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Post by Kewstokie on Aug 29, 2020 12:35:40 GMT
And so it kicks off, should be good battle between Jumbo Visma and Ineos, though today is a sprinters stage. Weather could play a part this year, high summer has just passed (we had first real rainfall for a couple of months yesterday) and the mistral will be blowing for stages 2 to 4 at least. Different feel about the event this year. Crowds should be well down with the schools back next week, the COVID restrictions in place and the route publication not as detailed as previous years. Belgium has restricted travel to some areas of France so the camper vans should be well down too. Roglic to win outright for me, Bernal, Buchmann & Pogacar fighting it out for the podium places. Yates will win one stage, Van Aert at least one stage. We’ll be going to stages 6,7, 12 & 13 this time around.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2020 13:46:20 GMT
It doesn't feel the same without Froomey and G this year. I agree it will (should) be a battle between Roglic and Bernal for yellow. I've seen a couple of rider by rider comparisons between Jumbo Visma and Ineos, and Ineos just shaded it 4-3 with one pair predicted to be equal, and they were Roglic and Bernal ! It's going to be interesting that's for sure.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2020 22:15:37 GMT
Looked a bit slippery around Nice today
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2020 8:40:13 GMT
Looks like Kristoff has got yellow for one day only. Bit lumpy today even though it finishes back in Nice.
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Post by marylandstoke on Aug 30, 2020 14:56:57 GMT
Looks like Kristoff has got yellow for one day only. Bit lumpy today even though it finishes back in Nice. Wasn’t ever going to be his day. Nice is one of my absolute fave places in the world and today’s descent has to be one of the most beautiful and terrifying.
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Post by Clem Fandango on Aug 30, 2020 15:15:02 GMT
Must admit my interest is a bit all over the place this year with Covid and the omission of Froome and G. Bernal at the moment seems to lack any sort of charisma and whilst his interview style was very robotic Froome did have that crazy praying mantis style on the bike so did have something. I did have a cheeky bet on van Aert to place top 4 in the green and Pogacar to make the podium. I think the battle for yellow is a bit meh this year but would love to see van Aert get a chance at green as whilst his explosive sprint isnt as good as Sagan hes definitely better tactically.
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Post by marylandstoke on Aug 30, 2020 16:42:47 GMT
Must admit my interest is a bit all over the place this year with Covid and the omission of Froome and G. Bernal at the moment seems to lack any sort of charisma and whilst his interview style was very robotic Froome did have that crazy praying mantis style on the bike so did have something. I did have a cheeky bet on van Aert to place top 4 in the green and Pogacar to make the podium. I think the battle for yellow is a bit meh this year but would love to see van Aert get a chance at green as whilst his explosive sprint isnt as good as Sagan hes definitely better tactically. Perfect summary really. It’s (isn’t everything?) very strange this year.
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Post by thehartshillbadger on Aug 30, 2020 17:06:47 GMT
Some rumours going around that the Tour is unlikely to finish due to the steep rise in Coronavirus cases in France over the last couple of weeks. Would be a shame
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2020 17:45:16 GMT
In my opinion they shouldn't have run the Tour this year. It's only ever been cancelled for World Wars previously but I think this year should have seen the whole thing postponed until next year.
I fully agree with Clem's summary in that this year's race seems more than a bit "lacking" without Froomey and G. From what I've seen so far it seems that Jumbo Visma have assumed that they are controlling the race even at this early point, presumably for Roglic (or Dumoulin), and are sitting on the front of the peloton for most of the stage every day.
I really hope Ineos win it again and Bernal gets his second win.
Van Aert would be a great choice for the green jersey but I just can't see anyone beating Sagan, although I suppose all things must come to an end sometime. Sam Bennett could be in with a chance of second, but a long way behind Sagan.
KOM could be interesting but I reckon it will be between Alaphilippe and Bardet.
Young rider - I'll go for either Bernal or Mas, although there seems to be a lot of interest in Higuita.
It's the Tour de France, but not as we know it !
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Post by thepremierbanksy on Sept 1, 2020 10:22:12 GMT
Got a feeling Van Aert is going to be very much on the leash and in complete service of Roglic and Dumoulin and will therefore have about as much chance of wearing green as Kwiatowski does for Ineos grenade lobbers.
Ewan's stage 3 sprint was incredible, pissed past Bennett. Hopefully Bennett is recovering from his stage 1 tumble or he is in for a long tour. Not many sprint stages so Sagan probably has green in the bag by just getting into breaks and placing top 5 in the sprints. Bit of talk Sagan might withdraw mid-Tour as he's doing the Giro and shunning some of the classics in exchange for a bit fat cheque.
