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Tour de France Tour de France 2022: Final rest day thread

Final GC outcome?


  • Total voters
    132
  • Poll closed .
Switching it up a bit with the poll.

Two jerseys are all but decided, one is all but a free-for-all, and the most important one of them all is somewhere in between... not too bad a score, all in all. Will Thomas' GC position ever change? Will the French fail to land a stage win for the first time this century? Will anyone actually target the polkadots? And, above all, will Pogacar be able to crack Vingegaard? Discuss.
 
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I think it will stay the way it is. Neither Bardet nor Quintana seem to be consistently stronger than Thomas and that's what they would need if they wanted to beat him (considering the TT still to come) so that's a rather easy one.
Thomas is also clearly weaker than both Pogacar and Vingegaard so I don't see him beating one of those two. The question between Pogacar and Vingegaard is honestly the hardest one but due to Vingegaard's advantage it's still one where you can only give one rational answer.

That said, with TJV significantly weakened this is all but decided. Vingegaard is suddenly at risk of long range attacks again with only two reliable domestiques for the mountains, and Pogacar is the kind of rider I would never rule out to have a super dominant performance coming in one of the remaining stages. Bardet and Pog attacking on the Aubisque descent with Majka in the break and all hell could break lose.
 
I think it will stay the way it is. Neither Bardet nor Quintana seem to be consistently stronger than Thomas and that's what they would need if they wanted to beat him (considering the TT still to come) so that's a rather easy one.
Thomas is also clearly weaker than both Pogacar and Vingegaard so I don't see him beating one of those two. The question between Pogacar and Vingegaard is honestly the hardest one but due to Vingegaard's advantage it's still one where you can only give one rational answer.

That said, with TJV significantly weakened this is all but decided. Vingegaard is suddenly at risk of long range attacks again with only two reliable domestiques for the mountains, and Pogacar is the kind of rider I would never rule out to have a super dominant performance coming in one of the remaining stages. Bardet and Pog attacking on the Aubisque descent with Majka in the break and all hell could break lose.
Pretty much my feelings exactly. I actually voted 1.V and 2.Not Pogacar because I think either Pog wins or blows and loses to Thomas
 
Sure was hot out there

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Option 1 is the obvious pick. But it ain’t over for yellow. The loss of two key mountain men certainly does make it interesting. Then there is cumulative fatigue of the 3rd week. Other than poor options on stage 11 I am not seeing Vingegaard as better than Pogacar. But two minutes is a big gap which is why Vingegaard is still the overwhelming favourite. Thomas is a shoo-in for 3rd.
 
I can't bet against Pogacar. Vingo has a huge advantage now and it will take something special to make such a deficit up. Jonas is an absolute beast right now, hats off to him, but I can't bet against Pogacar. Thomas third. He will hang on. Bardet is fourth and needs make time up and have a two-minute buffer the morning of the ITT. Tall order of business: Geraint has a team...a really good one indeed.

I hope that all the riders between 4-7 give it a real podium shot. Bardet did it in '16 edging Quintana...and Adam Yates in the final GC. I know the UCI points narrative: true. Defending a 7th place has happened before...

So it's about GC and stages, down and dirty, Stage 16 could turn into something if Pog wants it to be. Sow the seeds of doubt in JV's heads before a massive move on stages 17 and 18. Get a minute back. So breaks may not win or even exist: a storm is coming with yellow jersey implications.

For the stages, I want Thibaut Pinot to win one. And Birdsong too. Wout in Paris.: he's The Man.
 

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