Re: tOfficial Tour De France Thread

[aualum06]

That finish climb is insane

[Robert J Sakimano]

That finish climb is insane

a couple of the guys were doing the zigzag across the course to ease the gradient. Wow.

Good for Vingegaard.  Couple of non-GC stages, then a mountain stage Saturday. At least I can go on a long ride Saturday morning and not have to rush back to see what I may have missed.

[Nordic]

[Robert J Sakimano]

Sepp and Rodriguez went down hard on a descent. Both came up bloodied, eyes/nose bleeding. Looked like a horror movie. Yikes.

[Robert J Sakimano]

Good stage today. A good way to head into Paris.

[Robert J Sakimano]

Sepp and Rodriguez went down hard on a descent. Both came up bloodied, eyes/nose bleeding. Looked like a horror movie. Yikes.

Sepp finished today's stage.

[Nordic]

Good stage today. A good way to head into Paris.

Good stage to finish off the mountains.

Was pulling for Pinot. He’s an OG. Gonna miss Paul saying, “he has the whole of France behind him!”, especially on Bastille Day. He is one of those guys that is always going for it.

Pogacar getting the win. Great racing and tactics. I gotta imagine Simone Yates helped his brother to get back up to Tedaj on the final climb.

Rodriguez leaving the blood dripping down his face, elbow and knee… respect. Sepp went face first into the pavement. Toughest SOBs on the planet.

[Robert J Sakimano]

Good stage today. A good way to head into Paris.

Good stage to finish off the mountains.

Was pulling for Pinot. He’s an OG. Gonna miss Paul saying, “he has the whole of France behind him!”, especially on Bastille Day. He is one of those guys that is always going for it.

Pogacar getting the win. Great racing and tactics. I gotta imagine Simone Yates helped his brother to get back up to Tedaj on the final climb.

Rodriguez leaving the blood dripping down his face, elbow and knee… respect. Sepp went face first into the pavement. Toughest SOBs on the planet

I don't have the words to describe what it is these guys endure for 3 weeks.

[Robert J Sakimano]

Philipsen has to be the big favorite in today's stage, right.

[kingstonlake]

Good stage to finish off the mountains.

Was pulling for Pinot. He’s an OG. Gonna miss Paul saying, “he has the whole of France behind him!”, especially on Bastille Day. He is one of those guys that is always going for it.

Pogacar getting the win. Great racing and tactics. I gotta imagine Simone Yates helped his brother to get back up to Tedaj on the final climb.

Rodriguez leaving the blood dripping down his face, elbow and knee… respect. Sepp went face first into the pavement. Toughest SOBs on the planet

I don't have the words to describe what it is these guys endure for 3 weeks.

Thoughts and prayers.

[Robert J Sakimano]

I don't have the words to describe what it is these guys endure for 3 weeks.

Thoughts and prayers.

champagne and cheese, brah.

[aualum06]

[tw]1686029012974387202?t=1_2O18xqguXnTqTlcYYRRQ&s=19[/tw]

[Robert J Sakimano]

[tw]1686029012974387202?t=1_2O18xqguXnTqTlcYYRRQ&s=19[/tw]

[Robert J Sakimano]

And American Sepp Kuss wins the Vuelta.

Amazing.

[Turtleneck]

Seems as good a place as any to put this.

[tw]1706723330399912135?s=20[/tw]

[Robert J Sakimano]

Seems as good a place as any to put this.

[tw]1706723330399912135?s=20[/tw]

I had totally forgotten about that.

[Robert J Sakimano]

the Tour rolls out of Florence four weeks from today - a bit of a weird Tour, as the boys won't finished on the Champs E'Lyssee this year due to the Olympics being in Paris.

all signs pointing toward another great Tour with a lot of young cyclists already riding at the top of their game. Obviously, Jonas Vingegaard would be the favorite, but a nasty crash in April still has him struggling. Not even sure he's gonna start - looks like Rogolic, Evenpoel and Pogacar will be battling it out for the golden fleece

My early money is on Pogacar after his performance at the Giro.

will be a lot of fun - the best part of summer, a beautifully intricate sport featuring the toughest athletes on the planet.

[kingstonlake]

the Tour rolls out of Florence four weeks from today - a bit of a weird Tour, as the boys won't finished on the Champs E'Lyssee this year due to the Olympics being in Paris.

all signs pointing toward another great Tour with a lot of young cyclists already riding at the top of their game. Obviously, Jonas Vingegaard would be the favorite, but a nasty crash in April still has him struggling. Not even sure he's gonna start - looks like Rogolic, Evenpoel and Pogacar will be battling it out for the golden fleece

My early money is on Pogacar after his performance at the Giro.

will be a lot of fun - the best part of summer, a beautifully intricate sport featuring the toughest athletes on the planet.

