Tour de France 2025 (CONTAINS SPOILERS!)

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

Shirley the breakaway is going to need heck of a lot more than two riders, even if it includes MVDP, to keep a good rotation pace after the early bumps.

 

[mididoctors]

Persistenting for a bit I think

 

[No Ta Doctor]

To be fair, it’s not so much about such stages not offering great viewing than the fact they have placed them on a weekend. It’s hardly fair on folks working Monday to Friday.
Interestingly, TNT just showed an interview with race “designer”, Thierry Gouvenou and he’s not happy with the excessive control sprinter teams now employ. He said that if teams don’t change their attitude, no more “flat” flat stages.

Wait, people actually work? 😱 (sorry, most of three years off sick I tend to forget people do jobs)

The irony is that the fewer flat stages there are the more desperate the sprint teams are to control them. They don't even have a guaranteed Champs Elyseé finish this year.

There's also less value in getting into a no-hope break these days, some sponsors now regard it as counter-productive, as it signals their team is the sort of useless filler that's only there for a bit of TV time. The level is high and deep enough now that given the right terrain every team will think they have a genuine chance of a stage win. Are Uno-X the lowest rated team? You wouldn't bet against them getting a rider away on a hilly day and getting a win from it.

 

[mididoctors]

Shirley the breakaway is going to need heck of a lot more than two riders, even if it includes MVDP, to keep a good rotation pace after the early bumps.

Kaden in the wheels ride it like a one dayrr .,. There is a lot of tired legs out there

 

[mididoctors]

Yesterday as lazy tired bunch were sitting up everywhere. Lidl may run out of allies

 

[mididoctors]

A lot depends on wanty

 

[No Ta Doctor]

Pog getting a longish ride behind his own team car there

 

[mididoctors]

GC teams may want to control to stop the race opening up ...or the opposite

 

[mididoctors]

Visma Will try something

 

[Blazing Saddles]

The tailwind is certainly helping 2 men ride like 4.

 

[mididoctors]

Lidl are not riding

 

[mididoctors]

Darth Vader

 

[No Ta Doctor]

Yesterday as lazy tired bunch were sitting up everywhere. Lidl may run out of allies

They definitely aren't going to get a lot of help from Wanty or QS until a lot further into the stage

Danish coms speculating it'll be a late catch of MvdP, when the crosswind sections start speeding up the bunch. If there are significant splits in the peloton by then he'll have put himself the right side of them, albeit from very, very early.

 

[No Ta Doctor]

Chute!

Sam Watson down

 

[No Ta Doctor]

Bittner down as well, so looks like Andresen will be sprinting again today after all. Ion Izaguirre with a concussion check