Pogačar or Vingegaard? Spoiler Alert

[Noel]

Grand Départ Saturday out of Bilbao and it's a climber's race this year. Young Yates and Pidcock might get a look in. Be nice to see Cavendish get one more but chances will be slim.

 

[cisamcgu]

I want to say Pogacar, but I fear Vinegaard will be too strong. I hope Pinot can get a stage ....

 

[Noel]

I want to say Pogacar, but I fear Vinegaard will be too strong. I hope Pinot can get a stage ....

Could well be the case but still backing Pogacar despite his gammy wrist. Be good to see Pinot get a win, would do a lot for French cycling. Few years since his last win and time is running out.
Think it's Peter Sagan's last year, be nice to see a wheelie again.

 

[dannyr]

Anquetil, surely.

 

[Noel]

Anquetil, surely.

No chance, Simpson or Hinault.

 

[mossym]

Surprised not to see more mentions of cav going for the record on a UK based forum, surely more support for him getting a stage than Thibaut?

Such a vertical edition, loads of chances for even the top guys to have an off day and lose time, hard to see beyond pogacar and vingegaard for the top spot but can O'Connor, gaudu and a few others make the race for the third spot hugely competitive.


Green jersey should be interesting too

 

[SammyQ]

Hokay...wild card? Seb Kuss.

 

[James555]

The first couple of stages will be carnage so lets see who's still standing early next week.
On paper i'd say Vin has the edge due to Poggy's injury.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Surprised not to see more mentions of cav going for the record on a UK based forum, surely more support for him getting a stage than Thibaut?

Such a vertical edition, loads of chances for even the top guys to have an off day and lose time, hard to see beyond pogacar and vingegaard for the top spot but can O'Connor, gaudu and a few others make the race for the third spot hugely competitive.


Green jersey should be interesting too

Simply goes without saying that Cav will get a stage.

 

[niall Y]

To an outsider this is beginning to resemble a game of 'Mornington Crescent,

 

[mwinfrance]

Here most of the audience / spectators don't care who wins..they either go out and watch ( it's an event that is near them, passes through their town / village )..or watch it on TV , to see the towns and villages ( that maybe they know ) that it passes through.
Apart from the "hardcore Sunday cyclists" ( the ones who wear ad strewn lycra shorts and tops at €100 and upwards ) who ride the routes before and after the tour itself.
Came through our place a few years ago..the population went up by a factor of 10 for an afternoon, they all bought "tour tat" from the tour publicity cars* so as to be able to "prove" that "they were there" ..and dropped litter everywhere.

* the accompanying motorcade is huge..far more cars than there are riders.

ps..the women's version of the tour..they don't stop the traffic, nor close the roads, nor prevent pedestrians, dogs, sheep, cows, chickens, village id1ots, gropers etc from wandering around, crossing the roads etc while the race is on..which this year has led to the ladies saying "why the **** not".

pps..The TV sports commentators ( all of whom are of a such diminutive size that says the only sport they may have ever done themseves, was as a table football player on a rod, or a subuteo piece ) do however become positively orgasmic about the race and the riders ( as they do about any sport ..to the point where most of us want to write in and suggest that they ask if they and their "hero" might ..just "get "a room" whydoncha ).They ( sports commentators here ) also use "Duh", every second or third word, and massacre the french language and it's grammar. Use pauses and emphasis in a way ( often in the middle of words ) that would make Robert Peston green with envy, and render their sentences often incomprehensible. That and shout "Allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez" etc..which is what passes for 90% of sports commentary here..

Eddie Wearing ..all is forgiven.

 

[Noel]

Simply goes without saying that Cav will get a stage.

Hope so, would draw him clear of Eddy.

Make any sense @niall Y ?? : )

 

[mossym]

Simply goes without saying that Cav will get a stage.

not simple to say that any more. much as it would be great to see him do it, its a long shot. earlier in his career he could make up for the lack of a strong lead out team, hes just up against such strong sprinters in jakobsen with a strong team focused on him. and philpsen, with the monkey off his back after last year, especially the CdE win.

if cav does it he deserves every plaudit he gets, the current guys need their lead out train to deliver them perfectly, cav's ability to steal a stage by picking any wheel he could shows how talented the guy was in his prime

 

[mwinfrance]

not simple to say that any more. much as it would be great to see him do it, its a long shot. earlier in his career he could make up for the lack of a strong lead out team, hes just up against such strong sprinters in jakobsen with a strong team focused on him. and philpsen, with the monkey off his back after last year, especially the CdE win.

