Tour de France 2025

[wakemalcolm]

Does anyone else ever wonder how the likes of Andrew Feather (and other regular contenders for the UK hill climbing title) would get on in the TDF?

Reminds me of the clamour for Stuart Dangerfield, an outstanding TTr at national level, to be given his turn in the Olympics.
Finished 29th.

 

[phreak]

Maybe, but wondered if he would be good enough to support the top GC riders through the mountains.

I think Feather was recorded as doing around 7wkg for 11 minutes in one of his hill climb wins. Almeida did almost the same as that for 25 minutes in the recent Tour de Suisse.

He's obviously insanely good, but I think he's a bit below the current peloton.

 

[Gunk]

I thought next year I might have a crack at it on one of these!

https://www.brompton.com/stories/collaborations/brompton-x-tour-de-france-2025

 

[No Ta Doctor]

I think Feather was recorded as doing around 7wkg for 11 minutes in one of his hill climb wins. Almeida did almost the same as that for 25 minutes in the recent Tour de Suisse.

He's obviously insanely good, but I think he's a bit below the current peloton.

He's about forty years old and doesn't ever seem to have finished a UCI road race (three DNF's), so I doubt he's got the peloton skillz. He'd also have to learn how to ride for longer than half an hour or so and to do it on a bike that weighs a few kg more than what he's used to. He's very, very good at what he does, but it's as far from riding the Tour de France as downhill MTB is.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

He's about forty years old and doesn't ever seem to have finished a UCI road race (three DNF's), so I doubt he's got the peloton skillz. He'd also have to learn how to ride for longer than half an hour or so and to do it on a bike that weighs a few kg more than what he's used to. He's very, very good at what he does, but it's as far from riding the Tour de France as downhill MTB is.

Didn't realise he was that old, thought he was ~30 for some reason.

 

[Shadow]

Oh no! You mean I actually purchased the better value tat. I want my tat to be a total ripoff. I'm gutted that I could have paid £5 more.

Years ago purchased one of these mags and swore never again. Today, walked into the store and succumbed. Never again. I blame @Dogtrousers.
Although the few old B&W pics in the Ventoux mag and the coasters are good. Not sure about the sox, will report back later.

Best tat is at the roadside. All you see here was stuff off the caravanne ('cept for the shades); saucisson and baby belle cheese were swapped for the 2 keyrings to a french granny for her granddaughter standing next to us.

(Pic has been posted before)

 

[mjr]

saucisson and baby belle cheese were swapped for the 2 keyrings to a french granny for her granddaughter standing next to us.

Wow. She must have not valued her granddaughter at all! 🤡

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Does anyone else ever wonder how the likes of Andrew Feather (and other regular contenders for the UK hill climbing title) would get on in the TDF?

The thing that distinguishes GC contenders from the rest is their fatigue resistance. They can just repeatedly put out the surges of power, and sustained efforts with little deterioration over the 3 weeks. Whilst Feather might be able to blast the one climb, can he do it repeatedly over 3 weeks plus ride the 200km days?

 

[matticus]

The thing that distinguishes GC contenders from the rest is their fatigue resistance. They can just repeatedly put out the surges of power, and sustained efforts with little deterioration over the 3 weeks. Whilst Feather might be able to blast the one climb, can he do it repeatedly over 3 weeks plus ride the 200km days?

... and could he even beat Pog on an 11-minute climb at the end of a day with 4000m of climbing?

 

[phreak]

He's about forty years old and doesn't ever seem to have finished a UCI road race (three DNF's), so I doubt he's got the peloton skillz. He'd also have to learn how to ride for longer than half an hour or so and to do it on a bike that weighs a few kg more than what he's used to. He's very, very good at what he does, but it's as far from riding the Tour de France as downhill MTB is.

I forget who it was, one of the French riders I think, but the commentators were saying that he struggled on the descents and had done a lot of dedicated training on them. His "struggling" was sooo much better than any amateur. It's not just the legs and lungs of these guys. They're exceptional at a lot of things. I think Wiggins was saying recently that the gap between the pros and really good amateurs is wider than ever.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

gap between the pros and really good amateurs is wider than ever.

As I get older the gap between the really good amateurs and me is wider than ever 😂

 

[cisamcgu]

Does anyone else ever wonder how the likes of Andrew Feather (and other regular contenders for the UK hill climbing title) would get on in the TDF?

As an aside, Chris Boardman who was notoriously bad at climbing in the Tour, and was often in the auto-bus at the back on the long ones, won four consecutive UK hill climb championships in the 1980/90's

 

[TomDW]

As an aside, Chris Boardman who was notoriously bad at climbing in the Tour, and was often in the auto-bus at the back on the long ones, won four consecutive UK hill climb championships in the 1980/90's

Agree, there are plenty of great cyclists who don't like 3 week Grand Tours, obvious example MVdPoel. If he's not near wining he hates it !

This stage 10 looks really interesting, not huge mountains but a ton of climbing and just before the rest day.

 

[gsk82]

... and could he even beat Pog on an 11-minute climb at the end of a day with 4000m of climbing?

I very much doubt he could beat him up a hill of his own choosing in whatever conditions he wanted.

 

[gsk82]

As an aside, Chris Boardman who was notoriously bad at climbing in the Tour, and was often in the auto-bus at the back on the long ones, won four consecutive UK hill climb championships in the 1980/90's

I haven't fact checked it. But I was told around 2012 that Mark Cavendish rode the tourmalet in that years tour faster than the quickest guy in the etape.