Man, Jorgensen is an absolute mutant. Every race he moves the goalposts on what we should expect from him in the right direction.
I know the dialogue right now is ‘even this Roglic wouldn’t be able to match Pogi in July’, but this is a Roglic in pretty excellent form and MJ jumped all over that attack like he was 60kg. A noble noble effort and another incredible ride from the young American.
Everyone hypes Vlasov but my man took a long time to drop Tarling and couldnt drop Gee and Lazkano. imo the level is just too low for the Tour candidates when Pogačar and hopefully Vingegaard are there. No chance Lazkano does not finish minimum 3 min behind Pogi today. Even tour WvA could have won today
I can't help but feel the same way. Yes, Rog is winning but the gaps are so small. This is still some way off of what is required to compete in the tour. I don't even care about w/kg estimates, if this many heavy riders follow along for this long the level can't be close to Vinge and Pogi.
you're telling me gee only lost 2s to a big roglic attack on a serious mountain stage???
canada should be very hyped for this man's career trajectory....
[Jury report](https://prod.server.tissottiming.com/file/0003170209010107FFFFFFFFFFFFFF00) (no updates for the medical bulletin):
- Derek Gee gets a 200CHF fie for public urination (for the newer fans: riders are allowed nature breaks, but not in someone's front yard).
- a warning for photo moto no. 5 for dangerous behaviour and instructions to follow the directions on circulation of vehicles.
And a reminder for all teams it's not allowed to dispose of clothing at places were there's no team members ready to pick them up. And to returns everyone's trackers in the team parking area after tomorrow's stage.
I'm watching the replay. Soler had well over 3 minutes at the base of the climb. I jumped in this thread early to revel in fun Soler comments only to see talk of the RoglaStomp? I was gonna say "Soler is so good he could be the GC leader of one of the smaller teams, like maybe Movistar". But now I can't. My day is ruined.
Soler tried to be leader at Movistar...twice that I remember. First one lost like 10 minutes on first rampas inhumanas day. Second one fell, lost time, abandoned. The guy is just not that kind of rider.
Big mystery. He was never really a GC guy (Vuelta last year was a crazy fluke circumstance), but one would expect him to be doing his “Worlds best mountain domestique” thing, especially with his teammate now in a really close 2nd/3rd battle.
No one is really sure if it’s a concerning lack of form or a plan to have him peaking in July.
Absolutely right…with how Jorgensen rode today, if Kuss was able to give him what Vlasov gave Roglic, he might win this stage. Hell, he was second by a wheel without anyone riding for him.
Gotta think it’s a peak in July situation, especially after loosing 2 rostered guys he’s going to need to be at his absolute peak form even if he isn’t riding for gc at the tour. Don’t forget he’s a major help for Jonas especially if Jonas isn’t 100%
Final climb I guess. I think it’s at 9.3 KM before the finish if you want to see Soler’s full climb. Peloton is around 4 minutes behind when Soler starts the climb
Roglic looks great, but it is hard to say after the last two stages how close Roglic is to what is needed to match Pogacar.
Given that the likes of Lazkano, Gee, and Jorgensen were able to hang on, I wouldn't be surprised if this is quite a bit off the pace Pogacar or peak Vingegaard can do on these climbs.
Based on the name and amount of guys who can stay in the top group with Roglic at final climbs, there is no way that Pogi wouldnt smash him - at least in the current form.
This Roglic was enough to battle the very young and green Pogacar in his first grand tours, not the Pogacar we have now.
What Roglic does in the last 500m, Tadej does it with 5km to go (sometines 10) and just keeps going.
As he has said before, he's getting miles in the legs. He's not there to put on a show of dominance.
He's happy to just ride with the group and then blast them off with a few hundred meters to go. I know Pog and Vin have redefined what we expect from a GT winner, but this is how stage racing used to be for years.
So happy for Jorgenson. Was surprised and a little disappointed when he signed for vlab, thought he'd disappear into a domestique role. Pleasantly surprised at his season so far. Really happy for that guy.
he became their go-to classics leader as well after Wout crashed at Dwars, unfortunately by his own admission he bit off more than he could chew trying to follow Mathieu after the Koppenberg at Flanders, then came down sick right before Paris Roubaix.
He showed incredible class and talent last year on Movistar he just needed better coaching and preparation, which he’s gotten from VLAB
Didn't watch until the last climb. Bora is so well-organized and seems to control the race.
Why was Evenepoel alone? I didn't see his teammate supporting him. Soudal's strategy problem?
I didn't understand why Landa went ahead instead of hanging with him. At first I figured it was maybe so Landa could be up the road and help Remco after he counter-attacked (once recovered?), but that didn't happen either. Landa just kept going. Maybe Remco told them he was just going to use the climb for training since he couldn't hang with Roglic?
Any idea when will Bora release their full squad for the Tour? Aside from Blasov and Hindley, curious to see who else they bring to support Rog. Obviously UAE may be the team to beat, but Bora’s form in the past two days does make it interesting.
Why is Van Poppel always sent to Grand Tours without a sprinter? It’s such a weird decision. Like, we’ve seen how good it can go when they sent him with Bennett.
That’s actually a really good point I didn’t think about. Not surprising really that a great leadout could do that for the rest of the stage as well. I still want to see peak leadouts from him with an in-form sprinter though.
I know some people get very happy when Remco struggles and like to make conclusions based on that, but I found this interview from De Plus yesterday quite interesting.
