Tour de France 2026 ***Spoilers***

[Dorset Boy]

Looking again, I think you are right, although reported that the GC time was 41 kms to go, it was actually at 41 kms, as T4tomo demonstrates.
I therefore conclude the commentators got it wrong and gave us all duff information - well it was actually due to the radio message from the (IRC) Bahrain Victorious DS to his team. The BV DS definitely said 41 kms to go, but he must have had it wrong.

 

[Archie from BR]

I'll grudgingly accept that it was a great finish this year.

I still don't like it though. The neutralisation is utterly contrived and confusing and the Champs Élysées is just made for a sprint finish. It is (was) an important component of the green jersey competition and a reason for the top sprinters to stay in the race.

I think they have found a way to include Montmarte and still have the sprint finish on Champs. Finishing positions 2 to 5 were taken by the best sprinters still in the race so it was a good idea to make it 10km to the finish from the top of the hill.
I think they need more drone usage though, camera bikes dont make it easy to see the distance between the lead group and the chasers.

 

[Dogtrousers]

41 kms to go, not 41 kms ridden!
41 kms to go = 48 kms ridden (approx), so your red arrow needs to move to the right to the top of Montmartre as I stated!

It was taken at 50.3 km to go

I make that 38.7 km ridden.



View: https://x.com/LeTour/status/1949490874968158281

 

[Dorset Boy]

You've made the same mistake again from not reading properly!! It says 48km to go, I clipped that from the link that you posted!!
back at ya!!

I read your post properly!
Is the red arrow yours or is it an offical red arrow? You did not make that clear at all , and given what was reported yesterday during the race (see my post just above this), my reasonable assumption was it was your red arrow.

Clearly the BV DS misunderstood, that was broadcast worldwide on the live feed, and the commentators said the GC time was at 41 kms to go, not 41 kms ridden.

However, 41 kms ridden is clearly the more sensible place to have taken the GC times being the end of a lap.

 

[Dorset Boy]

Sorry, that's just wrong. The timings were taken at the finish line, at 41km ridden, before the Montmartre.

Read my posts above for the explanation around 41 kms to go!

 

[No Ta Doctor]

Read my posts above for the explanation around 41 kms to go!

Yeah, I posted before you'd conceded the mistake and deleted when I saw you had

 

[Dogtrousers]

Quick rewind to stage 20

Bravo to Seixas for his final roll of the dice. It didn't work, in fact it backfired, but he gave it a go to see if he could take some time out of del Toro. He could have just sat on, probably not lost as much, if any, time and ended up in the same place. I think he knew he had nothing left, but he gave it a shot.

Also ... I don't normally read much cycling stuff on the internet apart from here. For some reason I had a look around elsewhere after stage 20 and there were LOADS of people arguing that Carapaz was dreadfully unsportsmanlike for not waiting for Kuss. Also Remco was behaving dreadfully by overtaking Kuss (the true moral victor) at the finish. So that's why I don't read much elsewhere.

 

[matticus]

Also ... I don't normally read much cycling stuff on the internet apart from here. For some reason I had a look around elsewhere after stage 20 and there were LOADS of people arguing that Carapaz was dreadfully unsportsmanlike for not waiting for Kuss. Also Remco was behaving dreadfully by overtaking Kuss (the true moral victor) at the finish. So that's why I don't read much elsewhere.

totally agree! [I was a bit surprised the topic didn't come up here ... but clearly there are nothing but clear-thinking folk posting here. Huzzah!]

Incidentally, if anyone does think Carapaz was unsporting, they should take it up with Kuss - there is a ton of footage of the two enjoying post-stage laughs and mutual love-in.

 

[No Ta Doctor]

Quick rewind to stage 20

Bravo to Seixas for his final roll of the dice. It didn't work, in fact it backfired, but he gave it a go to see if he could take some time out of del Toro. He could have just sat on, probably not lost as much, if any, time and ended up in the same place. I think he knew he had nothing left, but he gave it a shot.

Also ... I don't normally read much cycling stuff on the internet apart from here. For some reason I had a look around elsewhere after stage 20 and there were LOADS of people arguing that Carapaz was dreadfully unsportsmanlike for not waiting for Kuss. Also Remco was behaving dreadfully by overtaking Kuss (the true moral victor) at the finish. So that's why I don't read much elsewhere.

