Vetplant

I think it was a masterstroke... he got the same time as Remco without expending the same amount of energy...

Or, take it to the Private Messages. The rest of us on this thread aren't interested.

Pogi looking dodgy on some of these turns on the descent. Will we see a repeat of the one stage where Pogi went down and Jonas waited for him...

Vingegaard riding back to Pogacar. Bloody impressive! Pogi will still take the stage methinks...

Pogacar goes nuclear!

FFS man: Van Aert crash 15:12 Just when Visma needed him most, ahead of these tough four remaining climbs Wout van Aert crashes. He gets to his feet but needs help from his team to fix his bike.

Pogi and the Peloton are 1m49s back now. they seem content with the riders upfront, 12 in total spread across the road. Will probably consolidate over the next 50km before the real climbing starts... I'm going for Carapaz to hang-on for the win over a chasing GC battle...

I'm also surprised. I thought between himself and Jasper they would have had multiple wins by now. Other guys are smiling though.

Van der Poel dropped by the Peloton and part of the Gruppetto currently...

A day later, the story changes completely, Everyone wants to be in the Break, and UAE seems unwilling to let it go. 49km/h average speed currently

Agree. His 2021 form was astronomical. Winning Mont Ventoux, an ITT and the Sprint in Paris. Maybe next year...

Tim Declercq withdraws Lidl – Trek update: “Unfortunately Tim Declercq will not start Tour de France Stage 11 due to illness. Tim has been feeling unwell for a couple of days and after yesterday’s stage it was decided that it was in his best interests to go home to recover.” After the departure of Declercq and teammate Mads Pedersen the Lidl – Trek team are now down to six riders here at the Tour.

I'm going to differ from you. (Not saying you are wrong though ) Cat2->Cat1->Cat2 does not seem to be great for Van der Poel. He traditionally likes punchy climbs, but not Brutal Mountains. I feel Pidcock (28th on Gc,17mins down) is in with a shout here. In that same breath, maybe Meintjies(29th, 18mins down) lost time on purpose to go for a stage win. Carapaz(30th), also a solid option. I would love a WvA breakaway, like the Mount Ventoux(x2) stage, but he has duties to protect Jonas. OR, Pogi wants it all for himself and it will be a GC battle for the Stage. Pretty sure it won't be boring either way.

Gibbons or Grmay for the win today?

And then they decide it might be worthwhile...

Flat stage following the rest day... no surprise that no-one wants to go into the breakaway... 37km covered in the first hour. Leisurely...

You probably know this, but I'll say it in case you don't or maybe it prevents injuries for someone else: Beware of the risk of running injuries transitioning from Cycling to running. Normal unfit people have a cardiovascular system that "throttles" their running speed naturally as to not injure ligaments and joints when they start the running journey. Seasoned cyclists on the other hand have a very efficient cardiovascular system. So you can push much harder for longer than a "normal" person, but your joints and ligaments are not there yet. Slow and steady is the perfect approach. And, I have recently become very convinced that 2-3 sessions in the gym per week, doing full body exercises, has a tremendous benefit for injury prevention and actually improved my running PBs too.

FYI, someone else can take some Credits by sharing a Link from the Fantasy League for those whostill want to join. I have maxed out my credits.

Alpecin is going to walk away with 5+ wins this TDF... Wout and other sprinters are not on the form required to keep these two out of the mix. IMHO

Ominous: (Is the Grand Tour Grand Slam on the cards...?)

Those who have yet to play the Fantasy League, here is a link: EDIT: Link removed, I maxed out my Credits for referrals. Someone else can log in and use the referral link generator to get some game credits...

Bl1ksem, that is a strong side. Going to be an epic battle between them and UAE throughout France... (Obviously pending the true form of Jonas and Wout after their recoveries)