TNT1

Speaking of muppets, what happened to Martin yesterday? He was with the yellow shirt group over the top of Port d'Envalira and lost contact on the descent?

Oh, I have the same doubts about how fantastic Bahrain Victorious suddenly are. Also, is it ok to question the geographic oddity that is Slovenia? It's like East Germany or something? BTW, I enjoy the racing. I'm Lance's biggest fan. 7 TdF wins. I even named my son after him.

What I find incongruous, and maybe it's just cause of the history of the sport, is that in press conferences, Pogacar doesn't say " I have never used peds". Instead he trots out the tired old line about being tested up the wazoo and never having failed a test. What I also find interesting is that on the Ventoux, from Chalet Reynard to the top, Vingegaard set a new record, a minute faster than the record Superman set earlier this year (which itself was a minute or so faster than the Pantani days), and dropped Pogacar in the process. How far do we stretch our belief in the unbelievable?

Saffa's at the tour: https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/uae-team-head-of-medicine-defends-tour-de-france-leader-pogacars-stance-on-anti-doping-controls/

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nibali-leaves-tour-de-france-to-focus-on-olympic-games/ I hope all of you that got on Van Der Poel's case for leaving early have some disgust left over for Nibali. I mean, really. It's a three week race, how dare this guy leave two thirds of the way in.

That's normal anywhere. Cape Town: 60sqm apartment goes for R2 650 000 Dullstroom: 77.6 ha Farm R1 950 000

I would disagree. Post all the hour record distances over the 40 years and you'll see the incremental improvements. In one lump it looks like a massive jump, in reality, it isn't. In the latest science of sport podcast, Prof Tucker incidentally goes into this exact subject a bit. Very informative. That dude knows his stuff.

The Tour-Vuelta double definitely seems to be a more rare feat than the Giro-Tour one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_Crown_of_Cycling Fausto Coppi (ITA) 1949 Tour + Giro 3rd place Fausto Coppi (ITA) 1952 Tour + Giro DNE Jacques Anquetil (FRA) 1963 Tour + Vuelta 14th place[4] Jacques Anquetil (FRA) 1964 Tour + Giro 7th place[5] Eddy Merckx (BEL) 1970 Tour + Giro 29th place[6] Eddy Merckx (BEL) 1972 Tour + Giro 4th place[7] Eddy Merckx (BEL) 1973 Giro + Vuelta 4th place[8] Bernard Hinault (FRA) 1978 Tour + Vuelta 5th place[9] Giovanni Battaglin (ITA) 1981 Giro + Vuelta 26th place[10] Bernard Hinault (FRA) 1982 Tour + Giro DNF Bernard Hinault (FRA) 1985 Tour + Giro DNF Miguel Indurain (ESP) 1992 Tour + Giro 6th place Miguel Indurain (ESP) 1993 Tour + Giro 2nd place Marco Pantani (ITA) 1998 Tour + Giro DNE[11] Alberto Contador (ESP) 2008 Giro + Vuelta DNF[12] Chris Froome (GBR) 2017 Tour + Vuelta DNE

Multiple TDF winner needs some asthma or another bout of bilharzia?

I would "like" your post, but we need @Matt to give us a puke emoji.

Movistar.

So, what are Bernal, Geohegan-Hart and Ivan Sosa? Chopped liver all of a sudden?

I've heard rumours. Fortunately I'm spared that as I watch GCN/Eurosport.

Upset that Ineos has started using the patented Movistar race tactics.

On an America channel. He's still saying the wrong names and dropping Liggets all over the show.

Hopefully they'll be able to keep it rubber side down. I remember Roglic descending in the Giro a few years ago, he was sublime. Poetry in motion. I wonder what happened to his skills the last couple of seasons.

Yeah. Movistar 2.0 isn't worrying anyone.

Oh, I meant retired from pro cycling, not just the race. Although the same could be said for van Avermaet and Gilbert (who I constantly confuse for one another).

Usually when he does that mid race, he's looking for the win.

Holy carp! A Nexthash rider made the move. I'm like Squirrel hearing about loadshedding. Also, I would have sworn blind EBH was retired.

If you have the legs, you don't necessarily need a team to get to or stay on the podium. Vingegaard can rely on others to be there and make a move, like yesterday's.

I'm not sure what you're getting at. But a GC contender trying to get away on a flat stage is a waste of time as the sprinters' teams will pull anything back either to go for green points or a stage win. The proviso being when massive crosswinds influence the GC battle on the flat roads, but today doesn't look like being that.

Realistically? Any doc will prescribe at you old man's age.

Pointless waste of effort. The sprinters' teams will see to that.

Are those van Poppel boys (no pun) related?