Tour de France Tour de France 2024, Stage 9: Troyes > Troyes, 199.0 km

[Libertine Seguros]

We need more stages like this. Even if the Tour is decided on this kind of stages every now and then, that's not bad.
We've had enough Tours decided in the high mountains.

This, however, is true enough.

Italy and Spain have mountains scattered throughout and you are never more than a stage away from a potential mountain stage, but France's mountains are all concentrated in a couple of specific areas; not only that but two of the most supportive areas for cycling, Brittany and the Vendée, are about as far from them as it's possible to get in Metropolitan France.

Some ribinou in the west, chemins du vin in the centre and pavé in the north would go some way to making the race exciting while simultaneously being more fully representative of the geography of France than recent editions, which have had large numbers of stages not just in the small areas that are mountainous (that bit can't be helped, as they are inevitably going to go into the Pyrenees and Alps, it would be weird not to), but in very small segments within those mountain ranges.

 

[zlev11]

Few attacks that failed cause gravel isn't that hard and a breakaway winning and people calling it the stage of the decade.

yeah, it was a good stage, maybe even a great stage but the hype machine is already out of control

 

[titan31]

They lost the 2020 Tour because they misjudged who their competition was.

Reducing the field of competition is always good.

And it was 12km from the finish. Are you telling me they were so afraid that Matteo Jorgenson is incapable of riding 12km while doing a few turns when they aren't even going faster than the breakaway?

That tour is a bit different. There they didn't attack when terrain and numbers were in their advantage.

Today the terrain is so vastly not in their advantage when it comes to Vingegaard vs Pog that the objective is not to lose time.

If they do the same on stage 19/20 that's different as that's when we'd expect Vingegaard to be strong.

Also considering relative team strength, if I'm Visma, I probably want others to be around to attack UAE and not just to be down to us.

 

[Heston]

This was a fantastic stage. I'm sorry that the Pog Cult can only find a race entertaining when Pog wins, but to everyone else today was an incredible bike race.
Better than any stage of the Giro this year, better than Flanders/Roubaix/Liege this year.

 

[Penninepeddler]

A very fun first 9 days so far.

Even the sprint stages were interesting to an extent, mainly due to the stories around them, with Cav pursuing history and Girmay making history too.

 

[Brullnux]

He's not wrong, though. It was a good enough stage, but there was really only one moment where it looked like something interesting might happen, and that was when Remco attacked.

This isn't really true though

 

[JimPanzen]

Vingegaard has no charisma off or on the bike. It’s a shame, cause this stage would be a lot better without him in the race

Those are typical Takes that can only come from disappointed *insert favourite rider, you hoped would take time from Vinegaard today* fans, who are mad that he didn't concede time, albeit still not being at 100% and not in his favourite terrain. He did everything right today from a tactical standpoint. Doing suicidal stuff for entertainment is not what wins him the GC. Plus he will be on the attack more than enough later on.

 

[ppanther92]

Weird things happened today. Roglic and Gall losing no time, for example.

Or Pogacar (ok), Vingegaard and Evenepoel being arguably the 3 strongest gravel riders today.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

has this happened before? a leader with a support rider not taking turns while attacking with another leader

Pogacar would not take turns if Jonas would not and so only Jorgenson would work

2016 Vuelta Formigal stage, Contador is contributing while Quintana - in the red jersey - still has domestiques. Those domestiques contribute Quintana's share until burned off, whereupon Nairito takes it up and burns everybody bar Brambilla by riding from the Pourtalet turnoff to the line. Contador eventually drops about 30 seconds.

 

[cen]

Red Rick is my spirit animal

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

"It isn't worth riding unless the stage finishes on the steepest climb" - that interview.

From that edition when Jumbo-Visma lost the Tour in the mountains because they were so busy trying to not lose that they forgot to try to win.

