2024 Tour de France

[Chris5225]

Campenaerts finally gets a stage win.

 

[QuietContrarian]

Agreed re: Pogacar v Vingegaard. I guess like most things these days people seem to be in two camps. If someone's a Pogacar fan then they feel the need to trash Jonas and vice versa.

The missed doping test was more an example of how ridiculously they still handle testing. Like they couldn't knock on the door? This isn't about Jonas but there needs to be better, more organized efforts by testers and bigger consequences if a rider misses.

Honestly if Jonas did dope after his crash that would be my guess too, HGH and steroids to aid recovery once he was out of the hospital .

There's also rumors of Tapentadol being rampant in the peloton. It's a much more powerful tramadol and allows riders to push through pain. It's classified at the same level as heroin in the UK, but weirdly is not technically even a banned substance yet. Again, the UCI dropping the ball.

Anyway, I like both riders. I think Jonas is humble, classy, extremely talented though at times so tactical (not surprising as part of the Visma machine) can be a bit boring in races. Pogacar is outgoing, generally respectful, an extremely talented and exciting rider, though can sometimes be frustrating with his ill advised attacks and tactics (UAE is also partly to blame here). We're lucky to have them both at the same time rather than an era where one rider dominates everything.

I somehow missed the Remco comment about having balls. What a clown. Just when I was starting to come around on that guy.

Sorry buddy,

Completely forgot to answer this one.

Sure - I mean I admit I belong in the JV camp. But I actually also used to like him. I don't anymore.
I think his friendlyness towards JV seems fake. And I agree with the take here: Dumoulin on Pogacar's attack on Vingegaard: 'Purely to annoy him' - Canadian Cycling Magazine

Also his friendship with Evenepoel, they seem a little fratty.

It seems Pogi has been very pissed with not winning 2 years in a row. I think he is a little greedy, and seems very cocky and slightly arrogant this year,

And then, he goes onto not only win in JVs terrain, but dominate him - And he also breaks a super doped up Armstrongs record. Without even breaking a sweat. Yet NO accusations of doping unlike JV. I just don't like it.

I think Pogi is fake humble tbh. And some of his comments this year just don't sit well with me.
Full of excuses for when he looses, but never sees his competitors also has excuses for not winning, no when he wins he is just boss according to him, his fans and his team.

Yes, I am a bit salty, I readily admit that - But I did like Pogi, I used to really like him.
He is an entertaining rider for sure, but when he dominates it is a little boring. It is better when he and JV battle.

This tdf has been pure shite from a Danish perspective. Sooo many riders DNF from Denmark. Sickness, injury, time etc.

 

[Jack Straw]

Matteo looks great

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Matteo looks great

Yes he does. Heartbreaking he didn’t get the stage today.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Sorry buddy,

Completely forgot to answer this one.

Sure - I mean I admit I belong in the JV camp. But I actually also used to like him. I don't anymore.
I think his friendlyness towards JV seems fake. And I agree with the take here: Dumoulin on Pogacar's attack on Vingegaard: 'Purely to annoy him' - Canadian Cycling Magazine

Also his friendship with Evenepoel, they seem a little fratty.

It seems Pogi has been very pissed with not winning 2 years in a row. I think he is a little greedy, and seems very cocky and slightly arrogant this year,

And then, he goes onto not only win in JVs terrain, but dominate him - And he also breaks a super doped up Armstrongs record. Without even breaking a sweat. Yet NO accusations of doping unlike JV. I just don't like it.

I think Pogi is fake humble tbh. And some of his comments this year just don't sit well with me.
Full of excuses for when he looses, but never sees his competitors also has excuses for not winning, no when he wins he is just boss according to him, his fans and his team.

Yes, I am a bit salty, I readily admit that - But I did like Pogi, I used to really like him.
He is an entertaining rider for sure, but when he dominates it is a little boring. It is better when he and JV battle.

This tdf has been pure shite from a Danish perspective. Sooo many riders DNF from Denmark. Sickness, injury, time etc.

I don’t find Pogacar’s attitude fake at all. I don’t think he has much of a filter actually, for good and bad. The little attack the other day was unnecessary but I understand riding away today. He’s in the form of his life in the biggest race in the world. It would have been pointless if he was just trying to increase the time gap but he was going for the stage win. With the serious crashes this year it’s a reminder that nothing in your career is guaranteed. I understand going for another stage win on thr Queen stage.

I don’t read a ton of cycling sites but of what I’ve seen and people I’ve talked to, if they are insinuating there’s doping it’s at least about the top three after they all destroyed Pantanis record, if not the whole peloton.

I get that it must be tough to watch from the Danish perspective, but it can be equally boring when Visma and Jonas are totally dominant. With Jonas’s crash and Pogacar dominant form, this is just UAEs year.

