Tour de France Tour de France 2021, Stage 5: Changé – Laval Espace Mayenne, 27.2 km (ITT)

[HelloDolly]

Unless Remco gets back to his pre crash form, there is no competition for Pogacar

Not even on top form ...Remco cant climb like Pogacar

 

[movingtarget]

Crazy how bulky those "old" GC riders sometimes were.

The sport was totally different then. Technology, diet, training, just about everything. Some climbers looked like today's sprinters..............

 

[Rackham]

Not even on top form ...Remco cant climb like Pogacar

Remco is like an all encompassing myth at this point.

Pre-crash Remco could spank the clone of Pantani on the climbs & the lovechild of Armstrong & Indurain in the TT's.

There's nothing Remco couldn't achieve & there's no one he couldn't beat, whether it's today's Pogacar in the Tour or yesteryear's champions. He is the GOAT.

Too bad that's only a reality in video games (with cheat codes of course).

 

[Spine Concept]

Unless Remco gets back to his pre crash form, there is no competition for Pogacar

Even then, I’d still have to see it happen. As things stand, Pog is in a league of his own.

We’ll see how Evenepoel goes when the time comes.

 

[pvieira91]

Even then, I’d still have to see it happen. As things stand, Pog is in a league of his own.

We’ll see how Evenepoel goes when the time comes.

Don't forget Joao Almeida

 

[Leinster]

I find it odd, that Fuglsang didn't slow roll today, to lose more time.

I would have thought Saturday was a perfect stage for him, if his target is stages and polkadots, but only being 2:08 down on Pogacar, he will not be allowed to hit the early break, nor get away from the GC group on the last climb.

The Danes appear to have all agreed that today was their unofficial TT Nats. Asgreen now has to put an asterisk on his skinsuit, and chug a Carlsberg whenever Vingegaard calls him out.

 

[Rackham]

Don't forget Joao Almeida

The only person who can match Pogacar (& beat him) is currently in the Tour de France & his name is Primoz Roglic.

That's when he's fit of course & has a team dedicated to him entirely (as he did in Basque Country). He has neither fitness nor complete team leadership in this Tour though, ergo Pogacar is alone at the top.

It's not Joao Almeida (who just got beat hard by Bernal in the Giro) who is going to take the fight to Tadej Pogacar.

 

[Pinot's goat]

We need a Froome resurrection before La Vuelta otherwise he cannot be stopped.

 

[Broccolidwarf]

From which supplier is the helmet?

It doesn't look like a Abus/Canyon one.

He's not wearing a helmet...

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Wow, the baby-faced killer strikes again! PDBF was no fluke, it was the same again (but this time his rivals were lucky that there was no climb). The mountains haven't even begun but Pogi is already in the driving seat for the Tour victory. Who would have thought?

Pogacar +0'00''
Uran +1'21''
Carapaz +1'36''
Roglic +1'40''
Thomas +1'46''

All he needs to do is to sit comfortably behind Ineos/JV trains but the beast will need a monumental effort not to crush Mayo's Ventoux record

 

[Leinster]

The only person who can match Pogacar (& beat him) is currently in the Tour de France & his name is Primoz Roglic.

That's when he's fit of course & has a team dedicated to him entirely (as he did in Basque Country). He has neither fitness nor complete team leadership in this Tour though, ergo Pogacar is alone at the top.

It's not Joao Almeida (who just got beat hard by Bernal in the Giro) who is going to take the fight to Tadej Pogacar.

Almeida has the team excuse as well, though. Especially in the Giro you just referenced.

Also, a fit Bernal will challenge Pogacar.


Also, this TdF has 16 stages left. We've all seen Tours declared over at this stage before. Sometimes they've gone Indurain/Armstrong, and sometimes they've gone Ullrich 98.

 

[Leinster]

Wow, the baby-faced killer strikes again! PDBF was no fluke, it was the same again (but this time his rivals were lucky that there was no climb). The mountains haven't even begun but Pogi is already in the driving seat for the Tour victory. Who would have thought?

Pogacar +0'00''
Uran +1'21''
Carapaz +1'36''
Roglic +1'40''
Thomas +1'46''

All he needs to do is to sit comfortably behind Ineos/JV trains but the beast will need a monumental effort not to crush Mayo's Ventoux record

I don't think PdBF could ever have been viewed as a fluke, nor today as a surprise. Pog went into the Tour last year as 2-time Slovenian TT champ.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Also, a fit Bernal will challenge Pogacar.

