2020 8:02 pm

Outstanding finish to today’s race. Bread and butter for Alaphillipe: he’s going to be hard to dislodge this year.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by TsarBomba » Sun Aug 30, 2020 8:32 pm

Criminal that Alaphillipe was allowed to break away with such a weak response.

That won’t happen again.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by TheFamilyCat » Sun Aug 30, 2020 11:10 pm

Great stage today.

I can only assume that Ineos and JV don't see Alaphillipe as a genuine GC threat.

Yates claims to be chasing stages but I wonder if his ambitions stretch a bit further than that.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by jdrobbo » Sun Aug 30, 2020 11:45 pm

That would be very naive thinking; it looks as though the course is setup perfectly for him.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by TheFamilyCat » Mon Aug 31, 2020 12:34 am

I agree. Over the very highest mountains, as seen last year, I don't think he can keep up with the best climbers but the course this year is very different.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by jdrobbo » Mon Aug 31, 2020 10:00 am

Today’s third stage (Nice: Sisteron) uses the Route Napoleon. Stunning way to travel north from the south coast.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Winstonswhite » Mon Aug 31, 2020 8:02 pm

Fantastic finish by Caleb Ewan today. Felt a bit sorry for Sam Bennett getting done just at the end though.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Garnerssoap » Wed Sep 02, 2020 11:35 am

Roglic looking strong
Carapaz flopping
My ability to feed my family depends on Bernal coming good when we go higher.
Apologies if anyone listened to me.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Chester Perry » Wed Sep 02, 2020 11:50 am

Garnerssoap wrote:
Wed Sep 02, 2020 11:35 am
Roglic looking strong
Carapaz flopping
My ability to feed my family depends on Bernal coming good when we go higher.
Apologies if anyone listened to me.
Bernal was never going to fare well in such a sprint, Ineos must be quietly happy that Jumbo Visma are making such a show of themselves (it is a powerful looking train that JV have) allows their riders to save a lot of energy riding in their tail, still have to worry that the overall course is deliberately not suited to those that thrive on torturous climbs. It will be interesting to see how the internal politics at Jumbo Visma plays out in week 3 if their main guys are jostling around yellow.

We need some excitement of the kind that wind and echelons bring.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Leisure » Wed Sep 02, 2020 3:47 pm

After 130km, today's stage is definitely in the running for being the most boring stage ever! Hoping for something to happen in the final 60km!

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Leisure » Wed Sep 02, 2020 4:13 pm

Update - 40km left and still nothing happening!

Now only 25km to go and still nothing happening!

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Winstonswhite » Wed Sep 02, 2020 4:41 pm

Wout van Aert is in some form
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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by TheFamilyCat » Wed Sep 02, 2020 8:30 pm

Winstonswhite wrote:
Wed Sep 02, 2020 4:41 pm
Wout van Aert is in some form
Alaphillipe given a 20 second penalty for taking a bottle inside the last 20km. Schoolboy error by someone.

Yates now in yellow.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Wirvine » Thu Sep 03, 2020 3:30 am

Happy days.

Yates in Yelow and Mitchellton Scott leading the teams. Who would have thought......BC?

Shangalang

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Rammy1968 » Thu Sep 03, 2020 2:12 pm

Would love to see Yates win the overall race would be another great achievement for British cycling come on Yatesy

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Chester Perry » Fri Sep 04, 2020 1:46 pm

exciting day today as the Green Jersey competition demolishes the rest - Sagan really wants it again it seems

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Garnerssoap » Sat Sep 05, 2020 9:39 pm

Don’t understand why carapaz chased pogacar today - surely should have left it to roglic

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by jdrobbo » Sat Sep 05, 2020 10:01 pm

Was a great stage. Brilliant that Yates is in yellow still but Jumbo are looking a real machine. Roglic is a TdF winner in-waiting, but my god, how well the likes of Bennett, Dumoulin, Kuss and Van Aert have supported him.


Great ride from Quintana today too.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by huw.Y.WattfromWare » Sat Sep 05, 2020 10:03 pm

Roglic would be my favourite now but have a feeling Bernal has come in short and is building into the race. TTs could be crucial.
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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Winstonswhite » Sun Sep 06, 2020 10:16 am

Pogacar is a good rider to watch. Just seems to attack at will. And he beat Roglic in the National time trials. Probably too soon for him this year at 21 and got caught by the winds tother day.