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Post by thequietman on Sept 1, 2020 11:33:45 GMT
Got a feeling Van Aert is going to be very much on the leash and in complete service of Roglic and Dumoulin and will therefore have about as much chance of wearing green as Kwiatowski does for Ineos grenade lobbers. Ewan's stage 3 sprint was incredible, pissed past Bennett. Hopefully Bennett is recovering from his stage 1 tumble or he is in for a long tour. Not many sprint stages so Sagan probably has green in the bag by just getting into breaks and placing top 5 in the sprints. Bit of talk Sagan might withdraw mid-Tour as he's doing the Giro and shunning some of the classics in exchange for a bit fat cheque. Ewan's finishing was remarkable yesterday. He looked like he was rounding traffic cones, going past world-class sprinters like they were standing still.
I agree with most, seems a bit lacking personally without Froome & G. But then a lot of the big names look thoroughly underprepared. I think there will be some unexpected interest with a lot of unheard-of riders & domestiques (?) being allowed a bit of glory to get stage wins & podiums.
Sagan to bin it off half way through? That would be a shame. Would be nice if he flipped Quintana into a ditch on his final stage before coasting off to the Giro.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2020 11:40:58 GMT
Got a feeling Van Aert is going to be very much on the leash and in complete service of Roglic and Dumoulin and will therefore have about as much chance of wearing green as Kwiatowski does for Ineos grenade lobbers. Ewan's stage 3 sprint was incredible, pissed past Bennett. Hopefully Bennett is recovering from his stage 1 tumble or he is in for a long tour. Not many sprint stages so Sagan probably has green in the bag by just getting into breaks and placing top 5 in the sprints. Bit of talk Sagan might withdraw mid-Tour as he's doing the Giro and shunning some of the classics in exchange for a bit fat cheque. Ewan's finishing was remarkable yesterday. He looked like he was rounding traffic cones, going past world-class sprinters like they were standing still.
I agree with most, seems a bit lacking personally without Froome & G. But then a lot of the big names look thoroughly underprepared. I think there will be some unexpected interest with a lot of unheard-of riders & domestiques (?) being allowed a bit of glory to get stage wins & podiums. Sagan to bin it off half way through? That would be a shame.
Would be nice if he flipped Quintana into a ditch on his final stage before coasting off to the Giro.
With Quintana hopefully never reappearing ever again. Can't stand him ! Edit -There are not many riders that I just can't stand in the more recent era - Fabio Aru, Vincenzo Nibali and previously Cadel Evans are in that group though, but Quintana is by far my most disliked rider. By all accounts he is never popular within his own team either.
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Post by chuffedstokie on Sept 1, 2020 12:29:53 GMT
With the unfortunate absence of a holiday in France this year watching the glorious countryside from a helicopter will have to do. Highlights it is again for me tonight.
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Post by thepremierbanksy on Sept 1, 2020 13:09:34 GMT
I don't agree about the lack of Froome and Thomas. Ignoring the fact that neither were in shape to compete, I think the GC is really nicely poised. The fact that Jumbo Visma look stronger than Ineos is quite refreshing and the battle between them I think will end up with a real bit of needle at some point as the JV boys seem really up for it and I think a few of them are pretty spiky characters - George Bennett for example.
It also feels like the handing of the batton down to a new generation in terms of individuals (well it will if Pogacar and Buchmann perform), and even if Bernal defends successfully and continues the Ineos dominance he still emerges as the clear dominant rider.
I guess it does lack someone to support for the brits though. I'm not very fond of Roglic although I think he will win. Quite like Dumoulin as a character although he's not the most exciting to watch.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2020 17:32:38 GMT
First mountain stage today. Pretty impressive performance from Jumbo Visma and by Roglic in winning the stage. Bernal, Alaphilippe, Pinot, and most of the other GC contenders were found wanting when Roglic kicked for the finish and Ineos don't seem as dominant as in past TDF's, although it is still very early in this year's race. Today seemed to be more about not losing time than going for the stage victory even though bonus seconds were available.
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Post by marylandstoke on Sept 2, 2020 12:04:27 GMT
Caleb Ewan today, got the imaginary tender on the win today. Another ten on a big box of imaginary nougat
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2020 19:38:14 GMT
I usually love watching the Tour (and I'll watch any cycle racing really) but I am really struggling to get any real interest in the race this year. I've watched some bits of it and whereas I normally watch the entire stage every day, I find this year that I'm quickly losing interest in it and not even bothering to watch much of the highlights show either but just watch the last two or three kilometres. In my case I think it is because there is no Froome or Thomas this year, but I can't remember having such little interest in the TDF for many a year.
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Post by salopstick on Sept 2, 2020 19:44:23 GMT
I usually love watching the Tour (and I'll watch any cycle racing really) but I am really struggling to get any real interest in the race this year. I've watched some bits of it and whereas I normally watch the entire stage every day, I find this year that I'm quickly losing interest in it and not even bothering to watch much of the highlights show either but just watch the last two or three kilometres. In my case I think it is because there is no Froome or Thomas this year, but I can't remember having such little interest in the TDF for many a year. I’m the same but I’ve been away until today
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Post by thequietman on Sept 2, 2020 21:13:53 GMT
Missed the last two days' stages. Wedding anniversary. Anything exciting happen?
