Starts this weekend in FLORENCE.

Pog the favourite, with Vingegaard and Roglic 2nd and 3rd faves. Evenpoel will no doubt be hopeful of a very successful tour.

All eyes on Cav and the elusive missing stage that he needs for the record.

Wout van Aert I suspect will have huge ride. He’s a monster. As usual, I’m all in on Jumbo. Bring it on!

Oh…and with it the Paris Olympics just around the corner, the final stage in Nice is not a procession, instead it’s a race against the clock TT, which could be a huge spectacle.

Here we go….

jdrobbo wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 26, 2024 9:32 pm

ALL EYES ON CAV

100%

I desperately want him to break the record
I just wonder if JP is too strong

What a shame that the bad injury Chris Froome suffered a while ago put an end to his chances of maintaining the highs he was on. I’ll never forget him leaving Bradley Wiggins behind on that climb and then being told to drop back and help him back in the Sky team days. Rightly dropped the domestique tag the season after.

karatekid wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 9:48 am

What a shame that the bad injury Chris Froome suffered a while ago put an end to his chances of maintaining the highs he was on. I’ll never forget him leaving Bradley Wiggins behind on that climb and then being told to drop back and help him back in the Sky team days. Rightly dropped the domestique tag the season after.

I can't work out what it is that has slowed Froome down soooo much, is it mental scarring or physical? broken bones heal, admittedly it was a horrific crash, but he is so far behind where he was. Good guy, despite him dropping my Brad.

If Cav wins a stage I definitely won't cry. Definitely. Almost certainly not.

ITV should do more live cycling.
Their coverage is so much better than Eurosport. I love Ned and David.

burnley007 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 10:10 am

ITV should do more live cycling.
Their coverage is so much better than Eurosport. I love Ned and David.

I prefer Eurosport, even though Rob Hatch is a b@stard fan+ No adverts and their studio analysis before and after with Orla Chennaoui is great.

That being said, the highlights show on ITV with the segments by Daniel Friebe and Gary Imlach is well worth a watch.

Winstonswhite wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 10:22 am

I prefer Eurosport, even though Rob Hatch is a b@stard fan+ No adverts and their studio analysis before and after with Orla Chennaoui is great.

That being said, the highlights show on ITV with the segments by Daniel Friebe and Gary Imlach is well worth a watch.

I can't stand Sean Kelly, he is just so dull. There's only really Adam Blyth that I like. Orla and Adam in the studio are fab, but the others are tedious.

Hard to look past Pog and the first few stages will be absolutely brutal. Stage one could be one for Piddcock. Hope he has a better Tour than last year. Remco should be good fun and hoping for a Cav stage win, beating Phillipsen into 2nd would be the cherry on top.

burnley007 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 10:08 am

I can't work out what it is that has slowed Froome down soooo much, is it mental scarring or physical? broken bones heal, admittedly it was a horrific crash, but he is so far behind where he was. Good guy, despite him dropping my Brad.

His biological passport is a HC all in itself!

Roosterbooster wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 26, 2024 11:29 pm

100%

I desperately want him to break the record
I just wonder if JP is too strong

Reason one: I love Cav.

Reason two: it’ll really annoy Eddie.

burnley007 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 10:10 am

ITV should do more live cycling.
Their coverage is so much better than Eurosport. I love Ned and David.

Disagree, cycling is NOTHING without SK’s dryness, mumbling and statements of the obvious.

Love Orla, love Adam and sad to see Dan go.

Some pretty bikes this year already, but Cavs is cooking…

We can almost forgive the on

First time ever the Tour doesn't finish in Paris. It's because of the Olympics.

That Wilier bike is a thing of beauty.
A for the race,not sure Pog has a good enough team around him to topple the Jumbo dominance of the last two tours.

Stevie2112 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 6:12 pm

That Wilier bike is a thing of beauty.
A for the race,not sure Pog has a good enough team around him to topple the Jumbo dominance of the last two tours.

Vingegard hasn't raced for a few weeks after a crash. Unknown how competitive he will be.

