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Pro Cycling 2021
- Thread starter RobinLFC
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Green Jersey as well for Cav, quite the story & quite the tour so far!
Big day ahead - anything but a yellow Van Aert around 5:30pm would be a big disappointment for me.
The 31 seconds on VDP shouldn't be an issue but Alaphilippe can be a pretty good time trialist on his day and is 23 seconds ahead. Still, if van Aert is in form, I'd say he should gain at least half a minute, or possibly closer to a minute, on Alaphilippe over 27 kilometers, especially as it's not a hilly course. I personally think he'll make it, but we'll see.
Don't think so either but very eager to find out what VDP can do in a TT of approx. 30 minutes if he goes all out. Never say never with the dude but it would be remarkable if he could keep it under half a minute with WVA.
Yeah, this is the first time there's something to fight for in an ITT for VDP and he certainly has the capabilities for being a good time trialist given how he loves solo breakaways where he just motors along. An in form WVA should easily take that 30 seconds but I'm not so sure about his form yet, removal of appendix is a big surgery.
Wouldn't surprise me if VDP, WVA, Alaphilippe (like you guys said, can also have a good ITT) and Pogacar end up super close in GC after this stage which could make for an epic stage 7
VDP has the power but not the aero. If you don't train that TT position like a maniac, you're going to lose a lot of time. This is one of the few disciplines where I don't ever see him being a top contender, simply because he hates training on a TT bike and rarely does it.
This has the potential to turn into a nailbiter.
Great to hear that the idiot fan from Stage 1 has now been arrested. I sincerely hope they throw everything and the kitchen sink at her. She literally risked the lives of the riders for a moment on TV. Massive cnut.
Haha Pogacar smashing it. Let's see if he is overpaced the start, he did so at Basque Country.
Hmm unless Van Aert is starting slowly and putting everything into the second part of the TT, the yellow jersey looks to go to Pogacar. What a rider.
Also the French are such feckers, neglecting him but putting a camera on Alaphilippe; typical.
Also the French are such feckers, neglecting him but putting a camera on Alaphilippe; typical.
Pogacar is simply insane. Vdp doing better than I expected but it's just the first intermediate time.
Pogacar killing it. 
Sheesh Pogacar. Unreal talent.
Van Aert disappointing though, in top form he wins this hands down imo (or at the very least on par with Pogacar who's destroying everyone else).
Van Aert disappointing though, in top form he wins this hands down imo (or at the very least on par with Pogacar who's destroying everyone else).
Yeah this is a poor TT for van Aert. Even behind his team mate Vingegaard. The form isn't there unfortunately.
Yeah, this is the first time there's something to fight for in an ITT for VDP and he certainly has the capabilities for being a good time trialist given how he loves solo breakaways where he just motors along. An in form WVA should easily take that 30 seconds but I'm not so sure about his form yet, removal of appendix is a big surgery.
Wouldn't surprise me if VDP, WVA, Alaphilippe (like you guys said, can also have a good ITT) and Pogacar end up super close in GC after this stage which could make for an epic stage 7
Justified. Very impressive by VDP. Now let's hope him and Van Aert just go YOLO in stage 7. Nothing to lose.
I think I need to stop talking about cycling, I'm using conventional cycling wisdom but it's all out of the window. Pogacar demolishes everyone on a non-climbing TT and van der Poel who never trains on his TT bike matches TT specialists. I literally don't know what's possible in cycling anymore with these two. They are absurd.
Pogacar demolishes everyone on a non-climbing TT and van der Poel who never trains on his TT bike matches TT specialists. I literally don't know what's possible in cycling anymore with these two. They are absurd.Van der Poel matching Van Aert’s TT without even practicing. Of course van Aert isn’t 100 percent but still very impressive.
Alpecin needs to stop fecking about with this sprint changes. Could've had two stages more if they had gone for Merlier on Tuesday and today. Harsh on Philipsen but simply not fast enough in a straight line right now against Cavendish.
