Tour de France Tour de France 2023, stage 6: Tarbes - Cauterets-Cambasque, 144.9k

[Salvarani]

I'm completely stoked about todays result, but I have to repeat myself. This was utter tactical ineptitude by Jumbo. In a race where they should clearly focus on Pogacar and Pogacar alone, they drag him over the Tourmalet, drag him to the final climb and drag him to the final 3 kms, while completely exposing their leader. Even if Pog couldn't have dropped Vingegaard today, what would have been the point? Their entire focus should be on dropping Pog and today they seemed to focus on literally anything except that.

Kuss should have been with them going into the final climb. Not having Kuss on the final climb is a big mistake.

 

[movingtarget]

Hindley playing the long game. No point blowing up today and losing even more time.

 

[Escarabajo]

Strange that they put Egan Bernal to work so early in the race if they had Castro in there. Anyway, good for him, and even better for Carlos that is looking very good.

 

[Nick2413]

Jonas recovered worse than Pog after yesterday. Wonder if that’ll also be the case weeks 2 and 3. Could tell Pog was going to attack around 3k out but JV had to try to put the nail in the coffin so can’t really blame their tactics today. Once Jonas was that invested there wasn’t really any way to prevent the counterattack.

 

[RobertCrawley]

How did they screw themselves?

If he wouldn't be able to drop him there, where the heck could he ever expect do it?

I guess he should just have waited for the sprint like Roglič would have done.

Agree. Great tactics by Jumbo to isolate, to try to tire, and attack Pog. But Pog was up to the task. He's a champion who's not going away.

 

[Trofonios]

I agree with both points but to the second: I think its incredibly hard to tell how Pogacar feels. Yesterday he also looked at ease until dropped.

Sure, but TJV and Vingegaard knew that it would impossible for Wout, after his huge effort, to do a lead-out like Kuss did yesterday. Vingegaard must also have feelt and known that he wasn't super explosive in the end considering the attack on Tourmalet and yesterdays effort. In that situation there is a risk that Pog could counter, which just happened.

But sure, easy to say in hindsight.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I'm completely stoked about todays result, but I have to repeat myself. This was utter tactical ineptitude by Jumbo. In a race where they should clearly focus on Pogacar and Pogacar alone, they drag him over the Tourmalet, drag him to the final climb and drag him to the final 3 kms, while completely exposing their leader. Even if Pog couldn't have dropped Vingegaard today, what would have been the point? Their entire focus should be on dropping Pog and today they seemed to focus on literally anything except that.

XD?

What happened on Tourmalet wasn't anyone dragging anyone anywhere, it was a pure cold blooded attempt to kill off Pogacar. Which btw made a whole lot of sense after what happened yesterday.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Pog giving a classy post-race interview, giving all credit to Vingo. (Also, after wearing the ice jacket for a bit his smile is back.)

 

[Divergence]

Kuss should have been with them going into the final climb. Not having Kuss on the final climb is a big mistake.

NOthing to do with Kuss. When Pog is not making mistakes like being up front with his team the whole day (yesterday) he is a better rider than Jonas. JV need somebody better. If only they had somebody...

 

[HelloDolly]

Hindley playing the long game. No point blowing up today and losing even more time.

The thing is at the moment Hindley isnt as fast up climbs as the other 2

But he is a diesel and wait for the last week when the top 2 are tired and Hindley comes into his own

He only needed one very good day at the end to win the Giro

 

[HelloDolly]

Best thing about Pogacar is his recovery

 

[Rackham]

Hindley playing the long game. No point blowing up today and losing even more time.

Hindley did very well to recover after going into the red following Jumbo's Tourmalet attack. He's super favorite for third now.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

OK, so from comments here, seems I can't just settle for having watched the first - and last 3k's of today's stage

 

[movingtarget]

The thing is at the moment Hindley isnt as fast up climbs as the other 2

But he is a diesel and wait for the last week when the top 2 are tired and Hindley comes into his own

He only needed one very good day at the end to win the Giro

He knows he will lose time in the TT and that third place is more realistic than the top two. But a long way to go yet.

 

[Scarponi]

Btw I think Hindley will do a lot better from here on in. That effort yesterday destroyed him, might be able to hold wheels
On future stages

 

[Salvarani]

NOthing to do with Kuss. When Pog is not making mistakes like being up front with his team the whole day (yesterday) he is a better rider than Jonas. JV need somebody better. If only they had somebody...

Kuss would have been able to pace after Van Aert and kept a high enough pace, so that Pog wouldnt have been able to attack. Maybe a higher pace would have tired him out more.

Feel like Vingegaard was pretty unsure on what to do when he couldnt get rid of Pog. He just kept riding. Kuss would have been able to come back and started to pace again, normally, if he had been there.

Instead he got exposed, this time.

 

[StryderHells]

The thing is at the moment Hindley isnt as fast up climbs as the other 2

But he is a diesel and wait for the last week when the top 2 are tired and Hindley comes into his own
Hindley isn’t a diesel
He only needed one very good day at the end to win the Giro

 

[dobrien]

It was apparently immediately when Jonas jumped he did not have it against Pog; he got out of the saddle but there was no snap at all and Pog closed easily, and even Kwiat was hardly distanced at first. Also noticed Jonas spending more time out of the saddle today then usual.

Both these guys have fantastic recovery; we could be in for some truly epic battles.

 

[postmanhat]

Only saw the last 45 minutes. What happened to Ciccone today?

 

[StryderHells]

My phone mad that a mess

 

[Izzyeviel]

Like the giro was over after stage 1, then was over again after stage 16, then finally was over after stage 20, this Tour was over yesterday, and over again today.

to be fair, it was more the case everyone wanted the Giro to be over as soon as possible...

 

[memyselfandI]

Like the giro was over after stage 1, then was over again after stage 16, then finally was over after stage 20, this Tour was over yesterday, and over again today.

Exactly..Like 15 stages to go people, tables gonna turn several times. Fact.

Congrats to ASO for igniting an early battle with stage program as it stands.

 

[Gigs_98]

XD?

What happened on Tourmalet wasn't anyone dragging anyone anywhere, it was a pure cold blooded attempt to kill off Pogacar. Which btw made a whole lot of sense after what happened yesterday.

I mean fair enough, but after it didn't work on the Tourmalet, why bother continuing? If the aim was to drop Pogacar, why did Vingegaard pull him for multiple km. Why did he keep pulling him for like 4 km on the final climb? You can't tell me that was still about killing off Pogacar.

 

[HelloDolly]

Pog :"10 stage victories. I am coming for you mark " ha ha

 

[Red Rick]

I refuse to call this Rabofail because it dilutes how awful it was. Absolute disasterclass

Pogacar actually blunders too by not recognizing Vingegaards weakness until very late