• The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Tour de France Tour de France 2021, Stage 17: Muret – Saint-Lary-Soulan Col du Portet, 178.4 km

Page 3 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
i think ineos will go all out on this, they have really nothing else left...if not shame on them

Could be. They have nothing to lose. I noticed Porte finished in the autobus again so maybe he is saving strength to provide a launchpad for Carapaz and a genuine shakeup (that is my heart as much as head) ?

But more likely is the Pog stamps his authority to put a MTF win alongside his TTs (yes he will likely win the final one as well).

Dark horse is the enigma Uran. He is still lurking. Could deliver a big TT but not a MTF win.
 
I really hope Pog/Jonas will go and Uran + Carapaz will battle for 3rd GC 2+ mins behind...

I'd be onboard for that scenario. I hope Wout/Kuss can hang until at least 2/3 up the final climb, not to push the pace (that's Ineos' job right now, I think) but to make sure Jonas is well looked after as far as any attacks/nutrition/hydration. That is going to be a beastly MTF but if the weather's bad it could also mean relatively small gaps...
 
Aug 29, 2020
26
11
110
Visit site
With Peyresourde only at Km 130, an early breakaway would have plenty of flat roads to get a decent gap, but probably Portet is just too hard to see a breakaway winner... a decent climber would need something like 5 minutes at the base of the Portet, at least, I reckon
 
Pog: "why are we sprinting?"

E6OCoZfXMAQ5m6Q
 
110km before the first big climb... that's gonna be interesting
Should be easy to keep the gap small for the peloton if the captains want the stage win in play. I'll be disappointed if J-V don't use the team to set up Vingegaard today: Teunissen to help keep the break in check on the flat, Kruijswijk and then Van Aert to pull on Peyresourde and Azet, and finally Kuss to launch Vingegaard in the first half of Portet. I just hope other teams will pull on the flat too.
 
The main thing that has to happen for fun GC action is for Pog to make himself an irrelevance.

If he is going to close down RC/JV himself we are going to have a horrid couple of days but if he clears out early the others will actually start racing and if we can get some proper separation today we can have some fun options tomorrow
 
Also I see 0 reason for Jumbo or EF to be aggressive. Ineos has to go for it, but they're much more interested into drilling the climbs than chasing the breakaway

The only way I see the GC guys win if Pogacar has his team keep the break in check.
 
Should be easy to keep the gap small for the peloton if the captains want the stage win in play. I'll be disappointed if J-V don't use the team to set up Vingegaard today: Teunissen to help keep the break in check on the flat, Kruijswijk and then Van Aert to pull on Peyresourde and Azet, and finally Kuss to launch Vingegaard in the first half of Portet. I just hope other teams will pull on the flat too.
Be prepared to be disappointed. Only thing Vingegaard has to do is follow Carapaz and Uran.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Sandisfan