Le Tour 2021

[SteveN]

 Cav  again, bloody amazing.  32 stage wins now.
Hope he can get over the mountains to compete in Paris.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Cav  again, bloody amazing.  32 stage wins now.
Hope he can get over the mountains to compete in Paris.

Fairy tale stuff!
Still a bloody long way to go, but it looks like he's got fantastic support from the DQ team!

[UK Redsox]

Cav  again, bloody amazing.  32 stage wins now.
Hope he can get over the mountains to compete in Paris.

Fairy tale stuff!
Still a bloody long way to go, but it looks like he's got fantastic support from the DQ team!

Julian Alaphilippe as one of the lead out riders, handing over to Michael Mørkøv is setting Cav up brilliantly.

Then when Cav himself goes, riders a decade or more younger just can't stay with him.

[UK Redsox]

For me, TdF sprints are one of the most incredible things in sport.

To ride those distances day after day and then sprint like Cav & co do is remarkable.

[Somniloquism]

For me, TdF sprints are one of the most incredible things in sport.

To ride those distances day after day and then sprint like Cav & co do is remarkable.

The thing is until the final 200 metres or so, they don't have to do a lot relatively speaking as the peloton carries them along to conserve their energy. It is why they struggle and get knocked out in the Mountain stages as they actually have to do their own pedalling.

But I agree the sprint and a GC member breaking away on a mountain stage are the most exciting things in a race followed by cheering on someone who has successfully made a break for 150kms or so and continued for the win.

[Ad@m]

For me, TdF sprints are one of the most incredible things in sport.

To ride those distances day after day and then sprint like Cav & co do is remarkable.

The thing is until the final 200 metres or so, they don't have to do a lot relatively speaking as the peloton carries them along to conserve their energy. It is why they struggle and get knocked out in the Mountain stages as they actually have to do their own pedalling.

But I agree the sprint and a GC member breaking away on a mountain stage are the most exciting things in a race followed by cheering on someone who has successfully made a break for 150kms or so and continued for the win.

It's only a very slight insight in to it, but a few years back I cycled to Paris in a group of 12 of us.  Cycling through northern France was an absolute dream - even someone with the limited ability and fitness I have could roll along on perfectly smooth roads at 20mph+ with barely a pedal when tucked in behind half a dozen others.  So it's no surprise the pros can roll along at a much faster speed without consuming energy when they're tucked in to the middle of a peloton 100+ strong.

[TopDeck113]

Two days in the mountains and GC is blown to bits.

The Wolf Pack managed to get Cav in before the broom wagon, so they're obviously determined to nurse him through the mountains and another crack at some flat stages.

[Ad@m]

Two days in the mountains and GC is blown to bits.

The Wolf Pack managed to get Cav in before the broom wagon, so they're obviously determined to nurse him through the mountains and another crack at some flat stages.

I hope they get him there because there's sod all else for Brits to cheer!

[Somniloquism]

Yep, fingers crossed he lasts the climbs, TT's unscathed because with some of the other injuries (Ewan), he definitely is in with some flat stage podiums plus Paris to get the record.

[SteveN]

Cav on 33 stage wins, who writes his scripts?  If he can get through tomorrow and the Pyrenees then he could break the record in Paris.  Amazing.

[TopDeck113]

Script?  This is the classic three act play.

(1) The young hero sweeps all before him.

(2) The decline and fall.

(3) The triumphant return to the stage and glorious valediction.


Is it too much to ask that he takes Merckx's record in Paris?  Pure Hollywood. 

[UK Redsox]

Despite the perfect lead out yesterday, I was worried that Cav sat up too early. He seemed to only look right, when the danger was to his left.

However, he knew exactly what he was doing.

Boardman said that the train did their job so well that Cav only had 14 pedal revolutions when he was finally exposed at the front.

[AV82EC]

So just the two trips up Ventoux today.

[Somniloquism]

Whilst it would be Hollywood to do it in Paris, he has plenty of attempts beforehand so get it out of the way early and then there is no worry about missing a time cut or crashing out and losing out.

[Somniloquism]

The Wolf pack nursed Cav through double Ventoux, even allowing him time to twice perform gestures at the memorial. Luke Rowe missed the cut though.