Tour de France Tour de France 2023, stage 2: Vitoria-Gasteiz - Donostia/San Sebastián, 208.9k

[Devil's Elbow]

Apparently, Kelderman has suggested that it could have been nice to get a little help by Vingegaard in the final kilometer too. I don't know how smart that was of him to say but I guess it was too obvious to try to contradict.

That said, I am very happy for Lafay. It was a beautiful win and a great way to end Cofidis' dry-spell. He has finally managed to find his level from last year's Tirreno where he also had a couple of mind-boggling performances where he was mixing it up with Pogi, Vingegaard and Remco. And it's quite a contrast to last year where he was competing with March Hirschi and Anthony Turgis over being the first to get dropped as soon as the road went upwards.

Would be really funny if they start infighting properly at Jumbo. Been far too long since we've had that at a team with a potential winner in a GT.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

Emirates is wasting energy with the yellow jersey and also wasting energy to pogacar get the bonus seconds. If they have the confidence that pogacar can drop Vingegaard in the mountains, they shouldn't do that.

UAE won't waste any energy the next 2 stages, the sprinters team will keep the brake in check for them

 

[Andy schleck]

UAE won't waste any energy the next 2 stages, the sprinters team will keep the brake in check for them

I think emirates is "burying" adam yates to soon. He's gonna fade in the mountains.

 

[RobertCrawley]

And win the bonus seconds. I mean this isn't rocket science.

Also, I don't have a problem with the GC leader of the team sitting up & not pushing on at the end to close a gap. But it does look a bit weird when his team on the contrary is pushing for a stage win. So the risk (losing bonus seconds versus Pog) existed in every scenario. Fun fact: if Vinge had agreed to ride with Pog all the way to the finish at the top of the last climb, he would have lost... 4 seconds. Which he did anyway.

I think Jumbo got their knickers in a twist in terms of tactics today. I bet Chris Horner will have some fun in his video recap.

I kind of miss Chris Horner in the studio

 

[jono]

I think emirates is "burying" adam yates to soon. He's gonna fade in the mountains.

Yates is much more valuable to UAE in the mountains if he is in spitting distance of the yellow jersey than as a pure domestique for Pogacar.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Yates is much more valuable to UAE in the mountains if he is in spitting distance of the yellow jersey than as a pure domestique for Pogacar.

Yep. The fact that Adam Yates is strong bodes extremely well for Pog.

 

[frisenfruitig]

What a blasphemy. The tour france champion didn't work for his teammates. Off course he is not going to work for anybody, he is the fu**in leader. He's got a tour france to win.

Lol and doing a single pull is going to prevent him from winning the TDF? It's not like he has to do anything the next couple of days.

 

[Trofonios]

Good to see Pidcock being up there today. Was worried after yesterday.

 

[Andy262]

Lafay doesn't seem super impressed by the new colour of the green jersey.

I know, what the hell is that?

 

[ManicJack]

I kind of miss Chris Horner in the studio

I'm glad I can watch the world feed and not listen to any of those guys.

 

[Red Rick]

Okay couple of serious thoughts

- If you say Vingegaard should have ridden with Pog, you can't also say he should've worked for Van Aert because evidently the stage doesn't matter
- Just because Van Aert was the favorite to win this stage, doesn't mean Jumbo should've won this 100% of the time. Cycling doesn't work like that.
- Kelderman not responding to Lafay is just because he's already worked a lot and his legs are fried.
- Vingegaard not pulling after he stops being boxed in is 100% something DS' should have made up their mind about 5km from the finish.
- Vingegaard gets criticized more for not pulling than Roglic did in Catalunya. Must be solely because Pogacar is popular.
- Moto drafting was insane on the Jaizkibel and probably half the reason it was as selective as it was.
- Pogacar didn't look that easy on Jaizkibel, you'd expect him to win that sprint way more easily than he did.
- Van Aert did way too much work himself on the descent. That *** made no sense whatsoever.

 

[Lequack]

His silence says enough: Wout van Aert leaves without words and strikes the car door

Zijn stilte zegt genoeg: Wout van Aert vertrekt zonder woorden en slaat autodeur toe | sporza

No comment. De ontgoocheling is compleet. Wout van Aert was misschien wel de topfavoriet voor de ritzege, maar moest zich toch neerleggen bij een tweede plek. Veel zin in een babbeltje met de pers had Van Aert duidelijk ook niet. Bekijk hieronder de beelden.

sporza.be

 

[dobrien]

I'm glad I can watch the world feed and not listen to any of those guys.

This times about a million. I'm from the US and I'd rather shove pencils through my eardrums than listen to that crew.

