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Neilson Powless also said that if he was as good as Pog he would do the same. Why not? These people are competitors, it's what they do.
The ITV highlights packages have been so good this year. Really is first class telly. Such a shame we won’t have this next year. I rarely have time to watch full race, the highlights keep me really engaged. I just won’t get energised by the tour next year.
The ITV highlights packages have been so good this year. Really is first class telly. Such a shame we won’t have this next year. I rarely have time to watch full race, the highlights keep me really engaged. I just won’t get energised by the tour next year.
Discovery+ does a 20mins and 60 mins highlights package too.
Discovery+ does a 20mins and 60 mins highlights package too
ITV do very good coverage of the racing, and their commentary team (for me) is better - they give accurate and informative summaries of the state of the race and the compostion of various groups. They also do nice little features around the race and the route, which I don't think you'll get from DIscovery - can you imagine them showing the videos that ITV broadcast on rest day regarding Ineos and Total Energies?
Very much looking forward to today - Visma have already had a go at winning by getting the team car to brake check Tadej on the way to the race, causing a minor tumble (no injuries thankfully)
https://www.cyclingstage.com/tour-de-france-2025-route/stage-18-tdf-2025/
Carlos Rodriguez is out with a fractured pelvis following his crash yesterday.
Might free up Arensman a bit more.
Last chance for visma today, not going to work though
Last chance for visma today, not going to work though
Doesn't help that Vingegaard telegraphed his intentions clearly in interviews. He may as well have sent UAE a postcard outlining exactly where and when he'd attack.
It's Basic Rule 1 - don't publish your race tactics for all and sundry to hear.
I don’t think it takes a genius to work out what vlab tactics would be
Given the pace they've gone off at I think the main tactic is going to be survival. I've rarely seen a peloton so strung out right from the start. Riders taking a flyer just for the hell of it. 🙂
Same as Ventoux? Get a few team members up the road, bridge and attack, grimace every time you look back to see the yellow wheelsucker smiling on your wheel, repeat until team have died. Lose in the sprint to the summit.
It's Basic Rule 1 - don't publish your race tactics for all and sundry to hear.
That's not Pog's way - I'll attack at location X with Y km to go. Come with me if you're hard enough 😀 . Would love him to win all three jerseys as a statement. Milan was a little lucky yesterday as his nemesis was held up by the crash. He needed the win for the points because they can't count on Paris points this year as they try and recreate Olympic RR v2.0.
Roglic in the break is interesting
VLAB need another strategy. Jorgenson's turn to earn his salary in the next 3 km...
Battle for third podium position is everything here. Lipo riding out of his skin to hold onto the main leaders (and his team mate of course). Taking a gel at 70 km/h downhill!
Lipowitz alone, Onley in a group... Fingers crossed Lipowitz and Roglic both blow up (metaphorically)
Roglic needs two minutes on his teamate. I think Rog can see his place on the podium and has been getting better as the race has progressed and he has failed to crash. Onley is in the chasers. All to play for...
Hmm, Lipo now with Rog, 2 mins up on the Onley group
Watching Pog and Ving going off on one of their sprints in the final kms and seeing Onley holding their wheel is one of my cycle racing highlights of the past few years. The future is bright for that lad.
Onley 22s off the podium. I don't think he expected that 2 weeks ago!
Well that was pretty interesting in all aspects apart from Jonas vs Pog. I like Jonas but really what’s the point of devoting your entire year to the TdF ?
Onley, though !! Fantastic!!
Chapeau Oscar!
Well that was pretty interesting in all aspects apart from Jonas vs Pog. I like Jonas but really what’s the point of devoting your entire year to the TdF ?
Onley, though !! Fantastic!!
Especially when you've got sod all chance of winning it 😁 😁 😁
Well done Oscar. Stage of the tour so far.
Chapeau Oscar. Your team played their part today and you did the rest.
The coverage of Oscar on Tadej and Jonas's wheels was superb.
ONLEYFANS
I had it on my phone with the volume down in the office then turned it off with 10km to go to ride home. Managed to stay offline so I could watch the highlights without knowing the result.
The Pogacar result is predictable and dull but the Onley / Lipowitz battle is going to be a proper nailbiter.
Shortened stage tomorrow, they’re skipping Col des Saisies
ONLEYFANS
Wonder how today will go for him?!
Shorter stage (only 95km instead of the originally planned 130km due to a cattle disease on the Alps apparently) so quite possibly faster and more chaotic. However, Lipowitz burned a lot of matches yesterday in his rather ill-fated escapade up the road while Onley had his team around him and then TP / JV.
The route misses out the first climb / descent and instead just goes straight up the valley road to join the route at the second climb.
Martinez got docked a load of KOM points yesterday for his sticky bottle shenanigans around the team car which was too blatant to ignore so unless he has a miraculous recovery and goes up the road again today, I reckon Pogacar will win that jersey too.