If Pogacar can hold the form he's had for the last 6 months I can't see anyone challenging him.

Cooclaret wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 3:28 pm

Disagree, cycling is NOTHING without SK’s dryness, mumbling and statements of the obvious.

Love Orla, love Adam and sad to see Dan go.

Kelly also insisting on calling it the Tour of France

burnley007 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 10:10 am

ITV should do more live cycling.
Their coverage is so much better than Eurosport. I love Ned and David.

I always found it strange that SKY should throw so much money at sponsoring a team, but never covered the Tour on their sports channels.

Eyesofblue2 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 7:14 pm

I always found it strange that SKY should throw so much money at sponsoring a team, but never covered the Tour on their sports channels.

Isn’t it one of the EUs protected sports? Available to national broadcasters and discovery(eurosport) through their annual contract.

I must be one of the few that doesn’t want Cav to break Eddies record. Love the guy but Eddie will always be king. Sharing is caring.

Pog for me unless Vingo has been doing amazing training on his rollers.

burnley007 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 10:39 am

I can't stand Sean Kelly, he is just so dull. There's only really Adam Blyth that I like. Orla and Adam in the studio are fab, but the others are tedious.

Sean - ‘Yes well and err’

Sean Kelly is the best race caller ever. He’s a Waterford farmer, listen to what he says not how he says it. He’ll cerkankly be right.

Here here.

Tricky Trevor wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 8:31 pm

Sean Kelly is the best race caller ever. He’s a Waterford farmer, listen to what he says not how he says it. He’ll cerkankly be right.

It's the way he says FATigue that bothers me...

Sean Kelly was once described by Phil Liggett as having “legs like twisted cables”. He wasn’t wrong.

Tom P
Jonas V
MvP
Bernal
Fred W

My picks for todays stage…

Cooclaret wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 29, 2024 12:47 pm

Tom P
Jonas V
MvP
Bernal
Fred W

My picks for todays stage…

Bettiol

Cav is looking horrid, bobbing and weaving…

He might yet miss the time cut, Jensie worried about him!

Over 3700 metres of climbing today I think. Not looking good for him at all

I was literally eating my lunch when I saw that. Poor Cav

It just said at current speeds he needs to finish within 49 mins of the stage winner, so he should be fine. Just needs to get through it in one piece.

Wow. What an incredible finish.

Carport wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 29, 2024 4:57 pm

Wow. What an incredible finish.

Wasn't it just. Let's hope the next 3 weeks keep up to this standard!

Brilliant stage. Amazing that they held-off the owlet on in those final 8kms

Is today the day - 35?

We can but hope

Had TV on mute so no clue what happened Cav in the end

Held up behind a big peloton crash

Delighted for Girmay

Pleased for Girmay. Saw Dylan Groenewegen complaining but enjoyed that

Big statement of intent from Tadej today!

Pogacar was immense today for sure. Good job the avalanche was cleared up quickly.

Pog was immense yesterday. Pretty much the scenario the organisers dreamt of putting Galibier so early in the race. Long way to go though. Pog probably not feeling effects of Giro yet - he might not at all - and Jonas still a bit cautious. Roglic clearly not done as people thought just 2 days ago. Terrific entertainment.

Hard to watch the Euros at all after watching these stages. I find the football incredibly boring after watching the cycling

Stevie2112 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 27, 2024 6:12 pm

That Wilier bike is a thing of beauty.
A for the race,not sure Pog has a good enough team around him to topple the Jumbo dominance of the last two tours.

I think yesterday proved otherwise. UAE have GC riders as domestics. "Hyper-domestics" they're now being called.

UAE's team is insane this Tour. Visma missing Kuss. Jorgenson nowhere near as good in support.

CAV. I said I didn’t want him to break Eddies record but I cheered him home all the way.
The overhead shot of his route through the pack and his final pace are perfection.

That was rather nerve-wracking. Absolutely brilliant stuff. 35

Spoiler alert.

Get in Mark Cavendish.

SUPERB CAV!!!!! Mint that!

What a man. Incredible moment.