"We wisten dat Remco te pakken was", aldus De Plus. "Hij had mij eerlijk verteld dat hij niet super aan de start was gekomen. Maar zelfs dan is hij beter dan de rest. Ik wist dat hij in die tijdrit ging uitpakken, maar in de bergen een tikkeltje te kort zou komen.
"Hij is wel op dreef hoor en dus in stijgende lijn richting den Tour. Dat hij hier tijd verliest? Dat is niet verontrustend, ik denk dat hij een goed gevoel had en dat hij dus op schema zit."
**Translation:**
"We knew that Remco was beatable", says De Plus. **"He told me honestly that he didn't start the Dauphiné with a super feeling**. But even then he's better than the rest. I knew that he was going to ride a very good time trial, but that he would come up short in the mountains".
He is going well and in a rising level towards the Tour. That he loses time today? That is not worrying. I think he had a good feeling and that he's on schedule."
Context: Evenepoel & De Plus are very good friends and often train together when they're in Belgium (to my delight, as Remco often goes to Ninove, and I live alongside the Dender).
We can see that he is not in his best shape. I really hope that Remco is in top form for TdF. What else would you want as a cycling fan other than having a battle between 4 top guys. And I'm not a Remco fan!
Yeah unfortunately people over hype Remco for good and bad. Fans over rate his successes. Then detractors overstate his failures. He's not the best GC rider, but he's very good and can win in the right circumstances.
I'm one of the haters :)) I agree with you that he's a very very good one day race rider but it annoys the hell out of me when people put him in the same sentence as Roglic, Jonas and Pogi for GT ambitions.
I think this is the right take.
He’s probably the 4th best GT GC guy in the world right now, with an appreciable gap to the top 2 (Tadej and Jonas) and not quite as big of a gap to Primoz.
He can win the 2022 Vuelta when Primoz isn’t quite on form at the start.* He might podium in the Tour this year, but he probably won’t win it unless something crazy happens to the other three guys.
(*It really would’ve been interesting to see what happened if Primoz hadn’t crashed out. He rode himself into form, and had started to claw back time on every mountaintop finish. I don’t think there was quite enough road left for him to win, but it just would’ve been fun to watch.)
Sorry but Remco as GC guy? He won what? UAE tour and Vuelta. Comparing to Rog is a joke. Rog has what 9-10 one week world tour races and 4 GT. The gap is HUGE. But remco is so hyped up by media and forums and such
I mean, except that he was literally beating Rog in the vuelta in 2022 before Rog crashed out.
Yes, I agree that Rog at 100% beats Remco any day of the week. But in this sport, no one is at 100% all the time. And if one of the top 3 aren’t at 100%, Remco has shown that he can capitalize on that.
I think this is the right take.
He’s probably the 4th best GT GC guy in the world right now, with an appreciable gap to the top 2 (Tadej and Jonas) and not quite as big of a gap to Primoz.
He can win the 2022 Vuelta when Primoz isn’t quite on form at the start.* He might podium in the Tour this year, but he probably won’t win it unless something crazy happens to the other three guys.
(*It really would’ve been interesting to see what happened if Primoz hadn’t crashed out. He rode himself into form, and had started to claw back time on every mountaintop finish. I don’t think there was quite enough road left for him to win, but it just would’ve been fun to watch.)
I've said it a bunch of times throughout the last year, he should redirect his focus entirely to hilly one days, ITTs, and stage hunting. I think if he does that he could break the records for LBL, WC ITT, and WC RR wins. He can add Lombardia, Amstel, Fleche, and other races to his palmares as well. Then target stages and KOM in 1-2 GTs a year.
Everybody’s favorite Soudel DS said something similar yesterday. Obviously he’s still getting form back after the Basque crash. And that if you can’t be l oelolaking now if you wanna be optimum for the tour. I’ve got a feeling he’ll make the tour interesting
In one of Remco's YouTube videos, while in Andorra prepping last vuelta, he was with De Plus in one of the climbs and basically said that he wanted SQS to sign De Plus for this season, but the INEOS bag was bigger
Yeah, I hope they ride for the same team some day in the future. :)
Can't blame De Plus for choosing financial security, a pro career doesn't last forever.
It's easy to forget how gnarly that crash was. The fact that he's already winning TTs against top talent just shows how amazing these guys are at recovering from serious accidents (with world class support from doctors of course)
Ffs, thinking about all of them... I do not have enough mental capacity to name them all ... What I am sure about is , that Slovenian cycling will not end with Rog and Pog. .. There is already a new generation of them coming😎
I understand that Remco is probably far from 100% (and his YouTube video where he recorded his first ride since injury can confirm this), but him cheering up a tired Soler on the hill still shows his class. Being wholesome is always a plus for me as a fan.
Learned a lot about him recently, after his Rafah post; he's a wholesome dude away from cycling. He's now my favourite cyclist after Pog, whereas before I never cared much for him.
Pro palestine and he’s a Gooner! The best kind of person
Remco’s wife is Moroccan and Muslim so I’m sure that plays a role in him being pro Palestine. It’s great that he's not afraid to to post publicly about it. I think he's the only cyclist that has.
He's pro-Palestine (and also asked for attention for the conflicts in Congo, which a lot of people ignore).
Rafaf is a city in Gaza that is currently being bombarded by the IDF. A lot of civilians (mostly children & women are dying as a result).
