Romain Bardet’s three-year-old son steals the show (again) on the Puy de Dôme; Should Mark Cavendish carry on to 2024?; Tour de France rest day round-up; London’s great active travel mysteries; Giro Donne recap + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
The (non-racing) weekend round-up
We’ll get to all the rest day news and views from the Tour and Giro Donne in a minute, but first up, here’s what you may have missed from around the wider cycling world while you were busy shouting ‘No, Cav, no!’ at the TV this weekend:
> Screaming and swearing taxi driver cuts off and hits cyclist before speeding away
> Scott’s modern interpretation of the Endorphin looks incredible
Tour de France rest day round-up, Part One: After a gripping and gruelling first week, the race for yellow is well and truly on
A week is a long time in bike racing, to paraphrase Harold Wilson, and that has certainly proved the case at this year’s Tour de France, a race that is currently – on its first rest day – shaping up to provide the kind of to-and-fro, pendulum swinging GC battle we haven’t seen at the Tour since 1989 and Greg, Laurent, aero bars, and all that.
On Wednesday, as Jonas Vingegaard left Tadej Pogačar seemingly struck to side of the Marie-Blanque, it seemed that it would take divine intervention for fans to be treated to a GC spectacle at this year’s race. The Dane and his team, prepped to perfection, appeared just too strong and precise. Almost a minute down already, an injured Pogačar, for all his mind-blowing performances in the spring, couldn’t seem to cope. The Tour was over. Or so it seemed.
But the Slovenian champion reminded us all of his status as the best male cyclist in the world – dodgy wrist or not – the very next day on the climbs to Cauterets, where Jumbo-Visma’s strength and apparent hubris worked against them, allowing the UAE Team Emirates leader to jump away from an abnormally impotent Vingegaard, seemingly stifled by his own team’s long-range marauding tactics, to begin clawing back the deficit bit by bit.
(ASO/Charly Lopez)
That fightback continued yesterday on the Puy de Dôme – Pogačar’s trademark acceleration, missing even on the opening stages in the Basque Country, distancing his rival, agonising metre by agonising metre, as Vingegaard channelled his inner Jacques Anquetil to hang on by his fingernails, shipping just eight seconds in the end to the resurgent Slovenian.
The return of the Puy de Dôme to the Tour de France was laden with nostalgia – exemplified by L’Équipe’s front page from yesterday, which superimposed this year’s two leaders onto the iconic shoulder to shoulder image of Anquetil and Poulidor from 1964 – so it was fitting that Pogačar and Vingegaard served up another iconic, and heavily symbolic, moment in their continuously blossoming rivalry.
Sensational attack from Tadej Pogačar 🚀
A typically thrilling acceleration from the @TeamEmiratesUAE rider on Tour de France Stage 9.
________
🇫🇷 #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/NC2Qf4LMxm— Velon CC (@VelonCC) July 9, 2023
Of course, beyond all that modern day myth making, for the Tour’s big two, as they stood on the tiny, makeshift podium at the summit of the Puy yesterday evening, their primary concern is that the apparently cataclysmic 47-second gap that emerged in Laruns on Wednesday has shrunk to just 17 seconds.
After one of the hardest opening weeks in the Tour’s history – and one that has provided enough story lines to cover the entirety of most grand tours – the pendulum hasn’t exactly swung the other way in the battle for yellow, but equilibrium has certainly been restored. And that bodes well for the rest of the Tour.
One of London’s great mysteries…
One of the great mysteries of London in 2023 is why The Mall doesn’t remain as a public space 7 days a week, 24/7, rather than a convenient shortcut for a few drivers. pic.twitter.com/Xd4t3HduBS
— Bob From Accounts 🚲 (@BobFromAccounts) July 9, 2023
Transport Secretary calls for LTN review, blames “controversial” schemes for setting “people against each other”
Transport Secretary Mark Harper has suggested local authorities review “controversial” or unpopular low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), and blamed the active travel schemes for setting “people against each other”.
