Tour De France (spoilers)

[Hughb]

Girmay again! Wout probably should have won it but got blocked. Like your mate, I’m starting to get a bit obsessed with it - managed to take in a stage of the Criterium du Dauphine on a recent trip.

[Mr Nice 2.0]

Watching it live is so odd...you travels miles and miles for litterally a few seconds of action. Can't say i'm addicted to it yet but there is a buzz i can't describe and one day i'd like to hire a campervan and spend a month following the tour about with a special focus on being in good spots for the mountain stages.

[TomMc]

Yeah he’s done a few days of the tour now, and he got to meet a few of the riders today (Ryan Gibbons & Carlos Verona, my mate actually bought Verona’s bike that he used in competition in 2021ish, from his team after he’d stopped using it), and cycled some of the routes each day too.

He does 300-400km a week on his bike now, as I say he’s obsessed.

[Yeoman]

We'll see.

Pog has started tours strong and faded before. He has the Giro in his legs which may bite in week 3. Vineegaard should get stronger as the tour progresses given he's coming back from injury (though, of course, he could lack 3 week conditioning also).

I'm suprised at Roglic's poor start.

2 weeks on, and it’s still a procession for yellow. And he’s cleaning up in the mountain points as well

[Meerkat]

2 weeks on, and it’s still a procession for yellow. And he’s cleaning up in the mountain points as well

Yet more gulf sportwashing money......

[Mr Nice 2.0]

2 weeks on, and it’s still a procession for yellow. And he’s cleaning up in the mountain points as well

Lol...its hardly been a procession. Yes, Pog is smashing it and doing unreal things but procession it is not.

For example, Pogajar smashed the record time for the climb up the Plateau de Beille by over 3 minutes. That record was held for over 20 years by a juiced up Pantani. Not only did Pogajar break that record time but so did both Vingegaard and Evenepoel all largely due to Visma going out hard right from the bottom.

For me, procession is when one team controls the race, no one attacks and the winner then just rides off. That's not happening. It's still been an excellent battle with Visma giving it a go. Pog has just been too strong.

[Mr Nice 2.0]

Yet more gulf sportwashing money......

I think its more an incredibly talented, and hopefully clean, rider who's just getting better and better. UAE are strong but they're not as dominant as Team Sky were in the Wiggins/Froome years. Pogajar can still win even when his team have been neutralised. Let's not forget his first 2 Tour wins came when he had a medicore supporting cast.

The comparisons with Eddie Merckx are ringing truer and truer for Pogajar. He's not just winning the big Tours but he pretty much wins every classic he enters as well. He's already on 14 Tour stage wins at 25. Cav's record may not last as long as we imagined.

[Yeoman]

Lol...its hardly been a procession. Yes, Pog is smashing it and doing unreal things but procession it is not.

For example, Pogajar smashed the record time for the climb up the Plateau de Beille by over 3 minutes. That record was held for over 20 years by a juiced up Pantani. Not only did Pogajar break that record time but so did both Vingegaard and Evenepoel all largely due to Visma going out hard right from the bottom.

For me, procession is when one team controls the race, no one attacks and the winner then just rides off. That's not happening. It's still been an excellent battle with Visma giving it a go. Pog has just been too strong.

Unless Pog falls off, it's no longer a contest.

[Mr Nice 2.0]

That is correct, doesn't make it a procession though so far. Perhaps he'll blow the wheels off them all on week 3 and it becomes one but its been an enjoyable contest so far with Pog being pushed into great things by a great Vinegaard ride.

[Yeoman]

That is correct, doesn't make it a procession though so far. Perhaps he'll blow the wheels off them all on week 3 and it becomes one but its been an enjoyable contest so far with Pog being pushed into great things by a great Vinegaard ride.

At no stage has any GC contender taken any time ( apart from bonus seconds) off Pog in 2 weeks. Foregone conclusion.