Tour de France Tour de France 2022: Stage 11 (Albertville – Col du Granon Serre Chevalier, 151.7k)

[inri2000]

Jumbo effectively killed Pogacar today. He had to respond to so many attacks he cooked himself and probably forgot to eat as well.

Stupid bluff by counter attacking himself as well.

Agreed about the counter attack, I wonder if he also should have gambled and let Roglic go instead of chasing both of them. In any case I'm sure he will learn to be less aggresive on stages where there is not much to gain, he has wasted too much energy in the wind in other stages and sprinting for every finish.

 

[Big Doopie]

Agreed about the counter attack, I wonder if he also should have gambled and let Roglic go instead of chasing both of them.

bingo. he should never have focussed any energies on rog.

 

[shalgo]

Quintana? Bardet? What year is it?

2015 Tour queen stage (stage 19): Quintana 2nd, Bardet 5th, Majka 15th
2022 Tour queen stage: Quintana 2nd, Bardet 3rd, Majka 13th

(Pinot, Froome, and Mollema couldn't quite match their 2015 performances.)

 

[Big Doopie]

what a team vingo now has at his disposal. he does not even have to any long distance attack from Pog. only one near the finish when teammates cannot do the work for him.

however, pog (if truly like merckx) will do everything to destabilize vingo. it could get crazy. i hope so.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Hug of the Day: To Bardet?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1547233753197584384

View: https://twitter.com/OutOfCycling/status/1547233753197584384?s=20&t=kc-OKM8D0DMEKwwqScYWsw

 

[CyclistAbi]

There was a discussion when he came back to Vingegaard's group - a short one, of course, but if everyone agreed, the discussion wouldn't have been there. That's how I saw it.

Even if it was the team's decision, I don't get why Van Aert is so often involved in the worst Jumbo Visma decisions.

At that point JV had race under total control. Bringing back Roglič was likely a statement of confidence.

If only they would have done such a great job on stage 5. But OK that is in the past now. And will let the Danes take over. Discussing their tactics in depth. For better or worse.

 

[Gargamel35]

Vinge needs to thank Roglič for all the attacks on Pogačar today and thanks to Pogačar thinking Roglič is still a threat for GC win. Without that, Pog wouldn't blow up. Great legs also, a real climber.

No he needs to follow and it should be enough since he's very good at TT.

 

[Ramira]

Jumbo effectively killed Pogacar today. He had to respond to so many attacks he cooked himself and probably forgot to eat as well.

Stupid bluff by counter attacking himself as well.

I think the constant attacks made it really hard for Pogacar to eat and drink. Not sure how much of a role that played, but it probably did affect him somewhat.

 

[Big Doopie]

Vinge needs to thank Roglič for all the attacks on Pogačar today and thanks to Pogačar thinking Roglič is still a threat for GC win. Without that, Pog wouldn't blow up. Great legs also, a real climber.

No he needs to follow and it should be enough since he's very good at TT.

yes, and yes again, rog was ultimately going nowhere. he sacrificed himself and pog's huuuuuuge mistake was to over-estimate rog. he should have asked me...

 

[Miha81]

Agreed about the counter attack, I wonder if he also should have gambled and let Roglic go instead of chasing both of them.

He couldn't know that Rogla is not feeling it and WVA was waiting to pull one of his teammates on downhill stretch and into the last climb. But I guess he should have gamble on that one. Better losing 3min to Rogla than Vigo

 

[titan31]

Its a really low blow to Wout. Wout rode an amazing race, but the teamcar CLEARLY ordered him back to Roglic for whatever reason.

Tbf the biggest effect is it brought Majka back up and Jumbo could sit behind and leave Majka work himself to death again. If WVA stayed with Vingegaard, he's riding anyway at the front for the flatter section and didn't last long on the climb anyway and there was no one behind they were riding to distance anyway. Even if Vingegaard had a mechanical he had Kuss and Kruijswijk there to help.

Ultimately it didn't really matter what WVA did there.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Bringing back Roglic forced UAE to ride, don't think there was much else WVA could've been of use at that point in the race.