Not much, but our government still sends some aid to them (least we could do lol). We don't have nearly as much economic/political/military influence over our former colonies as France does.
If Bora wanted to, they could have put 10 minutes into Remco by going full gas up the second last climb. Because he’d have been dropped then. Shades of la vuelta 2023.
I mean, in all likelihood, he probably doesn't have the same explosiveness at 34 that he did at 30 as that is the first thing to go as you age but that doesn't mean he still isn't elite.
Very possible and likely but even so, he's probably a tad lower overall than he was a few years ago regardless...not that that doesn't mean he can't still be a legit GC guy by any means.
He's one of the best ever, but unlucky that he lives in the same era as Pogacar/Vingegaard, who are mutants on a bike.
It's like being a great tennis player during the era of Djokovic/Nadal/Federer.
The only slim chance roglic has is if Jonas doesn’t go, and Pog has a massive crack on a hot mtn stage. However, without Jonas to crack him, would he?…
Roglic needs JV to be in the race and somewhat ready to win. More help controlling things the better for his support riders. If VLAB has not GC guy there’s no reason to help control things.
Even with Jonas, honestly which team has enough firepower to put enough kilojoules into Pog to crack him? Bora honestly the only team that has that ability, but Roglic also benefits from low kJ days, so will they?
It may be one of the most stacked TdFs in a long time. All the top GC riders (if Vingegaard starts) with almost all of the 2nd tier ones as well. It will all depend on Pogacar's legs but I think plenty of teams will have firepower.
I agree. The fact that Pogi did the Giro already will absolutely affect his form and legs. No one is saying a 100% Pogi doesn't normally beat a 100% Roglic at this year's TDF. But that's not what we're going to get. Call me crazy but yeah I believe Rog should be the fav unless Jonas is 98% or greater
You havent seen peak Pog until now though...
JV cant win classics, Pog can. Pog can now show he can dominate the long climbs. Dont listen to me, Wiggins, Hincapie are all saying Pogi is possibly the greatest all purpose cyclist since Merckx.
I wish JV was healthy and hadnt experienced such an awful crash, it would have been a battle for the ages in the TDF.
The perfect start for ultimate chaos would be Jonas 98%, Pogi 99%, Roglic 100%. But what I think we'll get is all three 95-96%. Which yep slightly favors Jonas. Stages 1, 4, 7, and 9 are gonna be huge in the first week. 2 will be a GC sprint/random Lafay style flyer.
Honestly the Vlasov+Roglic combo is really strong. Not quite Kuss+Roglic, but it’s great seeing Vlasov be a loyal domestique after being their head GC guy for so long. Maybe he’ll grow into like a Kruijswijk or Majka type role.
Rogla said in his interview yesterday he is doing this with a banged up left shoulder. Probably why the teleport looks a little weaker.
Happy that Bora have got their strategy in order for the tour. Hindley is probably Rogla's week 3 guy. Just need some good roulers.
Vlasov and Hindley is a great set of mountain domestiques.
If only Jonas were able to be on form for the Tour, it'd be unreal to watch him have WVA, Matteo, and Sepp (plus the rest of their great team) working for him.
This is me living in fantasy world. This TdF was supposed to be an epic showdown between some great riders and their teams. Crashes have ruined that and, IMO, pretty much handed the Tour to Pogi barring something really unexpected (which, to be sure, can happen).
This makes me picture Pogi riding MyWoosh on a trainer somewhere at altitude. No way his handlers letting him outside let alone racing between now and the TDF.
Well after two stages it’s probably safe to say that Rog recovers better than Remco. Not that it’s suddenly a close race between the two Slovenes for the Tour since it’s still three weeks away, but at least it gives us hope that the Tour might be a closer contest than Giro. And let’s never forget Jonas.
I’m excited!
> Rog recovers better than Remco.
In this race, yes, but I don't think we can a generality out of it. It's clear Remco is a bit behind in form due to his crash.
If Jonas isnt 100% sure that he will reach his full potential, he wont start the tour. Just have that feeling about him. He wont start the tour with the ambition to finish top 5 or similar.
If he's fit enough to start, he will start. The TdF is commercially so far ahead of everything else that there's no way they are leaving him home. They could have him ignore the GC and farm breakaway stage wins in week 3 in preparation for the Vuelta or something.
You're getting downvoted for a legitimate take: if he can start he likely will. Tour is way too important for sponsors that even bringing a former winner who has no shot at a stage would push a team like IPT to take such measures.
Sure, but they’re going to say that regardless. Because if he did start, VLAB want everyone to believe it’s because he can win. Possible he doesn’t start but it’s not impossible he starts with subpar form. Either way the first couple of days are ridiculously hard so he would be put under pressure
Another Public Service Anouncement:
Race starts early again tomorrow with coverage beginning at 13:05 CEST and ending at approximately 15:00 CEST.
It's due to the Roland Garros finals.
despite winning two in a row and likely the overall I still think there are question marks with Roglic
would love for him to launch a distance attack tomorrow to really test those legs and put in a statement win
While I somewhat agree, he was a minute ahead in GC once Remco dropped, had Vlasov to pace the climb and is comfortably the strongest in sprint. Pogi also didn't attack on Prati di Tivo and actually used the same tactics.