That’s a solid list! I predict the millionaire white guy in that group wins.

[Robert J Sakimano]

the Tour rolls out of Florence four weeks from today - a bit of a weird Tour, as the boys won't finished on the Champs E'Lyssee this year due to the Olympics being in Paris.

all signs pointing toward another great Tour with a lot of young cyclists already riding at the top of their game. Obviously, Jonas Vingegaard would be the favorite, but a nasty crash in April still has him struggling. Not even sure he's gonna start - looks like Rogolic, Evenpoel and Pogacar will be battling it out for the golden fleece

My early money is on Pogacar after his performance at the Giro.

will be a lot of fun - the best part of summer, a beautifully intricate sport featuring the toughest athletes on the planet.

That’s a solid list! I predict the millionaire white guy in that group wins.

definitely a white guy.

millionaire? not so sure. Certainly possible, but about 80% of the peloton is literally riding for their contact to be renewed next year. Not exactly swimming in the bucks.

but white? Absolutely.

like whiter than even me.

(and I drive a fuckin' Subaru!)

[Nordic]

Tour de France: Unchained S2 is out on Netflix. Recap of last year's tour and behind the scenes stuff from the teams and riders.

Good little lead up to the 2024 race.

[Robert J Sakimano]

Tour de France: Unchained S2 is out on Netflix. Recap of last year's tour and behind the scenes stuff from the teams and riders.

Good little lead up to the 2024 race.

thanks for the reminder - watched the trailer the other day. I think my wife and I will probably cue it up this evening.

the best part of summer is just around the corner.

[Nordic]

Tour de France: Unchained S2 is out on Netflix. Recap of last year's tour and behind the scenes stuff from the teams and riders.

Good little lead up to the 2024 race.

thanks for the reminder - watched the trailer the other day. I think my wife and I will probably cue it up this evening.

the best part of summer is just around the corner.

I know I watched S1, but don't remember it. This season is really good.

Amazing how young these dudes look. Pogacar looks like a little kid. I was reminded what a shithead Philipsen was. Especially stage 4.

[Robert J Sakimano]

thanks for the reminder - watched the trailer the other day. I think my wife and I will probably cue it up this evening.

the best part of summer is just around the corner.

I know I watched S1, but don't remember it. This season is really good.

Amazing how young these dudes look. Pogacar looks like a little kid. I was reminded what a shithead Philipsen was. Especially stage 4.

yeah, without googling it and just going by memory, his actions could've killed Van Aert had Wout not pulled up.

it is amazing how young these guys look when not decked out in their cycling kits, glasses, etc - I think in some ways they push puberty back with their massive training.

[Robert J Sakimano]

Just watched episode 1 of season 2 of Unchained.

So good. So well done - and my wife made the comment that Vingegaard looks like a character from The Simpsons.

She ain't wrong.

I naturally gravitate to Pogacar. Just so humble and unassuming.

[Nordic]

I know I watched S1, but don't remember it. This season is really good.

Amazing how young these dudes look. Pogacar looks like a little kid. I was reminded what a shithead Philipsen was. Especially stage 4.

yeah, without googling it and just going by memory, his actions could've killed Van Aert had Wout not pulled up.

it is amazing how young these guys look when not decked out in their cycling kits, glasses, etc - I think in some ways they push puberty back with their massive training.

Yep. Rubbing is racing and shit can get weird to an extent. But there was a cumulation of incidents of him being on the line or just past it that it’s not just one time thing.

[Nordic]

I was just #chitchatting with my kid about Le Tour and the different stages. She was asking about time trails and if they always have them at certain times. I told her there are no hard and fast rules on selecting the stages, Sometimes they have one, sometimes two, I seem to remember three one year (could be wrong), sometimes they have team, sometimes they don’t. Except they ALWAYS finish in Paris.

Doh! twife pulled up the map and they finish in Nice on an individual time trial this year.

I’m guessing

[Nordic]

I’m guessing due to the Olympics. I love it.

Champs-Elysees is kinda boring

[Robert J Sakimano]

Yep - due to the Olympics.

In my memory, it's the first time the last stage will be a TT singe 1989 when Lemond overtook Laurent Fignon on the last day. Never forget watching that (tape delay back then) after me and some of my cycling pals had been riding the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I remember watching Fignon collapse after the finish. Lemond eclipsed him by 8 seconds, as I recall.

