Suddenly we find ourselves with ONLY SEVEN STAGES left in this most magical Tour that I can recall seeing! And I think its going to continue being fantastically exciting! There is only one word that really needs to be said: Alps.
What we have seen in the mountain (and hill) stages thus far has been simply amazing, and I certainly dont see it getting less exciting in the big mountains!
I will say this after 2 weeks of racing: IF Bernal were to somehow come out in Yellow in Paris, I would cheer him and be happy for him. Going into this race I wanted ANYBODY BUT Ineos to win. I have not changed that and just want it to be an exciting hard-fought race to the end, and I think we are going to get that. I think that Jumbo has the best team, and has thus far supported Roglic pretty fantastically, but it was just last year that Bernal and Ineos held off until when, the DAY BEFORE Paris to take the yellow? I think there are still at least 3 or 4 guys who could seriously win...and Bernal is certainly one of them.
I think with the time gaps we currently have in the top GC riders it would SEEM that Roglic and Jumbo has things well in hand. But remember THE ALPS? One flat tire...one mechanical...one crash (either in person or others that slow someone important down)...there is SO MUCH that could derail ANY GC contenders race. A water bottle flipping around on the road...a slick turn on a descent...(remember that year that Lance was chasing the guy downhill on a hot day, and the guy (sad that I cant remember his name) hit some hot-tar filling a road crack and hi-sided his bike and slammed down (breaking his hip I recall) and Lance went straight up on his bike to not run over the guy and crash...(was it Beloki, something like that?)...and out of pure luck it was a switchback turn, Lance rode right off the road, right thru the grass and whatnot and came out on the road at the bottom of the turn, jumped off his bike and onto the road and back on his bike, didnt miss a beat...THAT was so lucky! What if that turn had a cliff instead of a nice shortcut right back onto the road? Or a ditch, or a cement block or something? I always think of that and it is still amazing that he won SEVEN IN A ROW! Seven years with not ONE ill timed flat or mechanical...or inattention losing time in crosswinds, or anything else. I just dont see that ever happening again...Just look at Ritchie Porte! That guy cant BUY a break for even 1 year, let alone 7 in a row!
Anyway, I digress...we have SEVEN stages left in this amazing race, the one that almost didnt happen. IF we make it to Paris (we have the Covid testing on the 2nd rest-day to get past, hopefully not losing any teams or riders), I just think this years race will be one for the record books in many ways.
OK. That got kinda windy...Im just SO jazzed about this years race...Unpredictability! Excitement! Teamwork! Tactics! New young superstars just now being introduced to the world! The fight for the Yellow! The fight for the Green! The fight for the Polka dot! (I am pretty sure that will change hands in the Alps...but just WHO will take it?) I think I will remember a lot more about this years race than the last few combined. At least I hope I do. Anyway....Game ON!
And, Rigo has quietly climbed into 3rd -- not by a big margin, and he did seem to be at his limit at the very end of the stage, falling back in the last meters - but fingers crossed that he can make the final podium!
ReplyDeleteThis was a humdinger of a stage today! I hadn't realized that Rolland was still riding either, he had a good effort in the break. For a year or two there, I thought he might take Voeckler's place as France's most aggressive - or maybe tenacious?- rider.
And Valverde has made an appearance - wonder if he can keep it up in the Alps?
I was very sorry to hear about Bardet, I do hope that he recovers well.
I hadn't realized that the Tirreno-Adriatico race in Italy was running this week also - that is where Geraint Thomas, Fugelsang, Majka, and Froome (among others) are racing. Simon Yates is leading, Majka and Thomas 16 and 39 secs behind, 3 others within a minute; with a TT tomorrow for the last stage. Froome is well out of it, over an hour behind.
What a vicious stage today! One observation: it appears we have seen the end of the Sky/Ineos dynasty, and the beginning of the Jumbo Vismo Dynasty...in a few years will be be saying we would like anybody NOT on Jumbo to win? They looked just like the old days of Postal/Discovery when Lance had pretty much his entire team with him, when all the other contenders had at best 1 or 2 guys, or more often zero.
ReplyDeleteI liked it that the race shut down all vehicles (and supposedly people, tho there were some out there) on the final 2 climbs...anybody complaining can just thank the CovIdiots refusing to wear masks. And there were STILL a few up on the Colombier with no masks...come on people!!
And HOLY SMOKES! Q dropped miles from the top, and Bernal too! Bernal might as well have fallen off a cliff...lost OVER 6 minutes! DAAMMMMNNN! Did NOT see that coming! And as Rae said...RIGO! RIGO!! He FINALLY looks poised to have a great Tour! Ive been rooting for him for years, and its just always been something. MAYBE this is his year to podium!
What else...Rest day tomorrow (today was my rest day, we start full 12 hour shifts tomorrow for likely the next week plus). I saved Stage 14 for today, and with 15 I had pretty much an entire day of entertainment as I hid out in my hotel room...Pandemic, catastrophic fires, zombies (well, I didn't personally see the zombies but I assume that they were out there wandering around)...really enjoyed these last 2 stages! And I think I say this every time they climb the Grand Colombier, but I REALLY want to ride it for myself!
