Tour de France 2021

[JJ]

Someone get him a plate of pasta, get his card stamped and get him back on the road.  Which group did he start in?

[Nick H.]

So the key to peaking at the right moment is not to be selected.

It's all such a dream.

[woollypigs]

Hats off to Alaphilippe, who helped with the train when another team member (forgot name) had bike issue.

[fd3]

Can he do it?

[Canardly]

Just wow! Chapeaux Mr Cavendish.

[citoyen]

Can he do it?

I'm not even convinced he can make it all the way to Paris, but if he and Bouhanni are the only pure sprinters left in the race, I know which one I would put my money on.

[DuncanM]

What a finish. Lotto did everything in their power to disrupt the chase, but the power of the bunch was incredible. There must have been 15 riders from various teams who stuck their noses in the wind, did 25 seconds at full blast and then blew up.
And then Alaphilippe did 1.3k to 500m - he can be a bit of a dope sometimes but that showed how much of a teammate he is. The Quickstep who had the issue was Ballerini (4th yesterday).

So we've had 4 stages, and it's 2 wins each for Alpecin and Quickstep. Maybe someone else will get a go tomorrow.

[fd3]

How many sprint stages are left?  Is Cav going to beat both Bouhani and Sagan?

I don't think he can pick up another 4, but wouldn't it be nice if he won one last time on the Champs Elysees?

[spesh]

According to the route guide on Cycling Weakly, there are another six "flat" stages:

Stage 6: Tours-Chateuxroux
Stage 10: Albertville-Valence
Stage 12: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux-Nîmes
Stage 13: Nîmes-Carcassone
Stage 19: Mourenx-Libourne
Stage 21: Chatou-Paris

The way this tour's been so far, anything can happen, so Cav getting closer to Merckx's record or (subject to not ending up hors delai in the mountains) winning in Paris aren't beyond the realms of possibility.

[spesh]

That has to smart a bit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CQsz1Oopuqa/

Warning - contains naked Slovenian flesh with lots of dressings.

Primoz needs to work on his OnlyFans account a bit...

[Mr Larrington]

Ewan was probably the best sprinter in the field at the start but Bol, Démare and even Van Aert (if they let him out to play) could be in with a shout of a sprint win.  Kristoff's won a couple of stages, including in Paris.  And the way things are going there’s even Greipel

Edit: Not forgetting the lad who won yesterday.

[morbihan]

According to the route guide on Cycling Weakly, there are another six "flat" stages:

Stage 6: Tours-Chateuxroux
Stage 10: Albertville-Valence
Stage 12: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux-Nîmes
Stage 13: Nîmes-Carcassone
Stage 19: Mourenx-Libourne
Stage 21: Chatou-Paris

The way this tour's been so far, anything can happen, so Cav getting closer to Merckx's record or (subject to not ending up hors delai in the mountains) winning in Paris aren't beyond the realms of possibility.

Stage 10 looks a little lumpy for a sprinter like Cavendish.

[Mr Larrington]

Let’s see if this picture shows up:

[TheLurker]

"What if" is a bloody silly game and no-one wins, however I can't help but wonder... what if Cavendish hadn't had lost 2 or 3 years to ill-health?  Still, that has to be one of the most cheering things I've seen in the last several years.  Quite made my year it has.

[nuttycyclist]

From the comments in here, and lack of spoilers, it looks like I'll have another late night watching the highlights once I am allowed TV time.

[Mr Larrington]

Wasn’t the most exciting day of racing until the last 10 km, so you can FFWD through most of it

[hatler]

I defy anyone to watch this and not be moved - https://twitter.com/LeTour/status/1409897467366227971

[Snakehips]

I defy anyone to watch this and not be moved - https://twitter.com/LeTour/status/1409897467366227971

I could watch it all night.

[citoyen]

I also enjoyed Prudhomme’s interview - showed genuine respect for a bona fide Tour legend.

[morbihan]

It's been bittersweet watching Le Tour in Brittany the past few days.  Our summer home is in La Roche Bernard, just down river from Redon where we spend several weeks, to the whole Summer during normal times.
While it's been amazing watching the drama and the scenery this week, it does pull at the heart strings after being marooned out here on a small Island for 2 years.
There is plenty of off-road farm track/gravel "ribinou" riding to be had there. We ride together on our touring rigs  on the small country lanes with plenty of  stops for plates of fresh moules frites, salty oysters, and penny cheap racy-tasting muscadet.
 Memories of riding with my 80 year old Step father from LRB along the river banks to Redon and up to Pontivy (yesterdays finish) and beyond  a few years back.
Then there was supposed to be the ride up to Brest, this year and last, then 4000km SE on TCR.
Ahh man. Lovely as it was to see that beautiful green, salty, Independent minded, bucolic part of France, I'm ready for them to head off into the interior. I couldn't take much more!
If you haven't toured down that way, get to on the list, but take a rain proof.

[hatler]

Brittany is very firmly in No. 1 spot on the 'where I plan to tour next' list.

[Nick H.]

Hats off to Alaphilippe, who helped with the train when another team member (forgot name) had bike issue.

It was Davide Ballerini, who broke a spoke, because the teams on Specialized are using prehistoric wheels. It's criminally amateurish, risking everything because Spesh want to sell Roval clinchers. Every non-Spesh team is on tubs. Hooked rims = more spoke issues, as well as slower speeds when you puncture etc etc. Bonkers. To think that Cav's triumph was jeopardised by a BROKEN SPOKE! Let's go back to the '70s with Specialized!

[giropaul]

Hats off to Alaphilippe, who helped with the train when another team member (forgot name) had bike issue.

It was Davide Ballerini, who broke a spoke, because the teams on Specialized are using prehistoric wheels. It's criminally amateurish, risking everything because Spesh want to sell Roval clinchers. Every non-Spesh team is on tubs. Hooked rims = more spoke issues, as well as slower speeds when you puncture etc etc. Bonkers. To think that Cav's triumph was jeopardised by a BROKEN SPOKE! Let's go back to the '70s with Specialized!

I think that both the spoke issues were pedal into wheel type incidents.
I wouldn’t set too much store by what the team say they’re using and what they actually are using.  Cavendish in particular is very fussy about the equipment he uses, he’s famous for not accepting compromises in bikes and components.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

How are spokes more likely to break with hooked rims than with tubs?

[Nick H.]

Something about increased compression forces. I read it somewhere but I can't find it. Wheelbuilders put in more tension on a clincher rim, all other things being equal. I think.

Eta: Cav also broke spokes the day before yesterday.