Tour de France Tour de France 2025 Stage 8, Saint-Méen-le-Grand-> Laval, 171.4k

[Devil's Elbow]

Not watching for obvious reasons, why is Merlier suddenly doing intermediate sprints now that he's way too far back to have a chance of green?

 

[Rob5091]

Chapeau the two TE riders - get that 2,000 Euros!

 

[CyclistAbi]

Not watching for obvious reasons, why is Merlier suddenly doing intermediate sprints now that he's way too far back to have a chance of green?

Nobody else cared.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Not watching for obvious reasons, why is Merlier suddenly doing intermediate sprints now that he's way too far back to have a chance of green?

He‘s been doing it on and off since Stage 2, maybe to do some sprint training?

 

[Divergence]

Becoming more and more a thing this, not having a single person in the break. The sprint teams might think it’s good right now but there is zero spectacle for this type of race, never mind on a weekend, it will see less and less sprint stages in GT’s.

Of course the stage is worthless, but it is good that it may nudge the organizers to spot even considering such stages to be part of the TdF.

I don't know why this stage is at a weekend. Absolutely shite for tv viewing. If need stages like this, put them on a Tuesday and Wednesday when no one cares

There are at lest a few guys here on the forum who find these stages enthralling.

Guess I have to join the dog-pile here....what an atrocity for a Saturday. I understand the geography of France presents challenges not faced by the Giro and Vuelta organizers but...wow.

This has nothing to do with geography. There is still this mindset. that the TdF should have some flat stages (I do not for what reason besides the spectacle of some mad "sprinter" taking out a GC rider)

 

[staubsauger]

Sprint stages absolutely belong into the Tour de France and the best sprinter should be favored to win the green jersey. Sprinters are a very unique & distinctive category of riders and thus should be rewarded with their own competition & victories.

That said, if teams like Total Energies or Bardiani can't be bothered to attack on these stages - > Just throw them out of the race. We saw with Corratec at the 2023 Giro d'Italia there are teams willing to fulfill that role and seeing guys like Vacek & Quaterman presenting themselves certainly was one of the nicer things in that race.

 

[Rob5091]

This has nothing to do with geography. There is still this mindset. that the TdF should have some flat stages (I do not for what reason besides the spectacle of some mad "sprinter" taking out a GC rider)

The sprint heavy first week is also an attempt to keep the GC close (and the KOM competition), otherwise we couldd see guys following wheels for a fortnight as the GC was done. Even so, two sprint stages on a weekend is a bit much.

 

[Divergence]

Sprint stages absolutely belong into the Tour de France and the best sprinter should be favored to win the green jersey. Sprinters are a very unique & distinctive category of riders and thus should be rewarded with their own competition & victories.

That said, if teams like Total Energies or Bardiani can't be bothered to attack on these stages - > Just throw them out of the race. We saw with Corratec at the 2023 Giro d'Italia there are teams willing to fulfill that role and seeing guys like Vacek & Quaterman presenting themselves certainly was one of the nicer things in that race.

Nothing the sprinters do is worth watching. At best it is 5s of semi-excitement. At worst they take out a whole bunch of guys who can actually ride their bike.

The sprint heavy first week is also an attempt to keep the GC close (and the KOM competition), otherwise we couldd see guys following wheels for a fortnight as the GC was done. Even so, two sprint stages on a weekend is a bit much.

This does not make much sense. By that token why not have a bunch of (20 stages) 10km flat stages, You would not know the winner until the last stage.

 

[Red Rick]

Sprints and sprinters are an integral part of cycling. If people decide to watch a stage like today and then get bored and complain, I can only chuckle.

I do agree it shouldn't be 2 sprints on the weekend though.

 

[Divergence]

Sprints and sprinters are an integral part of cycling. If people decide to watch a stage like today and then get bored and complain, I can only chuckle.

I do agree it shouldn't be 2 sprints on the weekend though.

What makes sprints and sprinters an integral part of cycling?

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Soler deciding to lie down on the road.