Going out on an early ride now - will dig up the video later.

Also, cool that your daughter is asking about cycling! Our daughter tunes in some still, she turns 25 this year. She grew up, obviously, watching with me. Had a huge crush on Andy Schleck when she was, like, 12.

[Robert J Sakimano]

lots of different videos up on YouTube, but this one shows the last couple of hundred meters of Lemond, followed by Fignon.. classic Phil Liggett call down on the end.

Most of the action is in the first 2 minutes or so.

[Robert J Sakimano]

now that I've gotten sucked into a TdF cycling video vortex...

Sports psychologist: "the most physically demanding sport of any sport" - I'd say that's an understatement.

pretty solid video even for those of us who are long time students of the Tour. Good discussion about overriding the body's natural response to pain.

[Robert J Sakimano]

Just finished episode 6 of 'Unchained'. A few thoughts through this point:

1. I remember Vingegaard's TT being otherworldly last summer, but watching it again in detail, I was like..

2. The crew has total access to Jumbo Visma (obvs) but has yet to mentioned the name 'Sepp Kuss'. He had the race if his life, was crucial to Vingegaard's success in the mountains, won a stage and yet no mention.

(I realize they have their narratives and follow the script pretty tightly, but..)

3. I still like Pogacar and think he's the favorite this year but I don't want the storyline to be Jonas's crash in April and lack of being able to be fully prepared for the Tour.

[Nordic]

Seemed like a European production. Maybe I’m wrong.

I don’t remember it at the time, but they eluded to Vingegaard's TT being outside the norm, which spurred local (French) doping rumors. I hope not, but who knows. I thought Pogacar simply didn’t have the legs/team as previous years. Telltale sign for me was when Pogacar got blocked on an attack by the moto. Yeah, the moto was wrong (and they were a problem all tour), but if that one small moment that didn’t go your way was the difference between winning and losing the tour, you simply didn’t have the legs.

I always root for whoever the underdog, the 2nd place guy or the dude who hasn’t won the your in the past. Runaway wins (Froome era) are boring as fuck.

[Robert J Sakimano]

Wasn't sure if I should put this in the workout thread or the Tour thread, but I wasn't sure how many people in the other thread would know the polka jersey.

Either way, I was coming west this morning, back to East Lansing, and approached this lady on the hill by the middle school on Burcham. Took this picture coming down the hill toward Hagadorn.

As I moved up beside her, I go "oh my god, I just caught the King of the Mountains" and she laughed like like it was the funniest thing ever.

We rode together for a couple of minutes and talked. Was so cool and she was a really nice lady.

[Nordic]

Anyone figure out how to watch this year? I know it is supposed to be on Peacock, with some stages on USA/NBC. I did a search on Peacock and YoutubeTV (USA/NBC) Nothing. I scrolled through USA & NBC. Nothing. WTF.

[Nordic]

Neverfuckingmind, it starts next Saturday. I had it in my head it was today :(.

Still weird that it didn't show up on any searches.

https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/watch-live-stream-tour-de-france-in-usa/blt69a46a54fcdd6fc1

[Robert J Sakimano]

no Sepp Kuss at the Tour. Statement said that he hasn't fully recovered from a recent bout with COVID.

I hate it for Sepp. Not only the most exciting American cyclist in recent years, but he rode so well last year in the Tour. Went on to freakin' win the Vuelta. That's insane.

Vingegaard is really gonna miss him in the mountains. Whatever chances he might have given his crash in April just took another hit.

[Robert J Sakimano]

the best part of summer and most grueling sporting event on the planet begins tomorrow at 6: 30 AM tomorrow morning.

[aualum06]

Not finishing in Paris is a little sad

[Robert J Sakimano]

Not finishing in Paris is a little sad

kinda sucks, but I totally get why they moved it.

I'm actually excited, though, that they're wrapping up with a 33.7 km TT and not the traditional ceremonial ride onto the Champs E'Lysees - if the race is remotely close, it'll be an exciting last day.

[Robert J Sakimano]

Climbing the Galibier on stage 4.. word on the street is that Pogacar has been struggling a bit with covid, who knows how Visma is maybe playing poker with Vingegaard, though after his crash in April, I don't think he's as fit as he otherwise would be.

No Kuss for Visma and I thin Van Aert is a bit behind his fitness curve.

Rogolic might be a darkhorse? A gravel stage?

Regardless.. man, I'm stoked for the next three weeks.

[Sponsored content]