Eugene Oppelt

Well, the gogga did come over to my side now too. 😬

Seamless and smooth here on my side, Frosty. Not sure what the gogga is on your side.

Yoh, 6 years already since rolling the south eastern corner of France. The spot by the Galibier sign is very popular photography corner for the touring cyclist on his or her summer adventure. It took me just over 2 hrs to cruise to the top (2 600ish alt) via Col du Lautaret from hotel Le Cassini. Stage 4 - Bonjour! Welcome to France, cycling fans. The 3,600 metres of ascent today over a mere 140 kms will be a big GC test and likely a small chance of success for any breakaway ambitions. Can the first Ecuadorian to wear the Golden Fleece hold onto the leader’s jersey? Will the Dane stick like bubblegum on a blanket to the Slovenian favourite’s wheel? Roglič keeping his powder dry for a stunning victory today? Can Evenepoel silence those critics that he is vulnerable in the high mountains? Don’t blink.

Soft misty autumn sunrise over the Klipheuwel trails just north of Durbanville

The challenge with 'Being The First' is that one represents a generation, a nation, and, at times, a continent. ‘Being The First’ comes with extraordinary internal and external challenges, whether performance, resource, cultural, and more. No role models of significance during childhood, no history or legacy of achievement in one's community and then there's the career building pathway far away from home while making a base in EuroLand. This win is remarkable and such an excellent display of timing, power, bike handling skills and courage. He had a series of tough crashes too to overcome; one being that high speed scenario when Wout also ended his Spring campaign and the latest incident at the Giro. Now add the burdens and blessings of ‘Being The First’. Massive credit to team IWG for long-term backing of Girmay. "Ever since I started cycling, I’ve always been dreaming to be part of the Tour de France - but now, I can’t believe it, to win the Tour de France in my second year in a big bunch sprint, for me it is unbelievable. "I just want to thank my family, my wife, all the Eritreans, and Africans, we must be proud, now we are really part of the big races, now it’s our moment, our time. I just want to say congrats to all my whole team, because we didn’t have a victory yet [in the Tour de France]. But now is our moment, I’m super-happy. This win is for all Africans, congrats, I’m just super happy today.” - Bini

It'll be a day for the pure sprinters. MvdP's job is to leadout his teammate Philipsen whose sprinting style came into question last year as he was deviating like a drunken driver. The quest for a repeat success in the maillot vert competition is due to start now for the team that is, remarkably, not a WorldTour team. Some say that Cav won't last beyond Stage 4's high mountain stage and that he would prefer to get the magical 35th Tour win today. His 39 year old chassis is not as nimble and durable as it used to be, as he admitted in a interview after the tough stage 1, after arriving 40 mins after the winner. 2 Frenchman, 2 stage wins - must been one of the most successful start for the nation in its Grand Tour? Can Arkea' string together another win and get Arnaud over the line first. The GC race exploded into action yesterday and how thrilling it was. I suspect that Team UAE-Emirates is reluctant to have the maillot jaune in their midst and would prefer to defend much later on. “It was just a good enough final to test the legs, the legs of me and other contenders. I did a really good attack. I was happy that I exploded the contenders a little bit but Jonas was quite fast on my wheel, and he was really strong,” - Maillot Jaune, Stage 3 Pic: @Rouleur

Waiting for the weekend endurance warriors on the start corner under a splendid sky.

Some riders went through 16 bidons yesterday. Jorgensen lost 3 kgs with fluid loss, apparently, as shared by George Hincapie on a podcast. Today's Basilica di San Luca climb is climbed twice and is about 2 kms at 10%, with a handful of kilometres to the finish.This may threaten Bardet's hope to wear the golden fleece into France in a few days as he is not as punchy and will also be carrying fatigue from yesterday's breakaway effort. Will UAE aim to grab a few seconds ahead of its other GC rivals? Bettiol in his tricolore national jersey will be dreaming of top spot too. Don't blink in the final 30 mins. The pewter-gold colour way option is available to the public and is also the current Olympic champion's choice for the Tour. Not my vibe, but I do like the silhouette of this fiets. Pic: @Velonews

The sprinters woke up to 3, 600 metres of twisty Tuscan roads for stage 1 of the Tour de France today and would've asked the cycling gods what did they do to deserve this. And, to add, the temperatures were unusually high in the mid 30s, leaving even Ben Healy with no aero helmet on his futile counter attack to catch the head of the race. If there were any reservations about cycling being a team sport, then today would've yet again, put that question to rest. One of the gentlemen of the sport in Bardet, who is resetting his career next year to race gravel from 2025 onwards, shared this on the ASO website: "Over the last kilometres it was crazy, there was a headwind, we were going 48 miles an hour... I would never have allowed myself to dream of such a scenario. But I knew Frank is an excellent rider, no other combination could have worked as well. And he deserves this victory as much as I do. The Yellow Jersey was one of my career dreams to wear it for at least one day."