Expressing his belief in “giving people more choice on how to travel”, Harper addressed his move to halt funding for new LTNs, adding that the government had to stop backing policies “that are about… banning cars or making it difficult for motorists”.
Read more here: > Transport Secretary calls for LTN review, blames “controversial” schemes for setting “people against each other”
Giro Donne round-up: Annemiek van Vleuten seals fourth career Giro title as Chiara Consonni gives retiring teammate Marta Bastianelli fitting send-off with stage win
Another soon-to-be-retiring superstar of cycling, Annemiek van Vleuten, ensured she remains on course to create yet more history before she bows out of the sport, sealing her fourth career Giro d’Italia title yesterday afternoon.
The 40-year-old Dutch rider – who added her Giro crown to the Vuelta title she rather controversially secured in early May – appeared in total control throughout the nine-day race, taking three stage wins and beating runner-up Juliette Labous by almost four minutes after closest challenger Elisa Longo Borghini crashed out in dramatic fashion on stage five to Ceres.
Longo Borghini’s teammate, the promising 22-year-old pure climber Gaia Realini, rounded off the podium after leapfrogging Veronica Ewers on the tough stage seven to Alassio.
Van Vleuten’s second consecutive win at the Giro – which takes her final career total to four, level with perennial Dutch rival Anna van der Breggen, and just one off the record set by 90s star Fabiana Luperini – also ensures that, after a shaky start to the season, the world champion will head into this month’s Tour de France Femmes as the favourite to retain her title and secure the first truly definitive ‘grand tour’ treble following the Vuelta’s upgrade for 2023.
Of course, at the Tour she’ll have Demi Vollering, so aggrieved at Van Vleuten’s opportunistic and ultimately race-winning attack during a natural break at the Vuelta, to contend with for the yellow jersey. Vollering, who sat out the Giro to focus on the Tour, has been blistering form all season, so I imagine we could well be treated to another humdinger of a GC battle once the Pog and Jonas show ends…
🥇 🇮🇹 Chiara Consonni
🥈 🇳🇱 Marianne Vos
🥉 🇳🇿 Ally Wollaston #UCIWWT #GiroDonne23 @GettySport pic.twitter.com/hyCUZmnyB6— UCI_WWT (@UCI_WWT) July 9, 2023
In other Dutch cycling news, an era came to an end yesterday afternoon in Olbia, as Chiara Consonni’s sprint win, ahead of second-placed Marianne Vos, meant that Vos failed to win a stage of the Giro for the first time in her unsurpassable career.
Though with a staggering 32 stage wins to her name strewn across her previous 12 participations at the Italian stage race, it’s fair to say the legendary Dutch rider has had her fair share of success at the Giro over the years. And, like we saw with Mark Cavendish on Saturday, all spells of dominance must end sooner or later.
Consonni’s win – the 24-year-old Italian’s second career success at the Giro – meanwhile ensured that her UAE Team ADQ teammate Marta Bastianelli, who retired after yesterday’s final Giro stage, could end her 17-year pro career on a high.
The 36-year-old former world champion and Tour of Flanders winner, who served a two-year suspension in the late 2000s after testing positive for the stimulant fenfluramine, was also afforded a moving tribute from the peloton ahead of her last day of racing:
#GiroDonne last stage and last race for @martabasti
Amazing celebration from the whole peloton ❤️ #UAETeamADQ #UnitedToBeStronger #WeRideToInspire #Bastianelli pic.twitter.com/x0GPDlKMWN— UAETeam_ADQ (@UAETeamADQ) July 9, 2023
Now, that’s a nice way to go out…
Tour de Pays-Bas Femmes? Rotterdam confirmed as Grand Départ of 2024 Tour de France Femmes, as three stages set to take place in Netherlands
After a few weeks of rumours, Rotterdam has been confirmed as the host of next year’s Tour de France Femmes Grand Départ.