And now, going back early in the stage, when Jungels wiped out Higuita (who later dropped from the race)...and I mean he really took him out! It wasn't on purpose, but he pulled off the front so quickly (almost violently) and just swept poor Higuitas front wheel out from under him, and boy did he do a smak-down on the blacktop! How he doesn't have a concussion is beyond me...his head bounced! Ive never gone down on the road (yet...fingers crossed, hail Marys, garlic, silver bullets ready for werewolves, you name it, Im ready) but I can personally attest to how QUICK you hit the deck when your front wheel goes out from under you. Nearly all my crashes involve that very thing (I start to get a teensy bit cocky when Im riding well, pushing lap times, and suddenly I find the traction-limit of my front wheel because you I passed it)...that wheel washes out in a nanosecond, and I am LITERALLY still holding both grips and both feet still clicked into the pedals when my left shoulder/hip and head bounce off the ground... and then the inevitable and painful rash-inducing slide. Only Higuitas was even worse..for one, it was on Pavement! And also, his entire bike was airborne for just a moment as his wheel was taken out so hard. It was sad to see, and Rigo really could have used him over the next few days in the Alps. Tough way to end his first Tour.
OK...I think Im current, and now its bed-time! I have my own Alps awaiting this week...12 hour days really wear you down...eat, sleep and work. And I still have Tour stages to somehow watch...and Mountain stages at that!
So the GC leader board was re-written today...who would have thought. You cant take anything away from Pogacar...he looks to be a serious contender, and if he had a team even close to Jumbo I would say its a pretty even race for the win...have a great week and stay safe!
Two things before I get to chatting about this past weekend's Tour action.
ReplyDelete1st, HAPPY VERY VERY BELATED BIRTHDAY, RAE! Gosh Rae, I'm SOOOO sorry I forgot your birthday (8/21)! My usual "routine" is still messed up since I work most days at home & for the past 10 weeks, once day in the office. My routine for YEARS has been on the 1st weekday of every month to check the back of my yearly Datebook to see any friends' birthdays coming up that month. And I forgot to check for August! I even forgot Matt's birthday last week til I noticed the date on my comment! Anyhoo, I declare you have ANOTHER "Day of Immunity" & can eat anything you want & gain no weight! Seriously, I hope you had a great birthday & many more. :)
2nd, I realized something Saturday & can't believe it! I finally saw Pogacar on TV WITHOUT a helmet or sunglasses or mask & thought "my goodness, he looks SO young & wait a minute, I KNOW that face from somewhere...he's got such a babyface, OMG, he's "BABYFACE" from last year's Vuelta! Where he finished 3rd on the podium! Where I wrote a bunch about him! That he was only 20 & a Slovenian like Roglic! I canNOT believe I forgot about him & didn't realize Pogocar was Babyface! I guess I can blame this crazy year but between forgetting birthdays & now this total brain fart, I feel a total loser! ARGH!
Good Grief...I hope I wished you a happy Bday Rae...sadly, I cant remember (I was only 59 when your day passed, but now that Im 60 I have no recollection. That is the joke at work too...pretty much everything someone asks me I tell them that I can't remember...if they had asked me a week ago (back when I was 59) I would have had an answer. I just don't go on FB that often...so I miss a lot.
DeleteOh...Pogacar is Babyface?? I recall you gushing about the new kid...it hadn't occurred to me that's him....he is really something special! And just imagine if he had even a half-decent support team! If he hadn't lost that time in the crosswind stage he would be in yellow (or very very close)! barring disaster we pretty much know the first 2 steps of the podium...I don't see Pogacar taking yellow only due to the new team on the block...gosh Jumbo is good! Roglic hasn't even had to use his last 2 guys...he just lights out on his own and PO follows (and beats him!) to the line! That he is where he is riding how he is with almost no team blows my mind...maybe UAE didn't truly realize how good he was and that he would be able to do what he is doing?? I would think that NEXT YEAR they will have rebuilt the team to support a GC winner, and they very well could.
DeleteOk, now that I confessed my (most recent) faux pas, on to this past weekend's action! Well, without the Green Jersey knockdown-dragout, Saturday would have been a bit boring, so yeah for Sagan still giving it all he's got! I'm assuming he'll do the same thing Tuesday as there's a CAT 4 right away & then the Intermed Sprint. If he can drop Bennett, he may be able to scoop up those points but he'll probably have to get into the Breakaway until at least after the Sprint. But it's not a given that he'll win the sprint as he's just not in the same form as years past. Of course, as I mentioned last week, it's not a given than Bennett will actually make it all the way to Paris as this week will be brutal for him & all the pure sprinters.
