Tour de France Tour de France 2022: Stage 16 (Carcassonne – Foix, 178.5k)

[AlfaLum]

In danger of being called a fanboy, I'm still gonna say it. Van Aert is being used as a lap dog for Vingegaard. If he was a bit more selfish or had a team for his own he could have won at least 2 more stages, probably more.

If Vingegaard ends up losing his yellow in the TT and/or climb finishes Van Aert has every right to be downright pissed. He didn't need to wait today. Vingegaard would have been perfectly fine on his own.

Like he would have won this stage if he didn’t wait. That’s just Jumbo putting some extra feathers into Wouts already full a$$.

It turned out quite good, especially because Kuss was superb. But Wout should already be very happy that he was allowed up the road while having a team mate defending yellow. And he only dropped back once it was clear that he would not get back to Houle.

Oh and don’t get me wrong, Wout is great. But he is getting great support this Tour from great teammates that he wouldn’t have in many other teams.

 

[Boes]

Like he would have won this stage if he didn’t wait. That’s just Jumbo putting some extra feathers into Wouts already full a$$.

It turned out quite good, especially because Kuss was superb. But Wout should already be very happy that he was allowed up the road while having a team mate defending yellow. And he only dropped back once it was clear that he would not get back to Houle.

Oh and don’t get me wrong, Wout is great. But he is getting great support this Tour from great teammates that he wouldn’t have in many other teams.

He actually said in a post race interview he had the leggs to follow but it was a tactical plan not to do so.
This coming from the man that both won the Ventoux race and is a great descender, I sincerely believe he made a good chance to win this stage.

But I'm not only talking about this stage and I'm not saying it's a fault from Wout or Jumbo. I'm just saying it's damn sad he has to juggle both his own ambition and the GC ambition while being in the form of his life. Leggs like this woun't come very year.

 

[Lequack]

This Tour is now officially over. It's been nice, but it's done.

 

[Kwibus]

Maybe, but it was Galibier and Granon, Van Aert was not going to be able to ride him all the way on those climbs.

So Roglic up ahead with van Aert in the valley while Pogacar is fully isolated. So Pogacar either needs to pull himself with Vingegaard in his wheel or wait for teammates and gift 2 more minutes. He could've been 4 minutes down at the base of the Granon with Roglic sitting on van Aerts wheel most of the time.

 

[Bonimenier]

Like he would have won this stage if he didn’t wait. That’s just Jumbo putting some extra feathers into Wouts already full a$$.

It turned out quite good, especially because Kuss was superb. But Wout should already be very happy that he was allowed up the road while having a team mate defending yellow. And he only dropped back once it was clear that he would not get back to Houle.

Oh and don’t get me wrong, Wout is great. But he is getting great support this Tour from great teammates that he wouldn’t have in many other teams.

Van Hooydonck said they wanted someone in the break if there were satelite riders of UAE and/or Ineos. Van Aert closed the gap when he saw McNulty and Martinez in the break. Van Hooydonck didn't see that van Aert already went and also bridge across. "Allowed in the break"? What a load of bs. It was the teams' plan and tactically the perfect thing to do. He was an exemplary domestique today.

Sometimes wonder if you actually believe a fraction of what you write.

 

[Sciatic]

Van Hooydonck said they wanted someone in the break if there were satelite riders of UAE and/or Ineos. Van Aert closed the gap when he saw McNulty and Martinez in the break. Van Hooydonck didn't see that van Aert already went and also bridge across. "Allowed in the break"? What a load of bs. It was the teams' plan and tactically the perfect thing to do. He was an exemplary domestique today.

Sometimes wonder if you actually believe a fraction of what you write.

I think you're both taking the same position??

