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The race between the young guns bubbling up below Remco could be interesting today. All have shown some prowess in TTs but I don’t think it’ll be easy to predict who will fare best from that bunch.
For all that Ineos used to bang on about marginal gains, they don't half get some of the absolute basics wrong.
Thymen Arensman missed his start by about 10 seconds. He's still managing to challenge for top spot, he'd be smashing it if he'd got to the start house on time.
Heavy crash for Lipowitz, doesn't look like he's getting back on. 🙁
I have to say the time gaps are way bigger than I'd have expected on such a short TT.
Thymen Arensman missed his start by about 10 seconds. He's still managing to challenge for top spot, he'd be smashing it if he'd got to the start house on time.
Does **** all in my fantasy team and compounds it with this!!!
Thymen Arensman missed his start by about 10 seconds. He's still managing to challenge for top spot, he'd be smashing it if he'd got to the start house on time.
Though as it eventually played out he would only have gone up 1 place on the stage and no places on GC.
Being late to the start of a TT is a rite of passage- I missed my best 25 time when I got lost looking for the start line. Would have been a short 50 instead of a 1:05!
And today was a hilly lump, so some bigger gaps than a drag strip. Interesting to look at position, and hand position. All of these riders have done time in the wind tunnel. Their position and kit is aero optimised for every watt saving. They have converged on the same hand position, identical head position and helmet-neck interface. There are three fit classes depending on height, that dictate boundaties for aerobar height angle and reach, and saddle to BB setback, so position is nailed down by the UCI (says someone who loses out). And it is position not frame that will be saving the watts.
Been an interesting stage today - a few hills out of Chambery, then back through the outskirts of chambery and off to the sprint finish.
Looks like there was a fight to keep things manageable over the hills and the gaps were not huge: Kooij was in the lead group and Decathlon were pulling, but Pedersen put Quinn Simmons on the front to bridge across, and has now gone clear at the front with a few others. Kooij is in the chase group with van der Poel, and Phillipsen. Girmay is several minutes back in the peloton having missed the split. Adam Yates is off the back, looks like he's unwell and suffering, hoping to get through the stage and recover for the next few days perhaps. Maybe he's been hit by whatever's gone through the peloton, there have certainly been GC riders like Jonas and Seixas masked up
Anyway, looks like a sprint finish for sure - if the Pedersen stays away he WILL win from there, and they have over a minute to the group chasing. Could be exciting!
If you haven;t read the above or seen the race, I suspect at this point (40km to go) that the highlights will be good tonight
The wind is playing a part as well, Adam Blythe is on the back of the moto this week and is commenting on the tail / crosstail wind.
Eeek, yesterday was not a good day
UAE's Brandon McNulty was hit by a driver whilst on a recon of the TT course, then Xandro Meurisse, a key domestique for Tom Pidcock, was riding back to the team bus after completing his time trial when he was hit by a driver.
This in a town where it's KNOWN that there's a big bike race on and that there would be MANY MANY bikes around
That was a great finish, the last 10km is well worth a watch.
Green jersey competition is really heating up as well.
Thought Stuyven would hold out- he went from looking really strong to oh look it's the chasers.
I miss the commercial break competitions, my phone bill will be normal this month not bulked up by £20 or so !
Where’s three-time-Tim when you need him? Great stage. Bit of a rest day for the GC too.
Where’s three-time-Tim when you need him? Great stage. Bit of a rest day for the GC too.
Unfortunately, along with Vindegard and Lipowitz, he was on my Velogames team meaning he is no longer in the race!!
It was a good stage, for some reason I'm actually a bit disappointed that Philepsen (sp?) won, he just seems to come across as a whiney entitled brat a lot of the time 👿
I hope Yates can make the start line today. He is one of my favourite riders and sacrificing so much for his leader (as this is his job).
I hope Yates can make the start line today.
Article on CyclingNews in the last half hour says he will start.
Race has just started, Yates is listed as riding in the peloton so he has started. José Felix Parra of Caja Rural is a non-starter, fractured wrist.
Did anybody notice that on the 13th day of their 13th Tour, Red Bull had jerseys which were printed upside down. Their team cars also had the logos upside down.
Anyone else having issues with SBS at the moment - has it cottoned on to folks VPNing to watch their coverage? Might have to watch Swiss coverage. Actually German coverage - Hochdeutsch requires less CPU than Schwietzer Dootch
From yesterday - a phenominal last few km - from someone who doesnt quite understand all the tactics and ettiquette, is the MVDP and Phillipsen duo not the obvious threat?
Not only from their individual qualities of having 2 team mates of this strength in the group together but also they have done this exact thing before.
Is there not an attempt from the others in the group to either break these two up, or just sit on Phillipsen's wheel and get a double lead-out?
