A thread to draw conclusions, be armchair experts and throw our views on the race out there.

Heroes and villains.

The underachievers and the overachievers.

It’s also a chance for me to urge you to visit the sites that I get a lot of the content off:
The official Tour website
Cycling Stage for the days breakdown
The ever wonderful INRNG for probably the best racing content on the web
And CyclingTips for the rest of the content.

And of course, yesterday.

While it was a massive shame not to get the fairytale ending I know so many of us were hoping for yesterday, it’s been an outstanding tour.

Stories like WvA winning TT, Mountain and Sprint stages, the topsy turvy first week of GC with the loss of Roglic, MVdP fireworks on the first stages, and riders like G being taken out of contention and of course, the comeback of Cav who is now surely one of the greatest sprinters ever in the sport.

What a few weeks it’s been! And a massive thanks to you @lunge for setting up the threads every day for us all to enjoy. Chapeau indeed!

Shame cav didn’t get his 35th stage but what a result getting level with merckx.

The gc was a bit dull i thought and was a shame that none of the climbers couldn’t get the polka-dot from pog

Can I be the nth person to say thanks for this Lunge 🙂

Gonna miss my daily dose of Tour news.

Heroes – Obvs Cav + Team.
Underachievers – Ineous, 3 potential tour winners, manage to get Carapaz to third

always sad at the end of the tour, always seems like the clocks going back as it’s all downhill now to winter.

I know, glass half empty etc

Hero – every single domestique. And Froome who could have got off at the end of almost every stage.

Zero – fan taking down the peloton. Crashes always have consequences for riders and this year’s tour they played a big role. G, however is not off the hook for a speed bump. I’ve seen the same in a race I was in.

Heroes. As TiRed says, the domestiques. Especially the mountain ones – give me everything you have for as long as you can and then when all the warning lights come on, give a bit more until you pop. And then be a good fella and crawl up this 10% slope for another 8 miles so you can do it all again tomorrow?

And Lunge, of course.

Zeroes. Riders that don’t realise the drug history of their sport and do stupid things like Mohoric. I know it’s in the moment but if he’d said that was the price they all pay for the past history and while it’s a pain they welcome the chance to show their innocence every day, what a better message that would have sent.

And WvA. Boooooooo 😉

I agree with @TiRed actually on Froome actually, it’s a great point. The grit it must have taken to have held on each and every stage, knowing he could have just packed it in but carrying on regardless all the way to Paris. Fair play.

Not sure I’d have the same determination!

Apart from Cav, it all felt a bit flat to me this year after the crashes at the beginning took away any real competition for GC.

Gutted Cav couldn’t manage it at the end, maybe just got his tactics slightly wrong and got himself blocked in. Will we see him on another tour?

As others, thanks Lunge for your efforts.

Hero’s – Lachlan Moreton, the lantern rouge who finished 5 days ahead of the peloton.

Firstly, a massive thanks to you @lunge for doing these threads every day and for everyone commenting on them, it’s been a great conversation.

This feels like the start of a new era – Pogacar cementing his place as the probable winner/main contender for the next few years while a lot of new names (Vingegaard, O’Connor etc) start coming through and a load of existing names start fading (Thomas, Froome, Quintana…)

The GC battle was a bit meh I thought. Pogacar was more or less gifted it in the first week or so due to crashes. Talking of which, how the hell is it possible for Thomas to be in the middle of pretty much every crash going?! Ineos need to go away and have a long hard look at their tactics and abilities – sending a team with that strength in depth (and the expectations around them) and coming away with zero stage wins and a third place isn’t exactly setting the world on fire.

Green jersey was brilliant, Cav wildly exceeded any and all expectations of him, even if it wasn’t quite the fairly tale ending that everyone wanted. That said, WvA – winning a mountain stage, a TT and the final sprint is really something!

It’s going to feel awfully quiet for a while now. When does the Vuelta start>?

Talking of which, how the hell is it possible for Thomas to be in the middle of pretty much every crash going?!

He has stopped wearing those hologram bracelets that he used to wear/market

Obviously I missed it but what happened to Richie Porte? He was my outside pick but he was completely absent. Did he crash or something?

Thanks Lunge, much appreciated. Another year gone.

Thanks for the threads, @lunge!

It’s easy to forget just how good the first week of racing was. Alaphillipe winning in the rainbow jersey, MvdP being a beast – even the TT was fun to watch.

Agree that the race for the yellow was muted, but the actual racing was still pretty good – quite a few of the big GC stages felt like one day classics which is right up my street.