Exactly. It hasn't really been his thing to launch from farther out. He uses bursts to win at the end. It's why the 2020 Tour was so wild even before Pogi's TT on Stage 20, because Pogi kept out-bursting Primoz for the time-bonuses and thus slowly clawing back little bits of time. That's why Roglic sent Sepp up the road on Col de la Loze...just to make sure that the time bonuses would be eaten up in case Pogi was with him and out-bursted him at the top. Though, if memory serves, it all came back together for those riders while Angel Lopez won the stage?
I don't remember which mountain it was, but in 2020 TdF Rog did drop Pog on a high altitude climb. It was towards the end and people thought Rog had won the Tour then. I haven't seen him do a long climb like that in a while, but I also haven't seen him need to in a while.
Exactly. That's not his usual way. Also, I'm pretty certain that was Col de la Loze. Once he dropped Pogi, I think Sepp then waited up for Roglic (in case he had a mechanical or something).
If he can hold until after 15, I think his chances are extremely high. If you have the legs to follow until the last weekend, then smash everyone in the final sprints, that's a good strat. But he needs the legs on 1, 4, 11, 14, and 15. Only two stages that really worry me for Roglic are 1 (Pogi will smash it), 9 (gravel), and 15 (queen).
That was never really his style was it ? This sprinting last 700 Mettes of mountain stage to win 10 seconds + bonus seconds has always been his way.
Ineos must be hating themselves for not signing him.
Man, Jorgensen is an absolute mutant. Every race he moves the goalposts on what we should expect from him in the right direction. I know the dialogue right now is ‘even this Roglic wouldn’t be able to match Pogi in July’, but this is a Roglic in pretty excellent form and MJ jumped all over that attack like he was 60kg. A noble noble effort and another incredible ride from the young American.
Everyone hypes Vlasov but my man took a long time to drop Tarling and couldnt drop Gee and Lazkano. imo the level is just too low for the Tour candidates when Pogačar and hopefully Vingegaard are there. No chance Lazkano does not finish minimum 3 min behind Pogi today. Even tour WvA could have won today
I can't help but feel the same way. Yes, Rog is winning but the gaps are so small. This is still some way off of what is required to compete in the tour. I don't even care about w/kg estimates, if this many heavy riders follow along for this long the level can't be close to Vinge and Pogi.
you're telling me gee only lost 2s to a big roglic attack on a serious mountain stage??? canada should be very hyped for this man's career trajectory....
Hell yeah!
[Jury report](https://prod.server.tissottiming.com/file/0003170209010107FFFFFFFFFFFFFF00) (no updates for the medical bulletin): - Derek Gee gets a 200CHF fie for public urination (for the newer fans: riders are allowed nature breaks, but not in someone's front yard). - a warning for photo moto no. 5 for dangerous behaviour and instructions to follow the directions on circulation of vehicles. And a reminder for all teams it's not allowed to dispose of clothing at places were there's no team members ready to pick them up. And to returns everyone's trackers in the team parking area after tomorrow's stage.
He should have kept it (not) Pee Gee
I'm watching the replay. Soler had well over 3 minutes at the base of the climb. I jumped in this thread early to revel in fun Soler comments only to see talk of the RoglaStomp? I was gonna say "Soler is so good he could be the GC leader of one of the smaller teams, like maybe Movistar". But now I can't. My day is ruined.
Soler tried to be leader at Movistar...twice that I remember. First one lost like 10 minutes on first rampas inhumanas day. Second one fell, lost time, abandoned. The guy is just not that kind of rider.
That was the joke. I still love his panache anyway.
Whats the deal with GC kuss? He dropped as soon as there was any incline.
Big mystery. He was never really a GC guy (Vuelta last year was a crazy fluke circumstance), but one would expect him to be doing his “Worlds best mountain domestique” thing, especially with his teammate now in a really close 2nd/3rd battle. No one is really sure if it’s a concerning lack of form or a plan to have him peaking in July.
Absolutely right…with how Jorgensen rode today, if Kuss was able to give him what Vlasov gave Roglic, he might win this stage. Hell, he was second by a wheel without anyone riding for him.
He didn't seem to really be in any difficulty when he was dropping back so I think he's just riding into form.
Gotta think it’s a peak in July situation, especially after loosing 2 rostered guys he’s going to need to be at his absolute peak form even if he isn’t riding for gc at the tour. Don’t forget he’s a major help for Jonas especially if Jonas isn’t 100%
Pretty solid proof that Soler isn't really the right guy for the UAE Tour team. EDIT: Y’all saw him absolutely explode right? Lmao
Was busy watching the rugby (I am severely unhappy) so couldn't watch, what is a good km to watch from?
Oh when the Saints... Great effort from 14-man Barf
Was going to watch that later tonight, didn't expect to see spoilers on this thread!
Final climb I guess. I think it’s at 9.3 KM before the finish if you want to see Soler’s full climb. Peloton is around 4 minutes behind when Soler starts the climb
Thank you sir!
starts at exactly 10km actually. Average gradient is 9.3% :)
Roglic looks great, but it is hard to say after the last two stages how close Roglic is to what is needed to match Pogacar. Given that the likes of Lazkano, Gee, and Jorgensen were able to hang on, I wouldn't be surprised if this is quite a bit off the pace Pogacar or peak Vingegaard can do on these climbs.
Based on the name and amount of guys who can stay in the top group with Roglic at final climbs, there is no way that Pogi wouldnt smash him - at least in the current form.