Carapaz should actually have carried a climbing rope, harness and a range of protection, just in case he needed to help a competitor out of a ravine.
Some people just hate Remco.
I'm not sure if it was brave or foolhardy of Seixas, but Prodhomme putting the hurt on him and gapping everyone was quite funny. Perhaps we should call it panache?

 

[mididoctors]

Quick rewind to stage 20

Bravo to Seixas for his final roll of the dice. It didn't work, in fact it backfired, but he gave it a go to see if he could take some time out of del Toro. He could have just sat on, probably not lost as much, if any, time and ended up in the same place. I think he knew he had nothing left, but he gave it a shot.

Also ... I don't normally read much cycling stuff on the internet apart from here. For some reason I had a look around elsewhere after stage 20 and there were LOADS of people arguing that Carapaz was dreadfully unsportsmanlike for not waiting for Kuss. Also Remco was behaving dreadfully by overtaking Kuss (the true moral victor) at the finish. So that's why I don't read much elsewhere.

Staying on your bike is a function of physical stress and fatigue. Unforced error.... He wasn't collected

 

[T4tomo]

Quick rewind to stage 20

Bravo to Seixas for his final roll of the dice. It didn't work, in fact it backfired, but he gave it a go to see if he could take some time out of del Toro. He could have just sat on, probably not lost as much, if any, time and ended up in the same place. I think he knew he had nothing left, but he gave it a shot.

Also ... I don't normally read much cycling stuff on the internet apart from here. For some reason I had a look around elsewhere after stage 20 and there were LOADS of people arguing that Carapaz was dreadfully unsportsmanlike for not waiting for Kuss. Also Remco was behaving dreadfully by overtaking Kuss (the true moral victor) at the finish. So that's why I don't read much elsewhere.

here here or is it hear hear re Seixas, at least he didn't die wondering whether an attack would work.

There are some goons on the internet! Unsporting is attacking on a mechanical issue, not a lack of corning skills / lapse in concentration.
Kuss was sooo lucky on the 2nd spill he didn't slide another couple of meters along that wall/ netting to where the netting nended. Carapaz defo deserved that stage, he dropped & came back so many times, finding the energy to drive himself on, depite having burnt a ;lot of matches earlier in the stage securing the polka dots. True panache.

Remco had a very good tour, he was unlikely to ever beat Pog but he delivered consistently across a GT again and looked in good shape in the high mountains, his supposed weakness.

 

[Dogtrousers]

It's such a stupid argument (Carapaz should have stopped) it doesn't deserve to be refuted. It made me quite angry. Which was probably the whole point of it.

This seems to very much a thing elsewhere on the internet, but thankfully less so here.

Two reasons why my favoured rider didn't win:
- My favoured rider's opponent (boo! hiss!) failed to observe a rule of fair play that I have just invented, or
- My favoured rider benevolently allowed his opponent (boo hiss!) to win this one time, due to an excess of good sportsmanship.

 

[TakeTheHighRoad]

I was reminded (again) yesterday about how good Pogacar is on the flat. Swapping turns with MVDP who is significantly heavier than him

It made me think to an unheralded moment I spotted on the stage to Le Lioran. Early in the stage there was a dangerous looking split in the bunch. Trek were drilling it for Mads, and they'd opened a 10 second (or so) gap with all the GC guys left behind. Pog just went across the gap on his own, just in case the chase behind stalled. Visma, on the other hand, had to come from the back and town the group back up, and it just underlined for me in a quick snapshot just how good Pog is at riding a bicycle very fast

 

[Dogtrousers]

Remco had a very good tour, he was unlikely to ever beat Pog but he delivered consistently across a GT again and looked in good shape in the high mountains, his supposed weakness.

Indeed. It leaves me wondering whether he would have ended up challenging Jonas for second, had Jonas not crashed. Probably not, but we'll never know now.

 

[Pblakeney]

I think they have found a way to include Montmarte and still have the sprint finish on Champs. Finishing positions 2 to 5 were taken by the best sprinters still in the race so it was a good idea to make it 10km to the finish from the top of the hill.
I think they need more drone usage though, camera bikes dont make it easy to see the distance between the lead group and the chasers.

Not to mention the minor fact that the Green Jersey had been determined the previous day.