I actually think they should go for Van der Poel.
The things is they had an agreement in the team that Merlier would get the sprints in the Giro and Philipsen in the Tour. Merlier went out of the Giro early and that's why he's in the Tour team. He's had his victory now, so I guess to honour the agreement with Philipsen, they have to go for the latter now. Yes, they would have a better chance with Merlier, but that would mean going back on an agreement and almost certainly creating an unhappy situation with a rider that would undoubtedly go looking for a way out of the team.
Anyway, that's all in the shadow of another Cav victory. It's clear that his intrinsic sprint speed never went away. What can you say? Simply one of the best sprinters of all time.
No words. Magical. Not too far away now dare I say
Absolutely genuine delight in that face from the interview I saw of him too. It's unreal - week as a whole has just been a whole sporting godsend to great stories across multiple sports.
I could see Cav matching Merckx's record during this tour, potentially beating it if he makes it to Paris.
Late answer but to be fair, Pogacar and MVDP performed even better than I thought, if they were both around 30 seconds slower that would've been an outcome I predicted, but MVDP 5th on that stage, crazy!
Justified. Very impressive by VDP. Now let's hope him and Van Aert just go YOLO in stage 7. Nothing to lose.
Anyway, back to this stage, looks like we might get our wish
Crazy strong breakaway, hopefully everyone lets UAE hung out for dead in the peleton, everyone banding together against the Slovenian!This tour with Cavendish is a wonderful surprise. He's looking far faster than the others. Would be great to see him break the record.
Gonna be interesting to see what Jumbo does with Roglic in difficulties and Van Aert with a few minutes on Pogacar, or am I crazy for even thinking that? Of course WVA comes nowhere close to Pogacar in the mountains but doesn’t look like Roglic is good enough either…
Amateur stuff by Jumbo Visma there.
I wonder if Jumbo are even going to keep Roglic in the race. They could aim for yellow with van Aert tomorrow but beyond that, I think they need to forget about the GC and just go for stage wins from here on out.
This Tour is weird. But fun! It's chaos, no team has any sort of control so far. I definitely prefer this over the Sky dominance. So many attacks today, after such a tough stage yesterday.
Have a feeling Pogacar will just kill them all on Colombier later. He thrives off chaos in shit weather and so far there was no cohesive move that has his team and himself chasing hard.
It's happening at the moment. It's extraordinary how superior Pogacar is compared to everyone else.
90s are back baby. Time gaps to the mooooooooooon
Well this was a performance for the ages by Pogacar, the likes of which I've rarely seen, if ever. Not even Froome's greatest rides were close to this.
Great win by Teuns, the top of the last climb came at just the right moment for him.
Great win by Teuns, the top of the last climb came at just the right moment for him.
GC over already surely? Can’t see anyone getting close to Pogacar now.
The best odds you can get on Pogacar are 1/11 ..... after 8 fecking stages
I know some will claim it was over before it started with Lance or Froome, but it really wasn't..... and they never shut it down this quick.
I know some will claim it was over before it started with Lance or Froome, but it really wasn't..... and they never shut it down this quick.
You would think so. In theory, anyone can run out of steam or have a terrible day, but we've seen Pogacar do insane things at the end of three tough weeks before, so it's extremely unlikely to happen with him. Taking a crash or injury out of the equation, Pogacar winning the Tour by 10 minutes or more looks more likely than him not winning it at this point. What this guy is doing at this age is completely insane.
Pogacar will win by however much he wants to, it all depends on how much he feels like attacking (assuming no crashes/injuries).
Alright the question must be asked.... who here thinks Pog is riding clean?
I love him and think he's amazing, but he's destroying the field in such a manner that defies belief
Would hate it if that happens. mind
I love him and think he's amazing, but he's destroying the field in such a manner that defies belief
Would hate it if that happens. mind