Tour de France 2025.

[theduke]

Rumours Jonas is using his TT bike. Which seems mental to me.

[edison]

Rumours Jonas is using his TT bike. Which seems mental to me.

Maybe he is thinking, screw it, Pog's going to increase his lead either way today?

[Chester Perry]

hmmm

[Inchy]

When you see a win that comprehensive what’s the first question you ask yourself?

[Chester Perry]

When you see a win that comprehensive what’s the first question you ask yourself?

The same one as I asked myself yesterday

[edison]

"No one is that far above everyone else. Compare vs. next best, and more so the top 10-25. Extreme outliers are very rare and almost always have an explanation"

This was posted yesterday by running coach and author Steve Magness in the context of Kenyan distance runner Ruth Chepng'etich being suspended - she has destroyed the women's marathon record - becoming the first woman to break the 2:11 and 2:10 barrier in the same race.

No one is that far above everyone else - could the same be applied to cycling?

Trying not to spoil anything about today - there were a couple of surprises.

[Chester Perry]

the fact that the UAE Team Emirates has the history it has makes it worse - you have to wonder what Christian Prudhomme makes of it given his dealings and well documented statements in regard to the teams early incarnation of Saunier Duval and the fact the team is still run by the same people

[Tricky Trevor]

Strange that Vingegaard reversed expectations by being quicker climbing on his TT bike than his first half.

[Chester Perry]

apparently yesterday Pogacar was not at last years levels yesterday and Vinegarrd was worse than his 2022 ride up the dame climb at the end of the stage

Power Analysis: Pogačar Just Tore Apart the Tour de France — And He’s Not Even on His 2024 Level Yet
Pogačar set the fastest time up Hautacam since the '90s.
https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/roa ... e-hautacam
https://archive.ph/LohvO

[TheFamilyCat]

When you see a win that comprehensive what’s the first question you ask yourself?

I've no doubt they will be pushing the boundaries, like many other sports, but I can't believe they could get away with doping in this day and age.

[Chester Perry]

I've no doubt they will be pushing the boundaries, like many other sports, but I can't believe they could get away with doping in this day and age.

This is an interesting and very detailed read from two days ago

12 years after Lance Armstrong, how clean is cycling really?
It’s been years since the last big doping scandal, so is the sport still riddled with drugs? We go in search of the truth
https://www.bikeradar.com/features/12-y ... ing-really
https://archive.ph/YYeqr

[Chester Perry]

Remco abandons - right decision, something obviously not right even though he has fought hard and fiercely

[Tricky Trevor]

Shame for Remco. Looked like the heat got him a few days back and he’s not recovered. Now he just looks ill.

[edison]

Have enjoyed this week - Ventoux more than today. Today started well but then kind of fizzled out.

[Garnerssoap]

Heading to Paris tomorrow for Sunday. Can’t work out if the montmatre hill x3 Will stop a sprint finish for the gambling

[edison]

Heading to Paris tomorrow for Sunday. Can’t work out if the montmatre hill x3 Will stop a sprint finish for the gambling

Jealous

[jdrobbo]

Heading to Paris tomorrow for Sunday. Can’t work out if the montmatre hill x3 Will stop a sprint finish for the gambling

I suspect so

[Tricky Trevor]

Massive concern about rain on them cobbles ruining what should be the parade.

[Mayi]

Where in Paris would you recommend heading to watch on Sunday, and what time would you recommend getting there? In the area with the family so hoping to head in.

[Tricky Trevor]

Where in Paris would you recommend heading to watch on Sunday, and what time would you recommend getting there? In the area with the family so hoping to head in.

If you want to see the sprint finish, the Champs Elysee, but you’ll struggle to get close. Last time I was there was when G. won. We ended up about 100m after the finish line, with a big screen across from us. It worked out perfect as all the riders braked to a stop just in front of us, after the sprint. You also get to see them 6xlaps.
The area either side of the finish line was cordoned off by police. VIPs only. The trip around the cordon was torturous. Decide if you are walking down from the Arc De Triomphe or going near the Tuileries/Louvre before you head out.
On the climb to Montmartre they will be slower, so you’ll get a longer view of them, but you’d need to be on the barriers very early.
Enjoy.

IMG_4957.jpeg (1.73 MiB) Viewed 664 times

[Mayi]

That’s great, thanks very much.

[Winstonswhite]

Where in Paris would you recommend heading to watch on Sunday, and what time would you recommend getting there? In the area with the family so hoping to head in.

I am with the family and heading to the Sacre Couer/Montmartre area- more specifically Rue Lepic.

We were at the olympics last year and fans were lining the street from 9am. We’re not quite as crazy as that but heading there at around noon.

Good luck whatever you decide to do. We’re in Paris now far busier than last year when we came which surprises me.

[MrTopTier]

Fantastic final stage.

Great addition is the Montmartre section.

Pogacar a brilliant champion.

Hats off to the ITV team, the coverage and commentary by all those involved is second to none. Will be a massively missed.

