Tour de France 2026 ***Spoilers***

[mjr]

Yellow is less contrived than the other jumpers but it's still subject to the contrivances of the organisers to put on a show. And that's before we even get to the choice of the route, the climbs, the TTs.

Next you'll be telling me it's so contrived that the riders aren't booking their own hotels or carrying their own luggage on their tour!

 

[Dogtrousers]

Next you'll be telling me it's so contrived that the riders aren't booking their own hotels or carrying their own luggage on their tour!

I thought that was too obvious to mention

 

[rich p]

Any up to date news on Onley?
I heard he was back on a bike but I can see him not starting, or being fit if he does.

 

[phreak]

Any up to date news on Onley?
I heard he was back on a bike but I can see him not starting, or being fit if he does.

It's been a pretty dreadful year for him. He hasn't finished Paris-Nice, Romandie, or the not Dauphine.

 

[misforturob]

Visma-LAB team:

Jonas Vingegaard, Victor Campenaerts, Edoardo Affini, Per Strand Hagenes, Matteo Jorgenson, Sepp Kuss, Bruno Armirail and Davide Piganzoli

 

[wakemalcolm]

Piganzoli? Are they trying to grind the poor lad into the ground?

 

[phreak]

Piganzoli? Are they trying to grind the poor lad into the ground?

Campenaerts and Kuss also doubling up after the Giro.

 

[wakemalcolm]

Campenaerts and Kuss also doubling up after the Giro.

Each of them over 30. Before this year he'd only done 2 Grand Tours in his entire career, now he's moved to a bigger team with more riders, he's doing 2 in a year.

 

[No Ta Doctor]

Each of them over 30. Before this year he'd only done 2 Grand Tours in his entire career, now he's moved to a bigger team with more riders, he's doing 2 in a year.

Yeah, but he's also just murdered everyone at La Route d'Occitanie so he's in good form and apparently not knackered yet

Overall, it looks like a very good team for the stage 1 TTT Campanearts, Armirail, Jorgenson, Affini and Vingegaard should be able to put in a really quick time

 

[MadMalx]

Kuss wasn’t much help at giro as I remember?

 

[No Ta Doctor]

Kuss wasn’t much help at giro as I remember?

Don't think he needed any help at the Giro tbh

 

[phreak]

I suppose that's the thing. If we assume that UAE will set the pace on most of the climbs, is having a large number of domestiques really that useful? It seems like Pogacar's tactic is mainly to use his team to burn off the support from the other leaders, and then trust that he can beat the rest, regardless of how far out he goes.

 

[Pblakeney]

I suppose that's the thing. If we assume that UAE will set the pace on most of the climbs, is having a large number of domestiques really that useful? It seems like Pogacar's tactic is mainly to use his team to burn off the support from the other leaders, and then trust that he can beat the rest, regardless of how far out he goes.

That will be quite ironic if it doesn’t work. Pog’s breakout year was when Visma had the train for Roglic to win. Pog just to sit at the back of the train and beat Roglic.
I suggested that was the way to beat Roglic before that Tour although I didn’t know who.

 

[TakeTheHighRoad]

Ben Tullett had a slightly disappointing Aura Tour (AKA The Not Dauphine) and as a result has now been replaced by a Pig-anzoli

 

[misforturob]

Ben Tullett had a slightly disappointing Aura Tour (AKA The Not Dauphine) and as a result has now been replaced by a Pig-anzoli

Piganzoli came in to replace WvA