Well done Geraint

Setting up nicely for TdF 👍

Somewhat concerning "marred by almost 30 riders, including four teams, pulling out because of Covid-19 on Friday." I do hope we get a full field for the Tour, some close racing and everyone stays healthy (and safe).

Baffled why none of it has been on Eurosport, obviously Slovenia and Belgium have, but you'd still expect highlights

You can only compete against those present, so fair play for the win, but it will probably be a different kettle of fish in a full strength TDF field.

Which there's no guarantee of being all the way to Paris, COVID positives have caused havok this week, but notable negatives include Pog.

Baffled why none of it has been on Eurosport,

Some of it was. Watched highlights yesterday of mens and womens races. Admittedly first I'd seen. Tour of Slovenia too for what it's worth. Although, what the Virgin tv schedule says compared to what is actually on is something of a lottery at times

Has Remco done enough to make the tdf cut ?

To be fair Thomas looked in the form to win it before the covid exodus.

Shame he's got no chance for the tdf

Remco didn't look that great

Pidcock was doing alright

Shame he’s got no chance for the tdf

They probably said that the year he won it.

I watched it as best I could on discovery plus sport. Two stages didn’t even have a commentary just the sound of the motorbike following the peloton. Painful.

To be fair Thomas looked in the form to win it before the covid exodus.

Shame he’s got no chance for the tdf

Remco didn’t look that great

G looked to riding well within himself - looked a level up from a lot of the others; always in control, never panicked and sat back letting everyone else work - very mature ride. It helped that Martinez looked like an absolute machine.

I think Ineos may have taken a step back and realised they don’t have to ride on the front permanently; it seems to me that the more successful riders this year have sat in the bunch, not exactly hiding, but definitely sheltering. The Ineos/Sky train doesn’t seem to cut it any more.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Remco isn’t taken to the tour. He looked very flat. That said, watching the tour of Slovenia… Pogacar looked utterly dominant. I. Ant wait for the Tour.

Somewhat concerning “marred by almost 30 riders, including four teams, pulling out because of Covid-19 on Friday.”

I'm amazed that pro cycling is still taking COVID so seriously when the general populations of Europe seem to be quite happy to live with it now.

I’m amazed that pro cycling is still taking COVID so seriously

I’m not. Athletes who’s bodies are pushed to the limit makes them more vulnerable.

If they are not racing they are not making the teams money

I’m amazed that pro cycling is still taking COVID so seriously

I appear to have a chest infection and 2 days easy commuting 2 weeks ago lead to a week off whilst I attempted to cough my lungs out of my chest. Now at that happy stage of trying to get someone to listen to my chest via a web-app.

He handled the heat well, the trouble for G is he can't take time out of Pog & Rog in the ITT's so it's the mountains or crosswinds, I recon he could live with them in the hills but I can't see him doing a Bernal/Pog/Froome style solo romp (though would love to be proved wrong).

I’m amazed that pro cycling is still taking COVID so seriously

Are they? There is no bubble, and no extra precautions

If you mean that they withdraw from the race when their riders have it, we’ll that’s just common sense. Riding with even mild covid at the intensity they do would be pure stupidity

And as above, even if they don’t have it why risk your season by risking infection if all the riders around you have it

didn't the teams find, with covid precautions in place, that there was less illness in general within the team ?

I’m amazed that pro cycling is still taking COVID so seriously

The consequences of pushing yourself to your cycling limits just after infection may well have changed since vaccination and I don't intend to volunteer to find out, but...

Doing typical training rides (z4+ up 5-10min hills) just after a very mild infection in March '20 absolutely floored me... Instead of doing another training ride the next day or at the latest normally the day after, I needed four days between them and I was having to sleep straight after work shifts, something I never usually do. After a few weeks of stubbornly trying to beat the exhaustion, feeling like I had bruised rib patches moving daily from side to side and front to back, I finally sensibly went back to z1/2 rides for a month before gradually re-introducing z4+.

I came home to my partner having a continuous cough and serious breathing difficulties that lasted for ~6 weeks, a few days before my initial headache from hell with tiredness for ~2 days. Something triggered a relapse for her breathing issues around Nov '20 and she has been off work since Xmas week '20.

It's crazy how different Covid can affect different people, fuelling the "just the flu bro" fire.

Are they? There is no bubble, and no extra precautions

Ah OK. I thought as they are still wearing masks then the COVID bubbles were still in place.

They probably said that the year he won it.

Absolutely, but things have changed a bit since.

If you're putting your money on him, I'd suggest an each way bet.