Also - and again from my position of ignorance - MVDP's role seemed both tactically and physically harder. Its a shame theres no formal recognition of that.
MVDP's role seemed both tactically and physically harder
Luckily the bloke is an absolute beast, I reckon he would have beaten Phillipson and won the stage had they been in different teams. I did chuckle wen the commentator suggested he was struggling when he clear dropped back to find his sprinter!
Also - and again from my position of ignorance - MVDP's role seemed both tactically and physically harder. Its a shame theres no formal recognition of that.
MVP shone bright last year when JP left the tour but his job isnt to ride 90km alone making mortal men cry, his job is to launch the sprinter.
Anyone else having issues with SBS at the moment - has it cottoned on to folks VPNing to watch their coverage?
working mostly fine for us here, we get the odd interruption when the VPN has a moment, but working
MVP shone bright last year when JP left the tour but his job isnt to ride 90km alone making mortal men cry, his job is to launch the sprinter.
I think, when it comes to le tour, his job is to turn up and ride round so the sponsors are happy.
What do we think - Are the GC boys saving them for big days tomorrow and Saturday so this is a day the breakaway makes it and Paret-Peintre takes KOM jersey, or does Pog et al close everything down on this long uphill slog to the finish?
VPP is in dire need of a Greggs steak bake.
Paret-Peintre takes KOM jersey,
He was close - just a point in it - suspect he'll be out of the reckoning after tomorrow - unless Pog has the bug going round UAE in which case he might not push things and just shadow Remco.
VPP is in dire need of a Greggs steak bake.
I haven't seen Greggs pushing their sports nutrition on IG during the tour - they're surely missing an opportunity. Steak bake as a recovery bar, jammy dodger as a complex carb on the bike.....
ctually German coverage - Hochdeutsch requires less CPU than Schwietzer Dootch
The ARD German coverage is pretty good - less laggy than SBS, better HD res and no adverts. Watching with the Letour live feed next to the vid is good when my German is a bit rusty
No probs watching SBS live for me today.
Love today's winner and the way his team race in general, when they win it's almost always with panache and has something a bit old school about it.
Love today's winner and the way his team race in general, when they win it's almost always with panache and has something a bit old school about it.
I was only able to follow today on the live feed but as soon as I saw that lead group, I guessed who'd get the win. Going to watch the highlights at 7. It did sound like quite a good stage.
Mads Pedesen has to be rider of the day surely?!
Got into the break, hung on over all the climbs until he could win the intermediate sprint, then he drifted back to the peloton with a spell in one of the chasing groups. As he eased back, he obviously picked up a load of gels from the team car then back in the peloton he handed them all out to the rest of the team before finally dropping back altogether and finishing 22 minutes down.
What a legend.
Both Paret-Peintre brothers need a pie or two (or 4).
Both Carapaz and Pedersen are riders who just Do Good Racing. They're a step below the megastars but they go out and put themselves through the wringer day after day so when they do well it feels so earned.
There's a good write up of yesterday's stage and a preview of today's here:
https://inrng.com/2026/07/tour-de-france-stage-19/
Are lactate gels causing stomach issues for UAE?
https://www.bikeradar.com/news/enervit-c21-pro-lactate-gel-mix
Pog will be going for the record on this one. If not then he really is sick.
On the YouTube highlights I think they said Carapaz has two stage wins at the Tour. I thought it was more than that - he won the polka dots a couple of years ago didn't he?
Also, dunno if this is mentioned further up but I reckon JV will retire. I read somewhere he wasn't happy about the lifestyle, being away from his family etc. at the end of last year but was basically talked around. Now he's made those sacrifices again only to end up basically nowhere near Pogacar before getting injured. I wonder if he'll decide he's had enough.
AdH bit busy today.......
I'm impressed with Mads Pedersen and Lidl-Trek. He's got himself up in the break again, lots of riders to support. It's going to be a tough day out for him but he's really committing.
Looking at GC, I suspect Tadej is safe even if he is ill but the weakening of his team might have some impact on the race. Firstly I think it gives breakaways a bigger chance today and tomorrow as UAE have less firepower to bring Tadej to the final. Secondly, it leaves Del Toro in a weaker position to defend his podium place so I'd expect Red Bull to try and widen the gap up to Remco as well as Decathlon doing their best to get Seixas into 3rd.
The peloton are holding the break on a fairly tight leash - UAE riding to keep it in hand so a lot of talk on commentary that Pogacar is probably up for, if not the stage win, then certainly trying to take the KOM.
lot of talk on commentary
I am watching the YouTube live feed from S4C, so the commentary is in Welsh and I have no clue what they are saying 🙂
VPP now going backwards - maybe that steak bake was off
