Tour de France Tour de France 2023, stage 4: Dax - Nogaro, 181.8k

[Didinho]

They all wanted a straight finish line, never seen so many crashes on a circuit.

Has Philipsen ever lost with Mathieu as leadout? Well in front for the green jersey now.

Hope everyone is okay.

 

[Berniece]

Philipsen was also really strong. 600m before the finish he wasn’t even in MVDP’s wheel but 2-3 riders behind. He first had to close that gap and the still sprint for victory.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

By being too safe, if that makes sense. Huge roads, high speeds, no line forming due to no corners. The perfect recipe for riders to not feel any sense of thought and just push and pull each other.

Plus high speed bends, where everybody thinks they can just avoid braking

 

[RobertCrawley]

High speed and lots of room to pass other riders, makes for dangerous moves with crashes.

They were flying around the corners and maybe overcooked at high speeds.

 

[Boehmand]

On another note, Pedersen can forget fighting for green or winning stages in bunch sprints, he does not have the top speed for it currently.

He should shift his focus to going for stage wins from breaks - while continuing to babysit Skjelmose on other days.

 

[Volderke]

Excuse me? This better be sarcastic.

Not being sarcastic. I didn’t check the finish beforehand, but I knew, after the first crash, there would be more.

 

[StryderHells]

Phillipsen is not the best sprinter in the world. His wins are very gifted by MVP.

Getting a good lead out doesn’t mean he’s being gifted anything

 

[bNator]

Some of these riders are complete infants. No common sense, no manners. They have mindsets of toddlers…

Complete disgrace!

 

[saunaking]

And WTF was Vingegaard doing? A GC rider cannot be in the front with 1km to go in a sprint stage. This type of racing brings a lot of chaos to the sprinters

what are you even talking about? Ride fast move up

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Words fail me as far as the finale of this stage is concerned, but congrats to Jasper!

 

[RedheadDane]

I'm honestly impressed there were no big pileup.
Yes, several crashes, but all just a few riders each.

 

[nightowl]

What was Vingegaard doing at the front inside the last 2km? That’s just asking to crash with all the sprinters setting up around you

 

[ManicJack]

Cav boxed himself in.

 

[Jagartrott]

Safety car intervention was needed I think.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I mean, in the end sprinters are knuckleheads, it's hard to blame anyone but the guys involved for going crazy when there's more than enough room for everyone to sprint.

 

[Boehmand]

And WTF was Vingegaard doing? A GC rider cannot be in the front with 1km to go in a sprint stage. This type of racing brings a lot of chaos to the sprinters

He was keeping himself safe, like any good GC captain would... we all saw all the chaos that ensued behind him.

 

[Red Rick]

Rewatching that, this was really an insane leadout from MVDP. They both were like 10th position with 450 to go, he really nuked Philipsen to the front (gotta say, slightly questionable push on Girmay to do so but he looked like he wasn't about to sprint anyway).

Girmay teenage girl confirmed

 

[glassmoon]

Nothing wrong with the parcour.

Very wide road with plenty of space for everyone, and all the corners were relatively soft and wide.

The parcour is not to blame for the crashes, rider errors are.

exactly... that was the point of the joke after all

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Problem with these wide roads and wide curves on a motor race course like that is that everyone thinks they can just divebomb the corners without breaking. Add to that the lack and inconsistency of punishing riders for dangerous riding and you get carnage like that.

 

[JosefK]

And WTF was Vingegaard doing? A GC rider cannot be in the front with 1km to go in a sprint stage. This type of racing brings a lot of chaos to the sprinters

Well, if (and that's a big IF) there had been no crashes, Vingo might have stolen a few seconds on Pog.

 

[Cookster15]

Congrats to Philipson and MvDP. Sad that Caleb couldn’t pull it off - sounds like mission impossible to beat that lead out?

Wash up of the final kms will be interesting.

Now back to sleep 😴

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I'm honestly impressed there were no big pileup.
Yes, several crashes, but all just a few riders each.

Mainly because the first crash somehow only took out two riders but still split the peloton, with only 40 riders left you can't really get big pileups.

 

[Salvarani]

Doesnt matter where they put a finish.

Crashes will always happen.

Let the riders race. They know the risks. They have to adjust to the finish. Not adjusting finishes to the riders, because they are still gonna crash if they take huge risks. Dont pay enough attention. Make a mistake.

Obviously, dont be foolish when planning the route and take the necessary safety measures that you see fit when assessing the risks of a finish/route.

However, most times the riders have to take accountability for how they race as well and that it is a dangerous sports. No sprinter or rider in general for that matter will ever have a career without multiple crashes. Just hope for the best or take it easier, if you dont have the ability, at certain times. Bad luck could strike everyone.

 

[Izzyeviel]

I mean, in the end sprinters are knuckleheads, it's hard to blame anyone but the guys involved for going crazy when there's more than enough room for everyone to sprint.

well it wasn't the sprinters who had problems - it was the people who weren't going for the sprint nor GC who kept crashing at the back. Lack of attention? over confidence in their cornering abilities? oil on the track? Ran out of talent?

 

[SafeBet]

I think we should accept that there is no safe route when the top sprinters in the world are going at each other at 70 km/h. Crashes are bound to happen. Wide roads, tight roads, no turns, many turns... They will happen.