Tour de France Femmes 2024 (August 12th-18th)

[Pantani_lives]

So Ghekiere is virtual yellow in the final stage of the Tour?

Yesterday she has provided competition for Victor Campenaerts in the category "Interview of the year".

 

[Coffeeplanter]

The difference in level between women is so gigantic, I doubt it would hardly matter if you let half a team in front. Teammates are borderline useless, and Demi probably rides up a mountain twice as fast as her best teammate.

 

[meat puppet]

Better to be ahead and maybe get before Vollering over the climb when she attacks over the Glandon, so that they can help in the descent and the flat part before the last climb.

If they would be in the peleton they all would be dropped on the first climb.

I was obviously joking, but that assumes they will help.

Maybe wiebes wants sprint points or whatever

 

[awavey]

I was obviously joking, but that assumes they will help.

Maybe wiebes wants sprint points or whatever

Vos has already won the green jersey, assuming she finishes within the time limit

 

[meat puppet]

Vos has already won the green jersey, assuming she finishes within the time limit

Wiebes gonna wiebes

 

[JR1012]

But it seems the front group will be caught before or during the climb. Timegap is decreasing.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

We obviously didn't get to see how the group got away, but Canyon SRAM won't have to panic (yet). It's better to use their team to make sure Niewiadoma and Bradbury arrive at the bottom of Glandon as fresh as possible.

 

[Coffeeplanter]

Women cycling is so anarchic. How could Canyon let 4 SDW in the front?

Because it doesn't matter. None of the SD Worx riders in front will be of any use to Vollering. The same applies to Kasia in the peloton sans Bradbury. The sport is evolving too quickly for the quality to keep up in quantity.

Canyon are better off just keeping a steady tempo in the run in to the climb and not let the gap get out of hand, than trying to prevent SD from joining in the first place. Once we get to Glandon, it'll very quickly be woman against woman no matter how much effort they put into break forming.

 

[Izzyeviel]

If the composition of the break is accurate, then Vollering only has NFB with her, and they definitely can't use each other's bikes, so the team cars will have to stay alert (for once).

*team car. SD Worx only have one for some reason.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

*team car. SD Worx only have one for some reason.

Having their combined brain in one car is probably better than spreading it out.

 

[Coffeeplanter]

What I don't understand is how they wish to grow the sport, but simultaneously decide to offer very little images of the most important stage of all.

 

[yaco]

Tourmalet is also thereabouts, and those that did Avenir last year rode Cormet de Roselend.

Its then followed by Alpe D'huez.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It's an interesting stage because I wonder how many women have done a 19km climb. Gee, the men would only do this length climb once or twice a year.

It's not often but it's not unheard of.

2010 Giro: Malojapass and Passo dello Stelvio (from Bormio)
2016 Tour de l'Ardêche: Mont Ventoux
2019 Giro: originally scheduled to be Gavia from Bormio (had to be cancelled due to weather)
2023 Avenir: Cormet de Roseland

Not 19km in length but comparable:
2022 Tour de Romandie: Thyon 2000
2023 Tour: Col du Tourmalet
2024 Giro: Blockhaus
2024 Tour des Pyrenées: Col d'Aubisque

You could also count the cumulative climbing in Mount Baldy from the 2019 Tour of California as well, there's no downhill for over 40km, but it's split into three climbs, of 12km at 5%, 6km at 6% and 8km @ 8% with only the last being counted as the climb itself.

A lot of the time, though, the stages tend to go more into the Alpe d'Huez kind of realm than Glandon, with things like Montasio, Monte Matajur, Hautacam, Col de la Machine, Grand Ballon, La Crosetta, Lagos de Covadonga and so on.

They did climb Boquerón de Chipaqué in the Vuelta a Colombia a few years ago too.

*team car. SD Worx only have one for some reason.

So this makes Danny Stam claiming he didn't know of the crash in stage 5 even stupider.

Its then followed by Alpe D'huez.

Pleasingly, we are seeing fewer true Unipuertos and more 2-climb stages in these big mountain stages. That seems to be the new standard template.

Lanciano + Blockhaus in the Giro
Mohandí + Covadonga in the Vuelta
Aspin + Tourmalet and now Glandon + Alpe d'Huez in the Tour
Suen + Thyon in the Tour de Romandie

We do still see some true Unipuerto, like Norefjell in the Tour of Scandinavia, Lagunas de Neila in the Vuelta a Burgos or Les Karellis and Finestre in Avenir, but these are often in the smaller races or shorter ones where a single stage can bias the GC more.

Well, given the way that ASO have balanced, or not, this year's Tour route, bias the GC even more.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

How is this breakaway so dysfunctional on an 8% gradient? You‘re almost caught, this is your last shot if you aren‘t waiting for teammates down the road. Why is nobody attacking?

 

[Coffeeplanter]

Why is every director in cycling just terrible at his/her job?

 

[Peyroteo94]

Doesn anyone have a live stream?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Ghekiere hilariously kaput there. She knows it's over, and given two HCs today probably loses her jersey too, but still, the win from yesterday will have been worth it.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Ghekiere hilariously kaput there. She knows it's over, and given two HCs today probably loses her jersey too, but still, the win from yesterday will have been worth it.

I don't think Pieterse will take 21 points out of a possible 30, so that jersey should be safe.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I don't think Pieterse will take 21 points out of a possible 30, so that jersey should be safe.

I thought they were giving points like in the men's race for HCs so Vollering would probably win it by taking both summits now that it looks unlikely Justine will get any for Glandon

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I thought they were giving points like in the men's race for HCs so Vollering would probably win it by taking both summits now that it looks unlikely Justine will get any for Glandon

I would have thought so, too, but I couldn't remember that they've never done it in this race. They've also clearly wanted to give a chance to non-GC riders to win it with this route.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Mavi Garcia attacks on the flat!!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

There was space enough to write Margarita, but not Victoria.

 

[yaco]

I don't understand why Liv Alula Jayco did not drop Smulders to pace Garcia up to the front group.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I thought Smulders would drop from the front to help García, but that didn't happen.

Go, Valentina!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

NFB to the front now, so a chance we're gonna see Demi go a couple of k before the top of Glandon now.

Bradbury dropped which is going to leave Kasia on her own.