 

[bill1109]

Had to watch..again ...The Move ..yes I liked Lance ..namely George H...after stage 15 ..saying how roglic should have not abandoned ..respect for the race etc...the same race that puts cheap plastic over hay baiils btw...but I digress...
Watching The Move actors take the knee and ball wash sponsors of their site ...and THEN critcize jumbo leaders and sponsor for making decisions for roglic to abandon is priceless

 

[AlfaLum]

Van Hooydonck said they wanted someone in the break if there were satelite riders of UAE and/or Ineos. Van Aert closed the gap when he saw McNulty and Martinez in the break. Van Hooydonck didn't see that van Aert already went and also bridge across. "Allowed in the break"? What a load of bs. It was the teams' plan and tactically the perfect thing to do. He was an exemplary domestique today.

Sometimes wonder if you actually believe a fraction of what you write.

Never said he wasn’t a good team mate today. But it is pretty normal that at this point in the race he is performing a role that is at least to a big part supportive of the yellow Jersey.

I am just a bit tired of reading these comments from Belgium that Wout should have a team that is fully dedicated towards him.

He got all the freedom he could wish for in this Tour. On top of that he has had some amazing support from class riders like Benoot, Laporte and van Hooydonck.

Van Aert and Jumbo is a good marriage and people seem to forget the fact that even though Jumbo have van Aert to thank for a lot of great performances, it is also the other way around. Jumbo has been the best at developing riders for years and Van Aert is one of their master pieces. Perhaps tactically there is room for improvement at Jumbo, but they are pretty much the best in every other aspect of cycling.

And van Aert is reaping the benefits from that.

Also, I do not really remember any discussion we had before, so I am a bit surprised by your hostility in this matter.

 

[Danskebjerge]

It can make a huge difference. Having Wout Van Aert as the lead downhill and on the flats is much much safer. Also, had Pog take a few seconds on the climb, Wout could bring it back on the flats.

But there were no real flats after they joined him. It was downhill. As you could see with Houle, Woods etc the advantage of having someone to pull for you in that terrain, is very limited.

 

[Danskebjerge]

The concept is great. If you have a gap on your rival and you have a teammate at the top who start pulling hard for you while your rival is alone then you most likely completely crack your rival.

Yes, the concept is good, depending on the parameters. In this case, it was downhill most of the way to the finish line. Not much of an advantage, certainly not when you think of the advantage of having a domestique to support the leader with water, possible spare wheel etc.

 

[Danskebjerge]

Wout was there to lead the chase back. Just because they didn’t end up needing it doesn’t mean it wasn’t the correct strategy—it was well set up.

If there was a long flat section after the descent, yes - but it was mainly downhill from the moment they joined Van Aert.

 

[Danskebjerge]

It makes a difference to have a good descender guiding you. Here it even made more of a difference because it was a shallow descent.

Yes, but it also makes a difference for the guy in the yellow jersey to have more than two teammates close to him for 70 kilometers.

 

[Sandisfan]

GC

Soler snubbed by Prudhomme.[/SIZE][/B]

To bad maybe we could have seen Soler Barf on Prudhomme.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

This Tour is now officially over. It's been nice, but it's done.

Pogacar looked exactly as unruffled and in charge as Vingegaard does now until about 45 seconds before he suddenly cracked.

 

[Bonimenier]

If there was a long flat section after the descent, yes - but it was mainly downhill from the moment they joined Van Aert.

It was a shallow descent however. Around a half an hour for 27km. Draft matters a whole lot at that speed as you can sit straight in the wheel of the rider in front of you.

 

[yaco]

I would never have expected Hugo Houle could win a TdF stage. I thought, if Astana cannot make him win such a stage, then no one can.

Glad also for Theo Maucher, Israel‘s mastermind. Theo learned how to do it at Gerolsteiner, and today is one of the most important men in Israel‘s staff.

Houle on the bike looks like Mark Padun. Both have the looks of recreational cyclists, doing 5.000-10.000 kms a year, at maximum. And both are really strong. They do not look stylish, but are strong.

When I read today Houle had a few seconds of a gap on Peguere, I thought, he soon would be caught, and would lose 10 minutes to the stage winner at the finish line…

Did you watch the stage - Do you release that Houle was dropped on the second last climb and got back on the descent and then attacked on the lead dup to the final climb.