Tour de France Tour de France 2021 - Enthusiastic laymen's thread

[Escarabajo]

BEX wins the prize for best line-up presentation!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1406869719278403585

How can "Charging Chavito" be a good nickname? LOL.
BEX are very direct if you ask me!

 

[Broccolidwarf]

This has nothing to do with my point, I said at their best they were better 3 week racers than Roglic is now.

You have no way of knowing that, there are SO many variables, incl. route, competition, tactics, weather, injuries, team support, etc.

And it's not like the Tour is being ridden slower these days, than when Froome and Nibali were at their best.

 

[CyclistAbi]

LOL. How could I miss that . At least there weren't many "ifs" like the author suggested. It is settled then. Roglic does not have to worry about Carapaz.

He should worry but the claim on how there is a list with a huge amount of cyclist on it that should be considered to be a better GT rider. Now and in the past couple of years.

That is rather bogus. Roglič is for sure one of them.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

How can "Charging Chavito" be a good nickname? LOL.
BEX are very direct if you ask me!

"Charging" means "attacking" in the context dude - it's not a reference to electronics, economics or the police

 

[Pinot's goat]

And it's not like the Tour is being ridden slower these days, than when Froome and Nibali were at their best.

By this logic Lopez, Mas and many others should be considered better GC riders than Froome and Nibali were. Rises in rider speed are usually not because the athletes of previous years were inferior but because of training methods, nutrition etc. which inflate performance, this needs to be taken out of the equation when comparing riders who peaked in different years.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

By this logic Lopez, Mas and many others should be considered better GC riders than Froome and Nibali were. Rises in rider speed are usually not because the athletes of previous years were inferior but because of training methods, nutrition etc. which inflate performance, this needs to be taken out of the equation when comparing riders who peaked in different years.

Exactly, another bunch of variables, which is why you cannot compare like you do (and we are not even getting into the clinic stuff).

We have no way of knowing if Nibali at his best - or for that matter Merckx, Coppi, Pantani, or whoever - would have ridden a better race, given the exact same circumstances.

Its is of course an interesting debate - for us sports fans - but it is not something any of us can ever prove, with any degree of certainty.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Under (very) special circumstances i too can blow them out of the water.

P.S. There are a lot of ifs involved, though.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

DQ just confirmed Cavendish is riding instead of Bennett on their Twitter feed.

 

[spalco]

DQ just confirmed Cavendish is riding instead of Bennett on their Twitter feed.

Damn, that's a surprise.

Best of luck!

 

[Earns1985]

Movistar with a strong line-up

Lopez
Mas
Valverde
Soler
Cortina
Verona
Erviti
Arcas

Lopez, Mas, Valverde headline Movistar at Tour de France

Spanish squad to unveil new kit on Tuesday

www.cyclingnews.com

Could be the fourth team to play a role in the GC.

 

[memyselfandI]

And it's not like the Tour is being ridden slower these days, than when Froome and Nibali were at their best.

And no way we're gonna have uphill finish up to Ventoux for years. And years. And years. Just because one Texan still has 7 ma...margaritas at his office down there and old records would be blown into pieces.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Movistar with a strong line-up

Lopez
Mas
Valverde
Soler
Cortina
Verona
Erviti
Arcas

Lopez, Mas, Valverde headline Movistar at Tour de France

Spanish squad to unveil new kit on Tuesday

www.cyclingnews.com

Could be the fourth team to play a role in the GC.

I think you can add EF to that list.

I think that, given his recent form, Uran will get a team that is set up for GC success - with all riders that can climb well - and then, if his form fades, the very same people can win stages, like Bissegger for the TTs, Cort/Valgren for puncheur stages and Higuita/Powless for mountains/polkadots.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

DQ just confirmed Cavendish is riding instead of Bennett on their Twitter feed.

Also:

This in a way confirms, that Alaphilippe has no GC aspirations.

If he did, they would have dropped the sprint train entirely, with Bennett being out, and brought puncheurs/climbers instead.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Maestro picks 21/6/2021

-5 STAR: ROGLIC, POGACAR
-4 STAR: CARAPAZ, BILBAO
-3 STAR: THOMAS, KELDERMAN, SUPERMAN
-2 STAR: MAS, ALAPHILIPPE, URAN, TGH, PORTE
-1 STAR: IZAGIRRE, G.MARTIN, CHAVES, HAMILTON, HAIG, POELS, KRUIJSWIJK, VALVERDE, WOODS, QUINTANA, BARGUIL, CATTANEO, I WILL ALSO PUT BUCHMANN FOR THE BORA FANBOYS.

insert colbrelli and mohoric where you want.

 

[Pirazziattacks]

Movistar with a strong line-up

Lopez
Mas
Valverde
Soler
Cortina
Verona
Erviti
Arcas

Lopez, Mas, Valverde headline Movistar at Tour de France

Spanish squad to unveil new kit on Tuesday

www.cyclingnews.com

Could be the fourth team to play a role in the GC.

Does this mean the trident has become a pitchfork?

 

[RedheadDane]

"Charging" means "attacking" in the context dude - it's not a reference to electronics, economics or the police

Or he's the one all the others constantly ask to borrow chargers from when they lose theirs.

 

[Earns1985]

Maestro picks 21/6/2021

-5 STAR: ROGLIC, POGACAR
-4 STAR: CARAPAZ, BILBAO
-3 STAR: THOMAS, KELDERMAN, SUPERMAN
-2 STAR: MAS, ALAPHILIPPE, URAN, TGH, PORTE
-1 STAR: IZAGIRRE, G.MARTIN, CHAVES, HAMILTON, HAIG, POELS, KRUIJSWIJK, VALVERDE, WOODS, QUINTANA, BARGUIL, CATTANEO, I WILL ALSO PUT BUCHMANN FOR THE BORA FANBOYS.

insert colbrelli and mohoric where you want.

Bilbao 4 stars? Haig is their official GC leader, Even without the role, i would rate him higher..

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Or he's the one all the others constantly ask to borrow chargers from when they lose theirs.

I think the original comment refered to implied clinical stuff.

I'm wondering why they decided to use different emojis for Juul, Durbridge and Chaves, when the whole team pretty much have the same hair colour.

 

[RedheadDane]

I think the original comment refered to implied clinical stuff.

I know. But Chaves is nice! He would never!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I know. But Chaves is nice! He would never!

No, but still you would think the SoMe team would want to avoid such connotations.

 

[RedheadDane]

No, but still you would think the SoMe team would want to avoid such connotations.

Just because you people's minds always enter the Dark Places.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Just because you people's minds always enter the Dark Places.

I'm just saying Charming Chaves would have been better.

 

[carolina]

Does this mean the trident has become a pitchfork?

The next season on Netflix is going to be magnificent.

 

[Escarabajo]

Bilbao 4 stars? Haig is their official GC leader, Even without the role, i would rate him higher..

I am sure he was kidding. Lol. Otherwise he should lay down the drink!!!

 

[Sciatic]

Does this mean the trident has become a pitchfork?

A three- headed monster approach again?