ReplyDeleteAnd Sunday was actually a bit of a letdown for me, except for getting to see that Team Deathstar will NOT be winning the Tour this year! Yeah! But I actually felt sorry for poor Bernal as the camera stuck on him in all his agony almost all the way up the mt. And humpfh, NOW they finally did a SPLIT SCREEN! Anyhoo, I was hoping for a lot more GC action during the final 3-5K, but I guess since Jumbo kept the pace so high, the other guys didn't have the energy to attack. I was SHOCKED but HAPPY for Richie to be right up there! He announced this is his last year as a "protected GC rider" & will go back to Ineos next year as a superdomestique so it would be great for him to go out on the Tour podium. If Riggo doesn't finish 3rd, I hope Richie does.
And I'm not declaring this race in the bag for Roglic yet now that I know Pogacar is BABYFACE! How a 21 year old kid is this great already at Grand Tours is beyond me but this kid is exceptional! It SHOULD be exciting on each remaining mt stage AND Saturday's TT in which the final 6K is all UPHILL! Like Matt says, if either one has a mechanical or crash or "bad day" or even "bad half-hour", the YJ will change bodies! And the 3rd step is up for the taking too. Although, I can't see Bernal or Quintana being able to claw back, just too far & they have shown throughout the past 2 weeks that they just aren't quite up to their past primes. (However, Bernal did not get the YJ last year until that awful day when they STOPPED the race on that 1 mt & he just happened to be ahead at that moment. Until then, Geraint had been ahead of him on his own team & I think both were behind Alaphil who was way back that mountainous day).
I am rooting for Rogic to win a bit more than Babyface as the latter still has at least a DECADE to dominate while Roglic probably only has 4 years at most. Plus, athletes who win too much too soon often don't realize their true potential & I'd hate to see that happen with either of these guys.
One more thing, I have to give it up for Dumoulin as he's really doing a great job as one of his team's final MT helpers. I never thought he'd do that for a teammate. One MORE thing I've been wrong about! Ooof!
Damn, I wrote a post this morning and before I hit “publish” work started happening, and it went away.
ReplyDeleteI will never get used to seeing these guys climb into the team car. Tears me up.
Then I hit Publish too fast on that last one. HA.
ReplyDeleteI love watching all these young, fit, adorable riders winning on different days!
Back in the olden days (the Lance years), I worked from home and could watch all day (remember when OLN/VS ran repeats almost all day?) and I loved that. Now I’m back in that home office with the TV in the corner, and I can watch all morning... well, let’s say I have it on all morning. That TV doesn’t have a DVR, so I can’t back up when I miss stuff. So spoiled. But because of that, I’m having Tour Withdrawal Syndrome today, and it’s just a rest day! Don’t know what I’ll do next week.
Oh the good old days when Versus repeated the Tour broadcasts all day! I miss them so! Sigh. Even though I'm mostly working from home & have the TV on, my back is to the TV & I have to keep the sound down very low so I'm not too aware what's happening. I do turn around for the final 1-5K.
ReplyDeleteHave there been ANY sunflower shots? The afternoon/very late night (actually early AM) repeats that I get to see are usually only 2 hour heavily edited shows so I don't get to view all the footage.
And I'm VERY GLAD that the govt of that French "Department" decided to BAN ALL SPECTATORS on the final 2 mts last Sunday! It was actually not as weird as I feared because we had Phil & Bobke talking as usual. Notice that it was NOT ASO that did this, as they are USELESS! France's COVID number have taken an abrupt upturn the past 2 weeks & it's a MIRACLE that none of the riders have tested positive! I hope they ban the fans on the 2 big mts tomorrow too even though it looks like the Queen stage.
Actually, it looks like Wed's & Saturday's TT are the only real impactful GC stages left. Thursday's profile looks like shark's teeth but the final 30k is almost all down hill! Boo! And then Friday's stage is just "lumpy" with only a CAT 4 half-way thru.
I'm actually taking 4 hours vacation time tomorrow morning so I can watch it ALL LIVE. :) The intermed sprint is 45k in, long before the 1st HC mt but there does seem to be a bit of an incline at 25k so Sagan could possibly try to drop Bennett there. However, it's looking more & more that Sagan just is not in the same form as usual. Not just in the final sprints, but in not being able to get in breakaways that he could in the past. Do you think this is just an aberration THIS year because of lack of training & racing or is this the beginning of the end of "best cyclist in the peloton Sagan"?