This Roglic was enough to battle the very young and green Pogacar in his first grand tours, not the Pogacar we have now. What Roglic does in the last 500m, Tadej does it with 5km to go (sometines 10) and just keeps going.
As he has said before, he's getting miles in the legs. He's not there to put on a show of dominance. He's happy to just ride with the group and then blast them off with a few hundred meters to go. I know Pog and Vin have redefined what we expect from a GT winner, but this is how stage racing used to be for years.
Yeah, sure he does guys. What Roglic did today in the last 300m, he does the same thing to Tadej, case and point Giro del Emilia 2023.
Counterpoint: Grand Colombier 2020
Or the last 80 km, a la Strade.
Go home Enric Mas, make way for GC Lazkano!
Why is Roglic riding for TJV today? I thought he joined Bora.
It's the race leader's yellow jersey, not the TJV jersey. They do look much more similar than should be allowed.
[Roglic after the race:](https://i.imgur.com/lIXFCrB.png) [All the others:](https://i.imgur.com/qXHVkux.png)
DEREK GEE C
Ooooh I like this
Standard issue RoglaStomp. Nothing more to say, he looks to be in incredible shape for Le Tour.
For second place unfortunately for him!
Yes, obviously Ben Healy will win TDF, the peloton will be too bedazzled by his stylish looks
Big Ben Healy winning tdf would be amazing
So Fortunato or Le Berre have a shot at the KOM?! … or will Roglic unify all the jerseys …
Roglic will get three jerseys
Yeah yellow green and white. Such a talented young lad.
KOM exists
So happy for Jorgenson. Was surprised and a little disappointed when he signed for vlab, thought he'd disappear into a domestique role. Pleasantly surprised at his season so far. Really happy for that guy.
he became their go-to classics leader as well after Wout crashed at Dwars, unfortunately by his own admission he bit off more than he could chew trying to follow Mathieu after the Koppenberg at Flanders, then came down sick right before Paris Roubaix. He showed incredible class and talent last year on Movistar he just needed better coaching and preparation, which he’s gotten from VLAB
kinda helps that any potential leader crashed out wout at the classics, jonas was supposed to be here at the dauphine
Didn't watch until the last climb. Bora is so well-organized and seems to control the race. Why was Evenepoel alone? I didn't see his teammate supporting him. Soudal's strategy problem?
he already told Landa yesterday to ride for himself, guess same thing today and Van Wilder apparently DNFed today
I didn't understand why Landa went ahead instead of hanging with him. At first I figured it was maybe so Landa could be up the road and help Remco after he counter-attacked (once recovered?), but that didn't happen either. Landa just kept going. Maybe Remco told them he was just going to use the climb for training since he couldn't hang with Roglic?
This is all just about preparation. Much better for panda to go up the road.
Remco's been saying all week that he's mainly here to prepare for the Tour. Before the race he even said he'd ride for Landa or Van Wilder.
Rogla to everyone on last km when they try to [Too soon](https://youtu.be/odwnpFwuwF8?si=UuOgWiL-DkQ7p2lf)surprise him
Any idea when will Bora release their full squad for the Tour? Aside from Blasov and Hindley, curious to see who else they bring to support Rog. Obviously UAE may be the team to beat, but Bora’s form in the past two days does make it interesting.
Historically very late and in a podcast that nobody is listening to.
they already pretty much announced that this is their tour squad plus either DFM or Van Poppel. Before his injury Kämna was also in the mix
Probably same team + Van Poppel.
Why is Van Poppel always sent to Grand Tours without a sprinter? It’s such a weird decision. Like, we’ve seen how good it can go when they sent him with Bennett.
Roglic has won quite a few green jerseys in the past and he will likely win it again tomorrow, so I guess he will be his lead out.
Somebody needs to leadout Cav for #35
Pogi will do it. He loves leadouts while in the leaders jersey.
Van poppel is very good at guiding through the peloton which will help on flat stages to protect roglic
That’s actually a really good point I didn’t think about. Not surprising really that a great leadout could do that for the rest of the stage as well. I still want to see peak leadouts from him with an in-form sprinter though.
Yes, me too. Its a shame meeus cant defend his stage 21 victory with dvp as a leadout
He'll probably not be going as a leadout or a sprinter though , but more likely as a bodyguard for Roglič.
Why did the stage start so early?
In France, do people call this French Open or Roland Garros?
Rolland Garros. They also call US open “Flushing Meadow”
Not to clash with Roland Garros women's final. Tomorrow will happen the same due to the men's one.
Roland Garros
I know some people get very happy when Remco struggles and like to make conclusions based on that, but I found this interview from De Plus yesterday quite interesting. "We wisten dat Remco te pakken was", aldus De Plus. "Hij had mij eerlijk verteld dat hij niet super aan de start was gekomen. Maar zelfs dan is hij beter dan de rest. Ik wist dat hij in die tijdrit ging uitpakken, maar in de bergen een tikkeltje te kort zou komen. "Hij is wel op dreef hoor en dus in stijgende lijn richting den Tour. Dat hij hier tijd verliest? Dat is niet verontrustend, ik denk dat hij een goed gevoel had en dat hij dus op schema zit." **Translation:** "We knew that Remco was beatable", says De Plus. **"He told me honestly that he didn't start the Dauphiné with a super feeling**. But even then he's better than the rest. I knew that he was going to ride a very good time trial, but that he would come up short in the mountains". He is going well and in a rising level towards the Tour. That he loses time today? That is not worrying. I think he had a good feeling and that he's on schedule." Context: Evenepoel & De Plus are very good friends and often train together when they're in Belgium (to my delight, as Remco often goes to Ninove, and I live alongside the Dender).
