Tour de France Tour de France 2021, Stage 4: Redon - Fougères, 150.4 km

[Eyeballs Out]

Not wrong though is it. We have 7 more stages of this second-tier sprinters to look forward to.

In the unlikely event they're as good as that one, bring it on

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Not wrong though is it. We have 7 more stages of this second-tier sprinters to look forward to.

No we don't.

You always have the option of not watching, if you don't like what you are seeing

 

[bob.a.feet]

Eddy Merckx right now:

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Combined age of Cavendish and his lead out man:

72 years.

 

[Mick Dundee]

This tour is sensational so far!

 

[limak_]

I remember watching my first TdFs in 2009-10, when the most certain thing in the race was Cavendish winning sprint stages. There was no point in watching those finishes, cause the outcome was already known just from the beginning.

And now, after over 10 years, Cavendish is winning another stage in the Tour (with this legs it's very likely it won't be his only one).

I have no words.

 

[saunaking]

Communism.

Anyway, hard not to get goosebumps from that win. Wow. You would have been an idiot to predict that three months ago. Just wow.

Its as if all the success the team has already experienced this tour they just think its easy to win and they can just decide who's going to win on the day!

 

[saunaking]

Terrible finale

Exciting as hell finishes that feature a lone breakaway rider getting caught at 200m are the worst!!

 

[tobydawq]

Its as if all the success the team has already experienced this tour they just think its easy to win and they can just decide who's going to win on the day!

Yeah, really silly. Next time, Sbaragli will probably do the sprint as he has also - like Philipsen - won a sprint in the Vuelta.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Against this kind of field Cipo could probably make a coneback and win at least 4 stages, if Morkov and the whole DQ train were there to do a leadout for him.

 

[Skalman]

No crashes, Cavendish wins, everybody happy for a change except maybe for Van Moer

 

[Rollthedice]

Van Der Poel wins, shortly after the Dutch football team lose. Cav wins, shortly after England football team...

 

[MrTea1976]

I remember watching my first TdFs in 2009-10, when the most certain thing in the race was Cavendish winning sprint stages. There was no point in watching those finishes, cause the outcome was already known just from the beginning.

And now, after over 10 years Cavendish is winning another stage in the Tour (with this legs it's very likely it won't be his only one).
I have no words.

Cavendish winning Milan-San Remo is what brought me back to watching cycling (and riding myself). Very pleased for him and pleased to see an exciting sprint finish without crashes!

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Van Der Poel wins, shortly after the Dutch football team lose. Cav wins, shortly after England football team...

We may have to ask the Danish government, to issue a ban on Fuglsang attacking on Le Grand-Bornand on Saturday

 

[Mick Dundee]

shortly after England football team...

Wins on penalties!

 

[movingtarget]

No crashes, Cavendish wins, everybody happy for a change except maybe for Van Moer

The body language of Van Moer when he turns his head with 250 to go.............................

 

[SHAD0W93]

Cavendish, Philipsen and Bouhanni for the TDF stage win.

Can you tell the top sprinters aren't here anymore lol??

I see Cavendish’s name there.

Literally my exam started when they reached the one km banner and I was like damn it and my mom is texting me saying “he did it” and I’m like who Cavendish or breakaway.

Yes!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mountainroad]

Not wrong though is it. We have 7 more stages of this second-tier sprinters to look forward to.

It is possible that Cav will turn out to be the dominant sprinter of this Tour; of course the landscape would be different with Ewan and Bennett here. There are always ifs ands and buts.... I don't think it is fair to call Cav a second tier sprinter this season though. He's had a good season and demonstrated that he could be competitive with Ewan et al. I'm a realist and I felt like Cav had a pretty good chance of winning at least one stage this year, even with Ewan in the field.

I have also believed for a long time that Bouhanni is better than his results suggest. He's had "issues" for years that have gotten in his way but the talent is there (which is why he's been able to keep a contract all this time, in spite of the fact that he has been high maintenance). He/his team seem to have it together this year. I'm not surprised to see him up there.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I think it's simply about showing that Alpecin is a team and not just van der Poel and van der Poel and also Merlier wanting to give something back.

Philipsen is the more allround rider, is stronger than Merlier on such finishes and more likely to get over the mountains.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

NEXT:

Froome goes berserk on Saturday, and does a 100K attack across 5 mountains for the win

 

[SHAD0W93]

What is he coming back from? being too fat and not training?