In a rest day announcement, ASO have revealed that the 2024 Tour Femmes will have a distinctly Dutch feel to it, with three of the race’s eight stages taking place in the Netherlands.
🇳🇱 𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐌 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐄́𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐃𝐄 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐂 𝐙𝐖𝐈𝐅𝐓 🚴♀️ The Netherlands will host the first three of the eight stages that make up the 2024 edition, beginning with the Grand Départ in… pic.twitter.com/854s3jDYQT
— Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) July 10, 2023
According to a statement from race director Marion Rousse, the Tour’s first stage will take the riders from Rotterdam to The Hague, while the second day will roll back the clock with a split stage – in the morning the riders will roll out of Dordrecht for a presumably short and snappy road stage, before an afternoon time trial on the streets of Rotterdam.
“The world hub of women’s cycling was a natural choice to host the biggest bicycle race on Earth”, Rousse said. “The last few seasons have been a tale of Dutch ascendancy. Starting from the home of these champions will kindle a great popular celebration. Expect their supporters to turn out in force.”
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
The lengthy Dutch start is likely a result of next summer’s Paris Olympics, which has also shunted the Tour Femmes – scheduled in 2022 and 2023 to overlap with the men’s race by a day – to a mid-August slot, between the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games and the start of the Paralympics, with eight stages set to take place over seven days between Monday 12 August and Sunday 18 August.
The Dutch start also means that both Tours de France will get underway on foreign soil next year, with the men’s race beginning in Florence for its first ever Italian Grand Départ, while the proximity of the Paris Games has likewise ensured a groundbreaking finish in Nice for the first time in the Tour’s history.
The Tour Femmes’ foray in the Netherlands next year could also be followed by the return of the men’s race soon after. Rotterdam, The Hague, and Valkenburg will again form the centre of this proposed Grand Départ, which is expected to take place in 2027, though a decision has yet to be made by ASO.
The full route of the 2024 Tour Femmes will be announced in Paris in late October.
What exactly do pro riders get up to on rest days?
Chill mode on. 😎
The guys are off for an easy ride on @LeTour rest day. 🚴♂️#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/DTxvjWYI5m
— Team dsm-firmenich (@TDSM_Firmenich) July 10, 2023
> What do pro riders do on Tour de France rest days?
Gone are the days of big steak dinners with copious amount of wine, and James Bond-esque contract negotiations, anyway. Though never rule out the occasional drugs bust, a staple of Tour rest days of lore…
Bowman Cycles back up and running
British bike manufacturer Bowman Cycles has relaunched its website over the weekend, ten months after the company’s new owners announced that they were “really excited about getting the Bowman brand back on track”.
Back in January 2022, Bowman was liquidated following a prolonged struggle with supply chain issues during the Covid-19 pandemic, and claims from unhappy customers of incorrect builds, poorly packed bikes, and a lack of communication.
> Bowman Cycles liquidates after “absolute clusterf**k” of supply chain issues
In September, new owner Lee James ‘Jim’ Crossland clarified that Bowman Cycles Ltd is “a new trading business with an established name” and proclaimed that “Bowman are back”.
Another ten months down the line, and the first signs of life for the new/old business are starting to show, with a website selling small and large Bowman Dirty Palace aluminium framesets and jerseys now live.
In an Instagram post yesterday, Crossland wrote: “One day up and running and we are seeing a few sales, so I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone.”
Canyon unveils Mathieu van der Poel edition Aeroad CFR
> Canyon unveils Mathieu van der Poel edition Aeroad CFR
Surely I can’t be the only one who sings the name of Canyon’s flagship aero bike in the style of the classic Simpsons advert for its famous, totally safe 35-seater SUV, the Canyonero?
‘Shimano wheels with 60mm depth, it’s 7.5 kilos of German stealth, Canyon Aeroad… Top of the line in two-wheeled sports, unexplained handlebar failures are a matter for the courts, Canyon Aeroad, whoah Canyon Aeroad!’