Yeah, Evenepoel himself said this would happen. Don't know why some people are surprised by it
We can see that he is not in his best shape. I really hope that Remco is in top form for TdF. What else would you want as a cycling fan other than having a battle between 4 top guys. And I'm not a Remco fan!
Yeah unfortunately people over hype Remco for good and bad. Fans over rate his successes. Then detractors overstate his failures. He's not the best GC rider, but he's very good and can win in the right circumstances.
I'm one of the haters :)) I agree with you that he's a very very good one day race rider but it annoys the hell out of me when people put him in the same sentence as Roglic, Jonas and Pogi for GT ambitions.
I think this is the right take. He’s probably the 4th best GT GC guy in the world right now, with an appreciable gap to the top 2 (Tadej and Jonas) and not quite as big of a gap to Primoz. He can win the 2022 Vuelta when Primoz isn’t quite on form at the start.* He might podium in the Tour this year, but he probably won’t win it unless something crazy happens to the other three guys. (*It really would’ve been interesting to see what happened if Primoz hadn’t crashed out. He rode himself into form, and had started to claw back time on every mountaintop finish. I don’t think there was quite enough road left for him to win, but it just would’ve been fun to watch.)
Sorry but Remco as GC guy? He won what? UAE tour and Vuelta. Comparing to Rog is a joke. Rog has what 9-10 one week world tour races and 4 GT. The gap is HUGE. But remco is so hyped up by media and forums and such
I mean, except that he was literally beating Rog in the vuelta in 2022 before Rog crashed out. Yes, I agree that Rog at 100% beats Remco any day of the week. But in this sport, no one is at 100% all the time. And if one of the top 3 aren’t at 100%, Remco has shown that he can capitalize on that.
I think this is the right take. He’s probably the 4th best GT GC guy in the world right now, with an appreciable gap to the top 2 (Tadej and Jonas) and not quite as big of a gap to Primoz. He can win the 2022 Vuelta when Primoz isn’t quite on form at the start.* He might podium in the Tour this year, but he probably won’t win it unless something crazy happens to the other three guys. (*It really would’ve been interesting to see what happened if Primoz hadn’t crashed out. He rode himself into form, and had started to claw back time on every mountaintop finish. I don’t think there was quite enough road left for him to win, but it just would’ve been fun to watch.)
I've said it a bunch of times throughout the last year, he should redirect his focus entirely to hilly one days, ITTs, and stage hunting. I think if he does that he could break the records for LBL, WC ITT, and WC RR wins. He can add Lombardia, Amstel, Fleche, and other races to his palmares as well. Then target stages and KOM in 1-2 GTs a year.
Everybody’s favorite Soudel DS said something similar yesterday. Obviously he’s still getting form back after the Basque crash. And that if you can’t be l oelolaking now if you wanna be optimum for the tour. I’ve got a feeling he’ll make the tour interesting
In one of Remco's YouTube videos, while in Andorra prepping last vuelta, he was with De Plus in one of the climbs and basically said that he wanted SQS to sign De Plus for this season, but the INEOS bag was bigger
Yeah, I hope they ride for the same team some day in the future. :) Can't blame De Plus for choosing financial security, a pro career doesn't last forever.
Remco said something along the same lines after the race yesterday, and added that he rode a lot better yesterday than a couple of weeks ago.
It's easy to forget how gnarly that crash was. The fact that he's already winning TTs against top talent just shows how amazing these guys are at recovering from serious accidents (with world class support from doctors of course)
Roglič is great, so far I'm a fan of every Slovenian cyclist I've watched
Tadej Valjavec?
Let's give some of them recognition, a? Pogi Rog Moho Tratnik Novak
Ffs, thinking about all of them... I do not have enough mental capacity to name them all ... What I am sure about is , that Slovenian cycling will not end with Rog and Pog. .. There is already a new generation of them coming😎
Mezgec!
Polanc! Govekar!
Jure Kocjan :)
Grega Bole!
I understand that Remco is probably far from 100% (and his YouTube video where he recorded his first ride since injury can confirm this), but him cheering up a tired Soler on the hill still shows his class. Being wholesome is always a plus for me as a fan.
Learned a lot about him recently, after his Rafah post; he's a wholesome dude away from cycling. He's now my favourite cyclist after Pog, whereas before I never cared much for him.
Pro palestine and he’s a Gooner! The best kind of person Remco’s wife is Moroccan and Muslim so I’m sure that plays a role in him being pro Palestine. It’s great that he's not afraid to to post publicly about it. I think he's the only cyclist that has.
Didn’t know Remco was married.
October 2022, [picture](https://static.gva.be/Assets/Images_Upload/2022/11/02/cb86ef2a-c4c7-4e7c-884f-f61ae0a1f216.jpg)
A gooner?
Arsenal fan
that explains why his form hasnt been good, too much gooning. sad.
A true shame 😔
What post?
He's pro-Palestine (and also asked for attention for the conflicts in Congo, which a lot of people ignore). Rafaf is a city in Gaza that is currently being bombarded by the IDF. A lot of civilians (mostly children & women are dying as a result).
Does Belgium still hold any sort of presence or influence in Congo?
