Tour de France 2024 - The battle of the big 4

[Red Rick]

It's like the Tennis big 4, then Remco is Andy Murray in this analogy please don't kill me @Red Rick

Spoiler

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Speaking of tennis, I've understood from Red Rick there's previously been a funny Novak situation going with another player than the famous one. In snooker, I've recently discovered there's now a young player called Ronnie Sullivan.

 

[Cookster15]

Too much tennis not enough cycling. Will Vingo be in shape to make Pog sweat ?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Doesn't matter, I'm completely immune. After all the "Nagal out of Roland Garros" and "Novak out of Australian Open" *** you won't get me no more. "Carlos Alcaraz to Juventus" was the last one that got me, but that one seemed really plausible.

Why? Isn't he the opposite of an old has been who can join them on a free transfer?

 

[Red Rick]

Why? Isn't he the opposite of an old has been who can join them on a free transfer?

If I have to explain it ruined the yoke

 

[Samu Cuenca]

If I have to explain it ruined the yoke

Yeah, it'll probably be for the best if I stick to only ruining my own jokes.

 

[Lequack]

'Jonas Vingegaard is the favourite for the Tour de France' insists UAE Team Emirates sports manager​

'Jonas Vingegaard is the favourite for the Tour de France' insists UAE Team Emirates sports manager

Mind games begin in earnest as Matxin Joxean Fernández says Visma-Lease a Bike leader is the man to beat, not Giro d'Italia champion Tadej Pogačar

www.globalcyclingnetwork.com

And Horner's take

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgwsyEtOmVM

 

[Izzyeviel]

It's like the Tennis big 4, then Remco is Andy Murray in this analogy please don't kill me @Red Rick

Like how when he wins he's Belgian, but when he loses he's Flandarian?

& anyway, if you're comparing by performance, surely Andy Murray is like Chris Froome?

 

[shadowrider]

Everyone agrees Roglic was easily winning 2022

He was still way behind Evenepoel in the GC when he dropped out. At the moment Evenepoel was recovered from his crashes. No way Roglic would have won that Vuelta.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Visma is clearly rushing Vingegaard because their season has been a completely disaster so far. They need Vingegaard to save their season but they are probably burning Vingegaard if he does the Tour.
WVA's shape is nowhere to be seen, how is Vingegaard supposed to be in competitive shape for the Tour? His base level was totally gone after his crash. Lost muscle, aerobic capacity, core strenght.

 

[Froome]

Visma is clearly rushing Vingegaard because their season has been a completely disaster so far. They need Vingegaard to save their season but they are probably burning Vingegaard if he does the Tour.
WVA's shape is nowhere to be seen, how is Vingegaard supposed to be in competitive shape for the Tour? His base level was totally gone after his crash. Lost muscle, aerobic capacity, core strenght.

Until now those takes are just assumptions. We have no proof they are doing that.

Van aert shape in Norway was quite decent.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Article

According to this, his trainer states that he has never seen somebody improve as fast as Vingegaard and are saying they are trying as hard as possible to get ready in a month. Not bad

 

[Netserk]

The original source with the full Shane Stokes interview of Vingegaard's coach Tim Heemskerk

However any hopes that Vingegaard could quickly return to normal life were dashed. Heemskerk confirms media suggestions at the time that he was unable to return home.

He told Velo that the punctured lung Vingegaard suffered coupled with rigorous medical rules set by Denmark made taking a flight impossible.

[...]

Does Heemskerk rate his chances at 50-50, or how does he see it?

“That’s difficult, because I don’t really think like that,” he answers. “It’s day by day. It’s like, ‘what will come out of the numbers and the feeling and the feedback you get from Jonas today? What will be the new plan for tomorrow?’

“Basically, it’s like a bottom up process. Because we’ve done it in the past three Tours de Frances, where he was second, won and won, I do know what is needed. So in my mind, it’s like ‘okay, this is still the gap that’s there.’

[...]

But the goals remain high despite what has happened.

“Without forcing, what Richard Plugge said, he needs to be 100 percent,” he explained. “When Jonas goes to the Tour, he should go to win it. And if there are any doubts, Jonas will also feel it.

 

[tobydawq]

Until now those takes are just assumptions. We have no proof they are doing that.

Van aert shape in Norway was quite decent.

Van Aert's shape in Norway was absolutely horrific, lol...

 

[Froome]

Van Aert's shape in Norway was absolutely horrific, lol...

It was quite decent after what happened to him. He was working in the front of the peloton, and he even fought for the victory in some final sprints.

 

[tobydawq]

It was quite decent after what happened to him. He was working in the front of the peloton, and he even for the victory in some final sprints.

By far the worst shape he has been in in his career.

If that's decent, then everything is...

 

[Gargamel35]

By far the worst shape he has been in in his career.

If that's decent, then everything is...

Decent for a man coming from a bad injury, jesus. Why do so many people need extra explanation for common sense things.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

By far the worst shape he has been in in his career.

If that's decent, then everything is...

Did you watch him ride CycloX after his horrific crash in the TdF TT?

 

[Peyroteo94]

Decent for a man coming from a bad injury, jesus. Why do so many people need extra explanation for common sense things.

But not decent to contest any Tour's stage. This is the point. How can Vingegaard contest the gc if he is behind WVA's shape. And WVA is very far from his ceilling

 

[Froome]

But not decent to contest any Tour's stage. This is the point. How can Vingegaard contest the gc if he is behind WVA's shape. And WVA is very far from his ceilling

How do you know that? Firstable you don't know how Van aert will develop in the next month until the Tour. Besides that, we don't know what will be the role of Van aert in the Tour. Probably he will not go there to win some stages, but to help Vingegaard and continue to develop his shape until the Olympics games.

Only Visma knows the condition of them and have acess to all the information about them. They are the most professional/best team in the peloton. They know what they are doing.

The comparation between Vingegaard and Van aert doesn't make sense, because there are a lot of different factors. One of them can recover more faster than the other, the other can have less severe injuries....each rider progress in a different way.

 

[Potomac]

I guess we have seen enough of the Dauphine now.

Pogacar will win Le Tour by three minutes.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@Potomac

Only three? Something is off here.

 

[AmRacer]

@Potomac

Only three? Something is off here.

That would be Jonas.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@AmRacer

Jonas to win it by three minutes? What happened, what did i miss?

 

[Krzysztof_O]

You are right with the criteria you use. But Evenepoel undoubtedly has other strengths, such as daring to attack (as Pogacar has). Once he has a lead, he is difficult to catch back. If the big three work together to crack Evenepoel, he will indeed not have a chance. But it remains to be seen whether Vingegaard, probably not yet 100%, will take the initiative (to chase Evenepoel). And the relation between Vingegaard and Roglic ? Hm... I'm not sure. And Pogacar, having made hughe impression during the Giro..... I think Vingegaard and Roglic will stay in the wheel of Pogacar... at least the first part of the Tour.

Evenepoel has a chance to win this Tour indeed, if he reaches his top level on time. Vingo is likely to be absent or worse than in the previous years. Pogacar is obviously #1 favourite but I'm still not convinced about his strength in the last week of the race (Giro is not a joke, even if won by zillion minutes). As for his H2H vs Rogla, it could get quite interesting actually.