Had to FF thru a lot of the stage today (12 hour shift, then finding something to eat, then the stage and BED cuz 4:30 comes fast!)...I think Bennett and Quick Step have the upper hand, as they KNOW Sagan needs to get in a breakaway and then pretty much win the interm sprints, which he has been not able to do...there are enough fast climbers that he is missing a lot of points after his team works hard to get him there. And Bennett knows that he will beat Sagan at the end on any real sprint stage (sadly). Actually Bennett was only 45 points ahead today...and Sagan LOST 60 points due to a very questionable set of penalties. It's sad that he had the green jersey taken away by committee and not on the road. I just dont' see how he can get it back...he is so marked by Quick Step and everybody else. In years past he was SO STRONG no team even tried to go against him...now he shows weakness and the sharks are there to feed.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, good on Bora today with Kamna...nice to see the team get something. Tomorrows stage looks wicked...2 HC's...the Madeleine and the Meribel...(I SO want to climb those myself, along w/ the Grand Columbier, and about a dozen other iconic climbs...maybe one day...have to keep dreaming). OK...off to bed. I'm beat...the end is coming up FAST as it always does. SO glad no riders tested positive...what a miracle, especially considering how MANY Covidiots are still out there! The Gendarmes need to be cruising around issuing huge tickets to anybody not wearing a mask...they are SO SELFISH! OK..bed for sure...later gators!
I'm going to hold my comments about today's stage until tomorrow as I don't want to spoil it for you but I'll just say this year's Tour has been full of surprises. Which I guess is fitting with everything else in 2020!
ReplyDeleteOnce the stage is over I figure is always fair game to comment on (and you have always been really great at the SPOILER ALERT notice)...I did another 12 hr day yesterday and TRIED to stay up and watch the stage, but failed miserably as my eyes kept closing and I finally paused it and went to bed at 9:30pm. I don't work today as we shift to nights now for the next few days (UGH!)...so I go in at 6pm now.
ReplyDeleteSO...Thursday morning, and I just finished watching the scintillating Stage 17! Loved that mountain-top finish! It was brutal, and that 24% grade at the top, OUCH!! I loved it that Landas team gave it a go, but he wasn't able to finish it off. Carapaz was quite impressive, and HEY, Sep KUSS!!! I was really rooting for him to hold out and finish with Roglic, but he just couldn't hold the pace when Roglic and Pogacar went. It was surprising to see Pogacar unable to stay with Roglic at the end...however he had ZERO teammates for a LONG TIME, where Roglic had guys the entire way. I think the other surprises were Uran NOT able to stay close (I really thought he was going to hold his podium spot), Richie Porte climbing up to 4th, and Lopez LEAPING into 3rd! Didn't really see that...and Valverde?? Gosh, that man just doesn't quit! How long can he hold this kind of fitness against the best in the world?
OK..need to run out and get some breakfast, then back to the room to watch ANOTHER demolishing stage! Yesterday was SO HARD...how can they do it again today on a stage that is arguably even HARDER?? FIVE ranked climbs, with an HC as the last of them? And it looks like there is a little unranked kicker 10k from the finish. Oh..and I haven't heard, did Ewan make the time cut yesterday? I would assume Bennett did, he climbs way better than Ewan (and it would appear that Sagan has no chance at re-taking the Green unless Bennett drops out of the race). OK...food, then Stage 18! WHAT A RACE!!!!
Lopez was ON A MISSION! To be on that Final podium in Paris! And he achieved his goal - very impressive! My heart did sink for Rigo & his podium hopes are over. Wonder how Landa looked his teammates in their faces on the bus & dinner table last night. Ooof - ALLLLL that work & he couldn't gain any time (except to Rigo & Yates who cracked). And that final climb reminded me of some wacky Giro stages back when I was able to sneak peaks online when the coverage was NOT blocked to the USA. And yes, looks like we finally found something in cycling that Babyface is not great at! Yet.
ReplyDeleteOh & then the surprise that was not a surprise : that Bernal abandoned before the stage began. I feel sorry for the kid. All that pressure as the current champ AND the guy selected over past champs Froome & Thomas. I guess we'll never know if he intentionally rode with the sprinters the day before to ostensibly get time so he could be given leeway to go in a break today. Or if he REALLY could not keep up. Hopefully, this does not totally crush his confidence.
****SPOILER ALERT- Today's Stage 18******
Today's stage reminds me of that adage "All hat, no cattle"! It LOOKS like it would be awesome with all those climbs but with no summit finish & mostly a 30k (!) descent, not much really transpired GC-wise except for some rearranging below the Top 4. HOWEVER, for several moments, I screamed that poor Richie's "bad luck at the Tour" had returned! OMG, when he flatted on the gravel? NOOOOOOO! I thought he'd never catch up! But, he DID! I cheered for that more than anything else! Unfortunately, Rigo was not as fortunate & his crash on the HC climb just killed his final chances for Top 5.
