Tour de France Tour de France 2021, Stage 13: Nîmes – Carcassonne, 219.9 km

[titan31]

After the Valence stage we can be sure there are no weak links in this selection. There's only eight spots...

Ya, maybe Devenyns' spot could have someone different but he performed well in Suisse so deserved a shot. Cavagna was so bad in the Giro that he didn't really deserve a second GT imo

 

[Berflamand]

Ya, maybe Devenyns' spot could have someone different but he performed well in Suisse so deserved a shot. Cavagna was so bad in the Giro that he didn't really deserve a second GT imo

As much as I'd have liked to see Lampaert in the Tour, I also think every rider of the team has shown they deserved the spot.

Devenyns was crucial in the first stage for Alaphilippe to take the stage and the yellow jersey. He's also really important for Alaphilippe both on and off the bike. I can imagine he has also shown his worth on the hard mountain stages with his calmness and experience to drive the grupetto and bring Cav home safely each time.

 

[Roku]

Devenyns is a good climber, knows how to perform domestique duties and Alaphilippe most trusted domestique. He did a good job in the first stage... his spot is well deserved.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

No skin suit for Cav, breakaway win on the cards

 

[Netserk]

Looks like we'll have another strong break!

I thought before the start and also throughout that Lampaert would have been a better pick than Ballerini.

 

[Netserk]

Pogi chasing!

 

[gregrowlerson]

Sounds like plenty of action, yet SBS in Australia begin their coverage with their usual talking about nothing in the studio....

 

[BlueRoads]

Thank god Ala not tied to Mads' bike.

 

[johnymax]

News about Tony Martin. He really had no luck in this Tour.

Wounds on the knee and collarbone, knocked out teeth. "This was not my last Tour de France"
Tony Martin will not have the best memories of this year's Tour de France. Due to the fall, the German cyclist of the Jumbo-Visma team had to withdraw from the competition during the 11th stage. Despite numerous injuries, he is recovering and is thinking about starting in the next edition.

Source:

Rany na kolanie i obojczyku, wybite zęby. "To nie był mój ostatni Tour de France"

Tony Martin nie będzie najlepiej wspominał tegorocznej edycji Tour de France. Niemiecki kolarz ekipy Jumbo-Visma z powodu upadku musiał wycofać się z

eurosport.tvn24.pl

Not only this Tour. Without checking it seems to me like he crashes out of every GT lately.

 

[spalco]

I feel like ASO are playing for crosswinds these days, and so they end up sacrificing days where they could actually put in an entertaining stage. The whole fun about crosswind stages in the past was precisely that they were so unexpected. You can’t make the wind show up.

I don't really agree. I know plenty of roads around where I often ride, that pretty much always have wind from a certain direction. I think you can definitely design routes with echelon possibilities in mind.

Whether or not it materialises depends on some luck and the racing of course, but it's not just up to chance.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Thank god Ala not tied to Mads' bike.

God Ala? Is this spelt correctly?

Maybe the world could do with a new religion!

Oh, I found a spot for the removed h too (though Mark won't be happy). Kasper Hasgreen

 

[BlueRoads]

God Ala? Is this spelt correctly?

Maybe the world could do with a new religion!

Oh, I found a spot for the removed h too (though Mark won't be happy). Kasper Hasgreen

I suppose he'd prefer Casper has green?

 

[spalco]

Big crowds on the side of the road, nice old villages in southern France, it's almost starting to look somewhat "normal" again.

 

[will-10]

I think in hindsight picking Ballerini over eg. Lampaert shows how much confidence QS had in Cav ahead of the Tour. Ballerini has been excellent in the final km.

 

[roundabout]

Not only this Tour. Without checking it seems to me like he crashes out of every GT lately.

9/21 is the record of GT finished/started

and he finished the first 4 that he started, so it's getting worse as you have noted

Although I think in a couple of Vueltas the abandon was planned

 

[BlueRoads]

I think in hindsight picking Ballerini over eg. Lampaert shows how much confidence QS had in Cav ahead of the Tour. Ballerini has been excellent in the final km.

Ballerini though, I think, was scheduled to go before Cav replaced Bennett?

 

[Taxus4a]

What a big fight today betwenn Quick step and a possible break. It would be difficult for Quick to control the race...in the climb I think will be a break, maybe big.
Froome was in the break, what a pity they were chased. Big level today to be on the break..I hope he try again.

 

[will-10]

Ballerini though, I think, was scheduled to go before Cav replaced Bennett?

Ah, fair point. They were probably fairly confident in Bennett too I guess

 

[gavia88]

I don't really agree. I know plenty of roads around where I often ride, that pretty much always have wind from a certain direction. I think you can definitely design routes with echelon possibilities in mind.

Whether or not it materialises depends on some luck and the racing of course, but it's not just up to chance.

I think the issue here is more that ASO seems to use it as a kind of bad excuse for their horrible stage designs. There are just to many flat stages (without anything interesting) this tour. So, with flat stages you can try to make them as interesting as possible, by maximize the possibility of cross-winds. But, now it seems they are a replacement of something more interesting (nice hilly stage/ mountain stage). So, yes, maximize possibilities of cross-winds, but don't use them as a replacement for something more interesting or as an excuse for a boring route. Keep with max 5 or 6 real flat stages and try to make them interesting as possible indeed. Now we have 8 real flat stages and they needed an excuse to build up at least some story around their design.

 

[Eclipse]

DQS roadblock and we're done for the day

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Excellent, sprint is on

 

[titan31]

Well this is crap

 

[BlueRoads]

Looks good for Cav.

 

[Lequack]

Yes, you can turn off your TVs now and come back in 4 or 5 hours. Today is done.

 

[spalco]

9/21 is the record of GT finished/started

and he finished the first 4 that he started, so it's getting worse as you have noted

That's a pretty shocking record for a rider of his calibre actually.

Surpringly though others with similar skillsets also have terrible GT finishing records, Cancellara for example is only 7/21 too.