Tour de France Tour de France 2024, Stage 1: Florence (Firenze) - Rimini, 206.0k

Page 10 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
His only hope
During the team introduction, popular riders cheered by Italian fans..and the producers had a microphone handy, often in front of Italian speaking riders..Cavendish impressive, lots of cheering and he responded in Italian, Bernal asked presenter if he should respond in Spanish, English or Italian.. Remco like many spoke in English and all ignored the leading questions.. Remco complimenting his strong team, Pog, Roglic, Remco and JV ignoring answering with making a prediction about winning or that being there objective. She wanted Remco to say something about GC goals, he didn't.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SHAD0W93
During the team introduction, popular riders cheered by Italian fans..and the producers had a microphone handy, often in front of Italian speaking riders..Cavendish impressive, lots of cheering and he responded in Italian, Bernal asked presenter if he should respond in Spanish, English or Italian.. Remco like many spoke in English and all ignored the leading questions.. Remco complimenting his strong team, Pog, Roglic, Remco and JV ignoring answering with making a prediction about winning or that being there objective. She wanted Remco to say something about GC goals, he didn't.
Maybe the riders couldn't hear the question.
 
Good wind for a Rogla victory... a Roglatory!
Wind for the last 80 km (the last four climbs and to the finish):

JdI64Zz.jpeg
In which direction?
 
Last edited:
Just learned (from a CN poster) that Rodriquez and Bernal are co-leaders of Ineos. Pidders cannot be happy about that.
Or alternatively he has accepted it and understands his place in the team: -

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/a...hallenge-tadej-pogacar-in-2024-tour-de-france

Pidcock, meanwhile, who only last weekend won two mountain bike World Cup races, will again be asked to suppress his own ambitions. “I want to try and win stages,” he said. “I don’t want to lose time on general classification for the sake of it, but if I need to do that to achieve those goals of winning stages, then I will.”

The 24-year-old, winner on Alpe d’Huez in 2022, will again be deployed largely as a support rider, even if that role has not always been to his liking.

“Obviously Egan and Carlos and Geraint are much more experienced in the general classification than me,” he said. “We can’t really go with four guys.”
 
Or alternatively he has accepted it and understands his place in the team: -

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/a...hallenge-tadej-pogacar-in-2024-tour-de-france

Pidcock, meanwhile, who only last weekend won two mountain bike World Cup races, will again be asked to suppress his own ambitions. “I want to try and win stages,” he said. “I don’t want to lose time on general classification for the sake of it, but if I need to do that to achieve those goals of winning stages, then I will.”

The 24-year-old, winner on Alpe d’Huez in 2022, will again be deployed largely as a support rider, even if that role has not always been to his liking.

“Obviously Egan and Carlos and Geraint are much more experienced in the general classification than me,” he said. “We can’t really go with four guys.”
Thanks!
 
In which direction?
W to E, i.e. tailing, besides not that much of gusts what I can find.
Most influential (besides the riders' initiative) will probably be the heat and then several of the descents in "the small Apennines" which they ride directly up from Florence.
A profile pic doesn't reveal much.
Especially the first one after 50k, the descent from Vacilo Tre Faggi invites for attacks with technical and convoluted slopes.
A thing for Pidders maybe?

Edit:
Besides, the roads through the Apennines are not exactly big wide highways - an endless path of twists and curls.
I would say from the 50K mark and up to 16K from the finish line (190K mark) it's a rather technical route that must be a treat for those with aim of breakaway victory.
IMO a perfect stage design with the last 16K for a pursuit from a decimated group of sprinters.
I.e. unless the race escalates into completely different stories before this point....
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: xo 1
Pidcock has been doing a better season than him, and Arensman is better than him, but the had to work for Thomas in the Giro, otherwise he wouldn't be behind him.
But Pidock has never finished higher than 13th in a grand tour? I don't think Arensman is riding the Tour? This is the team according to CN:

Egan Arley Bernal Gomez
Carlos Rodríguez Cano
Michał Kwiatkowski
Geraint Thomas
Tom Pidcock
Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas
Ben Turner
Laurens De Plus