Topic starter
After all the build-up, speculation and the countless guides out there, the Tour starts today in...not France. It's in the cycling-mad Basque Country with a Classics-esque loop around the amazing city of Bilbao, a far cry from the more traditional "flat stage with a sprint" that has often started the Tour and welcome change to open up the GC a bit early on and get some time gaps in place.
From the new...
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to the old (the 14th century Catedral de Santiago)
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The riders won't have much time to look at this, they'll be riding a lumpy (although not mountainous) circuit of 182km with 4 categorised climbs and a host of other undulations making 3200m climbing:
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The final climb, Cote de Pike is the obvious launchpad and there was video on social media of some of the riders giving it a go the other day with WvA setting a new KOM up there - a gentle run on and then a 1km ramp at 10-15% before a drop into the city and an uphill finish on a wide boulevard.
This stage has [b]Wout van Aert[/b] and [b]Mathieu van der Poel[/b] written all over it although MvdP was talking down his chances earlier and WvA will probably be on super-domestique duties for Jonas Vingegaard. And of course who'd bet against [b]Tadej Pogacar[/b] to make an opening statement - a hilly finale and an uphill finish suits him perfectly but even if it's a reduced group of Classics specialists and GC contenders, he can still win from a small group.
It'd be cool to see [b]Pello Bilbao[/b] win, just for the headlines! 🤣
Whatever happens, this will not be a normal opening stage where the GC riders can hide in the bunch and be towed along. Kwiatkowski has called this the hardest opening stage of any Tour de France.
As always with the Tour there's too many places covering it to provide links everywhere but Cyclist Magazine is usually worth a look and their gallery is up there with the best:
https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/tour-de-france-route-live-tv-guide-startlist-stage-by-stage
Inrng has their standard Tour Guide plus daily previews (much of which I'll crib for these threads!)
https://inrng.com/2023/06/tour-de-france-2023-guide/
And the official Tour website with full timings, results and a top notch photo gallery is here:
https://www.letour.fr/en/
And live coverage of every stage in full on ITV4, EuroSport and GCN+ with highlights shows in the evenings.
This thread for spoilers, the "wow, Pogacar in yellow!" type posts, there are a couple of rather duplicated general TdF threads on the page too including the VeloGames fantasy although it'd be nice if we could pick one and stay with it rather than having info spread over two threads.
the offical stage profile images are really really crap 🙂
Posted : 01/07/2023 9:24 am
woop woop, bring it on
Posted : 01/07/2023 9:34 am
Will Jumbo make it very very hard to see how Pogs wrist is ?
Posted : 01/07/2023 9:35 am
WvA will probably be on super-domestique duties for Jonas Vingegaard.
Soo... attacks on a climb and solos to a 20 second victory then? 😂
Posted : 01/07/2023 9:48 am
interesting run in
Posted : 01/07/2023 9:50 am
Head says pog
Heart says Girmay
Velogames team agrees with your heart 😁
Posted : 01/07/2023 9:53 am
Excitement level:
https://twitter.com/robynjournalist/status/1542528294158860288?s=46&t=VlnTbr36HbbeUf7htf7B5Q
Posted : 01/07/2023 10:03 am
got to be pretty keen on wearing yellow tomorrow
https://twitter.com/soudalquickstep/status/1675062849230479361
Posted : 01/07/2023 10:20 am
I hope WvA wins. He's my man crush and all that....
Or daft Pidcock breakaway
Thanks @crazy-legs for picking up the baton from @lunge !
Posted : 01/07/2023 10:39 am
well that wiped the smile off Gilberts face 😀
Posted : 01/07/2023 11:23 am
blimey Simon Yates looks gaunt!
Posted : 01/07/2023 11:25 am
Posted : 01/07/2023 11:32 am
Topic starter
Pog has still got strapping on the wrist :/
He's apparently got a very lightweight splint / cushion for riding and a more substantial one for evenings.
Fast start today! Break of 5, peloton seemingly happy to let them go at the moment.
Posted : 01/07/2023 11:57 am
lot of white in peloton :/
Posted : 01/07/2023 12:02 pm
The transporter bridge. Bilbao....or Middlesborough.....Bilbao.....or Middlesborough.....