Note to self. When Mrs Q is snuggled up to you on the sofa and asks if there's anything you'd change about our marriage, grit your teeth and LIE. Don't say "Just two words - I will"
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Post by franklin on Sept 3, 2020 7:52:47 GMT
I'm finding it a bit boring atm, it says a lot when the best bit of the day was a pate recipe on eurosports coverage 💤
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Post by marylandstoke on Sept 3, 2020 15:56:14 GMT
Lot of talk on the NBC coverage of how big Sepp Kuss could be so been keeping an eye on him.
Bobke doing just a brilliant job with Phil Ligget. Filling Sherwen’s toe clips was a huge ask but, even from different sides of the pond, beautiful and insightful commentary, local ambiance and stunning camera work, especially the heli guys.
We got a new Moto guy this year, Adam Blythe. I quite liked the old one but this guy seems pretty good.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2020 17:35:41 GMT
Lots of pre stage talk today that the GC guys were going to try to put time into their opponents. In the end it was a good win for Lutsenko and the GC riders basically all rode to not lose time. Eurosport were saying that Ineos are getting their act together and starting to look stronger than Jumbo Visma as the Tour continues. I've tried watching the ITV4 coverage with Ned Boulting and David Millar, and much as I like Millar's analysis and insight, I usually end up watching Eurosport coverage with Carlton Kirby, Sean Kelly, Brian Smith and Co.
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Post by franklin on Sept 3, 2020 19:27:22 GMT
I'm finding it really hard to watch so far, I know its early but there needs to be some attacks or something to liven it up.
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Post by Clem Fandango on Sept 4, 2020 9:14:45 GMT
Lots of pre stage talk today that the GC guys were going to try to put time into their opponents. In the end it was a good win for Lutsenko and the GC riders basically all rode to not lose time. Eurosport were saying that Ineos are getting their act together and starting to look stronger than Jumbo Visma as the Tour continues. I've tried watching the ITV4 coverage with Ned Boulting and David Millar, and much as I like Millar's analysis and insight, I usually end up watching Eurosport coverage with Carlton Kirby, Sean Kelly, Brian Smith and Co. Yeah I heard them say that. I did wonder though if Jumbo fancied a bit of a day off and let Ineos control it. I don't think Ineos will be that undercooked and we've seen in recent years they've come in a bit out of form with the view to riding into form ready for the third week. Bernal though just doesn't look comfortable.
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Post by thequietman on Sept 4, 2020 11:35:06 GMT
Lots of pre stage talk today that the GC guys were going to try to put time into their opponents. In the end it was a good win for Lutsenko and the GC riders basically all rode to not lose time. Eurosport were saying that Ineos are getting their act together and starting to look stronger than Jumbo Visma as the Tour continues. I've tried watching the ITV4 coverage with Ned Boulting and David Millar, and much as I like Millar's analysis and insight, I usually end up watching Eurosport coverage with Carlton Kirby, Sean Kelly, Brian Smith and Co. Yeah I heard them say that. I did wonder though if Jumbo fancied a bit of a day off and let Ineos control it. I don't think Ineos will be that undercooked and we've seen in recent years they've come in a bit out of form with the view to riding into form ready for the third week. Bernal though just doesn't look comfortable. I think there's more than one of the big names looking uncomfortable, Clem. Fine work by the domestiques to keep it all close so far but you can only carry a struggling star for so long.
I reckon there will be a few more days of riding not to lose time & then someone who's feeling really good is going to do a Froome & make a huge solo break on a tough stage. Ineos have done that on more than one occasion in the past. Think I'll be watching them closely every time they come to the front of the peloton. And I suspect it'll be someone who's not too far down on overall time but not considered a threat / big name.
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Post by marylandstoke on Sept 4, 2020 12:56:37 GMT
Turned on today to look at the beautiful scenery and soaring vultures and a bike race broke out.
Damn you Bora.
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Post by marylandstoke on Sept 4, 2020 14:10:38 GMT
What type of rider are you?
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Post by thehartshillbadger on Sept 4, 2020 15:09:07 GMT
Great finish there
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Post by Clem Fandango on Sept 4, 2020 15:27:26 GMT
Cracking finish. Van Aert is fantastic.
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Post by thepremierbanksy on Sept 4, 2020 15:43:41 GMT
Hopefully the start of three exciting stages. Tomorrow has 2 cat 1's and a HC climb, would think that after a fast day today one of the GC teams will want to light things up, got to think JV will at least put on the pressure if not go all out attack. On the other hand I have a bad feeling about Bernal's condition - if he loses a chunk of time it might feel like tour over before the first rest day.
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