Tour de France Tour de France 2024: Stage 19: Embrun - Isola 2000, 19/07 144.6k

[Poursuivant]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1814203964407075191

View: https://x.com/laflammerouge16/status/1814203964407075191

 

[staubsauger]

So more Galibier - Les Deux Alpes / Bonette - Isola 2000 type stages?

Tourmalet - Luz Ardiden literally confirmed for the 2025 Tour de France?

These stages either work out completely or not at all, depending on the general classification situation. So they're always a gamble ending up hot or cold.

 

[Colombiano Cadence]

I miss the relatively flat stages with a wall in the finale - Ulissi, Gilbert, Ala, type stages - bring them back

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

This stage is 100% at the feet of Pogi.

Not only to that he badly wants this stage as the prestige that follows.
But more as a footprint and response to a fateful stage for him now a couple of years ago - he is going to bury Vingo.

Though massive HC climbs today, it's a super-short 144k - almost as insulting as the super-short stage Telegraphé-Galibier with finish at l'Alpe a decade ago (was it 2011 don't remember - the year Contador went full gas from the gun).

The 11th stage of the 1993 edition was more sensible, about 180k including Col d'Izoard before the three final climbs of today.

If I have to finally say something positive, it is the choice of side to climb Restefond. Have climbed up to the Cîme myself several times and the road from Jausiers is IMO the hardest compared to the south path from the bottom of the Auron climb. Moreover the descent to the valley from today's summit and southwards is a bit more forgiving.

So I don't expect Visma/Jonas to be successful in making a difference on the gruelling climb all the way up to the Cîme.

And if Jonas waits until Isola 2000, he has not only lost the stage but the Tour.
But that's how it will be with today's stage design.
And that, frankly, suits me well, Pogi deserves this.

But under the circumstances - most predictable stage in centuries.
I can safely concentrate fully on my work today.

 

[staubsauger]

I miss the relatively flat stages with a wall in the finale - Ulissi, Gilbert, Ala, type stages - bring them back

These type of riders exist no longer, since even in the Ardennes classics this type of races not longer exist either. Apart from the Fleche Wallone.

Alaphilippe kinda was the last unicorn!

 

[Berflamand]

So more Galibier - Les Deux Alpes / Bonette - Isola 2000 type stages?

Tourmalet - Luz Ardiden literally confirmed for the 2025 Tour de France?

These stages either work out completely or not at all, depending on the general classification situation. So they're always a gamble ending up hot or cold.

No he's talking about more stages like stage 17 and 18, so more medium-mountain/baroudeur stages.

That would be great because there's usually a lot of breakaway action on these stages but also potential for GC-action.

 

[solo80k]

I hope Jonas is able to deliver some juicy punches during this stage and distance Pogaheimer. If not, the remaining stages are almost useless.

Come on Jonas, show the world you are the best climber!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Am I the only one who thinks the break has a great chance today? Which team has the horses to control this. UAE, but with Yates and Wellins looking under the weather, it is looking more iffy. Visma, not convinced. Who rides the valleys?? If UAE want Pollit to do that they will have to ride the climbs pretty slowly, same with Visma for WVA and tratnik.
If EF have Healy and Carapaz in the break then someone like Healy could really smash the valley roads.

From what I've seen of Healy so far he knows how to smash the peloton, he just hasn't learned how to join/work with a break effectively. Much to my dismay.

 

[staubsauger]

This stage is 100% at the feet of Pogi.

Not only to that he badly wants this stage as the prestige that follows.
But more as a footprint and response to a fateful stage for him now a couple of years ago - he is going to bury Vingo.

Though massive HC climbs today, it's a super-short 144k - almost as insulting as the super-short stage Telegraphé-Galibier with finish at l'Alpe a decade ago (was it 2011 don't remember - the year Contador went full gas from the gun).

The 11th stage of the 1993 edition was more sensible, about 180k including Col d'Izoard before the three final climbs of today.

If I have to finally say something positive, it is the choice of side to climb Restefond. Have climbed up to the Cîme myself several times and the road from Jausiers is IMO the hardest compared to the south path from the bottom of the Auron climb. Moreover the descent to the valley from here southwards is a bit more forgiving.

So I don't expect Visma/Jonas to be successful in making a difference on the gruelling climb all the way up to the Cîme.

And if Jonas waits until Isola 2000, he has not only lost the stage but the Tour.
But that's how it will be with today's stage design.
And that, frankly, suits me well, Pogi deserves this.

But under the circumstances - most predictable stage in centuries.
I can safely concentrate fully on my work today.

Pogačar doesn't really need to go on Bonette already though. Unless he senses that he can fully sink Vingegaard due to weakness!

 

[fbjim]

why do people act as if short mountain stages are a new thing

like, yes, I get it that we rarely, if ever, get the 200+ km mountain marathons anymore, but there were always short mountain stages. You don't have to call every mountain stage under 150km unsuitable for the Tour de l'Avenir.

 

[Colombiano Cadence]

Yesterday showed us the importance of legs at this stage of a grand tour - the fastest rider on paper finishes 3rd in a 3 up sprint. Jonas might be the best climber in the world but he simply doesn’t have the legs at this stage of the race. If Visma do something today then Pogi will crush them on the final climb, Visma know it, Jonas knows it, we know it. There is no button you can press to suddenly have diamond legs.
The break will have the Carapaz, Hindley, Mas, S Yates, Healy, types in it. No one hiding is suddenly coming to the fore today. This is either a Pogi win or a break win, I genuinely cannot see any other scenario.

 

[Ulle97]

Can people here name two mountain stages that they would be happy with? Which combo of climbs would you like to see in the Alps??

