Partly because they already exist in the sport, partly some people enjoy watching them, and also because 21 difficult days would turn the GC battle into a bit of a war of attrition which may not be the most entertaining spectacle (other stages will likely just become rest days, but breakaway days). This Tour is hugely overkill, but five easier days provide a good balance.
I watched only the last km, it was very entertaining. I just had the sound on prior to that, on the off chance there would be echelons. That's the beauty of cycling, sometimes you get several hours of action, other times hours of suspense, with or without proper payoff, or, like today, just a short but intense adrenaline boost. Fortunately, there is always enough information to get a good idea beforehand what it's going to be.
Agree! Too much salt to every meal makes everything taste the same. That’s why stage 9 was a good idea. It’s the mix that makes the soup!
He’s really bad at following wheels and positioning. They had 3 guys with him at 2-3km, the 2 in front of him went all the way to 2nd place in the bunch and De Lie was still 5 rows behind. Guess it’s hard for a Toro to swerve in the peloton.
I think the relegation put paid to any real drama in this battle, unless Girmay crashes or is relegated himself on one of the remaining sprints.
It's definitely missing Merlier and Milan and that's a real shame.
I've said it before. It always amazes me when people tune into watch the Tour de France and are unhappy that it's the Tour de France.
Mostly you missed people complaining.Went out to fish couldnt stand watching it anymore came back what did i MISS give it to me raw?
Nice try JonasWent out to fish couldnt stand watching it anymore came back what did i MISS give it to me raw?
On the other hand, everyone targets the Tour as their A race, and nearly everyone shows up in top form. So even if ALL of the best "on paper" aren't here, what you get in the Tour is generally the highest level of sprinting you'll see all year.
Did you catch anything?Went out to fish couldnt stand watching it anymore came back what did i MISS give it to me raw?
Yes, but 5,6,7 plus stages is way too many. The first few Tours I watched there were 2/3 full on bunch sprints. The issue is teams have become stronger and more dedicated to riding to set up a sprint finish. Combined with race radios, stages are way too easy to control. The modern sprinter is not more talented than before(pre-90s), they just get way more opportunities thanks to their teams.
Definitely not the case this year, all three of the sprint winners from the Giro this year have a claim to being faster than everyone bar Philipsen (Merlier definitely has a claim to being even faster than Jasper, Milan perhaps also). Lidl's leadout was also better than any we have seen here, I think.
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