Nice stage in the Pyrenees today

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Garnerssoap » Sun Sep 06, 2020 10:26 am

jdrobbo wrote:
Sat Sep 05, 2020 10:01 pm
Was a great stage. Brilliant that Yates is in yellow still but Jumbo are looking a real machine. Roglic is a TdF winner in-waiting, but my god, how well the likes of Bennett, Dumoulin, Kuss and Van Aert have supported him.


Great ride from Quintana today too.
Might be wishful thinking but it looked like the jumbo team did themselves in to set Roglic up to smash the isolated field - except he didn’t .
If that wasn’t the plan then jumbo just disintegrated around him in the high mountains
It’s the hope that kills you

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by karatekid » Sun Sep 06, 2020 1:12 pm

Personally I don't think teams should be allowed to have their team jerseys in yellow in the tdf. It becomes quite confusing on the aerial shots when you want to spot the race leader.
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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by huw.Y.WattfromWare » Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:10 pm

SPOILER.
Have to feel for Hirschi. Led for so long and then if he’d held his sprint for another 20yds he’d have won it. He’s going to be very entertaining in the years ahead.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by jdrobbo » Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:12 pm

I personally felt that he should’ve dropped back in about 600m earlier. Great race.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Winstonswhite » Sun Sep 06, 2020 7:57 pm

huw.Y.WattfromWare wrote:
Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:10 pm
SPOILER.
Have to feel for Hirschi. Led for so long and then if he’d held his sprint for another 20yds he’d have won it. He’s going to be very entertaining in the years ahead.
I think looking at the young riders coming through now then it’s going to be very very entertaining- as long as everyone is clean.

Three riders, 21,22,23, all in the top 4 today and others like Evenepoel. All good
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jdrobbo
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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by jdrobbo » Sat Sep 12, 2020 4:59 pm

Team Sunweb just marvellous today!
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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by huw.Y.WattfromWare » Sat Sep 12, 2020 8:05 pm

After the last few days Marcel Hirschi is my new favourite rider. He will have a great career in the Spring classics.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Winstonswhite » Wed Sep 16, 2020 12:25 pm

So Bernal blows up and has now left so all over for Ineos this year.

The Jumbo train goes on but can Pogacar overhaul his compatriot? I personally think he’s used too much energy in the last couple of weeks but I guess we’ll find out today with the Queen stage taking place.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Winstonswhite » Sat Sep 19, 2020 4:53 pm

Penultimate day Time Trial currently coming to an end now - Pogacar has got Roglics lead down to 25 seconds at the start of the climb!

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by huw.Y.WattfromWare » Sat Sep 19, 2020 5:53 pm

Have to feel for Roglic. So many days he could have rode them into the ground but today from changing bikes, he looked so ungainly on the new bike, he was cooked. He crossed tge line with his arms and legs golden brown and his face grey. I hope he hasn’t lost it to illness.
Fair play to Pogajcar, he has ridden most of the race solo and looked classy all the time.
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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by depechedingle » Sat Sep 19, 2020 6:07 pm

That was an absolutely phenomenal achievement for Pogajcar today, what an amazing watch.

Got to feel sorry for Rogic if he feels I'll, but the one day he hasn't had the protection of his superb team, is the day it goes south for him. Pogajcar as more or less won the whole thing as a solo rider with his team offering far less support than that available to Rogic.

Finally, chapeau to the brilliant commentary of Rob Hatch on Eurosport seeing the stage home, supported by co commentary of Brian Smith and Bradley Wiggins. Rob is an excellent commentator and a fellow Lancastrian, though his football team of choice is dubious in these parts.

Great days racing though and cruel to basically lose the Tour de France in the last 20 miles of 3 weeks racing.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by Winstonswhite » Sat Sep 19, 2020 7:18 pm

What a come back. Fantastic to see but feel devastated for Roglic.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by scouseclaret » Sat Sep 19, 2020 9:18 pm

Astonishing twist - don't think anyone saw that coming. Painful to watch Roglic at the end.

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Re: Tour de France 2020

Post by jdrobbo » Sun Sep 20, 2020 12:26 am

Absolutely mindblowingly brilliant!!!!

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