[Cooclaret]

Preferred the TNT coverage…

[jdrobbo]

End of an era for the ITV team. Gary Imlach has been an incredible anchor over the years.

Delighted for Wout….about time he showed up!

[welsbyswife]

End of an era for the ITV team. Gary Imlach has been an incredible anchor over the years.

Delighted for Wout….about time he showed up!

Just watching the final episode. Sad day really. End of an era.

[edison]

Fantastic final stage.

Great addition is the Montmartre section.

Pogacar a brilliant champion.

Hats off to the ITV team, the coverage and commentary by all those involved is second to none. Will be a massively missed.

Agree with all of this.

They should definitely keep Montmartre in

[ecc]

Is Tadej Pogačar the first cyclist to have won the TDF four times by the age of 26? I'm going to try to check but I can't see many other people having possibly done that.

[ecc]

By my quick reckoning he is. Only five other cyclists have won it four times, four have done it five times but Pogačar would seem to be the youngest to get to four TDF wins.

[scouseclaret]

Absolutely gutted the ITV coverage is stopping. I’ve long considered it (and the Chanel 4 predecessor) to be the best sports highlights programme on the telly - Gary Imlach is just brilliant. I heard him say earlier in the Tour that the highlights package may still be up for grabs - don’t know if that’s still the case…?

[scouseclaret]

"No one is that far above everyone else. Compare vs. next best, and more so the top 10-25. Extreme outliers are very rare and almost always have an explanation"

This was posted yesterday by running coach and author Steve Magness in the context of Kenyan distance runner Ruth Chepng'etich being suspended - she has destroyed the women's marathon record - becoming the first woman to break the 2:11 and 2:10 barrier in the same race.

No one is that far above everyone else - could the same be applied to cycling?

Trying not to spoil anything about today - there were a couple of surprises.

For me, the most suspicious performance of recent years was when Vingegaard completely destroyed Pogacar in a mountain time trail on his last tour win, which was totally out of kilter with two very evenly matched riders at the time. Vingegaard hasn’t got close to Pog since - whether that’s due to his bad accident or Pog upping his game in more ways that one I don’t know…

[AfloatinClaret]

They should definitely keep Montmartre in

Provided that they continue to run it in line with this year's last minute amendment: Neutralise the tour times before the Montmartre circuits so it becomes a separate un-timed stage . There were big time gaps this year, but in other circumstances, the tour result could become a last day lottery over a fee km of wet cobblestones.

[Chester Perry]

For me, the most suspicious performance of recent years was when Vingegaard completely destroyed Pogacar in a mountain time trail on his last tour win, which was totally out of kilter with two very evenly matched riders at the time. Vingegaard hasn’t got close to Pog since - whether that’s due to his bad accident or Pog upping his game in more ways that one I don’t know…

That was indeed an out of the blue performance

this year those two days of Pogacar destroying Vingegarrd certainly raised eyebrows but while his levels have not been the same since, he has been stringer than the rest throughout and it was only a much less exerted Van Aert that beat him in PAris

this is an interesting piece in the Times by David Walsh that not only looks at how the nature of the tour profile has altered but that it was not just drug feuled enhancements that helped previous champions - note also with the succession of Team Sky scandals - that the Pog may be the only clean 4 time winner ever

Tadej Pogacar is exceptional but I think he is also clean
This era has been the most credible that cycling has known and it should be celebrated — as should its dominant rider after clinching his fourth Tour de France
https://archive.ph/e2fte

[Chester Perry]

For me, the most suspicious performance of recent years was when Vingegaard completely destroyed Pogacar in a mountain time trail on his last tour win, which was totally out of kilter with two very evenly matched riders at the time. Vingegaard hasn’t got close to Pog since - whether that’s due to his bad accident or Pog upping his game in more ways that one I don’t know…

you may have guessed that I have been reading around this issue

I should say that that particular Vingegaard performance was the last time that L'Equipe effectively called out a TDF performance as this piece in The Atlantic (from 3 days ago) reminds us - though it appears to come out in favour of Pogacar

Science Is Winning the Tour de France
Why today’s competitors far surpass the cheating champions of yesteryear
https://archive.ph/vwEtz

[MrTopTier]

That was indeed an out of the blue performance

this year those two days of Pogacar destroying Vingegarrd certainly raised eyebrows but while his levels have not been the same since, he has been stringer than the rest throughout and it was only a much less exerted Van Aert that beat him in PAris

this is an interesting piece in the Times by David Walsh that not only looks at how the nature of the tour profile has altered but that it was not just drug feuled enhancements that helped previous champions - note also with the succession of Team Sky scandals - that the Pog may be the only clean 4 time winner ever

Tadej Pogacar is exceptional but I think he is also clean
This era has been the most credible that cycling has known and it should be celebrated — as should its dominant rider after clinching his fourth Tour de France
https://archive.ph/e2fte

Interesting to see that piece by David Walsh and who he points the finger at. Reported by the BBC that the soigneur in question was employed by Manchester Utd under you know who’s leadership. There is a whiff of story in there and it’s not going away.

[Cooclaret]

Genetic doping.