Recent content by rghysens

In the current peloton, palmares-wise (is that even a word?): Vingegaard. Regarding current abilities: Evenepoel

No, only the last three. Laffrey would be around km50.

Saddest thing is that it´s not that difficult to make Orcières-Merlettes a very difficult medium mountainstage. Use Laffrey (6.5km @ 9%) instead of Monteynard and throw in Chaillol 1600 (7km @7.5%) and Serre Eyraud (5km @ 9%) in in the last 40 km (similar to the 1982 stage). Time differences...

Yeah, the Tour will be decided the day before at the latest.

I really like the buildup of the first 7 stages. Bergerac-Perigueux should have been a long flat itt. I like the layout of the course from Aurillac to Orcières-Merlettes. The first AdH stage is too much, but the second one is superb, albeit a bit late in the course.

Would you have said the same about Wiggins? Amount of itt can matter.

On current routes (at least 4 hc or 1c mtf´s, barely any flat itt), the tour is nothing for him, no. By extension, that also counts for stage racing in general. Long gone are the times where races like Paris-Nice, Dauphiné and Switzerland had both a flat prologue and a long flat itt.

To become 2nd? Btw, stage 8 will be a stage in line.

Next thursday, around 11.30 am local time.

If he goes to the Giro, he probably won´t do a classic heavy spring season. Like in 2023 or Pogačar in 2024.

Short summary: Pog gets an additional 80 pts, and remains at 3, probably until may next year ( barring crashes or other accidents) Evenepoel gets an additional 51 points and enters the top 30. Vingegaard gets another 52 points and enters the top 50.

Course so far: 1) ttt Barcelona 2) Tarragona - Barcelona: hilly final around Montjuic 3) Granollers - Les Angles: medium mountain with rolling final (breakaway stage or big group uphill sprint) 4) Limoux - around Foix: mountainous 5) Lannemezan - Pau: can be anything, but probably flattish 6)...

I would argue it was since 2022. In 2021 the team, as a collectif, slaughtered Van der Poel and Van Aert in the flemish classics, Alaphilippe won Fleche Wallonne for the last time and dominated the wcrr, Cavendish had a miraculous resurrection in the tour, they had 65 victories in a year still...

On a golden background.

10. 20 in Duitama 1995.