Alright, just me then…
Alpecin-Deceuninck launches special rest day ‘Merci Poupou’ jersey and charity campaign
Speaking of special edition MVDP gear, Alpecin-Deceuninck has today launched a new rest day jersey in memory of Van der Poel’s grandfather, Raymond Poulidor, a name synonymous with yesterday’s ascent of the Puy de Dôme.
You may have noticed on yesterday’s stage, which started in Poulidor’s hometown of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, that the Alpecin-Deceuninck riders were sporting special one-off shorts featuring the purple and yellow colours of the French legend’s Mercier team.
And today, for their leisurely rest day coffee ride, Van der Poel, Philipsen, and co. were rocking a new, and very cool, Mercier-style jersey design, two years after wearing a similar retro kit in homage to the late Poulidor on the opening stage of the 2021 Tour de France.
Like the 2021 Tour designs, the kits and Oakley glasses worn by the riders on the Puy de Dôme yesterday, as well as today’s special Merci Poupou rest day jerseys, will be auctioned off for charity. Proceeds from the sales of the new jersey and a limited-edition t-shirt will also go to charities and organisations which help children, adolescents, and people with disabilities from different backgrounds to practice sport and outdoor activity.
Let’s just hope nobody decides to wave these new Poulidor-inspired jerseys over the peloton by a flimsy washing line, or else Lilian Calmejane will have something to say…
Remco’s REDemption: Evenepoel set for Vuelta defence
I will be back and ready to defend my title in La Vuelta 2023!! 🔴🔥🐺
Looking forward to a new battle on the beautiful Spanish roads! 🇪🇸🚀
Nos vemos en Barcelona! 🫡💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/yqy7Cy6Wyd
— Remco Evenepoel (@EvenepoelRemco) July 10, 2023
Of course, we all should have known that his narrow time trial victory at the Giro, and subsequent Covid withdrawal, wouldn’t be the last we’d see of Remco Evenepoel at the grand tours this season.
The world champion, who will also aim to defend his rainbow bands in Glasgow next month, this afternoon confirmed his spot in Barcelona for the start of the Vuelta a España in late August.
After their two previous tussles at grand tours over the past year were abruptly curtailed by early abandons, Evenepoel is likely to go head-to-head once again with three-time winner Primož Roglič on the roads of Spain later this summer, as the Belgian star looks to retain the title he won for the first time last year.
With both riders choosing to skip the Tour de France after riding the Giro – which Roglič won in dramatic fashion on the penultimate day – we could, finally, be in for a real Remco v Rog cracker at the Vuelta.
Pog’s diet goes off the rails, Mads’ Lidl dip, and other rest day shenanigans
Little rest day pleasures 🥐 🥖😎#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/yoN7TBjfBq
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) July 10, 2023
Now, that’s my kind of rest day…
Coffee and interviews, feels like rest day vibes 😎 #MerciPoupou (📸 Mr Pinko) pic.twitter.com/FyTS6EYml5
— Jasper Philipsen (@JasperPhilipsen) July 10, 2023
And I know this was last night, but you have to love Mads Pedersen’s commitment to the (sponsorship) cause…
Bike riders, they come in all shapes and sizes…
Little and large 🤣 @bentulett01 @GannaFilippo #howmanytulettscanyougetinaganna pic.twitter.com/2l4bWlwBsX
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) July 9, 2023
Two Tuletts for the price of a Ganna?
Poll results: Two-thirds of road.cc’s readers reckon Mark Cavendish SHOULD continue racing next year
The drive for 35 remains alive – at least according to the live blog’s readership:
Now, I’m not sure how seriously Cav will take the results of a poll conducted by an extremely unserious cycling blog, but you never know…
(Vino, you can thank me later.)
POLL: Should Cav carry on?
Where were you when Mark Cavendish crashed?
Away from the intense, heartbreaking cruelty of life in the breakaway at the Tour de France, and the delicately poised GC battle, this weekend at the Tour was dominated by the Manx Missile’s devastating collarbone-breaking crash on a non-descript piece of road, on a non-descript moment of stage eight to Limoges.