Must have been MIA the last 5 years.

 

[BlueRoads]

The discussion must have gone something like this:

"Well, guys, what do we start with?"
"Since van der Poel does his first GT: a win for Poulidor's grandson on the first stage, Mathieu also getting the yellow Poupou never wore.. that's the story we need!"
"Okay, but don't you think we need a French win first? Alaphilippe stage winner and into yellow, surely that must be the story for the first stage?"
"True, but then let's have the Poupou-grandson story on the second."
"Agreed."
"And after that?"
"Drama. Pure drama. Oh, thinking about it, let's have some drama on the first stage already... crashes, people love crashes... drama and something to discuss. We need to be the talk of the town in these times of football and everything. Imagine that: A spectator greets her grandpa and grandma with a gigantic selfmade sign and takes out one of the riders... then maybe another crash, later on..."
"But the spectator should be German and the rider she takes out should be German as well. I don't want this to fall back on the French, they should have nothing to do with it on the day Julian wins."
"And then another German rider is the first one abandoning, fine. Move on. What about the third stage?"
"More crashes."
"Oh come on!"
"No, seriously. Let's have many crashes! With major contenders taken out."
"Oh, you're so cynical. Do you ever have any other ideas for drama?"
"Well, of course Cavendish needs to win a stage, we all know that!"
"But not the one with the many crashes. That would overshadow his win. Give the crash stage to some random pro-team."
"Alpecin?"
"Random, I said."
"Whatever."
"Fine. What's his name, Tom, or Tim... Okay, and the Cav win..."
"On stage four. But it's going to be close. The last break-away rider will almost make it. What that guy's name again, the new de Gendt..."
"De Moer."
"Right, that's him. 10m from the finish."
"Ah, make that 200. I want people to have some time to get excited about Cavendish."
"Fine."
"Fine, that's going well. Now what do we have for the first time trial?"

 

[RownhamHill]

Van Der Poel wins, shortly after the Dutch football team lose. Cav wins, shortly after England football team...

Fortunately Cav's not English, so. . .

 

[limak_]

The discussion must have gone something like this:

"Well, guys, what do we start with?"
"Since van der Poel does his first GT: a win for Poulidor's grandson on the first stage, Mathieu also getting the yellow Poupou never wore.. that's the story we need!"
"Okay, but don't you think we need a French win first? Alaphilippe stage winner and into yellow, surely that must be the story for the first stage?"
"True, but then let's have the Poupou-grandson story on the second."
"Agreed."
"And after that?"
"Drama. Pure drama. Oh, thinking about it, let's have some drama on the first stage already... crashes, people love crashes... drama and something to discuss. We need to be the talk of the town in these times of football and everything. Imagine that: A spectator greets her grandpa and grandma with a gigantic selfmade sign and takes out one of the riders... then maybe another crash, later on..."
"But the spectator should be German and the rider she takes out should be German as well. I don't want this to fall back on the French, they should have nothing to do with it on the day Julian wins."
"And then another German rider is the first one abandoning, fine. Move on. What about the third stage?"
"More crashes."
"Oh come on!"
"No, seriously. Let's have many crashes! With major contenders taken out."
"Oh, you're so cynical. Do you ever have any other ideas for drama?"
"Well, of course Cavendish needs to win a stage, we all know that!"
"But not the one with the many crashes. That would overshadow his win. Give the crash stage to some random pro-team."
"Alpecin?"
"Random, I said."
"Whatever."
"Fine. What's his name, Tom, or Tim... Okay, and the Cav win..."
"On stage four. But it's going to be close. The last break-away rider will almost make it. What that guy's name again, the new de Gendt..."
"De Moer."
"Right, that's him. 10m from the finish."
"Ah, make that 200. I want people to have some time to get excited about Cavendish."
"Fine."
"Fine, that's going well. Now what do we have for the first time trial?"

Appreciate the effort you put into it!

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

As far as I can remember, van Moer came closer to winning solo from a break than anyone in the Tour since Nicolas Vogondy was caught with less than 50m remaining into Chateauroux on stage 5 in 2008. That stage is known, not only for Vogondy's heartbreaker in the French champion's jersey, but for a youngster who got his first stage win that day. Whatever became of him?