Lopez is now roughly over 1.5 minutes ahead of Richie. Anybody know how Lopez time-trials? I'm REALLY pulling for Richie to be on that final podium! His last chance. It would be a happy ending. Not happy that he'll be back on team Deathstar next year but I'll think about that NEXT year. :)
Continued SPOILER ALERT STAGE 18******
ReplyDeleteFun stage today, and boy, cant take away ANYTHING from Kwiatkowski and Carapaz! Tho I was feeling bad for Hirschi...we have no idea how it would have played out had he not slid out on that turn...he was certainly throwing a wrench in the spokes of Ineos chances to take the Polka Dot jersey. I was pretty happy for Kwiatkowski...thats like when Hicapie FINALLY won a stage...all these years working for others...I was worried Carapaz might nip it at the line(to be the first Ecudorian to win a stage) but he was cool AND hugely appreciative to Kwi for all his work helping him all day...so huge kudos to him for not doing that. And I totally agree Susie about Porte...I have been thinking he FINALLY beat down his string of Tour bad luck, and then THAT FLAT TIRE! I was all NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! But he luckily got a tire soon enough to fight back (with help) to the yellow group and hold his 4th place. And also agree about Rigo...I wish they BOTH could get 4th...certainly cant take away anything from Lopez...he killed it yesterday and earned his spot on the podium when the others faltered. And Landa moved up to 5th! I've been thinking how he was just another guy (from the Sky train) who looked like a potential Yellow winner who moved to get his shot, and then not producing...but he and his team did better today (yesterday not so much).
Of course everybody now needs to avoid bad luck tomorrow...going to be a bunch of riders as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs! And then Saturday...the ITT...UPHILL...and a Cat-1 climb at that! There will be KOM points available, so I don't think Carapaz is a lock for the KOM in Paris (Po could steal that from him I think). Obviously Sagan has given up on the Green...I still feel like it was stolen from him...he would STILL theoretically be in Green with those 60 points...But Bennett has done his due-diligence shadowing Peter not letting him gain ground. And it is obvious to the world that this is not the same Sagan we've been seeing for the last 8 years. Was that due to the inevitable aging decline, or just a tough preparation due to the Pandemic? Time will tell...but I believe I heard he has NO wins this year...that is certainly not what his very expensive Bora contract is expecting.
OK. Whew...that was nice having the day off to catch up...just chillin in my room all day (except for a curbside pickup of breakfast). Tomorrow will be some serious Fast forwarding thru the stage after I get up in the afternoon, and...this Tour is almost over, and Ive really enjoyed it! A bit of normalcy (albeit 2 months late) in this MAD MAD MAD year. All right...time to start thinking about early dinner and then off to work.
So Im just up and starting to watch Stage 19...crazy night at work...turns out we will NOT be flying home tonight...unable to load our aircraft because, wait for it...yep...broken. Huge hydraulic leak, they are TRYING to fix it so we can load tonight and fly home on Saturday night. Normally Id be pretty ticked at a plane delay, but this gives me one more relaxing day to sit in my room and watch the stage! Coffee is gurgling away as I type (its almost done, hooray!)...and I can go get a curbside pickup breakfast in an hour or 2 and keep rolling on the stage. OK...coffee coffee coffee! Its TOUR TIME!!!
ReplyDeleteOh...and just a quick comment...if I NEVER EVER see another ZWIFT commercial (that they show about 900 times during every stage!) it will still be too soon!
ReplyDeleteBoy..Im chatty this am! So...105k to go, somebody put a bunch of bells on a wooden beam and had that mounted to the boom of some kind of front-end-loader or something. Anyway, I just thought that was BRILLIANT! (I'm strange that way, love to see innovative ideas that have gone from the drawing board to real life). That is totally something I would do given the opportunity! Oh, and now a thought that struck me a while back (as they were showing podium presentations earlier from yesterday)...they had a Podium GUY? (he was on the left, on the right was a gal...they were both in matching outfits for the jersey being presented..him a shirt, the girl in a dress)...I guess I haven't seen much of the podium presentations thus far so hadn't seen this before...is this the new normal? Did that start this year, or have they done it prior? I just thought it was odd. Odd as in REALLY? Is THIS what we've come to? I always thought the 2 podium girls giving the presentee the multiple fake-kisses on the cheek (or whatever you call that Frencgh greeting-thing they do) was a part of the race. Or am I just being a dumb guy (genetically pre-disposed to saying/doing seriously stupid shit at any given moment, and then look on in bewilderment when ladies react to how stupid it really was)? Rae, Susie, Barbra...your take? Go ahead...I can take my lumps and apologize after (Im a guy, so thus very good at that).
ReplyDeleteSo I JUST saw the guys (the Paul replacement for today and CVV/CH) talk about how Jumbo Vismos team director was sent home after lashing out at a UCI rep taking apart (and damaging) Roglics bike after the stage yesterday....WTH?? Obviously they were looking for a motor...but you don't need to take apart the bottom bracket to find out if there is an electric motor in there...a motor (and along with it a battery pack) would be a few pounds of added weight that would have been added to a specific mountain-stage bike, which would likely be at the very minimum weight limit. Also they use X-rays (so-as to NOT risk damaging the bikes). Chris said it perfectly...IF the bike was actually damaged and Roglic needs to ride a different machine there is always risk of some small change in the setup..and as a rider I can tell you even a tiny change in riding position can give you knee-pain (seat a teensy bit low/high, seat too far forward/back are the obvious culprits). As a purely recreational rider with no pro-mechanic taking care of my bikes, Ive had (self induced) bouts of that many times, and once you get knee pain its very difficult to get rid of (you basically have to stop riding for a while so it can heal, and also figure out what caused it and fix it).
