BigFatCoward Posted July 6, 2023 Author Share Posted July 6, 2023 18 hours ago, karaddin said: Yeah this is looking very interesting now. Hindley seemed pretty confused and amused the they let him go like that. I like how you came out of the woodwork as soon as the Aussie is doing well. Another important day, up and down all day long, Tourmalet is over used, but its still a great climb. Pogacar needs to hang on and not drop any more time and hope he rides into form. Hindley should just Glue himself to Vingegaard and hope he can stick with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmanion Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 Yeah over the top of the tourmalet and Jonas and pog look like they are in a different race to the rest of the field pulled 2 minutes in no time. Will be interesting to see if they can come back at those 2 on the last climb but that's for later on because I need sleep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted July 6, 2023 Author Share Posted July 6, 2023 (edited) 15 hours ago, lmanion said: Yeah over the top of the tourmalet and Jonas and pog look like they are in a different race to the rest of the field pulled 2 minutes in no time. Will be interesting to see if they can come back at those 2 on the last climb but that's for later on because I need sleep i'm going to miss the final climb, need to leave work in 15 mins and will be underground without a signal. I'm hoping Pog can just hang on to keep it interesting. Edited July 7, 2023 by BigFatCoward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karaddin Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 5 hours ago, BigFatCoward said: I like how you came out of the woodwork as soon as the Aussie is doing well. Lol I actually thought I replied after day 2 or 3 but apparently I fell asleep without hitting post. Fantastic tour so far from an entertainment perspective, so much aggression and switch ups going on and I'm really liking these mountain stages earlier in the program. I bet Cav is cursing them though. 47 minutes ago, BigFatCoward said: i'm going to miss the final climb, need to leave work in 15 mins and will be underground without a signal. I'm hoping Pog can just hand on to keep it interesting. Even better than you hoped! Jumbo looking the stronger team, but hard to call between the big 2 after today - maybe Pog just needed the struggle yesterday to really start riding into form. Really looking forward to Puy de dôme on Sunday night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted July 7, 2023 Author Share Posted July 7, 2023 Today is dull. Bet everyone is very releived. I cant wait for sunday up puy de dome I wonder how it will he raced and whether Jumbo change tactics. I think Hndley went deep on weds and will be able to hang with the 2 favourites better as the race goes on, but he always gets better during a grand tour so this Sunday might be too soon, and the profile doesn't really suit him. Rodriguez and S Yates look his only challengers for 3rd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karaddin Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 I thought he was in better condition after Weds because he still seemed so animated after the finish rather than completely and utterly wiped like Pog and Vingegaard last night. I guess that's just the high of your first tour stage win and getting yellow haha. It was a lot of time, but he's still within striking distance at least, so hope to see him at least keep the big 2 on edge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karaddin Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 So close and yet so far for Cav. I'm not seeing any other promising opportunities for him unless he survives all the way to Paris. That would be one way to take a record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmanion Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 It would be a bit Hollywood to do it in Paris but as long as he gets it done somewhere I won't care. I just can't see him taking down philipsen with that alpecin lead out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmanion Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 Dammit Cav that's not the way this is supposed to end Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karaddin Posted July 8, 2023 Share Posted July 8, 2023 Yeah thats rough. About as ignominious (in his head, not reality) as it gets, a nothing crash at low speed with no one else going down and hitting at just the wrong angle. He looks understandably shattered in the ambulance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted July 8, 2023 Author Share Posted July 8, 2023 Didn't think he was going to get one but the final stage of grand tours has always been his playground. Still the greatest sprinter ever. Won a world championship, won a monument, points jerseys and success on the track. A proper legend. lmanion 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted July 9, 2023 Author Share Posted July 9, 2023 The best first week in a grand tour ever. Heartbreaking when someone gets reeled in that close to the finish after all that effort. But that's cycling. Pog and Vingegaard really are a class apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karaddin Posted July 10, 2023 Share Posted July 10, 2023 Have to wonder if he could have held on another 500m without the pain and wasted energy from the bee sting. Really says something about the difficulty of the climb that he was caught and passed by 3 different riders in that 500m and lost 40s to the winner in that little distance. That kick up to 14% just before the finish looked particularly brutal. And whatever ends up happening, Pog and Vingegaard both can rest comfortably knowing that they're genuinely earning it - their teams are only taking them so far and they're carrying the finish and the competition between them on their own backs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maltaran Posted July 10, 2023 Share Posted July 10, 2023 I do get the feeling Jumbo are the stronger team overall, it always seems to be Kuss who’s the last man to go rather than Majka or Yates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted July 11, 2023 Author Share Posted July 11, 2023 todays stage is up and down all day, i imagine there will be carnage trying to get into the break of the day and it could throw up some interesting developments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karaddin Posted July 11, 2023 Share Posted July 11, 2023 2 hours ago, BigFatCoward said: todays stage is up and down all day, i imagine there will be carnage trying to get into the break of the day and it could throw up some interesting developments. That didn't take long to throw up a very interesting development Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wondering Wolf Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 (edited) Stage 13 and 14 were not quite as I had expected. UAE did all the work just for Pogacar gaining 8 seconds on a stage that favoured him? And today I thought Jumbo Visma would be more dominating in the end and Vingegaard would be the one to attack. But van Aert returning for a last stand on the last climb and Vingegard coming back after Pogacar's attack was really thrilling. Edited July 16, 2023 by The Wondering Wolf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamjm Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 1 hour ago, The Wondering Wolf said: And today I thought Jumbo Visma would be more dominating in the end and Vingegaard would be the one to attack. But van Aert returning for a last stand on the last climb and Vingegard coming back after Pogacar's attack was really thrilling. It was a very eventful stage so slightly surreal it all ended up making a 1 second difference to the standings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmanion Posted July 16, 2023 Share Posted July 16, 2023 Shame that Hindley got caught up in the crash because I don't think he loses that sort of time without the crash, Rodriguez looks in the box seat for the final podium position now, I think he's a better TT than Hindley. Pogacar was killed for the bonus on top of the last mountain by the motorbikes I think he was looking for one of those big attacks to make a gap onto the false flat. This tour really looks like going down to the TT between the top 2, although there is still a lot of climbing to go it seems like they are at really similar levels to each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigFatCoward Posted July 16, 2023 Author Share Posted July 16, 2023 (edited) Pog has to go sooner. The final climb today is 2.7k at 11% then another 7k at a much lower gradient (7.7%). Get a gap and make it count and go head to head. Edited July 16, 2023 by BigFatCoward Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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