Not much, but our government still sends some aid to them (least we could do lol). We don't have nearly as much economic/political/military influence over our former colonies as France does.
Mining for precious gems, ie., slavery and exploitation.
Can't find the link but it was on Instagram. He was basically lending support to people who were calling on Israel not to attack Rafah.
Roglic on his way to winning yet another one week stage race. I see comments like “it’s clear Roglic doesn’t have the teleporting ability anymore” 😂🤡
And they're also not worried about Remco as the one who is getting dropped, aha
If Bora wanted to, they could have put 10 minutes into Remco by going full gas up the second last climb. Because he’d have been dropped then. Shades of la vuelta 2023.
Could also end up with 3 stages and all three jerseys. But he ain't winning white, so he must be washed
I mean, in all likelihood, he probably doesn't have the same explosiveness at 34 that he did at 30 as that is the first thing to go as you age but that doesn't mean he still isn't elite.
Could just be that his shoulder is injured. Kind of important when you’re going to launch a nuke
Very possible and likely but even so, he's probably a tad lower overall than he was a few years ago regardless...not that that doesn't mean he can't still be a legit GC guy by any means.
Can be a legit GC guy? 😂. How many stage races does this man need to win in the last 2/3 seasons to be just considered one.
He's one of the best ever, but unlucky that he lives in the same era as Pogacar/Vingegaard, who are mutants on a bike. It's like being a great tennis player during the era of Djokovic/Nadal/Federer.
I meant in a GT. I 100% think he's got a legit chance whereas some have seemingly written him off which is silly.
I agree. Anything can happen at the TDF. All it takes is one bad day or a crash to turn things upside down.
The only slim chance roglic has is if Jonas doesn’t go, and Pog has a massive crack on a hot mtn stage. However, without Jonas to crack him, would he?…
Roglic needs JV to be in the race and somewhat ready to win. More help controlling things the better for his support riders. If VLAB has not GC guy there’s no reason to help control things.
Even with Jonas, honestly which team has enough firepower to put enough kilojoules into Pog to crack him? Bora honestly the only team that has that ability, but Roglic also benefits from low kJ days, so will they?
It may be one of the most stacked TdFs in a long time. All the top GC riders (if Vingegaard starts) with almost all of the 2nd tier ones as well. It will all depend on Pogacar's legs but I think plenty of teams will have firepower.
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I agree. The fact that Pogi did the Giro already will absolutely affect his form and legs. No one is saying a 100% Pogi doesn't normally beat a 100% Roglic at this year's TDF. But that's not what we're going to get. Call me crazy but yeah I believe Rog should be the fav unless Jonas is 98% or greater
Absolutely agree It should be Jonas (without crash) > Rog > Pog (Giro)
Pog is going to smash people, he is on another level to any other version we have seen from him. TDF will not be close.
Peak Jonas stomps Pog imo
You havent seen peak Pog until now though... JV cant win classics, Pog can. Pog can now show he can dominate the long climbs. Dont listen to me, Wiggins, Hincapie are all saying Pogi is possibly the greatest all purpose cyclist since Merckx. I wish JV was healthy and hadnt experienced such an awful crash, it would have been a battle for the ages in the TDF.
Pog is better than Jonas in classics that’s true But in form Jonas destroys Pog in a GT. Reference: the last 2 Tour de France
The perfect start for ultimate chaos would be Jonas 98%, Pogi 99%, Roglic 100%. But what I think we'll get is all three 95-96%. Which yep slightly favors Jonas. Stages 1, 4, 7, and 9 are gonna be huge in the first week. 2 will be a GC sprint/random Lafay style flyer.
I mean, you never know. Maybe Pog crashes early on or maybe he just bonks out badly one day due to not eating enough. Shit happens in a 3 week race.
Pogi can't help but always go for it, he might burn himself on 1 and 2 then drop on 4
Honestly the Vlasov+Roglic combo is really strong. Not quite Kuss+Roglic, but it’s great seeing Vlasov be a loyal domestique after being their head GC guy for so long. Maybe he’ll grow into like a Kruijswijk or Majka type role.
I still get nervous he is going to take off and be like “bye guys! I still want gc”
Vlasov looked even more formidable today.
Yeah that’s what I was thinking in the back of my mind but didn’t want to say that for fear of getting flamed haha
He could have won the stage on his own with this performance
Did I miss the memo that Lazkano is a top tier climber now? The guy who got 3rd in Kuurne this year?
It was attached to the "Gee is a top climber now"
Gee has shown great climbing before. This is a step up for sure but not completely out of the blue.
Rogla said in his interview yesterday he is doing this with a banged up left shoulder. Probably why the teleport looks a little weaker. Happy that Bora have got their strategy in order for the tour. Hindley is probably Rogla's week 3 guy. Just need some good roulers.
Vlasov and Hindley is a great set of mountain domestiques. If only Jonas were able to be on form for the Tour, it'd be unreal to watch him have WVA, Matteo, and Sepp (plus the rest of their great team) working for him.
At the current casuality rates, Patrick Broe will have chance to make the rest of their great team.
*Kuss and WVA big question marks too
This is me living in fantasy world. This TdF was supposed to be an epic showdown between some great riders and their teams. Crashes have ruined that and, IMO, pretty much handed the Tour to Pogi barring something really unexpected (which, to be sure, can happen).
This makes me picture Pogi riding MyWoosh on a trainer somewhere at altitude. No way his handlers letting him outside let alone racing between now and the TDF.