 

[GroupDK]

Pogacar shows what a champ he is, even in defeat..
class win from Jonas Wingfarm today..if Jakob Birdsong can take the stage tomorrow, that does look like something that could be up his alley.. it would a first-ever with 3 danish stage-win in a row.
what a great stage today... Jumbo Visma really showed where the cabinet should stand today.
Bummer that Primoz Roglich dropped 11½ minutes on the last climb, but with almost 14 minutes it obviously makes it more transparent on the role he will play moving forward.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Post-race interview, Wout congratulates V: I'm proud of you.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

OMG what an epic! Ridiculous attacking by JV on Galibier. I was afraid they would ride the race defensively but they made a show. However, Pogacar looked super strong on Galibier and neutralized all the attacks killing all other JV guys like a boss (including Roglic who was sacrificed for Vigne today). During Granon climb it looked so well for UAE with Majka setting tempo for Pog and no helper for Vigne. Pog was even smiling to the camera. Pog's brutal attack was expected and then the disaster struct! Pog cracked like an egg! Fall of the champion. It must have been some kind of energetic crisis. Vinge was riding superbly crushing the rest in the last 5 km, big congrats to him. I'm not even trying to guess what was his VAM. The race is his to lose but Pog won't give up without at least one epic attack.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Tbf the biggest effect is it brought Majka back up and Jumbo could sit behind and leave Majka work himself to death again. If WVA stayed with Vingegaard, he's riding anyway at the front for the flatter section and didn't last long on the climb anyway and there was no one behind they were riding to distance anyway. Even if Vingegaard had a mechanical he had Kuss and Kruijswijk there to help.

Ultimately it didn't really matter what WVA did there.

Agree, in hindsight it most likely helped Vingegaard as he basically just used Majka as a superdom today. But a weird decision nonetheless, but as you say, ultimately didnt matter!

 

[staubsauger]

Agree, in hindsight it most likely helped Vingegaard as he basically just used Majka as a superdom today. But a weird decision nonetheless, but as you say, ultimately didnt matter!

I was 100% convinced it was an epic fail. Somehow it ended up as a big gamble to keep Pogacar, Majka respectively working and wait for the perfect moment to attack and crack him.

Jumbo truly raced for the win today. You only gonna pull such a risky tactic if you want it all, no matter what.

 

[Salvarani]

In hindsight, just focusing on Vingegaard is what they should have done. Let Roglic go away. Because would Vingegaard keep attacking relentlessly with Roglic ahead? JV would have been faced with a decision.

Soler and Majka was strong enough that they could have paced the GC group on Galibier and probably deliver Pog to the last climb without Pog spending a crazy amount of energy. Maybe other teams like FDJ, Ineos, DSM would have helped in the valley with Roglic becoming a threat in the GC again.

Maybe Roglic would have only gained some seconds in the end or maybe he would have been reeled back on the last climb with Vingegaard and Pog having their mano a mano there. Instead of on Galibier after relentlessly attacking each other.

Pog is probably not losing a huge amount to Vingegaard on the last climb in that scenario, I think. At least hangs on for longer. Maybe keeps the jersey.

 

[Poursuivant]

I was following in work and seen up to the Roglic Vingegaard Thomas and Pogacar group got away very early on and decided to not check and watch the stage in full, with no spoilers.

So I am late to the party but some of my thoughts after finally watching it:

1: incredible stage, goes without saying. For a team to attack first mountain of the first multi mountain stage, I literally cannot remember that ever happening. Not just to attack, it wasn’t half-hearted, they went all in as if it was Stage 20. Incredible.

2: TJV team strength is not only massive compared to UAE, but just in general. Ineos have a great team but that moment when there was a group of about 8 or 9 on the Galibier and there was 5 TJV was insane. Loved it tbh, they came here not settling for second.

3: Who didn’t enjoy the “old guard” of Bardet, Quintana and Thomas showing their experience and slugging it out with the best? Superb scenes

4: I haven’t read this thread yet so I don’t know if the point has been made: Vingegaard attacked about 5km to go, and absolutely decimated Pogacar, but look at the gaps he put into Thomas, Quintana, Bardet. In 5kms! He is in mutant shape.

5: When Pogacar dropped, David Millar in commentary said something ridiculous like: Pogacar is paying for his arrogance, literally because he smiled at the camera on the run in to Granon. TJV did what they had to do to win: that means throw the kitchen sink at Pogacar. He was following move after move after move because he had to. TJV had it right: Pogacar probably has 3 weaknesses; his team, possibly altitude, possibly the heat. They went in with all three today and got what they deserved. Chapeau.

