Tour de France Tour de France 2024: Stage 14: Pau - Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet 151.9km

[RobertCrawley]

It's GC day.

The top guys don't leave anything for the rest, not even peanuts.

I feel there's still so many romanticists who imagine Bardet or G Thomas raising their arms after a spectacular breakaway makes it to the finish line.

No.

This is the era of total cycling. UAE & Visma are going engage "you carry on like this you kill 'em all" full Grischa mode. They're the perfect organisms, like the xenomorph in Alien.

So take your pick: Pog or Vinge. I see no one else.

I am a romanticist who would like to see Bardet or Gramps raise their arms one more time. I think it's possible that UAE does ride defensively and lets a break go, since Tadej says that's what they're going to do. But I agree it's not likely.

 

[tobydawq]

Great interview with Tadej: "Yeah, it's a little hard for me to not ride aggressively but I have to look big picture and I'm sitting nice in yellow now. It's not up to us to attack and ride hard. But Nils Politt said that there is a big prize for going first over the Tourmalet and said we could get a nice vacation for that prize money. I said to him, 'Nils you don't know me very well, it's your first year in the team, you can't tempt me like that, it's not good', but yeah, maybe I will attack but there are fewer possibilities than before in the race."

Rather less great interview wirh Jonas: "Yeah, this is the part of the race that suits me the most, I've been looking forward to that. I'm not telling you my tactics, we will ride like a team but I won't tell you how, you have to wait and see."

 

[Eclipse]

Today is the day the race ends imo. If Pogi does no damage we know it's only going to get worse for him from here before the inevitable occurs. If he takes a good chunk of time then I think it's likely he can just ride out a W defensively even if he starts to fade.

 

[slim charles]

Today is the day the race ends imo. If Pogi does no damage we know it's only going to get worse for him from here before the inevitable occurs. If he takes a good chunk of time then I think it's likely he can just ride out a W defensively even if he starts to fade.

I think there's a bigger chance that nothing much will happen GC wise than the race being over after today

 

[Samamba]

UAE will try to control according to some riders from other teams who have been given "inside info".

 

[rghysens]

Good morning, chaps!

Mountain top finish! What a day. Jonas, Tadej, and Remco stay with each other until the Pla d'Adet. They give it a go just to test each other. Tadej wins the stage. Jonas loses maybe a second. Remco loses 20.

A mere 20 seconds loss for Evenepoel will be a huge result.

 

[Eclipse]

I think there's a bigger chance that nothing much will happen GC wise than the race being over after today

If nothing happens it's over for Pogi is basically what I'm getting at. It'll just be another tour where JV blows it out of the water with race destroying margins in 2 stages next week.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Wonder if Wout is ready to turn on angry hulk mode after another 2nd, would be good to see him up the road at some point like he made a habit of in 2022.

 

[RedheadDane]

What do all those names on the road signify? I have sound-on for the Giro, so didn't hear the explanation.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Yep

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812057595525386375

View: https://x.com/INEOSGrenadiers/status/1812057595525386375

Pidders last year on Ineos?

 

[Kazistuta]

Only two teams with incentive to catch a breakaway (except if an odd top10 rider joins). Pogacar is wiser and still is stronger than Vingegaard IMO, so will likely take a few seconds in the end. I'm quite unsure if they will compete for the win today, but tomorrow is definitely a GC battle with one of those two winning.
JV has to wait for the last three days.

 

[slim charles]

If nothing happens it's over for Pogi is basically what I'm getting at. It'll just be another tour where JV blows it out of the water with race destroying margins in 2 stages next week.

Ok.

 

[tobydawq]

What do all those names on the road signify? I have sound-on for the Giro, so didn't hear the explanation.

Fans often write names of riders with chalk or paint on the road. It's a way to show support for the rider in question.

You're welcome.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Wonder if Wout is ready to turn on angry hulk mode after another 2nd, would be good to see him up the road at some point like he made a habit of in 2022.

Visma could send him on a break to help later in the stage.

 

[Monte Serra]

Interesting choice to let G. Thomas start the race. What could he contribute to the team other than increased contamination risk for Bernal and Rodriguez?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812079759595036688

View: https://x.com/itvcycling/status/1812079759595036688

 

[RedheadDane]

Fans often write names of riders with chalk or paint on the road. It's a way to show support for the rider in question.

You're welcome.

It was a year with a name.
I think 2018 was Demare, so that sort of disproved my theory that it was the GC winners from each year.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

It was a year with a name.
I think 2018 was Demare, so that sort of disproved my theory that it was the GC winners from each year.

Stage winners in Pau?

 

[Rackham]

Interesting choice to let G. Thomas start the race. What could he contribute to the team other than increased contamination risk for Bernal and Rodriguez?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812079759595036688

View: https://x.com/itvcycling/status/1812079759595036688

I feel in order to complete the look, he should wear Groenewegen's Batman nose on top of the mask.

 

[tobydawq]

It was a year with a name.
I think 2018 was Demare, so that sort of disproved my theory that it was the GC winners from each year.

Winners in Pau.

 

[rallybanana]

Pogi warmed his legs up nicely on yesterday's training ride... today will be interesting.

Practicing for the sprint against Jonas

 

[topcat]

I expect Visma team to be significantly stronger and to pace hard. Get your pilates/tae bo out of the way early so you can see the spectacle on the Tourmalet.

 

[Netserk]

How can Visma always conjure up this heat every year? Every time Jonas won there hasn't been any col stages in the mountains, it's quite the meteorological achievement.

Tomorrow will be way warmer than today. +8 degrees roughly.

 

[Didinho]

Capiot gonna DNF. Kudos for trying.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Any tiny climbers trying to go in the break here without a big guy helping them is disrespecting the memory of the late Henri Desgrange.

 

[RobertCrawley]

I expect Visma team to be significantly stronger and to pace hard. Get your pilates/tae bo out of the way early so you can see the spectacle on the Tourmalet.

People talk about how UAE is so much stronger than Visma. UAE is stronger, but Visma is not a bunch of pannenkoeks.