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

[Unchained]

This was a great stage. Excitement throughout. Selfishly, as a cycling fan, I wanted Vingo to ride more aggressively, but he and Visma rode in their own best interests, so it's hard to find any fault with that. Smart riding isn't always exciting.
Pog rode like the champion he is. The guy loves to race his bike and it shows, to the benefit of all cycling fans. I was rather disappointed with VdP. He's been mediocre this entire first week.
Also respect to Remco for another solid ride, although it's abundantly clear that Pog/Vingo won't regard him as a true threat until he proves himself in the high mountains. Rog was mostly invisible but rode smartly and didn't lose anything.

MVdP has been absolutely bulletproof the first week and showed why he wears the rainbow stripes!! Guy has been the absolute example of team player giving requested lead outs even when the tactic proves to be futile both for personal results and turns to a schit sandwich because teammate can't sprint wo getting pinched by officials!!
People w something to lose, rode the smart race, organization ultra lucky in light of yesterday's race fatality that this intentional use of unsafe surfaces resulting in an almost injury free race!! And organizers know that gravel racing, w what little tradition exists uses different wheels, tires,bikes, support, and instead insisted on a design that had teams and riders winging it because proper equipment, bike changes and support were impossible at scale or at speed. Now what looked like teammates riding duplicate bikes because of the difficult to impossible circumstances for regular road race support.. Bravo Tratnik for riding as a body double. All the people yelling about rider safety, poor course design, built in danger need to realize it's all an act.!!
Richard Plugge types want it both ways!!

'Crashes ruin our sport' - Richard Plugge calls for a new mentality for race safety

Visma-Lease a Bike manager on the impact of Vingegaard's and Van Aert's injuries

www.cyclingnews.com

'Crisis? What Crisis?': Visma-Lease a Bike Bullish Over Crash-Blasted Season and Tour de France Uncertainty

Visma-Lease a Bike boss beats back notion the wheels are falling off during a season of 'super teams' and crashes from Vingegaard, Van Aert.

velo.outsideonline.com

Visma - Lease A Bike boss Richard Plugge furious after Dauphine crash: "Would this happen in F1?"

Visma | Lease a Bike team manager Richard Plugge has

cyclinguptodate.com

Guy is a menace

 

[Rob5091]

Pogacar will be hoping, praying, that his examination of Vingegaard pays off at some stage or other and that all this effort doesn’t come back to bite him on the arse in the third week.

It will in one way or another, but how will Vingegaard be?

 

[topt]

I feel that if UAE wants to be 3rd, 4th and 5th GC, this is absolutely the way to go!

agree with this; if Pog loses this its one UAE, either you work for Pog or you are not on the team

 

[Sciatic]

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

I think that’s okay given we usually have hype at the other end of the spectrum: “boring,” “trash route design,” “lame (or no) breakaway.” Gotta balance these things out

 

[Tim Cahill]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1809987411054653457

Tadej Pogacar: "Everyone runs their own race, it doesn't bother me. I like running with my heart, it was a day to do it. Yes, I think Vingegaard is afraid of me, otherwise he would have taken over. They don't only think about my wheel, not those of others." #TDF2024

It's all getting a bit b*tchy out there, great stuff.

 

[Penninepeddler]

If there was hand to hand combat, Hinault would unretire and claim #6.

Bouhanni would have a chance ahah...

tbh my bet would be on Sergio Martinez. Once read he was a very good cyclist in Argentina as a teenager before taking up boxing.. whose "dream" was actually to be a pro cyclist. Still boxing too so in good shape aha.

 

[James M]

I guess we know why Vingegaard has so little respect in the peloton now this was hard to watch not gonne lie. No other way of saying it, I never got it before now.

 

[Sciatic]

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.

My favorite stage. But big difference was the favorite—Froome and Sky—being the ones caught out behind. Nairo did take turns at the front once that group had a gap. If today it had been Remco with Vingegaard and Jorgenson while Pog was behind, then Visma would have pulled.

 

[RobertCrawley]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1809987411054653457

Tadej Pogacar: "Everyone runs their own race, it doesn't bother me. I like running with my heart, it was a day to do it. Yes, I think Vingegaard is afraid of me, otherwise he would have taken over. They don't only think about my wheel, not those of others." #TDF2024

It's all getting a bit b*tchy out there, great stuff.

Someone is getting into someone's head a little bit.

It's all about recovery. If Tadej has one bad day in the mountains, he loses. If he can stay strong in all the mountain stages, he wins.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Someone is getting into someone's head a little bit.

It's all about recovery. If Tadej has one bad day in the mountains, he loses. If he can stay strong in all the mountain stages, he wins.

Yeah I always suggested Pogacar could try and get in Vingegaard's head a bit in the media, get him to try and make a mistake, but watching these interviews it seems like he's that one that's been a bit rattled.

 

[KZD]

One of the best racing days this season. I hope that it convinced more people that gravel belongs in stage races as long as it isn't overly used.

Good win for Turgis giving some precious points for Total, I thought that Stuyven had it but he faded in the end.

