TDF 2024 general chat *CONTAINS SPOILERS*

talk of some pidders pogi agro vids from yesterday, couldn’t find anything though 😕

Pidcock said something about Pogacar’s attack not being all that. The interviewer then went to Pogacar and said “Pidcock says…” which was clearly a dig to get some sort of reaction but Pogacar shrugged and said he didn’t care then I believe there was some sort of comment yesterday that his “not up to much” attack had given him yellow while Pidcock was 21″ down and then Ineos / Pidcock said something about “we expected it, 21″ is nothing, 3 weeks to go, blah blah”.

I hate the trash talking and the attempt from the interviewer to generate a bit of controversy.

Saw it on itvx highlights.  Your description is about right.

Yeah I don’t think there’s much in the Pidcock and Pogacar stuff. Just the standard UAE weren’t riding on the front, maybe they’ll have to now stuff. Very boring.

Definitely think spoilers in here. If you don’t want to see spoilers, then in the first instance, don’t visit a bike website, and in the second, if you really really must, then don’t click on a TdF thread! It’s not like we’re whacking spoilers in the thread title.

Although if Cav* wins today, a separate thread, with a spoiler as the title is more than justified!

*I can’t see it. Philpsen always seems on it from the get go. Cav has historically taken a few to get going. Also I just don’t think that the form is there. Really hope I’m wrong.

Groenewegan sporting the latest aero accesory…………………..

brand new aero tyre for Sam Bennett

I think purely on yesterdays stage that the race is a bit more open that i thought it would be, I thought it was going to be another Pog-show, but Jonas and Remco both seemed in better fettle than i thought.

Not even sure where Remco came from, one minute he seemed to have been left with the peleton, next he seemed to be 20m behind the two of them, but that was the TV coverage trying to cover too many people i guess.

+1. Having 4 guys tied on GC at the top after the opening weekend is very good for the “will they won’t they?” tactics and questions and speculation.

I’ve switched to ITV4 – camera is with Cav as he stops with the car for a double wheel change. Millar pointed out that he’s got full aero shoe covers, aero water bottles, he’s doing a planned wheel swap onto his preferred sprinting set-up so he’s up for this one.

Remco must’ve TTd like I don’t know what – those 2 seemed to be riding pretty damn hard

Still think it’s a 2-horse race though (mind, until VERY recently I assumed Pog would walk it; he must have been shocked to see Jonas so close when he looked round)

Pog should’ve attacked at the bend just before he did, but he was on the wrong side and would’ve had to go the long way round. As it was he attacked without enough horribly steep stuff left and into a chicane where he couldn’t go absolutely flat out.

Attacking round the riders right hand side 50 metres earlier might have bee different.

Dylan Groenewegen is Batman!

🎵 No that was Bruce Wayne 🎵

The first hints of organisation as the two 4th cat climbs approach.

Can we (I) have a brief synopsis please? Might watch the final few km’s live if I get enough work done.

Wow an attack. Well this is exciting…

Can we (I) have a brief synopsis please? Might watch the final few km’s live if I get enough work done.

Literally nothing has happened all day other than a couple of wheel changes. It’s like they’re on a club run. Not even a breakaway. Everyone is cooked after 2 big days in muggy heat plus tomorrow is a killer stage too.

So they’re just rolling. Jens Voigt on the moto reckoned it was the most laid back he’d ever seen the peloton in his entire career.

There is now a lone attack – seemingly more for TV and laughs than anything.

It’ll build up in a bit for a sprint finish and there’ll be a final 15km of chaos.

From looking at tomorrow’s stage I reckon Cav will be screwed if he doesn’t get the win today.

Tomorrow looks even more brutal than Stage One was.

Tomorrow looks even more brutal than Stage One was

Time limit will be more generous tomorrow, and he’s not been struggling anymore than Jakobsen really. It’ll be tough but I reckon he’ll survive.

Cheers @crazy-legs sounds like a good one to miss!

Tomorrow looks even more brutal than Stage One was.

It’s the Galibier! It’s a classic TdF mountain stage, albeit slightly shorter than normal. 2 x 2nd cat mountains then Hors Cat, over 140km. It’s a proper mountain stage up a proper mountain but I’d prefer to ride that than the first stage.

20km to go, all properly picking up now, team formations coming together, speed is right up. Cav’s up there in position too – he’s at least getting set up for it.

That got chaotic very quickly. Even the commentators are still trying to work out what happened.

Big crash with about 3km to go split the bunch up a lot, MvdP was already off the back with a mechanical at 6km to go so the Alpecin sprint train had to do a quick bit of recalculation.

Rickaert (11) & Ballerini (8) were the only riders from Alpecin and Astana in the top 110

Very pleased with that result, though i wonder why Sir Cav ended up where he did.

… wonder why Sir Cav ended up where he did.

Whole Astana team was right behind the crash. It kind of looked like they made it through OK on the footage, but from his interview they had to hit the brakes hard.

tomorrows parkour

https://x.com/soudalquickstep/status/1807814515909648525

Biniam Girmay is the first black African to win a stage of the tour. He’s also cool as heck.

Richard Carapaz is the first Ecuadorian to wear yellow. He is also cool as heck.

Double cools

Richard Carapaz is the first Ecuadorian to wear yellow. He is also cool as heck.

Carapaz, in spite of being current/defending Olympic Champion, has not been selected for the Olympics this year, I suspect this is a dig at the selectors as much as anything.

But yes, he’s very cool.

Yay! Radio 4 6PM news kindly just announced the result before I have watched the hilights. Steadfastly avoided this thread and all social media all day. Yes, Radio 4. Thanks. Delighted for Biniam. So often the bridesmaid.

Delighted for Biniam. So often the bridesmaid.

He was quite overwhelmed in his post-race interview. Lost for words.

Cav was full of praise for him as well. Admitted that the Astana team were caught out by the crash thus scuppering his own chances but then switched straight to praising Girmay, saying what a moment of history it was.

He’s also cool as heck

He is indeed very lovely, he was wonderfully overwhelmed by the moment but it was a proper win and it is unlikely to be his last.  Been a great start to the tour so far

I’m glad Biniam won….

Put a pound on him to be top three at 20/1……!

latest episode of never strays far is up

Tour de France Stage 4 Preview

https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/tour-de-france-2024-stage-four-preview

Previews of today’s stage from both Inrng and Rouleur. Interesting mix up having a mountain stage this early on in the Tour, again making for some really open racing.

Anyway, should be a great stage plus scenery. :-)

talk of some pidders pogi agro

I think G might be more of a ‘marked’ man…just catching up with the Watts Occurring podcast after stage one, and G basically said that Jonas, and WvA, well in fact all of Visma, were fat 🤣🤣 (all tongue in cheek obvs)

https://x.com/Watts_Occurring/status/1807167024847843532?t=SFMhM9AQcrf1Mfb11pW7FQ&s=19

random images from yesterday

top ten in GC

CARAPAZ Richard EF Education – EasyPost 25 15:20:18
POGAČAR Tadej UAE Team Emirates
EVENEPOEL Remco Soudal Quick-Step
VINGEGAARD Jonas Team Visma | Lease a Bike
BARDET Romain Team dsm-firmenich PostNL 0:06
BILBAO Pello Bahrain – Victorious 0:21
MARTIN Guillaume Cofidis
BERNAL Egan INEOS Grenadiers
HINDLEY Jai Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe
VLASOV Aleksandr Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe

Martin & Hindley also managed to snatch some places in yesterdays Meleé

some tourist board shots

It’s going to be relatively chilly today for the riders though 10mph headwind all day may dampen any fireworks