Tour de France Tour de France 2022: Stage 4 (Dunkerque – Calais, 171.5k)

[Tricycle Rider]

How will Netflix add drama to stage 3? Fake action music, behind the scenes drama? Team car having a flat tire and needing to chase back on only three tires?

Get Michael Bay to direct and all of a sudden you'll get all kinds of Hollywood magic. (Basically lots and lots of CGI explosions because nothing says action like lots and lots of unnecessary and randomly added explosions.)

 

[Eclipse]

Brad dropping an F bomb and then pretending he'd dodged it lool

 

[shalgo]

What a long and exciting battle to get in the break.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Seems like the peloton thinks it's still in Denmark.

 

[RedheadDane]

Yvon Ledanois and Samuel Dumoulin screaming like crazy in the radio.

 

[MrTea1976]

I would like Cort to win in the Polka dots.

 

[HelloDolly]

Jeez wouldnt you think more would go in the break

Some riders will never be seen in this race

go up the road...no one knows what could happen ...

 

[spalco]

I would like Cort to win in the Polka dots.

He's kind of a show-off at this point imo. But if nobody else even want to pretend to want to go into a break, why not...

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Yvon Ledanois and Samuel Dumoulin screaming like crazy in the radio.

What are they screaming? "Remember we have a deal with ASO: If Cort attacks, we're not allowed to respond!

 

[Eclipse]

Carlton is going to be in overdrive trying to make today interesting after this disgracefully weak break

 

[Netserk]

I don't think it would be impossible, the distance isn't that great. Without needing the equipment, I've even flown into and out of Copenhagen for a day trip before. However, for that to be feasible they would have to finish stage 3 somewhere very close to an airport - and probably Copenhagen for it to be large enough to cope with the logistical burden, which then would put massive restrictions on what you can do with the three stages as part of the Grand Départ since they wanted to start in Copenhagen too.

The other thing that you would then have would be the need to transport everything. As a result, the only way that would likely make sense would be to have an ITT or TTT on either the last day in Denmark (enabling the logistics of the regular road bikes to gain a head start) or the first day in France (enabling the TT gear to be taken to France direct and the rest of the equipment to be transferred across two days.

However, while it would be logistically possible, it's probably more of a headache than it's worth for the impositions on route. I mean, we've moaned about the lack of spectacle outside of the fans enough, imagine if we hadn't even had the ITT?

Hell, back in 1988 the Vuelta started in the Canary Islands, having an ITT, a TTT and a road stage in the first three days, and then transferring to Sevilla with no rest day. Since Denmark is in the Schengen area, this seems like the most reasonable comparison (back in the pre-Schengen days you'd have more issue with transfers across borders between stages, but the Canaries to mainland Spain is a comparably long transfer by air or boat that would not require passport control, customs checks etc).

They did finish stage 3 very close to an airport. You could keep the first three stages as they were and then have a TTT as stage 4, but I think the main constraint would be the transfer of the team buses. To make it work, they would probably have to shift the time of the stages.

 

[Netserk]

He's kind of a show-off at this point imo. But if nobody else even want to pretend to want to go into a break, why not...

Given how far back he is in GC, he would have to get in the break today to keep the jersey. Otherwise he would de facto give the jersey away to Perez for free.

 

[RedheadDane]

Given how far back he is in GC, he would have to get in the break today to keep the jersey. Otherwise he would de facto give the jersey away to Perez for free.

Or hope that the same guy doesn't get all points on offer today.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Is MCN the new Tommy V?

 

[Netserk]

I expect Trek, Total, and maybe Intermarché to be the teams that will drill the last climb. But with the most hilly part of the stage being so far from the line, it's also likely that all the climbs will be ridden at a steady pace.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

We all knew we would get a tiny break with Cort in it.

it would help if they awarded more than 1 point for a single rider on 4th category climbs (like they used to).

 

[noob]

I've been wondering if the reasons for the lack of breakways is stage 5 tomorrow? :O

 

[sir fly]

Watching them leisurely strolling so far, I can't resist feeling something relevant's gonna happen today.
Like they're trying to deceive each other.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

I've been wondering if the reasons for the lack of breakways is stage 5 tomorrow? :O

Any sprint stage will be like this, more or less...

 

[Lequack]

Are modern GTs even racing?

 

[Pirazziattacks]

I can't understand only two riders being interested in getting in the break today. It's hilly enough that QS, BEX and Lotto will need to strike a balance between chasing and preventing their sprinters from being dropped. Plenty will miss out on the break tomorrow and at most there are a couple of cat 3 climbs up for grabs on stages 6 and 7.

 

[Pirazziattacks]

Are modern GTs even racing?

Evidently GT organisers and the UCI need to reward time spent in the breakaway more. It's artificial, but so are (or maybe were) TV breaks.

 

[Eclipse]

I've been wondering if the reasons for the lack of breakways is stage 5 tomorrow? :O

There's just very little incentive to go in week one when half the guys with strong sprints in the race are also fine on the climbs. Too many fresh teams who have had to do nothing who are there to work to think it's ever really going to work.

 

[noob]

Any sprint stage will be like this, more or less...

There's just very little incentive to go in week one when half the guys with strong sprints in the race are also fine on the climbs. Too many fresh teams who have had to do nothing who are there to work to think it's ever really going to work.

It's just last year there were breakaways more or less everyday from Bonnamour. Too bad he isn't here maybe

 

[DJ Sprtsch]

Can't understand the lack of guys in the break.
Everything is not about the mountains classification, there's a chance to win a stage in the biggest stage race there is. TV time also.
Of course it would help if there was more than the single point on offer in the KOMs.