Green jersey was pretty good too!

Another thank you to lunge for putting all these threads together

The whole Cav comeback story was just great. His emotion on winning his first sprint, the interactions with his team and just his general demeanour. In the early days when he was dominating sprints he came across as a bit chippy and arrogant (although he’d earned the right to be a bit arrogant) but in this tour he came across as humble, honest and just so grateful to be cycling in the tour this year.

While it was disappointing to see Cav miss his fairy tale ending how can you really deny WvA. As others have said to win on Ventoux, an ITT and a sprint, the guy is just a phenomenon.

Villains? Pocagar for being so bloody good that the GC race was done and dusted with a fortnight to go.

Do we think an on-form Roglic would have beat him?

Think the whole jersey thing needs revising, I don’t think it’s right that Pog wins overall, mountain and young rider. Give the latter two to the next riders in their respective classification, or change rules for those jerseys.

Obviously I missed it but what happened to Richie Porte? He was my outside pick but he was completely absent. Did he crash or something?

Yes, he was involved in one (or more…) of the early crashes, he was out of contention by Day 3. Not sure if he was carrying injury for the rest of the race but he was quite routinely out the back in quite short order on climbs.

And, like G, it can usually be relied on for Porte to crash big time in the TdF. He’s shown brief flashes of what he’s capable of – 5th in 2016, 3rd in 2020 plus numerous other stage wins and podiums but when he comes to the Tour, it almost always goes wrong.

The best moments for me were due to the Classics riders: JA, MVDP and WVA. So exciting to watch. The GC comp was of little interest to me as Pog leaves me cold. It would have been great to have some competition from Roglic but then would that have hampered WVA’s heroics?

I’m not sure Cav wanted that last win, well obviously he was going for it but his post race interviews and such seem to suggest he was happy to just match the record and with his general love of riding plus being a massive fan of the sport it must be odd then being equal or better than your idol. Him hitting his bar at the end seemed like “shucks I missed it” more than a major dissapointment.

I thought the GC was interesting this year, the big gap was as a result of one crazy day in the first week with some horrendous weather so I don’t think Pogacar is 100% unbeatable, it will take the right rider at the right time. Also the battle for the podium was good to watch with lots of riders in contention.

Personally I think the use of double points for the biggest mountain stages is the wrong way, I know that previously some people have moaned that the polka is worn by some rider half way down GC but that rider still has to get in the break, or off the front of the peloton, and be on it for the whole 3 weeks.

Cav has totally been the story this year (but I wonder what would happen next year if he was up against McEwen or Bennett ?)

Cav has totally been the story this year (but I wonder what would happen next year if he was up against McEwen or Bennett ?)

It depends

They will have sprint trains and that suits Cav

I think Cav was goosed after the Pyrenees and was missing that little extra. Dropping Morkov’s wheel was the critical fail that led to getting boxed in (Morkov wasn’t).

Can he keep going?

Needs a team, QS arguably will need a sprinter, but they may not want to gamble

His agent will be earning his fee

Will he consider this Tour his ‘final hurrah’ though and leave on a high? Being equal to Merkx is a great way to bow out of the sport…

I’d rather see him call it here than go out on a whimper in a few seasons’ time.

I’m still impressed that Cav equalled Ineos for the number of mountain stages won this year

It’s going to feel awfully quiet for a while now. When does the Vuelta start>?

Olympics first next weekend! Plenty of arm chair cycling still to be done this year!

I was only slightly disappointed at Cav not winning yesterday – almost sounds better to have equaled the great Eddy Merck, and to be recognised as probably the best sprinter ever. And yes, perfect time to retire now after a fairytale career ending. Will sit well in history books, and probably some good endorsement opportunities off the back of it.

I think my man-crush may be switching from Julian to Wout however. Merckx may want to be more worried about him in future.

Apparently Froome got some award for being the nicest person to interview in the peloton. Havent seen any of these but would be interested to do so – I’d like to think he could make a comeback too, would be great to see him at his best against the youngsters.

Final podium underlined how young Pog still is, with even Vingegaard holding his baby, and Carapaz with his kids, and obviously Cav with a mini lead-out train (they were well rehearsed!).

One final stand-out point: Bonnamour getting the combativity prize after 900km – yes nine hundred!! in breakaways in maybe one of the toughest tours to form breaks. Chapeau!

Dave nearing the end of his tdf journey ?

I think with the yellow jersey tied up from the off almost, it has been good to take more interest in the other stories of the Tour.