Posted : 01/07/2023 12:04 pm
Topic starter
lot of white in peloton :/
Shame that Bahrain-Victorious changed their kit to predominantly white because it hides the National Championship stripes of Fred Wright.
Posted : 01/07/2023 12:12 pm
on the fastest pace
looks like quickstep and jumbo want to make it hard
Posted : 01/07/2023 12:26 pm
Topic starter
Oh dear God, who put Cadel Evans into the ITV4 commentary team?
I might have to swap back to Eurosport.
Posted : 01/07/2023 12:40 pm
Topic starter
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That is one hell of a chateau!!
Posted : 01/07/2023 12:52 pm
MoreCashThanDash reacted
tiny front door 😀
Posted : 01/07/2023 1:00 pm
nice ride to the sea
Posted : 01/07/2023 2:01 pm
Topic starter
Intermediate sprint in the town of Guernica, the rather tragic inspiration for one of Picasso's most famous works
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Sagan in the mix for a few Green Jersey points! Pedersen, Cav etc all in there. Girmay seemed to be in a decent position and then got boxed out of it all.
Posted : 01/07/2023 2:08 pm
The transporter bridge. Bilbao….or Middlesborough…..Bilbao…..or Middlesborough…..
neither, it's obviously Newport
Posted : 01/07/2023 2:11 pm
welshfarmer reacted
amusing work on the **** guggenheim banner 🙂
Posted : 01/07/2023 2:23 pm
Intermediate sprint in the town of Guernica, the rather tragic inspiration for one of Picasso’s most famous works
Lots about it in the cycling bookVuelta Skelter which I enjoyed.
Posted : 01/07/2023 2:36 pm
Oh dear God, who put Cadel Evans into the ITV4 commentary team?
I’m not watching it but he can’t be any worse than that dull monotone Irish bloke who normally appears on Eurosport?!
Posted : 01/07/2023 2:40 pm
MoreCashThanDash reacted
Topic starter
This is all starting to get a bit cagey - the break has been kept on a tight leash all day but the gap has come down dramatically and riders are starting to look around a bit, ride with a bit more purpose.
Alaphilippe looking on good form, the team seem to be riding for him and the course definitely suits him.
Posted : 01/07/2023 2:42 pm
peloton getting edgy
Posted : 01/07/2023 2:48 pm
frantic stuff! 😀
Posted : 01/07/2023 3:26 pm
Pog wants it hard
Posted : 01/07/2023 3:35 pm
Topic starter
Richard Carapaz down and probably out, Enric Mas looks injured too. 🙁
No idea what happened - someone slid out on a wet bend maybe.
Getting frantic and fast in the peloton now.
Posted : 01/07/2023 3:51 pm
that's ridiculous he could hardly stand stick him on a bike.
Posted : 01/07/2023 3:53 pm
Topic starter
that’s ridiculous he could hardly stand stick him on a bike.
Agreed - he looks in absolute agony.
Mas is definitely out, Carapaz frankly looks like he should be.
Posted : 01/07/2023 3:58 pm
Wattage Bazooka time 😀
Posted : 01/07/2023 4:00 pm
Brilliant
Posted : 01/07/2023 4:17 pm
Wow!
Posted : 01/07/2023 4:17 pm
Did not expect that
Posted : 01/07/2023 4:19 pm
Topic starter
Has that ever happened in the Tour before?!
Posted : 01/07/2023 4:25 pm
Apparently so....in 1919
Posted : 01/07/2023 4:32 pm
Blimey! I definitely didn't see that coming! 😳
Posted : 01/07/2023 4:35 pm
Didn't Dan get the message about the dress code?
Posted : 01/07/2023 4:36 pm
Good to see Cadel Evans agreeing it had been the first time 2 brothers battled it out for a stage win……despite literally coming in behind two brothers battling it out for a stage win last time it happened
Posted : 01/07/2023 4:37 pm
crazy-legs reacted
Still a bit cagey between Pog and Jonas, not wanting to burn matches or not having the legs ?
Posted : 01/07/2023 4:39 pm
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