Tour de France Stage 6: Bayeux – Vire-Normandie (201.5k)

[kingjr]

Cycling is driven by these unwritten rules. You break them and the Peloton brakes you. This is not like other sports.
And the riders know the rules well.

This sounds like a line from a movie

 

[Cycling111]

This is like hating Ineos still because Froome was once dominating. Visma hasn't really dominated anything for 2 years.

Winning 3 GTs in one year (the only teamin history) and the last one with 3 riders on the podium (the only teamin history) isn´t dominating. LOL

Visma has also won 9 GTs in recent years with 4 riders, the second team UAE 4GT (all from Pogacar).
If that isn't being a dominant team in GT...

 

[Tim Cahill]

The unwritten rule of Simon Yates is that we will see him getting dropped shaking his head with Johnny Milan tomorrow and losing 35 minutes, the fool didn't check the roadbook and thought it was the Loze stage, started looking around thinking what's Quinn Simmons and these other lads doing up there.

 

[CyclistAbi]

So what "unwritten rule" Visma broke today that you're so adamant about?

The one they forgot to write down.

 

[Miha81]

So what "unwritten rule" Visma broke today that you're so adamant about?

None. They tried, got them nowhere so I don't understand what all the fuss is about. I guess stage was so boring that needs additional "drama"

 

[Rou]

So what "unwritten rule" Visma broke today that you're so adamant about?

That in a stage with no importance you don't break the deal that other teams formed. A deal that does not concern you. UAE and Alpecin made a deal and Rabobank knew that very well.
They chased because of spite and not sporting merit.

 

[Divergence]

Breakaway stages that have some relatively unknown guys gradually losing a huge advantage to chasing sprint teams that we know will reel them in are boring for me sometimes. This stage is a classical (as in long a part of the Tour heritage) Tour stage with top riders, and a well earned solo win by an aggressive rider. We had a break with the best barodeur in the peloton, one of the two best classics riders in world (and former WC), the recent Giro winner, and a few other good rouleurs. We had time to watch and wonder which would have the tactical advantage--a Healy long-range attack or a final climb battle with MVDP as favorite. Surprising, and disappointing that noone in the break was attentive to the obvious (to all of us) Healy attack.
If today ended up being a GC team controlled stage, we would have had the peloton riding a' bloc for long stretches (which I detest) and then ramping up at high speed prior to the final categories climb and then probably a very exciting showdown between the top 3 or 4. Definitely exciting stuff. For 10 minutes. Sometimes, like today, I'd rather have two hours of interesting racing than ten minutes of GC excitement (which we know we will get on every mtn stage). And . . . I know this is not how many (most?) folks will see a stage like this.

I get your point, but the reality is that it was always going to be Healy among those riders. MVDP is running on fumes already and Yates is not in shape for this TdF. Therefore, we saw a procession of one rider winning and before that of a group riding. And we did not see the top guys fighting. Therefore, a net loss. But, I understand, these kind of stages happen sometimes. Fortunately less and less frequently in modern cycling.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Winning 3 GTs in one year (the only teamin history) and the last one with 3 riders on the podium (the only teamin history) isn´t dominating. LOL

Visma has also won 9 GTs in recent years, twice as many as the second-place finisher (UAE 4, all from Pogacar).

That was 2 years ago, as was said in the post.

 

[AmRacer]

That was 2 years ago, as was said in the post.

VLAB won the Giro

 

[dobrien]

Well "unwritten rules" are obviously unwritten so that people can create whatever rules they want and claim that they are unwritten.

You have just broken the unwritten rule that you are not supposed to tell people what the unwritten rules are.

 

[Cycling111]

That was 2 years ago, as was said in the post.

They´ve won their ninth GT this year.

 

[YavorD]

That in a stage with no importance you don't break the deal that other teams formed. A deal that does not concern you. UAE and Alpecin made a deal and Rabobank knew that very well.
They chased because of spite and not sporting merit.

I've never heard about such a rule.
And Visma benefits from Pogacar being in yellow, so the deal concerns them.

Seems like you're creating new unwritten rules then. What's the next unwritten rule you're going to create now?

 

[Tim Cahill]

The one they forgot to write down.

Yes exactly the ones they forgot to....

Wait a minute....

By god I think I've found them!! A record a last, hidden and found after all these years!!!

 

[YavorD]

You have just broken the unwritten rule that you are not supposed to tell people what the unwritten rules are.

So now I'm expecting the peloton to break me, no?

 

[Cycling111]

What dirty moves? Riding on the front? What do you mean, an agreement, there‘s 23 teams in the race and not two, everyone gets to race however they want.

Explain that to those who are always complaining about Pogacar winning a stage.
The majority of complaints that are read are these

 

[CyclistAbi]

Yes exactly the ones they forgot to....

Wait a minute....

By god I think I've found them!! A record a last, hidden and found after all these years!!!

This one is about ethic, surely not this one.

 

[Rou]

I've never heard about such a rule.
And Visma benefits from Pogacar being in yellow, so the deal concerns them.

Seems like you're creating new unwritten rules then. What's the next unwritten rule you're going to create now?

That next time Vingegaard takes a p*** Pogacar can go full gas. Nice rule. Do you like it?

 

[QueenStagiaire]

That in a stage with no importance you don't break the deal that other teams formed. A deal that does not concern you. UAE and Alpecin made a deal and Rabobank knew that very well.
They chased because of spite and not sporting merit.

This Former bike race sponsor probably talks about deals less than you, I‘m starting to think there was money involved if the deal was so important.

VLAB won the Giro

In such dominant fashion that their GC captain wasn‘t taking seriously until the final week and only won because the two top favorites crashed/illnessed out.

 

[YavorD]

That next time Vingegaard takes a p*** Pogacar can go full gas. Nice rule. Do you like it?

You're making things up now.
It's a race between 23 teams
2 teams can make whatever deal they like, the other teams doesn't need to silently obey just because certain teams feel like it.

Visma didn't broke any rule today, being written or unwritten. They can ride whatever speed they want.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Well "unwritten rules" are obviously unwritten so that people can create whatever rules they want and claim that they are unwritten.

The unwritten rules are almost broken as frequently as the written ones.

 

[Heston]

So if Alpecin and Visma make a deal tomorrow that Jonas gets the yellow jersey, is it against an umwritten to not let Jonas have it?

 

[Ulfhednar]

I picked Quinn Simmons to take the win from the break today...got close. Great ride from Healey. Congratulations to him! Glad MvDP is back in yellow...it looks good on him.

 

[Rou]

So if Alpecin and Visma make a deal tomorrow that Jonas gets the yellow jersey, is it against an umwritten to not let Jonas have it?

Deals of such sort (teams working together) are done often and I have 0 issues with it. If Jonas breaks Pogacar he can have the jersey. No problem.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

So if Alpecin and Visma make a deal tomorrow that Jonas gets the yellow jersey, is it against an umwritten to not let Jonas have it?

Ok, I have to say, that is a stupid comparison.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Yes exactly the ones they forgot to....

Wait a minute....

By god I think I've found them!! A record a last, hidden and found after all these years!!!

It says something about Festina, it displays some world class Belgian horses, and the guy dressed in black at the front of the ship tilts his head like Been Healy. It all checks out.