if cav does it he deserves every plaudit he gets, the current guys need their lead out train to deliver them perfectly, cav's ability to steal a stage by picking any wheel he could shows how talented the guy was in his prime

stuart

 

[Jacob]

Will be watching tomorrow!
Memory lane - the last time we were in Bilbao was on a bike ride from Roscoff to Santander, via Pyrenees, Port de Larrau. The descent into Spain was on 30 km downhill all the way to Ochagavia on beautiful new tarmac roads, courtesy of EU. Stopped in Ochagavia for a drink and a packet of fags (long time ago!).
Previous visit was hitch hiking from Portugal I reckon about 1965 when Bilbao was a busy shipping port not unlike Birkenhead ie smaller than Liverpool.
Very different 2nd time around - amongst other things - no donkeys to be seen, fewer old people dressed in black, and the Guggenheim!
Birkenhead needs a Guggenheim!

 

[mwinfrance]

Just like most here then Jacob..it isn't the riders, nor the race..it's the memories and the towns and villages and countryside that they were made in.
SWMBO rides her cycle ( mountain bike..deffo not leccy ) every day for work to do her rounds ( old folks, cancer and alzheimer's patients etc , home visits and in one of the village's two old folks homes. 365 ( minus a few weeks holidays, when she rides her bike anyway ) days a year..about 15kms per day , rain hail, sun, snow etc ..except when it's windy , she's 1.57 and 45kg and gets blown all over the road when it's windy, so then she does her rounds walking.
We are "clifftop" so lots of downhill, with obviously the corresponding uphill.

As every year she'll watch the tour ( as will her charges ) not for the race, but for the places they go through, and the memories associated with them.

 

[stuart little]

Simply goes without saying that Cav will get a stage.

Unless our 'Gallic Amis' have a 'cunning plot', as Baldric would say!

 

[stuart little]

I

Here most of the audience / spectators don't care who wins..they either go out and watch ( it's an event that is near them, passes through their town / village )..or watch it on TV , to see the towns and villages ( that maybe they know ) that it passes through.
Apart from the "hardcore Sunday cyclists" ( the ones who wear ad strewn lycra shorts and tops at €100 and upwards ) who ride the routes before and after the tour itself.
Came through our place a few years ago..the population went up by a factor of 10 for an afternoon, they all bought "tour tat" from the tour publicity cars* so as to be able to "prove" that "they were there" ..and dropped litter everywhere.

* the accompanying motorcade is huge..far more cars than there are riders.

ps..the women's version of the tour..they don't stop the traffic, nor close the roads, nor prevent pedestrians, dogs, sheep, cows, chickens, village id1ots, gropers etc from wandering around, crossing the roads etc while the race is on..which this year has led to the ladies saying "why the **** not".

pps..The TV sports commentators ( all of whom are of a such diminutive size that says the only sport they may have ever done themseves, was as a table football player on a rod, or a subuteo piece ) do however become positively orgasmic about the race and the riders ( as they do about any sport ..to the point where most of us want to write in and suggest that they ask if they and their "hero" might ..just "get "a room" whydoncha ).They ( sports commentators here ) also use "Duh", every second or third word, and massacre the french language and it's grammar. Use pauses and emphasis in a way ( often in the middle of words ) that would make Robert Peston green with envy, and render their sentences often incomprehensible. That and shout "Allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez" etc..which is what passes for 90% of sports commentary here..

Eddie Wearing ..all is forgiven.

I always wonder how the 'common taters' pick out the riders, considering they only have a small screen to watch??

 

[mwinfrance]

Here they( male common taters ) just shout "Allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez"
Not often that they mention the actual names of the riders, or if they do, they don't give even the slightest clue as to which rider is the one that they are talking about.Except when they are the one in front at the finish line.
The women sports common taters, when they can get a word in, or are allowed near a microphone are far better.
Commentary should be at a level that a blind person could follow the event by listening to the commentary.
Not in France.
"Allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez,allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, allez, "machin" à gagner"..cut to ad break.

 

[dannyr]

sooo - Yates x2 - who woulda thought?

(my bet on Anquetil from stage 1 won't pay now -- didn't he do that once? in the days of fighting off Poulidor?) -- I go back as far as Jacob and his reminiscences --- aged 14 used to follow Tour by reading Cycling Weekly - gave up when 1. - could never quite do the 25mi in the hour and 2. - brother broke my front forks - still use the ancient roadbike I re-built, but never again a serious fan (of any sport - much better to do than watch)