6: Pogacar is a born winner, second means nothing to him. He will engage in some serious guerilla warfare between now and Paris, it’s going to be epic.

7: How often has the point been said down the years on here when one rider is super strong: “how different it would be if his team were weak” Well now we have it. The beauty of Pogacar having a weak team is different to other strong riders: Pogacar will literally attack from the gun if needs be, he will cause carnage if he thinks he can take yellow back, he’s not going to be interested in following wheels for the podium.

8: Please don’t let Covid or any stupid injuries, illnesses or crashes stop up from having what could be a Tour for the ages.

Apologies for the ramble, it was an amazing stage.

 

[Breezy1985]

It just isn't the Tour without a Frenchman to get over excited about. #AllezBardet

 

[staubsauger]

It just isn't the Tour without a Frenchman to get over excited about. #AllezBardet

Seeing him today after being forced to re-build his shape towards France, he really really could've won the Giro d'Italia!

 

[DenisMenchov]

GC

This graphics is really disrespectful to Lutsenko... What on Earth did he do wrong to not have Kazakhstan's flag there?!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Finally, the Tour is raced like the biggest spectacle of the year! All too often the fact that the Tour is the most important race means that teams and riders are too afraid of losing to try to win until very late in the day when desperation takes hold, or the route neuters it. I was afraid that tomorrow's stage would scare people off making this one a big race, but with UAE's weakened team and the fact that Galibier north is such an absolute titan, it would likely still have been a bloodbath on Granon if they soft-pedalled Galibier just because it's hard enough in and of itself. I didn't think Jumbo had it in them. They'd certainly done little in the last three years to suggest they had this in them.

Thomas though... man. Wiggins was a matter of circumstance, the value to Sky and to the press of a marketable UK star at a time the German audience needed replacing, and a parcours tailored towards his victory. Froome was the main beneficiary, emerging just at the right time (somewhat conveniently) to capitalise on the new-found attention and budget being ploughed into the sport in the UK. Thomas spending a decade as a Classics man then turning into a GC man in his 30s and winning, not a tailored Tour but a regular one, has always just felt like rubbing our noses in it, and seeing him outclimb Tadej Pogačar feels like, Idunno, Harry Maguire suddenly turning into a 30-goal-a-year winger and pulling out a Puskas Award winner.

Hopefully now his "try not to be noticed and do nothing" technique has fallen by the wayside, Enric Mas can learn to do something.

I might have to be all in for Nairoman to get a career swansong podium.

 

[Breezy1985]

Finally, the Tour is raced like the biggest spectacle of the year! All too often the fact that the Tour is the most important race means that teams and riders are too afraid of losing to try to win until very late in the day when desperation takes hold, or the route neuters it. I was afraid that tomorrow's stage would scare people off making this one a big race, but with UAE's weakened team and the fact that Galibier north is such an absolute titan, it would likely still have been a bloodbath on Granon if they soft-pedalled Galibier just because it's hard enough in and of itself. I didn't think Jumbo had it in them. They'd certainly done little in the last three years to suggest they had this in them.

Thomas though... man. Wiggins was a matter of circumstance, the value to Sky and to the press of a marketable UK star at a time the German audience needed replacing, and a parcours tailored towards his victory. Froome was the main beneficiary, emerging just at the right time (somewhat conveniently) to capitalise on the new-found attention and budget being ploughed into the sport in the UK. Thomas spending a decade as a Classics man then turning into a GC man in his 30s and winning, not a tailored Tour but a regular one, has always just felt like rubbing our noses in it, and seeing him outclimb Tadej Pogačar feels like, Idunno, Harry Maguire suddenly turning into a 30-goal-a-year winger and pulling out a Puskas Award winner.

Hopefully now his "try not to be noticed and do nothing" technique has fallen by the wayside, Enric Mas can learn to do something.

I might have to be all in for Nairoman to get a career swansong podium.

It's more like Harry Maguire turning into a top defender
As for the last bit I'm all in with you. Time to watch the old Condor fly one more time

 

[Andre]

GC

Vlasov and Lutsenko battling for best Russian.