Can was great and the comeback will be talked about for a while yet, but it was interesting to see Bling Matthews take the chase for the green jersey til the final day.

The great win by MvdP in honour of his grandad was an amazing stage. Even the mountains KOM jersey changed hands a number of times and was contested til the end.

WvA and his “swiss army knife” of cycling, with his ability to seemingly win on any type of stage etc.

I dont see why Cav cant manage another win next year. This year was hard and he made it. Would be good from the perspective of the last few years too.

Not sure what I’m going to have on in the background anymore. Was enjoyable

I dont see why Cav cant manage another win next year. This year was hard and he made it. Would be good from the perspective of the last few years too.

He can train all year to peak for the first sprint stage of TdF2022 and then pull out of the race after he’s won it.. 😀

joefm
Free Member

I dont see why Cav cant manage another win next year. This year was hard and he made it.

What did he have again, 10 days notice that he was even going to the Tour? I bet QST send him again next year, it seems like a very QST thing to do

I bet QST send him again next year, it seems like a very QST thing to do

Except they’ve got Sam Bennett who will be hungry for a TDF place, can’t see them managing 2 sprint trains! Although would be, er, interesting!

40mpg
Full Member
Except they’ve got Sam Bennett who will be hungry for a TDF place, can’t see them managing 2 sprint trains! Although would be, er, interesting!

Did i stutter? 😉

Sam Bennett is off back to Bora at the end of the season, might be part of why Patrick L chose not to take him to the Tour.

Stunning set of pics on CyclingTips.
https://cyclingtips.com/2021/07/a-photographers-love-letter-to-the-2021-tour-de-france/

might be part of why Patrick L chose not to take him to the Tour.

I thought Sam was on “sick leave” of his own volition so wasn’t available for the Tour.

I’d be surprised if Bennett raced for DQS again seems like plenty of ill feeling by both parties.

On Le Tour…..firstly mega thanks @lunge 👍

GC battle, meh…..safe to say I’m a Pogacar sceptic I guess….wasn’t particularly interesting regardless.

First week aside from the horrific crashes was just awesome though. The classics boys ripping each other apart was just awesome to watch.

Polka dots….I kinda agreed with the sentiments above. They chop and change it all of the time, people used to moan when none GC riders won it, then now its suited more to aGC rider, it’s fairly inevitable that the winner of the GC will win it! People seem to want specifically like they guy placed 2-10th to win it! Personally I’d like a 50kg climber that could attack the GC climbers, but lost 10 seconds per km in a TT to win it!

Green….Cav was always one of my ultimate sporting heroes, it has to be one of the all time best sporting comebacks?! I mean 4 stages is incredible, but in spite of the current points that suit him more…..he only ever won Green once ‘back in the day’. I’d love to see him back next year to take win 35, and I genuinely think there will be a decent contract offer from DQS for him. However, Ewan and probably Groenewegen could arguably provide much stiffer competition than this year. He has however beaten all comers across arguably 3 generations of sprinters!

However, Ewan and probably Groenewegen could arguably provide much stiffer competition than this year.

Caleb Ewan? Yes, definitely.
Dylan Groenewagen? I’m not so sure, he looked hopeless at the Giro. I think his ban may well have done him.

I think that taking away some of the big points at the finish line on at least some of the Stages would shake up the other Jerseys.

It has already become part of the Tour that time bonuses are dished out randomly, why not remove Mountain points at the end of Stages that can reasonably be expected to be contested by the GC riders? Take out green points at the end of some Stages where you’re expecting a big break looking for personal glory to form?

Polka Dot and Green should be fought for by breaking away and being canny – more points for Intermediates and lower Category climbs – or concentrating on certain Stages, make more of the race within the race say I. Especially if Yellow is going to be essentially settled in the first week.

Also props to lunge for over and above.

…. Green should be fought for by breaking away and being canny….

can’t say I agree with that at all. The green jersey is the sprinters prize, not the canny riders cup, biggest sprints happen at the end of the stage and should be rewarded accordingly. KOM is a bit lost but it’s been struggling since the possible demise of the pure climber type of old days (Herrera, York, Van Impe, etc )the ultra skinny pursuiter type rider seems to have done for them.

I’m surprised people on a MTB forum are feeling down at the end of the Tour; there’s loads of cycle racing left this year. And, loads of great MTB action to come.

Olympics next week, with road, MTB, BMX, and track. As well as Red Bull Hardline from Dyfi, live on RBTV. August sees the Vuelta, then the MTB Worlds in Val di Sole, then the return of the World Cups…..