Martinez got docked a load of KOM points yesterday for his sticky bottle shenanigans around the team car which was too blatant to ignore so unless he has a miraculous recovery and goes up the road again today, I reckon Pogacar will win that jersey too
I was "watching" the ITV coverage (i.e. it was on in the background while I was working) and I'm sure that whlie discussing Martinez's antics, David Millar was saying thet "the rules" didn't allow for points being docked for such an action, it was either he'd get away with it or get a yellow card - or maybe even a DQ, I remember Nibale being thrown off the Vuelta in 2015 for a much more obvious incident - the DS was watching the TV coveage in the car and as soon as they went to an ad break , just accelerated up the road with Nibbles hanging on, not thinking the organisers would have uninterrupted footage. See the start here:
Shorter stage (only 95km instead of the originally planned 130km due to a cattle disease on the Alps apparently)
I tried to link to that above but it looks like the autolinking shenanigans have had a right go at it...
Changes to Stage 19 - Albertville - La PlagneThe discovery of an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis affecting cattle in a herd located specifically in the Col des Saisies has necessitated the culling of the animals. In light of the distress experienced by the affected farmers and in order to preserve the smooth running of the race, it has been decided, in agreement with the relevant authorities, to modify the route of Stage 19 (Albertville–La Plagne) and to avoid the ascent to the col des Saisies.The ceremonial start will take place as planned at the exit of Albertville. After a 7 km parade, riders will head towards the D925, where the official start will be given. The race will then rejoin the original route shortly before Beaufort (at km 52.4 on the original schedule).
Due to this change, which notably bypasses the Col des Saisies, the stage will now cover a total distance of 95 km instead of the originally planned 129,9 km.As a result, the start in the neutral zone will be given at 2:30 p.m., one hour later than originally scheduled.
🚨 Changes to Stage 19 - Albertville - La... - Le Tour de France | Facebook
Bourg Saint Maurice is going to be heaving today. I would love to be there.
More issues with police stopping pro riders - remember Froome was stopped a few years ago? Last night, Adam Yates and Jonas Vingegaard were stopped
https://twitter.com/opaisdociclismo/status/1948697226773233936
Today's stage could go either way. Lipowitz is glued to Onley's wheel in the yellow jersey group being pulled by Tim Wellens, but there's STRONG group pff the front - Roglic and Martinez have just broken clear of a few more strong riders namely Bruno Amirail, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Einer Rubio. Lenny is aiming for KOM, Primoz aiming to lepafrog Oscar and maybe even Lipowitz and ensure a podium place for Red Bull
Yet another cracking stage. Gutted for Oscar but this bodes well for next season. I wonder even if the Vuelta might be an option? Or even the Worlds?!
Ok everyone, today’s the day I can feel it in my bones. Finally visma are going to crack pog and put 6 mins into him.
More issues with police stopping pro riders - remember Froome was stopped a few years ago? Last night, Adam Yates and Jonas Vingegaard were stopped
Because ?
More issues with police stopping pro riders - remember Froome was stopped a few years ago? Last night, Adam Yates and Jonas Vingegaard were stopped
Because ?
Version I saw was that the Police were under the impression that riders could not return that way - so a misunderstanding about traffic management rather than Festina 2.0 which the headlines suggested.
Ok everyone, today’s the day I can feel it in my bones. Finally visma are going to crack pog and put 6 mins into him.
Oscar's going to crack them all and end up in yellow by 5 seconds... 😉
Hurrah! Another victory for nice hair over violent, repressive greenwashing Governments.
Great result today. Awful front wheel washout too and kerb impact. I hope he’s OK for tomorrow. And that crash at the end. Half the peloton couldn’t be bothered to take off their rain coats. That’s the pace cruising to the finish 🤣
Final stage tomorrow with the 3 laps of the Montmartre climb to contend with.
Meanwhile, the Tour de France Femmes started today in Vannes with a short and therefore frantic day with the ever-awesome Marianne Vos getting the sprint win and yellow jersey
Damn it!!!
No, not that my fantasy team has dropped like the proverbial stone, nor that I've just got back from holiday and have to go back to work on Monday...
No, there's only 1 day of ITV4 and Gary and Co. left to go 😭😭😭
(Oh, if I must, bike racing has been canny too 😂)
I too believe I'll bawl my eyes out tomorrow when the Itv4 team are fired off into the ether. It's such a shame as Alex Dowsett has been a huge asset to the already superb team.
Jake Stewart explained his reasoning well for not chasing Kaden Groves, however he'll probably be turning that particular scenario over in his head later.
Where did 3 weeks go?
Will Pog try and finish with a win? He's looked really unwell to me after the last few stages. Plus talk of rain on the cobbles up that climb loop they've added to the usual Paris circuit. I think he'll be just trying to stay upright and out of trouble.
Milan hoping to make it the usual sprinters sprint... Good luck with that one, I hope you really push the puncheurs!
Last day for ITV4 crew from the Ch4 days, end of an era. 🙁
Roman Gregoire came down as well as Ivan Romeo in the crash with approximately 21km to go: Roman was back up and chasing but there was no sign Ivan. Apparently he did get up and passed his concussion test before finishing. Having seen a pic he looked really badly grazed and cut all along his right side but he said what hurt most was not winning the stage
Hard. As. Nails.
Just need to make it for a few more hours without buying a Ryobi hedge trimmer. Be strong!!!