Vetplant

Environmental Protesters.... again... All rolling smoothly currently after removing them

It is Wout we are talking about here... there is a fair chance that he can win Stage 19, 20 and 21 at this rate.... (The last rider to win more than 2 stages on the trot... he who shall not be named...)

Went to Windy to see what the weather prediction looks like... I don't think the risk is 0%, but the wind speed seems to be just that little bit too low to really light things up? 20km/h sounds like the threshold for some crosswind stress.

I heard Gee mention "surviving the crosswinds" that are expected today. 🤔 Are we in for one final surprise? DQS can hammer it for the stage win and someone can gain minutes on GC as a result if this does transpire.

🤣

Agree, very bad manners from Pog for not waiting until Jonas finishes talking with the most important people in his life.. (Said TIC) Seriously though, I don't see an issue with it either way. -Yes, Pog could have waited till the call finishes. -Yes, Jonas could put the phone down completely to accept the congratulations. But, have we heard of either one of these two that the actions of the other one was rude/offensive? If not, why make a fuss about it? 😕

WHAT. A. STAGE! Show of force by Jumbo Visma and Jonas Vingegaard. Pogi pushing them with everything he has. Louis giving much more than we can ask for. This TDF has been one for the ages!

Apparently, if Wout wins and Pinot is 2nd, they will be equal on points, but Wout will win the Jersey on tiebreaker.

Wout is looking in ominous form, going to ride away with a mountain top stage victory at this rate... Hope he isn't needed to pull Vingegaard back to Pog in the Descent.

Louis was only 47s behind the leaders at the crest of the previous climb, he lost a minute to them on the descend. He needs to catch up to some big boys to pull him down on the next descend... Luckily his time to those behind stayed the same

Louis needs: -4s On Bardet to go from 7th to 6th. -1m28s on Gaudu to go from 7th to 5th -1m32s on Quintana to go from 7th to 4th! All of them in the Peloton behind, looking very good for the Main Cheese!

Hou bene hou! HOU BENE HOU!

One final roll of the dice then today, one would think...

Some rough maths(please correct me if I'm wrong somewhere, anyone): TP: Stage results(Assuming no more Top 5 placings): 25+120+120+25+5+5+120=420 Wearing Yellow(per stage):5*25=125 2nd on GC(Final):800 TOTAL:1345 Jonas: Stage results(Assuming no more Top 5 placings): 50+120+50=220 Yellow(per stage, assuming he holds it till Paris):11*25=275 Yellow(Final):1000 TOTAL:1495 GT Stage results(Assuming no more Top 5 placings): 5+15+15=35 3rd on GC(Final):675 TOTAL:710 (So he beats WvA on UCI points) WVA: Stage results(Assuming no more Top 5 placings): 50+50+50+120+120+50 = 440 Wearing Yellow(per stage):4*25 = 100 Green(Final):120 TOTAL:660

Just a reiteration of the UCI points system, showing some sort of picture of the value of GC position vs Stage winners vs Other Jerseys. If Louis can end up in 6th in GC, it is worth more than 3 stage wins, which is interesting. Green Jersey getting the same as a single stage win, seems a bit odd. Going for Green over 3 weeks seems like way more effort? GC top 10: Stage position: Green/Polka dot final position:

FYI. Tadej is in contention for the White Jersey competition for another TWO years.... I can remember J. Wakefield telling us in 2019(it was either during LaVuelta or in the leadup), about this Pogacar kid and how we should watch him because he is really good. How right you were John, odds are he will SMASH the Eddy Mercx stage wins record convincingly before he retires in 12 years time...

^I agree with David here^ Also, try not to look at your supposed "peers" and the homes they live in or the cars they drive, you might not know how indebted they truly are or whether Daddy helped them with the purchase. Run your own race, do what is best for you and your family in the long run. If it means you need to downsize your home now, to ensure you don't run into financial bankruptcy later on, take the small pain now instead of the big pain later. At the end of 2018, just as our 2nd child was born, my wife was on unpaid maternity leave, plus then my employer couldn't pay us out of the blue(haven't seen a cent from them since). I went three months without a salary, I finally got a job with a 30% pay cut. Things were damn tight, we were quickly eating into our safety net of financial reserves. All luxuries were cut, including takeout and restaurant visits with family. Fast forward to March of this year: my wife got an insane job offer, Permanent WFH with reduced weekly hours. I got a double promotion at work. This all transpired within the same hour on the same day! I think most people have their own story to tell where things were tough, but they hung on, and they are now in a good position. Write your own story, with a long-term view.

A different kind of sprint to the finish line for Jakobsen:

And then you get Ineos, with a full compliment, yet unable to capitalize:

Unfortunate for Pog: Rafal Majka is out of the race 13:10 One less team-mate for Tadej Pogacar: Rafal Majka is a non-starter. "Hsustained a strain injury to his thigh after some mechanical trouble on stage 16 when his chain broke", his team doctor communicated. "This resulted in a high-grade partial thickness tear of his right quadriceps muscle, and unfortunately due to the muscle damage is unable to ride."

I'd be content if Louis just plays it clever today and tomorrow, stick to the main GC pack. Some of the other riders are going to pop, so by playing conservatively, he will gain another spot or two. Then we keep fingers crossed for the ITT. Go Louis!

16%-18% gradients at the top of the next climb... major GC time gaps going to be seen once they crest. Question is whether some will regroup and catch whoever got the upper-hand on those inclines. Do JV pull WvA back? He is not looking like a favourite for the stage, so better to protect yellow than finish 1min behind the stage winner?