Welcome to the first summit finish of the Tour! Famously the site where, in 2020, Pogacar beat Roglic to take the yellow jersey althoughon that occasion the stage was a mountain TT.
Will this affect Roglic? Will Pogacar be able to do the same again but in a bunch finish?
[img] https://img.aso.fr/core_app/img-cycling-tdf-jpg/arrivee/40361/0:0,1200:801-1000-0-70/ab6a4 [/img]
Yesterday's stage was wild, one of the fastest on record so at some point the peloton has to sit up and let a breakaway have it although the potential gains on GC before heading into the mountains proper make today a bit of a 50:50 pick on that front. On the other hand, Pogacar seems as strong as the rest of the UAE team put together so how capable they will be in defending yellow remains to be seen.
There's 8 riders within a minute of Pogacar at the moment and today's finish suits the likes of Adam Yates, 4th @39", (who held the KOM on here for a long time) and certainly the gravel section towards the top might tempt Pidcock (5th @40") into giving it another go, he was close yesterday.
[img] https://img.aso.fr/core_app/img-cycling-tdf-jpg/7/35664/0:0,1500:904-960-0-90/fccb2 [/img]
That final climb - short (ish) but with some brutal ramps:
[img] 
[/img]
Quick round-up:
Yellow: Tadej Pogacar, taking it from Wout van Aert yesterday
Green: Wout van Aert
Polka Dot: Magnus Cort
White: Tadej Pogacar (as an aside, anyone think they should do away with Best *Young* Rider and have a jersey for Best *Old* Rider? Rider over 35... )
not to late to change the title to Super!!!! Belle filles 😉
I'm half expecting pidders to shoulder his bike and sprint up the last ramp 😉
some of the other teams are going to have to light it up today or it's bye bye tour for another year.
not to late to change the title to Super!!!! Belle filles 😉
Just for you @Klunk ...
Initially I couldn't be bothered typing all that and also thought my French would be wrong but we are now finishing at The Super Plank of the Beautiful Girls.
Or possibly just The Nice Trees Above Plancher depending on which version of which translation you believe.
I'm more than half expecting Pogacar to destroy everyone again.
🙂
I’m more than half expecting Pogacar to destroy everyone again.
I was wondering whether his "more classics" orientated build up has made him more "punchy" but might have adverse effect on his high mountain form. I guess we'll see 🙂
I'm just not seeing any weakness in the fella, everything he does, it's just domination. He's like WvA but even better at climbing. I think it's all gone wrong though for Visma as the only way they were going to make it stick was a 1-2 with Kuss, Vinge, Rog and WvA hitting him time and time again until one sticks as he can't recover.
I think that's got to be INEOS's tactics too, hit them with Thomas, then when he's caught, Yates, then Martinez, in whatever combination you think is strongest of course, but i don't think riding along with Pog until the end will get any of the teams anywhere.
Agree on the older rider jersey. Where once you couldn't win if you qualified for that now it seems you can't win unless you do.
And I'd add a jesters jersey for whoever has played with most balls on the previous stage 🙂
Yes, we will see, but at this rate it looks like pog will just wave bye bye and piss off up the mountain by himself
Hopefully there is someone close to him or its going to be a very boring remaining 2 weeks
Since my predictions for yesterday were as for out as its possible to be i'll not be suggesting anything. some of the performance are outstanding, incredible and I hope believable.
What a tour already!
Hopefully there is someone close to him or its going to be a very boring remaining 2 weeks
Jonas Vingegaard? Currently 3rd @31"
Yates / Pidcock might be close enough and able to work as a team?
I think it’s all gone wrong though for Visma
I think losing George Bennett is going to be a big part of this as an unbelievably good mountain domestique. I could, of course, be completely wrong 😂
If Pog has a weakness I think it's his team who are lacking guys to ride in the valleys. If I was UAE ds I might think about letting the jersey go for a few stages.
I’m more than half expecting Pogacar to destroy everyone again.
Most likely outcome.
Does today have enough climbing before the final climb to isolate him.
At some point INEOS need to send Pidcock up the road and sit back and hope Jumbo don't help chase and burn up the UAE team...most likely won't worth but they have t try, although today might not be a hard enough day...the downside is that Pog might well just blow everyone away today
more mechanicals for UAE, with the pace manic!!
I saw Pog nearly crack once:) Last year on a high alp finish I think, can't recall when but think he was in yellow and hung on to limit losses to a few seconds. He's looking peerless isn't he? However, for the sake of a good Tour I am hopefully he fades in the 3rd week because it's been a punchy start this week and he's shown his form (why wouldn't you?). J-V have a different card to play now Roglic is 2.27 back. That's so much time, UAE wouldn't chase him on a mountain stage but he's capable of doing a Froome if he has a good day. They do seem to be all at sea though in terms of tactics and hierarchy. WvA has certainly burnt a lot of matches this week and they'll regret that when they need him to motorpace in the valley floors or up the lower slopes of Alpe D'Huez.
