Tour de France Tour de France 2024, Stage 12: Aurillac > Villenueve-sur-Lot, 203.6km

[Brullnux]

I like Remco but I think SQS should've brought Merlier here tbh

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Maybe I read it wrong, it’s 1am here in Australian and I’m devastated as a Roglic fan. Apologies if so but not sure what it means

I was poking fun at the stupidity of the way the 3k rule is written on the one hand, and the Tour's timekeeping on the other hand. Just so happens that Roglic was inadvertently involved in both. It should go without saying that I would have preferred not to see him crash...

 

[saunaking]

Gaviria barely escapes the barrier each and every day, I can only imagine how frustrated he is by now

Wout knows haha

 

[Fantastico]

Did not watch today, just to see now that the fight for the podium is probably over.

 

[Bolder]

And if all teams battle to be near the front ...?

If you have a crash prone rider it's even more important to do so.

 

[kingjr]

Straight on shot of sprint looked like madness. Is there an overhead?

Probably blocked by the trees

 

[Brullnux]

Did not watch today, just to see now that the fight for the podium is probably over.

Don't be so down, we haven't seen high mountain Remco yet!

 

[Penninepeddler]

Sprint field is washed at this Tour, Milan/Merlier would've cleaned up

There are like 6-7 of the top 10 sprinters right now here though... pretty standard for TdF.

just a very even field right now.

Though yeh, I think those 2 are the best this season. But it is close tbh I think.

Philipsen vs Merlier against each other in sprints this year, I believe, are 4-4... and Bini is getting the better of Philipsen here.

And Merlier vs Milan has also been pretty even.

And Bini might have been the fastest vs Milan AND Merlier in Giro stage 3... but he got a bit boxed in and came from a looong way back.

 

[fbjim]

Don't be so down, we haven't seen high mountain Remco yet!

I think we could end the tour today and it'd already be a harder parcours than the 2022 Vuelta

 

[KZD]

Incredible Girmay, three stages wins in the Tour and the green jersey almost in the bag, he now stablishes himself as one of the best sprinters in the world.

Didn't saw the crash but Roglič cannot catch a break in the Tour, he just doesn't seem destined to win this race.

 

[AnotherArmChair]

I hope Roglic is ok

Was looking forward to his battel with Remco and I thought he was looking better as the days went on ...such a pity he crashed

 

[Heston]

Surely Demare is gonna get relegated. This was worse than what Philipsen got relegated for

 

[yaco]

Grmay has hit a purple patch of form, however, the sprint field at the TDF is average. I feel the sprints at the Giro were at a higher level and I doubt whether Grmay would have won a sprint at the Giro.

 

[Penninepeddler]

Agree but I think this is the fastest Girmay has ever been. However, Ackermann is coming like top five every sprint.

The Giro stage 3 spring with Merlier, Milan and Bini...

Bini might have been the fastest of the 3 over the final 100m tbh. He got boxed in a bit and also was not as well positioned train wise.

Bini seemed to start season in just "okay" form, and ofc Giro stage 3 is just one stage...

But retrospectively if look at the one sprint he did vs Merlier and Milan have to say that "speed" wise he was right up with them.

 

[Wvv]

Surely Demare is gonna get relegated. This was worse than what Philipsen got relegated for

He's French though. I'm curious.

 

[Heston]

Any news on Rickart/Kragh/Fedorov? If time limit is 25 minutes they will likely not make it. Live tracker had them 23 minutes behind with 10 km to go

 

[Brullnux]

There are like 6-7 of the top 10 sprinters right now here though... pretty standard for TdF.

just a very even field right now.

Though yeh, I think those 2 are the best this season. But it is close tbh I think.

Philipsen vs Merlier against each other in sprints this year, I believe, are 4-4... and Bini is getting the better of Philipsen here.

And Merlier vs Milan has also been pretty even.

And Bini might have been the fastest vs Milan AND Merlier in Giro stage 3... but he got a bit boxed in and came from a looong way back.

Only two of the top five, though. Iirc for stage 3 weren't Milan and Merlier in the wind for like 100m+ each?

 

[Penninepeddler]

Grmay has hit a purple patch of form, however, the sprint field at the TDF is average. I feel the sprints at the Giro were at a higher level and I doubt whether Grmay would have won a sprint at the Giro.

Stage 3 he seemed to be around as fast as Merlier and Milan tbh... came from further back and more boxed in and not far off them.

But those two were more consistent over season and Bini seemed to start year in just "okay" form.

I guess he could have won a Giro stage given he looked a similar level to them in the 1 stage he contended.

 

[Sciatic]

Thought Cavendish was going to win but he ran out of room behind the winner. Another stage for Girmay. Roglic in trouble again. Didn't seem to be a lot of urgency in the chase by Bora, wonder if that means he's broken something or he was just in too much pain or both. The break has to get more riders up the road to have any hope on these stages. The Jayco rider that hit the tree didn't look good after almost cleaning up a few spectators.

Good point about no break to catch in the last 20 km, so we get that road-block riding. I detest it so much, I don’t even understand why it bugs me so much. I know this discussion was over and done years ago, but I think DS instructions via team radios is causing more dangerous situations. There’s no way that you get riders from 9-10 teams deciding let’s ride side-by-side on the front at the same speed for 10 km without being instructed to do so.

 

[Brullnux]

The Giro stage 3 spring with Merlier, Milan and Bini...

Bini might have been the fastest of the 3 over the final 100m tbh. He got boxed in a bit and also was not as well positioned train wise.

Bini seemed to start season in just "okay" form, and ofc Giro stage 3 is just one stage...

But retrospectively if look at the one sprint he did vs Merlier and Milan have to say that "speed" wise he was right up with them.

Just re-watched it, he was the fastest over the final 100m because he was in the wheels for it and Milan/Merlier were in the wind

 

[saunaking]

Did some shithead try and run out into the road just past the finish line? Showing replays from the front with Bini arms raised and there are a bunch of guys seeming to push/hold someone from coming into the road where there is a photographer (I think)

 

[movingtarget]

Did some shithead try and run out into the road just past the finish line? Showing replays from the front with Bini arms raised and there are a bunch of guys seeming to push/hold someone from coming into the road where there is a photographer (I think)

Maybe a protester ? They have been known to run onto horse race tracks as well in the finish straight !

 

[Penninepeddler]

Only two of the top five, though. Iirc for stage 3 weren't Milan and Merlier in the wind for like 100m+ each?

Probably right with 2 of top 5... Merlier, Milan and Kooij are for sure top 5.

I think Merlier was from memory but think Milan went a bit later. Still seemed like Bini was roughly similar level.

 

[Danskebjerge]

Søren Kragh out apparently. Fourth Dane to quit.

 

[Kangaridoo]

Obvious relegation for Demare