 

[RobertCrawley]

I'm glad I can watch the world feed and not listen to any of those guys.

The NBC commentators are doing fine. Sam Bewley and Brent Bookwalter are nice additions to the team. I wish Christian VdV saw more screen time, however.

 

[Ricco']

His silence says enough: Wout van Aert leaves without words and strikes the car door

Zijn stilte zegt genoeg: Wout van Aert vertrekt zonder woorden en slaat autodeur toe | sporza

No comment. De ontgoocheling is compleet. Wout van Aert was misschien wel de topfavoriet voor de ritzege, maar moest zich toch neerleggen bij een tweede plek. Veel zin in een babbeltje met de pers had Van Aert duidelijk ook niet. Bekijk hieronder de beelden.

sporza.be

Imagine the scenes now if his boy decided to come out into the world right before the Alps.

 

[titan31]

Why are cycling fans having the exact same debate on this as last year?

It's as if half the forum has simply forgot, what ACTUALLY happened last year, where Pogacar was expending energy on little time differences the first 10 days, and "everyone" was certain the Tour was over... and then he got hit with a hammer, and another hammer, and another hammer.

Jumbo don't have the Roglic hammer for Pogacar to respond to this year though. Vingegaard has to do it all by himself which is a much bigger task

 

[HelloDolly]

I cant ever remember Froome, Contador , Armstrong working to get a stage win for the 'sprinter' at the beginning of the Tour ...or ever really

 

[RobertCrawley]

Okay couple of serious thoughts

- If you say Vingegaard should have ridden with Pog, you can't also say he should've worked for Van Aert because evidently the stage doesn't matter
- Just because Van Aert was the favorite to win this stage, doesn't mean Jumbo should've won this 100% of the time. Cycling doesn't work like that.
- Kelderman not responding to Lafay is just because he's already worked a lot and his legs are fried.
- Vingegaard not pulling after he stops being boxed in is 100% something DS' should have made up their mind about 5km from the finish.
- Vingegaard gets criticized more for not pulling than Roglic did in Catalunya. Must be solely because Pogacar is popular.
- Moto drafting was insane on the Jaizkibel and probably half the reason it was as selective as it was.
- Pogacar didn't look that easy on Jaizkibel, you'd expect him to win that sprint way more easily than he did.

Well said.

 

[Red Rick]

I cant ever remember Froome, Contador , Armstrong working to get a stage win for the 'sprinter' at the beginning of the Tour ...or ever really

Never forget Contadors failed sprint leadout for Bennati in Paris.

 

[DNP-Old]

I cant ever remember Froome, Contador , Armstrong working to get a stage win for the 'sprinter' at the beginning of the Tour ...or ever really

Wiggins did for Cavendish, and not just on the Champs.

 

[Ricco']

I cant ever remember Froome, Contador , Armstrong working to get a stage win for the 'sprinter' at the beginning of the Tour ...or ever really

Not much of them had sprinters ever in their team. Sagan existed on Contador's team basically alone, but back then Sagan was a master surfing wheels and getting himself into position. Maybe the only case I remember in a Tour team is Wiggo launching Cav, but that only happened once Sir Bradley had already a place reserved for the trophy in his home.

 

[Red Rick]

Wiggins did for Cavendish, and not just on the Champs.

Yeah he was only leading by 4 minutes at the time with the strongest team in the race behind him and only a TT to go he was certain to win anyway

 

[KOM]

Wiggins did for Cavendish, and not just on the Champs.

Ullrich did for Zabel also

 

[HelloDolly]

His silence says enough: Wout van Aert leaves without words and strikes the car door

Zijn stilte zegt genoeg: Wout van Aert vertrekt zonder woorden en slaat autodeur toe | sporza

No comment. De ontgoocheling is compleet. Wout van Aert was misschien wel de topfavoriet voor de ritzege, maar moest zich toch neerleggen bij een tweede plek. Veel zin in een babbeltje met de pers had Van Aert duidelijk ook niet. Bekijk hieronder de beelden.

sporza.be

Prim Madonna territory right there

Too much is made of these Belgian super stars ..by Belgians

 

[KZD]

I think emirates is "burying" adam yates to soon. He's gonna fade in the mountains.

Looking at Adam Yates record in his last Grand Tours, he buries himself in the second half of the Grand Tours, so its better than he is in the 'pole-position' at this point of the race than being behind Vingegaard.

I think both UAE and Jumbo have been playing their GC cards well over these first two stages, Pogacar, the fastest rider, going for bonus seconds and Vingegaard, the better climber, following his wheel.