 

[Vasilevskiy]

It's obvious they found something new. And when I say they I talk about most of the peloton.

As much as I like Pogi the numbers are simply unbelievable, not just for him mind you. What JV is doing raises the eyebrow if not more taking into account his crash situation.

You can believe it or not, but what is undeniable is that Pogaçar gives the best show we've seen in decades and is a blessing to the sport. My opinion matters nothing but I also believe he is simply the most talented rider we've seen since Hinault if not Merckx. A WC makes him possibly a top 5 all time cyclist just at 25 years old

 

[Chris5225]

It's obvious they found something new. And when I say they I talk about most of the peloton.

As much as I like Pogi the numbers are simply unbelievable, not just for him mind you. What JV is doing raises the eyebrow if not more taking into account his crash situation.

You can believe it or not, but what is undeniable is that Pogaçar gives the best show we've seen in decades and is a blessing to the sport. My opinion matters nothing but I also believe he is simply the most talented rider we've seen since Hinault if not Merckx. A WC makes him possibly a top 5 all time cyclist just at 25 years old

They've definitely found something new, and it's only a matter of time until we all know about it.

 

[#37]

Watching the end of that stage reinforced my cynicism regarding modern sports.

But what I actually love about the Tour is the scenery, the spectacle, and the French people. It just happens to be a bike race.

I always prefer some guy who hasn't been mentioned (hyped) on the broadcasts to win a stage from a breakaway. Those are the great moments, not what I watched today.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

They've definitely found something new, and it's only a matter of time until we all know about it.

Yes but probably a long time unfortunately. It’s deeply embedded in the culture.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

In a perfect world Vingegaard would’ve been healthy and Roglic wouldn’t have crashed to see the top guys duke it out but still a fun tour overall.

Cavendish setting the record, Girmay’s wins, Pogacar climbs, Remco showing he’s a contender in the Tour, Jorgensons good form, Carapaz’s resurgence in the last week, Magnus Cort’s blue mustache.

I know that it couldn’t be in Paris but I still miss the final day being half celebration half sprint finish. A TT isn’t as fun to end the Tour.

 

[#37]

Some great moments this year. Julian Bernard and his family at the first TT. Roman Bardet wearing yellow after winning stage 1 on his last tour.

It was a good Tour, especially for an Olympic year.

Tbh, I am glad it is over... but I am sure I will get excited next June when I realize it's almost time again.

 

[Chris5225]

Lots of storylines between now and next year's tour. The big money teams are going to try and load up. Campanaerts will be on team Visma (again) next year for sure. Simon Yates could be as well, but it would be an interesting storyline if he decided to join his brother at UAE. Red Bull is going to want to make waves and they'll throw money around for sure.

 

[Vasilevskiy]

Simon is going to Visma indeed

 

[QuietContrarian]

I don’t find Pogacar’s attitude fake at all. I don’t think he has much of a filter actually, for good and bad. The little attack the other day was unnecessary but I understand riding away today. He’s in the form of his life in the biggest race in the world. It would have been pointless if he was just trying to increase the time gap but he was going for the stage win. With the serious crashes this year it’s a reminder that nothing in your career is guaranteed. I understand going for another stage win on thr Queen stage.

I don’t read a ton of cycling sites but of what I’ve seen and people I’ve talked to, if they are insinuating there’s doping it’s at least about the top three after they all destroyed Pantanis record, if not the whole peloton.

I get that it must be tough to watch from the Danish perspective, but it can be equally boring when Visma and Jonas are totally dominant. With Jonas’s crash and Pogacar dominant form, this is just UAEs year.

Forget most of what I wrote earlier; I was just being a bit of a salty jerk.

The article isn’t actually about doping, but about Pogi trying to piss off JV.

From a Danish perspective, it was quite disappointing, but I’m proud of JV for finishing so well given the circumstances. I agree that it can be equally dull when Jumbo and JV dominates; however, this year takes the cake for me. While JV had a larger margin of victory last year, it was a close contest for a long time, until stage 16 if I remember correctly. And UAE was not as decimated either.

For me, 2022 was the best. This year felt almost as tedious as 2012. Admittedly, I might be a bit jaded by the disappointing Danish tour.

On another note:

If you combine the last four editions of the Tour de France, Tadej Pogacar is a modest 1 minute and 25 seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard.

It gets even closer if you exclude the bonus seconds that the two rivals have accumulated during stages and at finish lines since 2021.

This is shown in a report by the site procyclingstats.com.

In that case, Jonas Vingegaard would be three seconds ahead of Pogacar, who has earned 3 minutes and 19 seconds in bonuses, while Vingegaard has collected 1 minute and 51 seconds in bonuses.