As for today, it's the first mountain as such and I think most GC teams will be pretty cautious until the last km (gravel). As Dan Martin has said, no-one has climbed for 2 weeks nearly and they don't know how their climbing legs are yet!
The heart says Pinot, the head Pogacar.
Just for the nonsense of it I'm going to say Neilsen will chase the KOM points, GC won't be in a hurry to chase him and he'll take the stage.
Obviously really I'm expecting Pogacar to take it with Yates and Pidcock shipping time and trying to look happy about being told to ride for Thomas.
At some point INEOS need to send Pidcock up the road
Or Ganna?
edit - back in the bunch
If Pog has a weakness I think it’s his team who are lacking guys to ride in the valleys.
It'll only be cross winds that get him, but then again I think he's too savvy for that and will just surf wheels, to kill him off you also have to kill off your own GC rider who will also be hiding in / surfing the same wheels.
I saw Pog nearly crack once:) Last year on a high alp finish I think, can’t recall when but think he was in yellow and hung on to limit losses to a few seconds.
I don't even think he cracked, just backed off a tad as he didn't need to push it as Vingegogogogoog wasn't going to seriously challenge him. I genuinely think he doesn't really need much team help, they just set him up every once in a while and all the others just look on a die slow painful deaths.
or not 😕
Or Ganna?
edit – back in the bunch
Pointless him attacking UAE don't need to chase him.
Ganna and someone else like Pidcock or Yates, now that would put the car amongst the pigeons. INEOS need to grab the race by the balls before it's lost, which could well be by the end of today's stage.
INEOS need to grab the race by the balls before it’s lost, which could well be by the end of today’s stage.
I've a feeling it'll be lost by la bresse if they've not done something by then.
They're looking like they're going to fall into the same "triple threat" trap as everyone else that's ever tried it.
Three brilliant riders, all potential GC winners, they need to risk burning one and hurting Pog early or they'll end up riding for a third place finish.
Three brilliant riders, all potential GC winners, they need to risk burning one and hurting Pog early or they’ll end up riding for a third place finish.
Changing tactics midway through a race has never been one of Ineos' strengths.
It'd be a poor race indeed if everyone just rides around watching Pogacar ride to a win 20" gain at a time.
If you were UAE, would you be happy to pull and keep the break in check all day today? They'll likely have more 2 weeks of this. Surely, it would benefit them if Pog lost yellow for a few days and he reacquires it during the 2nd week. I can't see Schachmann and whoever else from the break who might acquire yellow, living with Pog in the high mountains.
Changing tactics midway through a race has never been one of Ineos’ strengths.
They changed the gillet on tactic mid stage. You'd think on the team bus they could decide GT isn't getting on the podium without putting Yates or Pidcock out front as bait for some stages
If you were UAE, would you be happy to pull and keep the break in check all day today? They’ll likely have more 2 weeks of this. Surely, it would benefit them if Pog lost yellow for a few days and he reacquires it during the 2nd week. I can’t see Schachmann and whoever else from the break who might acquire yellow, living with Pog in the high mountains.
It's early days yet but I'm looking at the commentary and thinking they're thinking of a decent stage win for pog here then making everyone else try ride away from him in those mountains where the team aren't likely to be any help compared with jumbo or Ineos.
Laengen to drop back once the break is manageable, Pog to Laengen whilst Ineos try and decide who they're riding for, Laengen buries himself getting Pog up to the break then Pog off the front for the finish.
Laengen's already been pulled out the break and he's with the rest of the bunch. I think he'll wait until the last 1km and has a decent chance of bonus seconds but there wont be massive gaps. It's a long old race.
Ah that's the problem with text commentary - it read like he was just satup at the back of the break and enjoying the tow 🙂
It's starting to get lumpy...
UAE still sitting on the front, they seem to have played it reasonably well so far.
Agree re: Ineos needing to do something drastic to attack Pog, but today isn't the stage for that, I think they need a proper mountain stage where an attack or two can burn a lot of the UAE domestiques off early doors. Stage 11 & 12 fit but by that time they probably won't have 4 guys witin a minute any more.
Stage 11 & 12 fit but by that time they probably won’t have 4 guys witin a minute any more.
Exactly, by then they'll be racing for second!
Exactly, by then they’ll be racing for second!
Reality check: GC 3rd would be a good result for ineos, let alone 2nd. A top 10 would be an astounding result for pidcock.
this is going to be brutal! Full gas to the top
I can't imagine riding that far in that heat with a beard like Geschke's.
the peleton is thinning out
weak team ? they are shredding the peleton
Pidcock just about hanging on at the back of that lead group.
24% with full gas as a warm up!!
This is brutal.
Pogacar is just greedy
No-one has an answer to that.
Everyone else is collapsing as they cross the line and Pogacar is just like "yeah, that was alright"
he's an animal!
Bloody hell what a last climb!
Well that was exciting.
Can't see Ineos winning the TDF again in the next few years unless they sign Pogacar.
The little look over from Vingegaard just as Pog comes past him at the line was perfect.
UAE rode very much like Sky/Ineos of old. Wonder if they'll get the bad press like they did?