That simple touch of wheels – less than 24 hours after mechanical problems robbed him of a golden opportunity, with apparently golden legs, to take the win in Bordeaux – abruptly brought to an end the sprinter’s 16-year association with the race, as well as his hopes of bagging that record-breaking 35th Tour stage win.
So close… (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
And that was all she wrote.
But not quite so fast. As we reported yesterday, Astana top boss Alexander Vinokourov has already hinted that a possible contract extension for 2024 could be on the cards for the 38-year-old, citing his own comeback from a crash at the Tour in 2011 to, ahem, controversially win Olympic gold a year later as evidence that the peloton’s elder statesman can bounce back from such setbacks.
“I hope we will see him soon back in the race,” everyone’s favourite blood doping attacker said after Cavendish’s race-ending crash. “Now it’s too early to say something about his race programme. For sure, in my opinion, his career cannot end here. I crashed out in the Tour of 2011 but I came back to win Olympic Gold one year later.
“It would be nice if Mark comes back to the Tour for a 15th time and win that 35th stage. We joked already about it yesterday evening.”
However, with Cav already announcing his retirement from the sport at the Giro in May, could the former world champion be swayed by Vino’s pleas to keep racing into 2024?
I imagine when we all get over the disappointment for Cavendish himself and the big anti-climax we’ve just been served, that him being tied on 34 with Eddy Merckx forever now is actually perfect.
— Cillian Kelly (@irishpeloton) July 8, 2023
The wisdom of that decision, if the 34-time stage winner does indeed make it, has been fiercely debated over the last few days, with the likes of Robbie McEwen noting on GCN that one more attempt at setting the record could be scuppered once again by one unfortunate moment, though Eddy Merckx himself said it would “be a shame” if the career of the greatest sprinter of all time was to end in disappointment, and said he hopes Cavendish will have one more crack at the Tour in 2024.
What do you reckon? Should Cav keep going for one final shot at 35? Or should he stick to his guns, and retire knowing he left the sport battling at the very highest level?
I think this calls for a poll…
Romain Bardet’s three-year-old son steals the show (again) on the Puy de Dôme
After 35 long years in the Tour de France wilderness, yesterday’s much-anticipated return of the historic, mythical, iconic, bloody hard Puy de Dôme didn’t disappoint, did it?
On the brutally steep – and eerily silent – ramps of the Massif Central lava dome, Michael Woods (who holds a PhD in short, sharp climbs) delivered a masterclass in pacing and patience, breaking the heart of lone escapee Matteo Jorgenson, and the hearts of most viewers at home I bet, to secure a maiden Tour stage win for the 36-year-old Canadian.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Behind, the GC battle also lived up to its lofty billing, as Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard showcased their best Anquetil and Poulidor impression with a gripping, ferocious battle on the final kilometres of the Puy’s reverse helter skelter slopes.
But, unlike that famous tussle in 1964, Vingegaard’s grim and relatively successful fight to stay within touching distance of his attacking main rival is far from conclusive when it comes to the GC – the Dane may hold the yellow jersey on the race’s first rest day, but the Tour pendulum appears to be swinging slowly back in the favour of the resurgent Pogačar.
