Tour de France 2025 (CONTAINS SPOILERS!)

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Dorset Boy

Well-Known Member
He did try for the stage win. He was just two seconds short of it. Why on earth would he tow Pog up the climb again and get mugged again? Where's the sense in that? You're sitting and sneering at the one single tactic that's got his bike over the line in front of Pogacar this Tour.

Really? He gave a half hearted effort 300m from the line after Lipo had closed the gap. Trying for the win would have been going a lot earlier than that.
 

No Ta Doctor

Über Member
Pogacar looks sick to me in the interview after the stage. I think he is hiding it and basically limping to the finish. His limping is still better than almost everyone else.
Maybe Jonas would have tried something on a longer stage. The short (shortened) intense stages favour Tadej.
Would have liked to see Vingegaard try again, but maybe he doesn't have it. It's easy to tell someone to attack from at home. He is fatigued as much as Pogacar and maybe just doesn't have it in the legs anymore to attack violently.

If the stage hadn't been shortened they would definitely have tried something along the lines of what they've been doing before. It would have been a bit desperate, but Pog is finally looking a bit tired so today might have been the day when they could make something stick at last. It's a shame that with a strategy of attritional fatigue they've been trying all Tour fate chopped a load of the last big mountain stage off.
 
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No Ta Doctor

Über Member
Really? He gave a half hearted effort 300m from the line after Lipo had closed the gap. Trying for the win would have been going a lot earlier than that.

No, that would have been towing Pog to be beaten in the sprint - like has happened on literally every other fecking stage where they've ridden up a final mountain together bar Hautacam.
 

Dorset Boy

Well-Known Member
Except Jonas hasn't done that very often. Late push and get jumped on some stages, but on others such as Ventoux, Pog was on the front and dropped JV, as on others too. Why not attack from 1 or 2 kms out for once, especially today? Worst case scenario today would still have been second.
I know he's a danish hero, but he really wasn't smart today.
 

Blazing Saddles

Senior Member
Beating Pog to second on this stage and taking two seconds when over 4 minutes down overall,no stage wins....poor show for me. Thought he'd at least give it a go after sitting on his wheel so long.
We'll agree to disagree 😁

Either the ITV or TNT commentators question why whether Jonas would take pull with Pogacâr, in pursuit of Arensman.
The response came as, “well he should, he needs a stage win more than Pogacâr.”
 

No Ta Doctor

Über Member
Except Jonas hasn't done that very often. Late push and get jumped on some stages, but on others such as Ventoux, Pog was on the front and dropped JV, as on others too. Why not attack from 1 or 2 kms out for once, especially today? Worst case scenario today would still have been second.
I know he's a danish hero, but he really wasn't smart today.

On Ventoux it was Vingegaard's attacks that set the entire stage up! He attacked early, bridged to Campenaerts and then attacked again. Pog followed and countered and beat him.

He came closer to a stage win today than he's done on any of the other stages but that was stupid, he should have attacked from further out, despite not once having been able to drop Pog for the entire Tour.

I honestly don't know if we're even watching the same sport anymore.
 

Blazing Saddles

Senior Member
Pogacar looks sick to me in the interview after the stage. I think he is hiding it and basically limping to the finish. His limping is still better than almost everyone else.
Maybe Jonas would have tried something on a longer stage. The short (shortened) intense stages favour Tadej.
Would have liked to see Vingegaard try again, but maybe he doesn't have it. It's easy to tell someone to attack from at home. He is fatigued as much as Pogacar and maybe just doesn't have it in the legs anymore to attack violently.

I wondered about something being up. He just didn’t seem his normal self to me.
I put it down to 3 weeks racing and the previous stage.
I think you are closer to the truth.
 

M.R.M

Well-Known Member
Jonas probably just doesn't have the legs. If he did, he would attack. He has been far less conservative this Tour than he has been in the past. The team tries to set up satellite riders, but he isn't really going. I don't think it's a lack of will.
 

No Ta Doctor

Über Member
Either the ITV or TNT commentators question why whether Jonas would take pull with Pogacâr, in pursuit of Arensman.
The response came as, “well he should, he needs a stage win more than Pogacâr.”

That's daft, needing something doesn't make you magically invulnerable to getting mugged by the bloke who's beaten you on every other stage. He put Pog in the wind for as long as possible, then Lipowitz started pulling and the gap came down, then he put everything into a massive sprint but missed catching Arensman by a mere two seconds. Even then Pog was right on his wheel over the line.
 

Blazing Saddles

Senior Member
Vinegaard had second secure so there was no reason not to try for the stage win, so what if he got mugged by Pog, he wasn't going to ever lose second, but it could have resulted in a stage win. Instead he did nothing and came second again.
I think he's let his team down again by not even trying.

When I saw the stage alteration, I thought that might well be the case.
 

Adam4868

Legendary Member
Either the ITV or TNT commentators question why whether Jonas would take pull with Pogacâr, in pursuit of Arensman.
The response came as, “well he should, he needs a stage win more than Pogacâr.”

Millar and Boulting....
Vinny takes time on Pog at the top of La Plagne...it's not over.

I could of made this up...🤣
 

No Ta Doctor

Über Member
Jonas probably just doesn't have the legs. If he did, he would attack. He has been far less conservative this Tour than he has been in the past. The team tries to set up satellite riders, but he isn't really going. I don't think it's a lack of will.

Other than the first TT and Hautacam - genuine bad days - his legs have been pretty good, just not good enough to beat Pogacar. They've absolutely annihilated some of the climb times again this year. He's spent the entire tour trying to find a weakness, trying to wear Pog down, trying to catch him on a bad day and it never happened. No amount of hail Marys would have helped that.
 

Blazing Saddles

Senior Member
That's daft, needing something doesn't make you magically invulnerable to getting mugged by the bloke who's beaten you on every other stage. He put Pog in the wind for as long as possible, then Lipowitz started pulling and the gap came down, then he put everything into a massive sprint but missed catching Arensman by a mere two seconds. Even then Pog was right on his wheel over the line.

Bear in mind this comment was made some kms from the finish, not in hindsight.
 

Pross

Veteran
I don't understand this. Vingos playbook is sitting on the wheel and not attacking.....he did again today ....and yet people are surprised.....not attacking is what he does.

That’s harsh, he’s tried numerous times. He had a go from a long way out yesterday but he plainly hasn’t got it in the tank. Him and Pog are like two heavyweight boxers who smashed each other for the first few rounds. Pog got a few knock downs but they are now in a clinch waiting for the final bell as they’re out on their feet and exchanging a few half-hearted jabs every now and again.
 
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