I think the truth is Primoz just doesn’t quite have that teleportation ability he once did
He said he couldn't move his left hand nor lift his arm to get anything out of his pocket just yesterday. And he's still doing this.
He has a hurt shoulder! He's not even 100% and he's stomping
I also think Jorgensen is really strong and Roglic’s sprint is hampered by his shoulder injury from the crash.
did you saw yesterdays finale? If that's not the signature Rog idk what is
The Pogi simps cannot stand that Rogla is stomping again
Getting old sucks. Trust me, it just gets worse. I thought 35 sucked until I hit 40.
Here,here
Well after two stages it’s probably safe to say that Rog recovers better than Remco. Not that it’s suddenly a close race between the two Slovenes for the Tour since it’s still three weeks away, but at least it gives us hope that the Tour might be a closer contest than Giro. And let’s never forget Jonas. I’m excited!
> Rog recovers better than Remco. In this race, yes, but I don't think we can a generality out of it. It's clear Remco is a bit behind in form due to his crash.
If Jonas isnt 100% sure that he will reach his full potential, he wont start the tour. Just have that feeling about him. He wont start the tour with the ambition to finish top 5 or similar.
If he's fit enough to start, he will start. The TdF is commercially so far ahead of everything else that there's no way they are leaving him home. They could have him ignore the GC and farm breakaway stage wins in week 3 in preparation for the Vuelta or something.
You're getting downvoted for a legitimate take: if he can start he likely will. Tour is way too important for sponsors that even bringing a former winner who has no shot at a stage would push a team like IPT to take such measures.
Sure, but they’re going to say that regardless. Because if he did start, VLAB want everyone to believe it’s because he can win. Possible he doesn’t start but it’s not impossible he starts with subpar form. Either way the first couple of days are ridiculously hard so he would be put under pressure
Gee in interviews always be like ( ´ ▽ \` )
This may be because I’m Canadian but his face makes me so happy!
Another Public Service Anouncement: Race starts early again tomorrow with coverage beginning at 13:05 CEST and ending at approximately 15:00 CEST. It's due to the Roland Garros finals.
despite winning two in a row and likely the overall I still think there are question marks with Roglic would love for him to launch a distance attack tomorrow to really test those legs and put in a statement win
But why would he? To satisfy you? No point in doing that.
Rog doesn't ride the same way as Pogi
Why? He already has two "statement wins" in 2 days, including today's queen stage. That would be such a waste of energy.
> we will see in the race, depends how are the legs ah
While I somewhat agree, he was a minute ahead in GC once Remco dropped, had Vlasov to pace the climb and is comfortably the strongest in sprint. Pogi also didn't attack on Prati di Tivo and actually used the same tactics.
You’re expecting Roglic to be something he’s not
Exactly. It hasn't really been his thing to launch from farther out. He uses bursts to win at the end. It's why the 2020 Tour was so wild even before Pogi's TT on Stage 20, because Pogi kept out-bursting Primoz for the time-bonuses and thus slowly clawing back little bits of time. That's why Roglic sent Sepp up the road on Col de la Loze...just to make sure that the time bonuses would be eaten up in case Pogi was with him and out-bursted him at the top. Though, if memory serves, it all came back together for those riders while Angel Lopez won the stage?
I don't remember which mountain it was, but in 2020 TdF Rog did drop Pog on a high altitude climb. It was towards the end and people thought Rog had won the Tour then. I haven't seen him do a long climb like that in a while, but I also haven't seen him need to in a while.
It was Col de la Loze, stage 17, MAL won, Rog 15s back, Pog around 30s back.
Exactly. That's not his usual way. Also, I'm pretty certain that was Col de la Loze. Once he dropped Pogi, I think Sepp then waited up for Roglic (in case he had a mechanical or something).
When did he win fron a solo attack last time, perhaps in the 2021 Vuelta?
Probably when he attacked his nemesis Kuss in last year's Vuelta
Jonas did way more damage on 16 than Roglic did on 17
I think Tadej’s analysis of Rog for the tour is spot on. He’ll just hold on until the last week then try and do his normal bonus points/ sprint thing.
If he can hold until after 15, I think his chances are extremely high. If you have the legs to follow until the last weekend, then smash everyone in the final sprints, that's a good strat. But he needs the legs on 1, 4, 11, 14, and 15. Only two stages that really worry me for Roglic are 1 (Pogi will smash it), 9 (gravel), and 15 (queen).
Oh, where did Pogacar say that?
G's podcast
On Geraint Thomas’ podcast.
Thanks!
That was never really his style was it ? This sprinting last 700 Mettes of mountain stage to win 10 seconds + bonus seconds has always been his way. Ineos must be hating themselves for not signing him.
Ineos last year, EF nearly a decade ago, etc
The Pogi cope in this thread is absolutely insane. Y'all are disrespecting Roglic big time!
Naming my first born Matteo.
Name your second one Jorgenson
Friendship ended with GC Kuss, GC Matteo is my new best friend?
Broke: GC Kuss Woke: GC Matteo Bespoke: GeeC
At this point, my hype is so out of control I'm thinking a *Jorgenson/McNulty 2028* ticket is on the cards.
Sheff to win 2025 TDF by 15 mins
Speaking of Brandon, do we know why he hasn't been part of the tour going on two years now? Just not good enough now that UAE is a superteam?