(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
The return of the Puy de Dôme didn’t, however, usher in a fairy tale ending for the Tour’s home contingent. While Pierre Latour came close to planting the French tricolore on the Puy with a battling ride to second behind Woods, the French riders still in the hunt for GC suffered on the savage slopes, as David Gaudu and local boy Romain Bardet slipped to eight and tenth overall, respectively.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
It was a good day, nonetheless, for the wider Bardet clan, as Romain’s three-year-old son Angus sampled the raucous atmosphere on the lower slopes of the Puy yesterday, attacking the climb with all the panache of his dad in his pomp:
Yesterday’s attack on the Puy isn’t the first time young Angus has enjoyed riding his bike like a Tour pro. Back in March, the three-year-old future star made his ‘pro’ debut at Paris-Nice, riding with his old man on his way to the team bus after a stage:
🚴🏻♂️ Décrassage en famille pour @romainbardet 🥰
🚴🏻♂️ Family cool-down for @romainbardet 🥰#ParisNice pic.twitter.com/k8A8OlERu4
— Paris-Nice (@ParisNice) March 8, 2023
Though some fans noted at the time that Bardet Jnr may well eschew his father’s penchant for the climbs by following the path of the sprinters, judging by his astute decision to close the door on his dad during their ride…
Cuteness alert. #parisnice pic.twitter.com/wMtNm1rfHg
— daniel (@cyclingreporter) March 8, 2023
Or maybe he’s taking tips from Jasper Philipsen?
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How dare you road.cc. Now I'm back to "0 days without seeing a MTB" and my Friday evening biscuit is a total write-off.
Amazing value for 30 bucks. Add a few stars there rockafella
How much of Halfrauds profits are due to them charging 15% commission on the cycle to work scheme they somehow have tied up so many companies to? Profiting off local bike shops and making more off sales than the IBD does, all because some clueless person in HR doesn't care what cycle scheme they choose, and employees get charged more too.
I'm currently sat next to a bike - but I'm not riding it, not is it on the road. Nor in Surrey. Remove me!
@MaxiMinimalist I see you retain your strange obsession with the claim that the only way Decathlon, a global entity with €16.8 billion revenues for whom the cycle team is an essential primary promotional tool for their kit and bikes, will be able to keep Seixas with a sugar daddy cheque from the owner of their co-title sponsor. Why is this? Incidentally Seixas is not winning the next Tour in any case unless Jonas and Tadej both crash out, so the question is unlikely to arise.
@ChrisA Just for info it's Bishops Cleeve. I think the bus lane bit is about the section along Lansdown Road going out of Cheltenham towards Gloucester. This "cycle lane" has been in place for many years. The surface is bumpy due to tree roots and eroded surfaces, cyclists are expected to give way at junctions and it goes past many driveways so you have to be alert at all times. There are bus lanes alongside some of this section and, yes, I still use the bus lanes and the road where the bus lanes run out. This section is not green like the rest of the path and when the green runs out getting through Cheltenham and onto the Gloucester section is hit and miss to say the least. The new green section from Bishops Cleeve to just north of Cheltenham town center is indeed well used and is much appreciated despite the lack of any cyclist priority at beg buttons. Cyclists do have priority at side roads, as in the picture, and motorists seem to be getting the idea. I don't know if it has anything to do with the OpSnap reports I sent in on the occasions I had to brake to avoid a collision when it was newly opened, but things are definiteley improving.
@MaxiMinimalist Ah yes, the good old "You are but what am I?" argument beloved of schoolboys everywhere. Anyone who calls someone a fascist must actually be some form of fascist themselves or other form of oppressor. Hitler and his vermin used this to great effect, claiming that all they were doing was saving the nation from the oppression of communists, social democrats and trade unions, frequently portraying themselves as the victims of said oppression. There's even a name for it in the psychology textbooks, DARVO: Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender.
It was when perce and that Clem Fandango bounced off one another that they both did their best work...
I don't believe that the Italian state under Mussolini was run particularly well. Their army were awful, their invasion of Greece failed, though their losses did draw Germany in because it threatened the flanks for Barbarossa. North Africa was also shameful, once again only saved by Rommel and the afrika corps. If your talking national socialist, I'm never going to dispute that German efficiency and bureaucracy, however stereotypical, will always rate highly, but the state was run on the whims of a madman, surrounded by sycophants enacting policies derived by attempting to ingratiate themselves from vague concepts and hints from the aforementioned madman. Often in competition with pointless duplication of effort.