It doesn't count for anything, but it's still amusing and remarkable to have such a marginal difference after 13,667 kilometers of cycling over four years.

 

[QuietContrarian]

It's obvious they found something new. And when I say they I talk about most of the peloton.

As much as I like Pogi the numbers are simply unbelievable, not just for him mind you. What JV is doing raises the eyebrow if not more taking into account his crash situation.

You can believe it or not, but what is undeniable is that Pogaçar gives the best show we've seen in decades and is a blessing to the sport. My opinion matters nothing but I also believe he is simply the most talented rider we've seen since Hinault if not Merckx. A WC makes him possibly a top 5 all time cyclist just at 25 years old

Correct me if I’m wrong, as there’s a chance I might remember this incorrectly.

Wasn’t there a time when you were quite critical of JV’s performance last year? If I recall correctly, you seemed to question his achievements, even suggesting that he might have been heavily doped.

If that’s the case, then this is precisely what I’m referring to when I talk about how Pogi receives respect for his achievements and is rarely accused of doping (Or at least people seem to care less when it is Pogi, as he is more exciting) in the same manner as JV and others, especially JV.

There also seems to be a lack of respect for JV—when he performs well, it’s often attributed to having a better team, better preparation, or fewer injuries. Yet, similar factors have not been held against Pogi this year, despite him having a superior pre-tour, a much stronger team, and JV having been severely injured six months ago.

Once again, please accept my sincere apology if I am mistaken.

 

[Vasilevskiy]

Correct me if I’m wrong, as there’s a chance I might remember this incorrectly.

Wasn’t there a time when you were quite critical of JV’s performance last year? If I recall correctly, you seemed to question his achievements, even suggesting that he might have been heavily doped.

If that’s the case, then this is precisely what I’m referring to when I talk about how Pogi receives respect for his achievements and is rarely accused of doping (Or at least people seem to care less when it is Pogi, as he is more exciting) in the same manner as JV and others, especially JV.

There also seems to be a lack of respect for JV—when he performs well, it’s often attributed to having a better team, better preparation, or fewer injuries. Yet, similar factors have not been held against Pogi this year, despite him having a superior pre-tour, a much stronger team, and JV having been severely injured six months ago.

Once again, please accept my sincere apology if I am mistaken.

No, you're correct regarding last years TDF.

I made a lot of comments regarding Visma, JV and especially the infamous time trial, which is the biggest WTF moment I've seen in cycling yet (and I've seen a few).

I've always said they all dope. Pogi (I admit being a fan) is no different.
If anything this year's TDF reinforces that belief. The mountain climbing times are just insane. Pogaçar is the first name on the list but when Landa is beating Pantani records you know there's something fishy.

Ideally you would want that all teams and cyclists are riding under the same conditions, but that's not what's happening and it was clear that last year VISMA had something up their sleeve (winning the 3 GT, doing the whole podium on La Vuelta). This year UAE has found something new, and at the same time VISMA has had bad luck (all the crashes).

Vingegaards last year and this year until his crash were amazing, and even if I don't like the team he's riding for I can't say anything bad about the way he rides. He attacks, he goes for the win and he shows the attitude of a champion, this tour he did that too.
I just can't like a team that is saying stuff like "we eat better than the others" and "we don't drink beer on rest day". That's just bullshitting us. The same way that Polli tried to bullshit us a few days ago saying they eat better now than 4 years ago. Sure that's why you go 2:30 minutes faster on climbs this year than on previous.
But he's the guy that has returned cycling to a golden era. And every hero needs a villain, and JV is that one So I will always hate on him a bit when they ride against each other

One last thing I wanted to mention regarding VISMA vs UAE.
VISMA is absolutely a better TEAM than UAE. They prepare slightly better (imo) and they ride as a team better. I don't care that UAE is name by name better, they have been a liability for Pogaçar considering his status as a generational talent several times. Just to mention one example, in this year's Milan San Remo.
Despite all of that, especially in 2023, even if Vingegaard was in another team he would have destroyed the field. He was the strongest by far.
I have more doubts in 2022 since Van Aert saved his ass a few times.

 

[Jack Straw]

I love Zwift, I'm addicted to Zwift, but "Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift" is a cringy name for the race.

 

[Jack Straw]

Great fight on Alpe d'Huez. The virtual yellow jersey keeps changing hands on the climb. The winner of the Tour may ultimately be decided by time bonuses.

 

[Jack Straw]

Amazing finish. Still haven't given the official results but pretty sure Niewiadoma won the GC. Vollering won the stage but probably by not quite enough.

Edit: She wins by 4 seconds.