 

[Unchained]

Sprint stages absolutely belong into the Tour de France and the best sprinter should be favored to win the green jersey. Sprinters are a very unique & distinctive category of riders and thus should be rewarded with their own competition & victories.

That said, if teams like Total Energies or Bardiani can't be bothered to attack on these stages - > Just throw them out of the race. We saw with Corratec at the 2023 Giro d'Italia there are teams willing to fulfill that role and seeing guys like Vacek & Quaterman presenting themselves certainly was one of the nicer things in that race.

I agree with everything you are saying but would add that too much emphasis is put on finishing the TDF for some of the obviously inferior teams!! My personal preference would be for some less powerful squad go all in instead of just riding around taking up space. It's probably some of my favorite racing to watch when conti quality guys attack..for me seeing Rural, Polti, Kern, Australian national team, ect attack the big guys is entertaining.. Sure it seldom works but it's better than just sitting in , just my opinion.. This Total Energies move is fun to watch.. Additionally it shows that whoever designed new Bora kit ripped them off!! Total Energies should get a royalty fee for Bora wearing their uniform

 

[RedheadDane]

Nice to see Real Total Energies on the attack.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

What makes sprints and sprinters an integral part of cycling?

That you‘d need to change the sport a lot to remove them from the sport.

 

[RedheadDane]

Apparently the Horse rides for FDJ...

 

[Divergence]

That you‘d need to change the sport a lot to remove them from the sport.

This is an absurd answer. just do not have flat stages. Nothing else needs to be changed.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

A horse racing circuit being shown.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Sprint stages have three purposes: 1) show off the countryside to motivate tourism, 2) peloton transportation, to the next start location, 3) give the GC riders a break between major stages. The only times these stages get exciting are in rare instances where the break foils the peloton's plans. Otherwise, it's terrible viewing.

 

[Red Rick]

What makes sprints and sprinters an integral part of cycling?

Cycling parcours is a function of geography. Much of the world is flat.

 

[Unchained]

These guys get a bike, A wheel, go the bathroom and chase back on totally relaxed.. Soler looks pretty chill. I get nervous if I get just a little gap off the back of our club ride..total panic!!

 

[QueenStagiaire]

This is an absurd answer. just do not have flat stages. Nothing else needs to be changed.

Except that you‘d need to move the race by a few hundred kilometers.

 

[Divergence]

Sprint stages have three purposes: 1) show off the countryside to motivate tourism, 2) peloton transportation, to the next start location, 3) give the GC riders a break between major stages. The only times these stages get exciting are in rare instances where the break foils the peloton's plans. Otherwise, it's terrible viewing.

1) The first reason goes down the drain because nobody watches these stages. At least not intently.
2) There are fast buses now, no need for that.
3) Exactly, there should be no break for the riders. This is the ultimate endurance test. Why this nonsense.

 

[CyclistAbi]

The Power of Boredom: Why It’s Essential for Good Mental Health

The Importance of Boredom for Good Mental Health In a world filled with constant stimulation from our smartphones, social media, and the fast-paced nature of m

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Conclusion​

Rather than fearing boredom or viewing it as wasted time, we should embrace it as a necessary part of maintaining good mental health. Boredom encourages creativity, self-reflection, emotional resilience, mindfulness, and mental restoration. In a world that constantly demands our attention, boredom is a precious opportunity to slow down, reconnect with ourselves, and find balance in our mental well-being.

 

[Unchained]

Sprint stages have three purposes: 1) show off the countryside to motivate tourism, 2) peloton transportation, to the next start location, 3) give the GC riders a break between major stages. The only times these stages get exciting are in rare instances where the break foils the peloton's plans. Otherwise, it's terrible viewing.

Good points, I personally wouldn't have known that France was full cows, grass and bunch of farmers taking time out from crop circles to stack bales into awesome overhead bicycle art designs!!
Bike racing has a responsibility to showcase dairy cows who are very very underappreciated!!

 

[QueenStagiaire]

2) There are fast buses now, no need for that.

How much faster are buses now than they used to be?