ReplyDeleteThe UCI has various ways to find hidden motors...which all came to a head when Spartacus was accused of having a motor in his Spring Classics bike (can't remember which race) when he pulled away from the rest of the top guys and won solo. There were claims that he touched a certain area on his handle-bars just before he sped away, turning on his hidden motor. I personally think its ludicrous...I know they (UCI) have people out on the route in various unannounced strategic places with a tablet hooked to a FLIR camara (Forward Looking Infra Red) which gives you a heat-map of anything it looks at. The frame of a bike would be blue (cool) and IF there was a motor and battery in a bike there is no hiding the heat dissipated from the motor and discharging battery...and the seat-tube (where the motor is going down to the bottom bracket where it engages a gear on the shaft between the cranks) and the down-tube where the battery would be would both show up as something other than blue, the oranges/reds are indicative of heat. (I know all this as we have FLIR cameras at work that Ive installed/worked with). Heck...you can buy a FLIR add-on device to use with a cell phone that does the exact same thing...super cheap...like $100 turns your phone into a FLIR camera/display! (I know this because I want one...not that I need one...its a boy-toy thing).
So anyway, we don't have any details so its hard to say one way or the other...but it sounds like the UCI inspector maybe was going a bit over his authority (certainly lacking common sense) and the Team director understandably losing it.
IF someone WAS on a bike equipped with a motor/battery, it would only be beneficial for the time the battery held a charge...after that its a boat-anchor and they would HAVE to do a bike-swap to get a non-motor bike under its rider and then HIDE the motor-bike...thus the part about how stupid it would be for ANYONE in the Pros to actually try mechanical doping...if you got caught it would be a lifetime ban AND total humiliation for the rider and the entire team. Just don't see it happening at the top levels due to the scrutiny they are all under. Just my 67 cents worth (I went WAY past 2 cents obviously).
Hey Matt - I didn't get to see much of this morning's stage but did turn around when the early break was caught & then the 2nd break went, with Sagan & er, Bennett. Have to give it to Bennett that he hauled his ass over all those mts & must know that many fans were rooting for Sagan to pass him on the points. Kudos for him. As for Sagan, I truly hope this is just an aberration & he'll be back to world domination next year but wow, he was a shell of his past self in this Tour. But maybe, as you said above, age has caught up with him, as it does for us all.
ReplyDeleteAbout the "podium girls" - about a month or so before the Tour, I read on one of the cycling sites that the ASO was eliminating the podium girls so I was surprised to see ANY one up there with the riders let alone a podium girl AND guy. And if you notice, they don't actually do anything in this COVID-impacted race but stand there on each side. They don't give the guys the jerseys or flowers or trophy & of course, no kisses. And I guess the "Podium Girls" are an anachronistic sexist ritual but compared to the women dressed in basically their BATHING SUITS prancing around a boxing ring in high heels & holding up the round cards which makes me wanna HURL, I didn't mind this. In fact, I looked forward to their outfits each year for the different jerseys! :)
And I saw something online late Thursday afternoon about the Jumbo director's ejection. See, if our TV guys had been AT the race, they would have found out Wed afternoon when it happened, not two days later! And I don't know what to think anymore. When they 1st started looking for these "motors" (almost 10 years ago), I scoffed. BUT, they apparently do exist & a few years a female pro cyclist's bike was caught AT a race. She of course denied all knowledge (sure, sure). I think the Jumbo director lost his shit when the haughty UCI guy damaged the YELLOW JERSEY's BIKE & sure, he should have been fined & maybe suspended post-race, but thrown out of the Tour while his rider is LEADING & will surely WIN if calamity does not occur? Come on, do you think a director of a FRENCH team would have been thrown out, especially if their GC rider was in the yellow jersey 4 days from Paris?! HAH! Once again, overkill!
Or as they say in cycling, er, circles - "POLEMICA!"
I won't be able to comment again until Monday but I'll be rooting for Richie, Roglic & Babyface. And for Rigo to do good too; has had a tough last few days. I think I heard he crashed or something today? Ooof.
Have a great weekend everyone & VIVA LA TOUR! :)
Hey Susie...the girl caught was a Cyclocross racer (cant remember her name)..the bike was her SPARE bike back in the pitts, so she wasn't actually RIDING it...her reason (excuse) for even HAVING a bike with a hidden motor in it was that it was her training bike (so WHY was it in the Pitts as a backup bike?). Obviously that excuse didn't fly and I think she got a lifetime ban. But she wasnt even a road-racer, and to my knowledge NO pro road-racer has ever been found to have such a bike at a race.