Maybe...at a GT without ITTs.

 

[hfer07]

Sorry to say it, but barring a crash or an unforeseeable event happening, I'm afraid Pogacar already won this Tour ....

I mean- not even the mighty of INEOS & Jumbo on team members seems enough against Pogacar, whose team has not even been seen lately helping him at all....

 

[Leinster]

Maybe...at a GT without ITTs.

Have you watched any GTs since 2010?

 

[bob.a.feet]

The only person who can match Pogacar (& beat him) is currently in the Tour de France & his name is Primoz Roglic.

That's when he's fit of course & has a team dedicated to him entirely (as he did in Basque Country). He has neither fitness nor complete team leadership in this Tour though, ergo Pogacar is alone at the top.

It's not Joao Almeida (who just got beat hard by Bernal in the Giro) who is going to take the fight to Tadej Pogacar.

Almeida's only 22 and has finished in the top ten of two Grand Tours. Very few riders in history can say that. Sure, that's the same age as Pogacar but there was a time not long ago when such achievements at that age were incredible. And, of course, he still has plenty of time to develop.

At the moment, Pogacar looks like the man to beat for the next decade, but I wouldn't dismiss Almeida so soon.

 

[staubsauger]

Why exactly did Jumbo sacrifice Sepp Kuss only for him to ride the tt of his life today!?

 

[JosefK]

Sorry to say it, but barring a crash or an unforeseeable event happening, I'm afraid Pogacar already won this Tour ....

I mean- not even the mighty of INEOS & Jumbo on team members seems enough against Pogacar, whose team has not even been seen lately helping him at all....

All Pogi needs team riders for is to help block the peloton when he strikes out on his own, Landis style, 100 km from the finish.

 

[JosefK]

The surprise of the day has to be Vingegaard, right? Pogi was already half expected to go nuclear. Jonas has shown himself to be a good TT guy, but today he was beating some elite guys.

 

[red_flanders]

Not even on top form ...Remco cant climb like Pogacar

Or sprint.

 

[Rackham]

Almeida's only 22 and has finished in the top ten of two Grand Tours. Very few riders in history can say that. Sure, that's the same age as Pogacar but there was a time not long ago when such achievements at that age were incredible. And, of course, he still has plenty of time to develop.

At the moment, Pogacar looks like the man to beat for the next decade, but I wouldn't dismiss Almeida so soon.

I have no idea why people insist on inserting their favorite prospects into these discussions (whether it's Remco, Almeida, whomever).

I mean we've seen young riders with huge prospects doing top 10's who've amounted to zilch as well. What we know is Pogacar massacres everyone who isn't prime top form Primoz Roglic.

No amount of inserting xyz wishful thinking rival will alter the fact we're probably going to be served a "Pogacar annihilation of rivals" in the Tour for quite a few years now.

 

[BlueRoads]

@Devil's Elbow: Can you put up the threads for the next two stages?

 

[Mayomaniac]

Why exactly did Jumbo sacrifice Sepp Kuss only for him to ride the tt of his life today!?

I guess they weren't confident that Kuss would back it up in the TT.
They still have Vingegaard up there and if Steven gets better it only takes one mountain raid at the end of the first week to turn him into a danger man once again (think about how they played their cards on the Alpe d'Huez stage in 2018).

 

[Devil's Elbow]

@Devil's Elbow: Can you put up the threads for the next two stages?

I put up the Stage 6 thread right as you posted this! Will add the Stage 7 thread too.

 

[BlueRoads]

I have no idea why people insist on inserting their favorite prospects into these discussions (whether it's Remco, Almeida, whomever).

I mean we've seen young riders with huge prospects doing top 10's who've amounted to zilch as well. What we know is Pogacar massacres everyone who isn't prime top form Primoz Roglic.

No amount of inserting xyz wishful thinking rival will alter the fact we're probably going to be served a "Pogacar annihilation of rivals" in the Tour for quite a few years now.

Although I agree with the "throwing your favourite rider in", I think we have no clue what will happen next. Maybe Vingegaard will become the next big thing, or van der Poel will become a GC contender, or Ayuso will become the next Pogacar or someone I've never heard of will win the Tour in two years...