Never mind that - they've gone and named the site road.cc instead of Surreyrider.cc - what were they thinking‽‽
10 thoughts on “Romain Bardet’s three-year-old son steals the show (again) on the Puy de Dôme; Should Mark Cavendish carry on to 2024?; Tour de France rest day round-up; London’s great active travel mysteries; Giro Donne recap + more on the live blog”
A lot can happen in a year,
A lot can happen in a year, and I can’t completely disregard Vinokourov’s offer being accepted by Cav, but I honestly believe he will not reverse his retirement decision.
You have to believe that the Universe is absolutely against Cav taking it outright, having now seen 3 incidents scupper his chances.
1. His first real opportunity was 2021 on the Champs-Elysees, the first sprint stage since he equalled the record, but got outsprinted after being boxed in.
2. Stage 7 where Phillipsen beat him to the line by a bike length. Because of the speed he was carrying, if his gears didn’t skip he probably had the momentum to carry to the line.
Simultaneously, I am surprised that Phillipsen was not punished for his deviation on Biniam Girmay, who was himself setting up to get round an ailing Cav. Had Philipsen not deviated, Girmay had a good chance to get his nose in front of Cav at the line, and was probably likely to take the win. Whether Phillipsen tould have managed to push through the wind anyway is another debate.
3. Crashing out. His form shows he had the legs, and with his tactical nous and a bit of luck with his equipment, would definitely have walked away with at least one stage this Tour. His ability and experience to survive the mountains would have also been useful as others will expend excess energy in order to make the time cut, or by missing it.
No doubt before he even announced his retirement he was making his post-race career plans, and having more family time he desires. It is such a sad way, to go out with a whimper, but his accolades are clear. After adding the final Giro stage win to his palmares this year has cemented his position as one of, if not the greatest road sprinter of all time.
He may be able to regain fitness for a few end-of-season races, but after such disappointment, I would not blame him if he calls his retirement early.
1a. Not being selected in
1a. Not being selected in 2022 despite good form.
It’s a hard way to go out, but I can’t help but feel that “what could have been” might be better way to finish than returning next year and failing to register. Even if he didn’t get the 35th win, it is a shame he didn’t get to finish the race and, no doubt, take them over the line first on the Champs.
Getting the record of 35
Getting the record of 35 stage wins isn’t going to make people think he’s the greatest cyclist ever, nor is it going to change the mind of anyone who doesn’t already think he’s the greatest sprinter ever. What leaving the tour early has done is robbed him of the accomplishment of completing this tour and of having the celebratory ‘lap of honour’ on the Champs-Élysées where he would have been allowed to ride out in front of the peleton for a bit, for him and the crowds to say goodbye to one another.
So Transport Secretary Mark
So Transport Secretary Mark Harper want to row back on LTN’s to give people more choice about how they travel?
So walking, cycling, taxi, public transport against driving.
Perhaps the Honourable Gentleman needs to give his head a wobble instead of coming out with car-centric drivel.
Owd Big ‘Ead wrote:
There’s lots of choices…
…blue cars, red cars, black cars, cars with stripes on etc.
hawkinspeter wrote:
There’s lots of choices…
…blue cars, red cars, black cars, cars with stripes on etc.— Owd Big 'Ead
Some are covered in artifical grass! For that truly green whip…..
Grey seems to be the very
Grey seems to be the very loviz choice these days…
ktache wrote:
Fiat are stopping making grey cars.
Expressing his belief in
Expressing his belief in “giving people more choice on how to travel”, Harper addressed his move to halt funding for new LTNs, adding that the government had to stop backing policies “that are about… banning cars or making it difficult for motorists”.
I’d love to hear his suggestions on how to stop motorists from ruining neighborhoods by rat running, speeding, parking on pavements, driving on pavements, going the wrong way on one-way roads, close passing cyclists, and failing to stop at crosswalks, without making it at least a little bit difficult for motorists.
Will we see Angus Bardet make
Will we see Angus Bardet make a name for himself in the pro peloton? Let’s see if he takes the start line of the U23 UCI WC in 15 years time!