ReplyDeleteAS to the podium girls (agree w/ the boxing...not that I watch any of it but they always show the bathing-suit gals w/ the round signs)...I always liked the matching dresses for the jersey being presented, along w/ flowers and the trophy (or lion for the Yellow), and then going down the line of VIPs shaking hands and such..it was all just such a part of the ceremony every day. I never got the feeling that the podium girls were anything on the scale of boxing...I always thought it was kind of classy rather than tawdry. This year of course I understand the social distancing and all that they are just off to the side (still both of them very nicely dressed)...but I just wasn't aware they were mixing it up w/ 1 guy/1 girl. Must have been some pressure from somewhere.
So just finished watching the stage...cant take away anything from Sagan for trying...he just hasn't given up even tho he had no realistic chance of getting the Green back. And for Bennett staying glued to Sagan like a shadow...that is just smart racing. The finish on Sunday will tell all...can Bennett pull-off the win on the Champs? THAT is how to cap off a great race for a Green jersey AND their team. But there are obviously several guys who could spoil that...the final few laps are always nail-biters...a flat tire and its over.
And so...on to tomorrows ITT...a mountain-top finish time trail, with the final 6k a Cat-1 climb! I would think the time-gaps will be substantially different than on a flat TT just due to the simple fact that climbing is vastly different than flats in effort required and energy management throughout the ride. Also, the 30k BEFORE the climb will be very interesting...how you conserve energy for the final 6k will mean a lot at the finish. OR if you go too deep too early you will run out of gas on the climb and lose LOTS of time. Its a totally different animal than a flat TT..and that the KOM jersey is up for grabs is awesome!
I will have to watch the stage later in the day (assuming we have a working plane and will work most of the night, getting me back to the room around 4am or so)...thank goodness its a TT and not a road stage...I can jump thru most of it and still see the riders who matter. OK. Fun Tour!! Susie, see you Monday when you are back...Rae and Barbara, have a great weekend and look forward to your thoughts!
OK, it’s not giving anything away to those who haven’t watched yet - BEST. DAMN. TT. EVER!
ReplyDeleteCommenting back a few stages - Sagan certainly wasn't at the level we had come to expect, but think how many years into his career he is, and how rough this past year has been for him - and he is still quite consistent even if lacking that last little explosion of power. He came in 2nd or 3rd on how many stages? and after that HAD-to- be-demoralizing, unfair penalty! And, have to admire his team for never shutting down their efforts for him!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I absolutely agree that that race official crossed the line by disassembling the race leader's bike! I hope that there were some consequences for him! Wow, another TdF over so quickly! I don't think that a single stage was boring - although like Matt, I had to FF to only watch the last 90 minutes or so (after watching the discussion at the start) of several stages, so I missed a fair amount this year. Nice thing with SportsGold, in the depths of winter I can re-watch a stage or two - or watch that series of the best stages ever that was shown in July (hopefully they will keep it available)
Yes, Barbara, WHAT a TT that was! and shocking results!
I am thrilled that Richie Porte FINALLY made the podium even if only 3rd- when it was possible if he had had luck, he could have finished higher in past years. Kind of sad that he is moving to Ineos - which likely means that he won't be riding for himself ever in the Tour again - but perhaps in the Vuelta or Giro? I can't recall if he has ever targeted those grand tours, or if they would suit his style.
Impressed, also, that Dumoulin managed 7th despite riding support, and glad that Rigo held onto 8th although I had certainly hoped for better.
Seems like EF aka Slipstream has inherited BMC's tendency to disappoint, after a promising start in the Tour (I need to remind myself of their major wins in other races in the past year though).
And look at Valverde! 12th! I suppose he will not retire yet! You know what I am tempted to say, but won't.... A good tour for Movistar, even without any stage wins (IIRC), claiming the team prize again.
The battle between Roglic and Pogacar reminded me of the years that LA and Jan were rivals - but not friends off the course, I think, unlike the two Slovenians! So good to see a battle for yellow again, from someone other than Sky.
Those podium people - I think it is time to drop the fake kisses and beauty queens, but the Tour always did have classy outfits and dignity (as dignified as posing to kiss a sweaty stranger could be!) -- 180 degrees opposed to those Rock Racing podium girls who looked like they'd been pulled off a local street corner. I see why they have a guy and a girl, but don't really see why they are there at all with nothing to do but clap. Hopefully next year they will be able to go back to the on stage congratulations and awards, to give a little bit more celebration to the ceremony.
Last thought: I want John Stamos to knit ME a scarf, hahaha!
This was an EPIC Tour - and only 9.5 months till the next one!