They weren't going to win the Tour today, under any scenario, nor are they likely to win the Tour on any future stage...but to let Mateo burn matches by pulling with the guy who DEFINITELY is your hurdle to the yellow, who will attack your leader (who was clearly struggling to stay on Pog's wheel) on the last gravel section (and maybe bury Mateo, becuse he burned his matches, and they're racing against the, by far, strongest rider in the race), isn't worth the risk.

VLAB is not going to win this race by being daring on a gravel stage. If they have ANY chance, it's in the last week, in the mountains, and Remco isn't your hurdle to get to yellow. Why kill yourself to get 24 seconds on Remco?

 

[Netserk]

Matteo Jorgenson says that Jonas rode Tratnik's bike, not a Jonas backup bike. Matteo also said the day was good, but he preferred not to add so much luck into the race.

Today had less luck than any cobble stage has had in the Tour.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Those are typical Takes that can only come from disappointed *insert favourite rider, you hoped would take time from Vinegaard today* fans, who are mad that he didn't concede time, albeit still not being at 100% and not in his favourite terrain. He did everything right today from a tactical standpoint. Doing suicidal stuff for entertainment is not what wins him the GC. Plus he will be on the attack more than enough later on.

"Not gaining any time on riders he showed himself demonstrably stronger than and gapped on several occasions" ≠ "did everything right" in my book.

Not losing time is good. Gaining time is better.

 

[Eclipse]

Or Pogacar (ok), Vingegaard and Evenepoel being arguably the 3 strongest gravel riders today.

It's inevitable in GTs - we talk about specialists and hardmen and this and that but once you put GT in the picture the people who could really push it are routinely relegated to support roles and most all round monsters can put up a good performance even on terrain they might not fancy if there is incentive.

 

[noob]

Fairytale Tour!

Indeed! Asolutely insane!

 

[kingjr]

This isn't really true though

It pretty much is

 

[awavey]

Don't think Pogacar has ever broken the gentleman's code like that.

at which point then he waits just till Jorg drags Ving back up, because that group wasnt just going to all pitstop to wait for him, and goes immediately on the attack again or does the code say no you must wait for them, and then wait for them to recover?

and it doesnt matter whether he would or not, thats the thinking the Visma command squad have got to consider whether a bike change is worth it or not, on gravel terrain like that youre not really connected to the bike in the same way you would be on the road anyway, youre moving around too much trying to keep upright, so the fact its not perfect doesnt really impact you as much, because its not a perfect ride setup at that point even on a perfectly fitted bike

 

[Lequack]

Jorgeson interview. He really saved Vinge today

https://twitter.com/x/status/1809983201508569231

View: https://twitter.com/NBCSCycling/status/1809983201508569231

 

[dgodave]

I wonder if at some point later in the race Pogs body will turn off, having had enough - after the Giro triumph plus not-useful efforts like todays?.

 

[Izzyeviel]

what a boring stage.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

It's inevitable in GTs - we talk about specialists and hardmen and this and that but once you put GT in the picture the people who could really push it are routinely relegated to support roles and most all round monsters can put up a good performance even on terrain they might not fancy if there is incentive.

Plus that a lot of specialists are peaking for the Olympics and not the Tour - Van der Poel being the prime example.

 

[memyselfandI]

Jonas owes Matteo a beer. What a signing he turned out to be for a year such as this

+1

Excellent day for them as a team overall, ate so much from UAE, Bora, QS plates during the day. It looks like Jonas is getting better day by day. The way he handled Pogis low speed gravel accelerations was quite promising.

Must lift a hat to Remco too with brave fearless attacks he did, he's growing and growing still as an athlete. He is already on the top and still growing.

 

[JimPanzen]

"Not gaining any time on riders he showed himself demonstrably stronger than and gapped on several occasions" ≠ "did everything right" in my book.

Not losing time is good. Gaining time is better.

Of course it is. But who would have expected him to gain time today?

 

[Heston]

De Lie lost 11 minutes today by riding the way some people here want Vingegaard to ride.

 

[RobertCrawley]

Jonas said he had another puncture in the final 3k, but was able to ride it to the line.