Regarding the GC battle, I understand that this is not Vingegaard's preferred terrain but when you team has Van Aert, Laporte, Jorgenson, Benoot and even Tratnik you can be a bit more attacking than what Visma showed today. Its true that Pogačar is on paper Vingegaard's strongest rival but if Roglič can get back into his Vuelta 2023 shape or if Remco can reach his best level yet their decision to not use Jorgenson to pull could come back to bite them in the end.
A positive outcome of this stage is that no major GC contender lost time due to bad luck.

 

[Medvind]

I guess we know why Vingegaard has so little respect in the peloton now this was hard to watch not gonne lie. No other way of saying it, I never got it before now.

He has?

[[content deleted]] Vinge rode exactly like he should on a stage like this. Pulling with Pog and Remco on a stage that is not his terrain, leave his superdoms behind and risk getting dropped by Pog on a later gravel section? Maybe some prefer Vinge lose the tour for entertainment sake and we then have a boring 3rd week. I don't.

 

[Izzyeviel]

How the *** has Felix Gall not lost any time, he was permadropped with like 150k to go

They took it easy for the last 100k

 

[Unchained]

He has?

Did IQ just drop 50 points or what? Vinge rode exactly like he should on a stage like this. Pulling with Pog and Remco on a stage that is not his terrain, leave his superdoms behind and risk getting dropped by Pog on a later gravel section? Maybe some prefer Vinge lose the tour for entertainment sake and we then have a boring 3rd week. I don't.

Vingegaard, did good job, didn't try to break away or bridge to another group.
Pog and company were apparently told there were style points bonuses and Gee and Pidcock were sandbaggin in earlier stages!!
Bora probably thinking about just how random the overall outcome of crashes really are..Austria a very accomplished rider is dead, and Vlasov up and rolling ,able to ride his bike.

 

[Netserk]

No wonder all the Roglic fans wanted to cancel the stage

Have you seen me make one bad comment about the stage?

 

[Miss Violet Smith]

By the way, is there a post-stage update on Vlasov ? That crash looked nasty.

 

[Jagartrott]

He has?

[[content deleted]]? Vinge rode exactly like he should on a stage like this. Pulling with Pog and Remco on a stage that is not his terrain, leave his superdoms behind and risk getting dropped by Pog on a later gravel section? Maybe some prefer Vinge lose the tour for entertainment sake and we then have a boring 3rd week. I don't.

I've read about 5 comments of you in this racing thread now that are some kind of variation on 'others are stupid, Vingegaard/Visma is smart'. Could you tone it down a little? Dumb or smart is often decided with hindsight. There's not one path to glory or one right tactic.

 

[Kazistuta]

I guess we know why Vingegaard has so little respect in the peloton now this was hard to watch not gonne lie. No other way of saying it, I never got it before now.

How do you know that? I get that YOU apparently don't respect him (assuming it's only because of todays racing?), but just because Pogacar clearly leaves the complete peloton in awe due to his incredible racing instinct, doesn't mean his antagonist has the opposite, lack of respect.

 

[Netserk]

By the way, is there a post-stage update on Vlasov ? That crash looked nasty.

No, the communique doesn't provide anything additional:

COMMUNIQUE MEDICAL
(88) VLASOV Aleksandr - RBH
Chute dans un fossé.
Contusions/Erosions cutanées.
Le Service Médical

 

[James M]

How do you know that? I get that YOU apparently don't respect him (assuming it's only because of todays racing?), but just because Pogacar clearly leaves the complete peloton in awe due to his incredible racing instinct, doesn't mean his antagonist has the opposite, lack of respect.

I got carried away ofcourse i respect him. I just love racing and attacking and I personally couldnt understand why when he had 2v1 with Jorgenson there at the end why that did not make sense to ride. Even if Vingegaard was tired and couldnt let jorgenson go around and tire out Pogacar more in the process cause he would go around with jorgenson alone and gain time on others win win, no? I respect him how can i now i just got carried away and didnt like that type of racing sorry. Same would applie if it was anyone else nothing to do with him. But yeah heath of the moment thing and would it be Pogacar I would fume at him or Evenpoel too it was just wierd to watch nothing else

But im not gonne *** more about that its done guess its just cause i wanted him to ride away there if you get me.

 

[RedheadDane]

Taking the term "bike throw" rather literally.

 

[dobrien]

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?

This. Jonas is light-years ahead of where I'd pegged him being at this point in the race; super smart and tough-guy ride from both he and Matteo today (and the rest of VLAB too). They just need to keep Jonas close until the last week, and not burn matches it doesn't make sense to burn.

 

[Oldermanish]

Good job by VLAB's super-domestiques, but are there any stages remaining where riders of their profile can hope to be useful in protecting Vingegaard's GC position?

Good question. As long as Mateo stays with Vindegaard and is given license to continue if he totally blows; there is hope. Once they hit the big cols and Tadej's team sets tempo it will look like the Galibier, but worse. I wish Jonas a speedy recovery but this Tour won't give it to him without some magic.

 

[Escarabajo]

How so many riders saved the day is beyond me. It looks like everyone is watching the race among the big four. How stupid is that. All it takes is one bad day for any of them. 50 riders in the main group after all those attacks. Go figure!

 

[Netserk]

Simon Yates was the only rider in the GC top-20 (before the stage) who lost time today, +9'56" to the peloton.