“Let the beauty of sunrise keep your heart warm.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita

“Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness.” — Chuang-Tzu

Wouldn't mind one in the corner of my office just for display. She sure is beautiful. Project 35 Sauce: @CyclingNews

Hehehehee. Have you ever had a fall from grace? Been to hell and back? Or couldn't see your future or touch hope from the bottom of the darkest hole? [Rhetorical questions]

440 watts over 60 minutes for the hour record. The highly desired Golden Fleece made in France. Cycling achievements, custom bicycles, esteemed jerseys and medals that could fill up a small museum. Knighthood. Celebrity status. And more. None of these sporting achievements can armour a man against the cross currents of this thing called life. What must be extraordinarily tough is to have one's struggles under the spotlight of public scrutiny. The British media is particularly rough. Hope the man has all the support he needs; him and those all around us that are quietly and desperately bleeding from psychological wounds from what has become a harsh and rushed world.

“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.” - Ernest Hemingway

Sterkte, JDW - may it be a straightforward uncomplicated pathway to recovery 💙

And so it begins, marketing giant Red Bull begins to do its marketing thang on the biggest stage in road cycling:

Bravo, Brave Bettiol

Waiting for 01 January to make powerful health goals is a form of procrastination. Go ride your bike, Cupcakes.

5 remarks in the build-up to the biggest annual sporting event on Mother Earth: 1. Stage 4 vs Jonas The first high mountain test comes early. Is this the stage, including the high altitude Col du Galibier where the mighty Dane 'may not win the Tour, but he could lose it'. There is an argument to be made that he may be vulnerable and off form until about stage 9 due to his injuries and shortened runway in preparation. The 'Galibier was my highest elevation ever on a bike when I was touring through the south east corner of FranceLand a few years ago. I definitely felt weak in the legs and lungs being so close to the moon. 2. 'Look Mum, no glasses.' Victor Campanaerts is wrapping up a 9 week high altitude training camp. It is remarkable how structured and science-driven these professional athletes organise their lifestyles. Being a pro looks sexy from the outside; the reality is entirely different - high highs, low lows and tons of hours of behind-the-scenes commitment. Like many, he is a superstitious athlete and shared in an interview recently that "I do not wear glasses because everyone else wears glasses." I imagine him being one of the breakaway artists, alongside the Irish national champ in Ben Healy and others. VC is rumoured to move over to the team on Cervélos in 2025. 3. Sir Mark Simon Cavendish KBE Now knighted by mom Charles, can the 39 year old sprint warrior reach the record milestone of 35 Tour de France wins? He is touted as the best sprinter in the world. Some would say it is not just about stats. However, being the most successful stage winner in the history of the Tour de France would certainly tip the debate in his favour. Knighthood could be the extra 17 watts that could earn him #35. Jasper Philipsen (and super lead out rider MVDP) is probably his biggest obstacle in this challenge. 4. The gogga Lidl'-Trek's Tao is out due to a fractured rib after a crash at the Dauphine and testing positive for Covid-19 after 5 consecutive days of testing. Will the gogga have an impact on the peloton's lap around France? I imagine teams will take all the necessary health precautions. 5. Not Paris, but Nice. My my my - how juicy will the time trial from Monaco to Nice be as a thrilling finalé and final stage. Who can ever forget the absolute perfect TT performance in against the clock by the maillot jaune in 2023? The question begs whether it will be a close race for yellow.

"I am excited to come back. To suffer on the bike again and to race with the team again. I realise now how much I love the game, the sport and the competition." - Anna vd Breggen, due to rejoin SD Worckx in 2024, 3 years after retirement

“My life has completely changed changed over the last two months…”

Weekly on U-Toobz

Start time sunrise; rolling time 2h25; average temperature 7 degrees. Winter is coming, Cupcakes.

10 slapies to go…