I think Izoard, Vars, Allos, Pra Loup would be a good stage.

 

[RedheadDane]

I hope Jonas is able to deliver some juicy punches during this stage and distance Pogaheimer. If not, the remaining stages are almost useless.

Come on Jonas, show the world you are the best climber!

Attacking at the beginning of the Bonette?

 

[Danskebjerge]

I miss the relatively flat stages with a wall in the finale - Ulissi, Gilbert, Ala, type stages - bring them back

They can be cool, but the Muur de Huy effect often comes into play: Nobody feels like going into serious breakaways because of that steep climb at the end. So it will basically be a sprinter stage, just more for puncheurs than for heavy sprinters.

 

[fbjim]

Can people here name two mountain stages that they would be happy with? Which combo of climbs would you like to see in the Alps??

I think Izoard, Vars, Allos, Pra Loup would be a good stage.

doing the ramaz/joux plane/joux verte/Morzine finish is my white whale

 

[Colombiano Cadence]

They can be cool, but the Muur de Huy effect often comes into play: Nobody feels like going into serious breakaways because of that steep climb at the end. So it will basically be a sprinter stage, just more for puncheurs than for heavy sprinters.

I hear ya but who are the Bala types in the peloton now? I’m not sure there are many teams who would control confident they have someone who can deliver on final wall

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Pog for the win, simply because he's getting bored.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Pogačar doesn't really need to go on Bonette already though. Unless he senses that he can fully sink Vingegaard due to weakness!

Noone from the top GC will go full gas on Bonette.
Isola 2000 I've climbed several times to. It really is 1½ times l'Alpe d'Huez.
My input is only seen in relation to the indeed short stage distance.

But I think ASO might've had a starting point with logics about create tension - and that the last spark would have been punctured in Vingo's favor if he had been in 2023 shape and it had been a super-exhausting 1993 Serre-Sevaliers - Isola 2000 stage.

But now Vingo's power is clearly on the wane.
I'm pretty sure that in his current state, that an exhausting long 4 x HC climb stage would not benefit him today.
Today is more kind to Vingo.
Except for the finish climb, which can get really ugly for him if Pogi's instincts kick in early.
However, it may also be that Pogi takes pity and waits to attack within the last few kilometers. And then there still migt be Remco - though, in that case I see one from a breakaway winning the stage.

I'm not exactly expecting an epic stage I must say
Maybe with the exception of enjoying if Pogi really goes all out for an extra-terrestrial new Strava KOM on Isola 2000. But it's not about excitement.

 

[fbjim]

I hear ya but who are the Bala types in the peloton now? I’m not sure there are many teams who would control confident they have someone who can deliver on final wall

VDP except that he's on deluxe sprint train duty the last few years.

 

[slim charles]

Boring tour all together. Too dominant by a guy that won the Giro with two fingers in the nose and make his competition in the TdF look like amateurs. It's the double GT success that makes me question the humanity and at such a level.

It's becoming tiresome to watch. And we all know how the story goes. When something looks too good, it usually is. Same goes for Jonas.

Pog too take charge here and will take 5 minutes on Remco. Jonas to explode and drop out of top 5.

Tour is done. Either way it has been an extremely boring.

I absolutely 100% disagree with this. Just because the time differences are big doesn't mean it is a boring race [just like all those GTs where they end up being close and there's a tension until the end, but nothing really remarkable ever happening - Tour 2017 comes to mind].

I'm not saying it was the best ever, but it was far from boring for me.

 

[fbjim]

cycling is funny in that it's one of the only forms of racing I know of where large time gaps are considered more exciting than small time gaps

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Can people here name two mountain stages that they would be happy with? Which combo of climbs would you like to see in the Alps??

I think Izoard, Vars, Allos, Pra Loup would be a good stage.

A stage that should have been, but was cancelled due to snowy conditions:
Starting at Bourg-Saint-Maurice then those climbs: Col d'Iseran (is it 2760m?) - Col du Telégraphe - Col Du Galibier - Mont Genevre - Sestrieres. Ended up as a 46k mountain sprint that year. But could take turn down Col Lauterets to l'Alpe d'Huez.

 

[Ulle97]

A stage that should have been, but was cancelled due to snowy conditions:
Starting at Bourg-Saint-Maurice then those climbs: Col d'Iseran (is it 2760m?) - Col du Telégraphe - Col Du Galibier - Mont Genevre - Sestrieres. Ended up as a 46k mountain sprint that year. But could take turn down Col Lauterets to l'Alpe d'Huez.

I find that Iseran doesn't link too well with other climbs..... ie there's about a 40-50km descent after it.

 

[Colombiano Cadence]

I absolutely 100% disagree with this. Just because the time differences are big doesn't mean it is a boring race [just like all those GTs where they end up being close and there's a tension until the end, but nothing really remarkable ever happening - Tour 2017 comes to mind].

I'm not saying it was the best ever, but it was far from boring for me.

I think it has been boring because what we all suspected pre race has come to fruition - I.e that Pogi’s main challengers have all suffered from a crash that put them behind where they wanted to be. Also Visma losing Kuss was a massive blow. Pogi’s main right hand men were fighting out the GC of the Tour de Suisse. Sprint stages have been awful imho. Gaviria is not even in great form and he has been going close in these sprints. No breakaways on sprint stages. Last year one of the best stages was the Asgreen stage win - we have had nothing like that this year.

 

[fbjim]

i think last year's tour was more exciting but this is still an excellent tour in my view. "the sprint stages are bad" is not exactly going to change my opinion of the race in any way.

also obviously the GC race still might get blown up, though I think that is unlikely on form.