2020 Tour de France

[DieselnDust]

In what way is he a damp squib? Genuine question here.

 

Cause he hasn't won a GT? He isn't hunting GC at Tours.

Cause he has been having some issues health/injury related in 2019 and a huge crash at Paris-Nice? 

10th at TdF?

2nd GC Norway?

1st National Champs?

 

Because he hasn’t won an ebike populated Argust yet....

[T-Bob]

Sheesh they really are being stingy with the amount of TT kilometres.

 

Seems they don't really see a TT as a thing a GC contender should have which is odd but  a shame for ITT specialists like Dennis and the other guys. Seems the be the thing to do if you do have a ITT is to stick some climb in it to make it a bit more 'exciting' aka friendly to Pinot / Bardet which hasn't really worked so now they just cull the distances and hope they can stay fit for the 3 weeks. Not much really that much for the sprinters either.  Will be interesting to see who goes to the Giro. 

[EmptyB]

Warren Barguil.

 

Another great French hope that often amounts to nothing more than a damp squib

Amounts to nothing....compared to who?

 

Check the mans CV.

[Wayne pudding Mol]

Warren Barguil.

 

Another great French hope that often amounts to nothing more than a damp squib

Many a pro would love to be as damp a squib as monsieur Barguil

[The Crazy German]

Hectic... His CV is about as impressive as they come for a pure climber.

 

Top 10 grand tour finishes, stage wins, Polka jersey, combativity prizes.....

 

Top 10 finishes at some of the classics.... Dunno about a wet squib.

 

I don't think he was ever a GC hope in anyones eyes was he? 2017 he lit up the TDF.

 

What interests me will be whether the current World Road Race champ gets 2 GT's or not. 

I sadly agree with the wet Squib

 

He lit up the 2017 tour the France

 

And then he went all drama queen on his team.

 

To go all drama queen on his bike supplier in his new team.

 

Bar the french title this year(did you check the start list, they already don't have many good riders and then those stayed at home or quit early to not crash before le tour) do any of ou guys have heard of more then helf in the top ten.

[T-Bob]

I sadly agree with the wet Squib

 

He lit up the 2017 tour the France

 

And then he went all drama queen on his team.

 

To go all drama queen on his bike supplier in his new team.

 

Bar the french title this year(did you check the start list, they already don't have many good riders and then those stayed at home or quit early to not crash before le tour) do any of ou guys have heard of more then helf in the top ten.

 

Pinot is my fav' wine and my fave crying french cyclist by far. Would love him to be able to put 3 weeks together and take a win one day. I have a feeling he will always stay brilliant, mercurial and not on that top step. 

Edited October 17, 2019 by T-Bob

['Dale]

I read that Pinot ???? couldn’t get on his road bike after his race-ending injury deep into week 3

He got onto the MTB instead

[Long Wheel Base]

I sadly agree with the wet Squib

 

He lit up the 2017 tour the France

 

And then he went all drama queen on his team.

 

To go all drama queen on his bike supplier in his new team.

 

Bar the french title this year(did you check the start list, they already don't have many good riders and then those stayed at home or quit early to not crash before le tour) do any of ou guys have heard of more then helf in the top ten.

I used to like him, for a Frenchman he was not bad when he rode for giant(or whatever they were called back then). But then he got injured and was off for a while. He came back and his attitude seemed to stink. Like you say, all drama queen and threw his toys when things didn't go his way. I think he could have been a good GC rider but he is not a team player. He is a brilliant climber and I give credit where it's due that he at least attacks and goes for it(unlike our "GC" hope LM). I think the problem is, when he hit the scene he was "advertised" as the next French GC guy but it never worked out so now he looks sub-par(for a GC guy). But if we look at him as a polka dot/combatative he is and I am sure will be for some time up there. A lot like Richard Virenque??

[T-Bob]

[Bonus]

How many sleeps 'til the start?

 

:-)

['Dale]

How many sleeps 'til the start?

 

:-)

 

We first go to Oz then Belgium and northern France and then Italy

[Bonus]

We first go to Oz then Belgium and northern France and then Italy

 

Yep. A lot of racing between then and now :-)

[JohanDiv]

I think that time trial at the end of three weeks is going to shake things up in the GC race. Basically the first half of the stage is flat (on a TT bike?), will they then do a quick stop and swop bike for the second half of the stage that is basically a hill climb challenge?! What will be the fastest strategy, maybe sticking with one bike for the entire stage? Every GC guy is going to go flat out against the clock....on three week old legs...that's going to be interesting, I think people will be blowing up all over the place on that TT climb

['Dale]

Time trial up La Planche des Belles Filles

 

Final Saturday

 

Gonna be good

['Dale]

Still remarkable for me that Bernal is the 2019 winner

He looks like he must still write Matric this month

[The Crazy German]

I think that time trial at the end of three weeks is going to shake things up in the GC race. Basically the first half of the stage is flat (on a TT bike?), will they then do a quick stop and swop bike for the second half of the stage that is basically a hill climb challenge?! What will be the fastest strategy, maybe sticking with one bike for the entire stage? Every GC guy is going to go flat out against the clock....on three week old legs...that's going to be interesting, I think people will be blowing up all over the place on that TT climb

Only Bardet is stupid enough to do a bike change