ReplyDeleteCrazy last 2 days (in my life/work)...ended up doing two 12 hour night-shifts (Fri and Sat)...SO..I JUST got home about 7pm Sunday (ended up driving instead of flying w/ our crew due to the Sat night shift)...so I JUST finished watching Stage 20 (ITT), and OMG!!! I did NOT see that coming!!! Porte moved onto the podium, which is HUGE, but then, the utter domination by Pogacar, TAKING the yellow jersey away from Roglic! Holy crap! Did ANYBODY predict this? I was hearing all kinds of predicitons, but pretty much everybody said that Roglic should be safe...so he either had a bad day, OR Po had the day of his life, beating Ro by almost 2 minutes! Unfreaking believable!! No worries on giving away the Stage 21 results (I inadvertently heard or saw the winner while I was trying to get the Stage 20 to play). Oh...they just announced that Po won the KOM jersey, the White Jersey AND the Yellow...and Phil said that's never been done before! I had been marveling to myself that at the start of Stage 20 there were 4 different guys holding the 4 jerseys, which I thought was cool. So much for that...a tornado by the name of Pogacar blew everything into disarray today. I'm still reeling!!
ReplyDeleteOK....I will post this and go to bed (I'm tired)...get up and watch the final stage tomorrow (I need to be back to work tomorrow night at 6). OMG!!! I don't recall ever having this much change from a TT at/near the end of the Tour...WOW!!!
I am STILL IN SHOCK! And dealing with "PTD". Actually, my emotions have been all over the place since Babyface 1st went ahead virtually in the TT! I was shocked & thrilled to witness such an EXCEPTIONAL TT but devastated to see poor Roglic, who did NOT look good on his bike all day even though he didn't do a horrible TT (he finished 5th!) but it was still not up to his usual standard & of course, paled next to Babyface's RIDE OF THE AGES! I kept flashbacking to 1989 when watching LeMond make up his deficit on the last day of that Tour, which was a TT into Paris. In those days, our (i.e. in USA) Tour coverage consisted of 3-4 hour shows on each Saturday & Sunday that was mostly taped, heavily edited & musically scored for all the weekday stages & then we'd get to see the last 1-2 hours of each weekend day stage. We got to see that final day's TT mostly LIVE & I barely knew anything about cycling at the time but I knew American LeMond was in 2nd with supposedly NO CHANCE of making up enough time to beat the pony-tailed French guy with granny glasses (Fignon). The American used these "new-fangled" aerobars that looked "weird" & received much snarking from the rest of the peloton. (NOT AFTER THAT DAY!) My most vivid memory was the increasingly shrill voice of the commentators & that Fignon either threw or just fell off his bike at the Finish, in a heap. And that PANDEMONIUM broke out! What happened this past Saturday was the closest I'd ever seen to that day but this time, I UNDERSTOOD what was actually happening! :)
ReplyDeleteAfter the shock & excitement, I have felt increasingly awful for poor Roglic! My God, how will he get over it?! And that he had the CLASS to go congratulate Babyface in the media tent area! He had been SO strong all race! And his team SO dominant! They must all have been in total shock & devastation! Do you think losing his Director contributed to his subpar ride? He WON last year's Vuelta TT quite easily & it was almost the same length, just didn't end with a 6K climb. But Babyface was faster on the flat too. Lesson learned - get as much time on ALL opponents every day until over 3 minutes (if you are a great TTer & even more if not)!
Well, at least our wish for Richie came true! Whenever we'd get to see him in the TT & hear how he was doing, I was THRILLED & screamed out" GO RICHIE GO!!". I teared up a bit seeing him on the podium, didn't you?
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it's been almost 48 hours & I STILL can't believe it all. And then that WEIRD ride around the Champs - BIZARRE with basically no spectators & thus, no constant noise. (And the ferris wheel of the past several years was also gone). That the Tour actually made it all the way to Paris was shocking in itself when you figure in France's increasing COVID#s. (BTW, I was NOT happy that they didn't control the crowds better at the TT! Once again, those MORONS IN THE ROAD RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE RIDERS! And waving those damn flags!)
Anyhoo, it's also sad that the teams couldn't celebrate as they usually do in Paris on Sunday night post-Tour. Can't be helped of course, but still sad.
BTW, I'm not 100% sure that the Giro & Vuelta will take place as the COVID numbers in those countries are once again escalating to DANGEROUS levels! Spain had gotten their daily numbers of new cases down low (100 or so) but now are in the thousands yet again. Plus, when does the snow start in their mountains? The Vuelta doesn't start until 10/21 (a WED!) so it won't finish until into November. If the mt stages don't come until the 3rd week, I'm guessing there will be some snow & ice. Brrrrrrr!
Gotta scoot! Talk to ya'll later!
3pm Monday, and I FINALLY finished watching Stage 21. I'm going to start a new post for all the "Post Tour" thoughts and discussions...I started writing stuff down as the final stage progressed...there is SO MUCH to mull and discuss, it was such an AWESOME TOUR! Susie, huge kudos that you were even a cycling fan in 89 and remember seeing the Lemond/Fignon battle. I was still in the Navy and think I MIGHT have been Mt biking by then, but had no desire to road-ride nor watch any races. My brothers FINALLY got me interested years later (I was here in CA by then, I think somewhere around 2005 or 2006). OK...I will move over to the new post for all my musings over the final stage AND the Tour overall.
ReplyDelete