Tour de France Femmes 2025 (July 26th- August 3rd)

[RedheadDane]

But we are talking about road cycling, right?

I thought we were just generally talking about her career.

(And Dygert is DNS...)

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

But we are talking about road cycling, right?
MVDP is the GOAT of CX.
What does that have to do with his road cycling career?

That's what you're talking about. we're talking about the talent of a cyclist, which is her overall physical and physiological talent. She is crushing it, and there isn't another woman breathing air, who could beat her in this form.

 

[dgodave]

But we are talking about road cycling, right?
MVDP is the GOAT of CX.
What does that have to do with his road cycling career?

All disciplines add up to a cyclists greatness imo.

Except "virtual" cycling or whatever they call it.

 

[Rou]

Everyone can be a fan of everyone.
I'm not coping or hating.
I just get triggered with exaggerations and comparisons with MJ or other GOATS.

 

[RedheadDane]

I just get triggered with exaggerations and comparisons with MJ or other GOATS.

No need to get basketball players involved in a talk about cycling.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Back to discussing the racing, SDW are starting out in attack mode.

 

[dgodave]

Back to discussing the racing, SDW are starting out in attack mode.

Up until this very minute I thought SD Worx was like a top end product line of Specialized bikes.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Gigante loving this start.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

PFP also dropped

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Gigante loving this start.

Yeah, unfortunately she's too old to ride Avenir where they would have neutralised this part.

 

[JR1012]

What an opening. 1. and 2. dropped.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

PFP also dropped

That is nuts.

Gigante and Rooijakkers I understand - maybe even expect (but not this soon into the stage) - but Pauline should be well above this level.

 

[dgodave]

How did this ever happen?

 

[JR1012]

This was a chance for an epic stage. But now all together again.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

German Eurosport complaining that FDJ didn‘t go all out, calling them amateurs, even though this would mean Vollering going solo now because they couldn‘t hold off PFP and Gigante otherwise.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

This was a chance for an epic stage. But now all together again.

Could still be, after all Joux-Plane is a pretty nasty climb, does somebody like Gigante now feel they have to attack it, because if they get dropped on this descent, they can't leave it until Corbier and let some of the strong, or at least brave, descenders like Niewiadoma and Kerbaol go ballistic and jeopardise her podium - but then if Gigante goes that early, can she withstand the long distance effort or will she end up paying for it later with the likes of Vollering profiting? It opens up some interesting tactical questions. Summit of Joux-Plane is still 55km from home, so we could still get a couple of hours' worth out of it. Or nothing. The outcomes are all still on the table.

 

[Red Rick]

Could still be, after all Joux-Plane is a pretty nasty climb, does somebody like Gigante now feel they have to attack it, because if they get dropped on this descent, they can't leave it until Corbier and let some of the strong, or at least brave, descenders like Niewiadoma and Kerbaol go ballistic and jeopardise her podium - but then if Gigante goes that early, can she withstand the long distance effort or will she end up paying for it later with the likes of Vollering profiting? It opens up some interesting tactical questions.

Yeah it could be a crazy stage, just unlikely to be for 1st place.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Now it obviously seems like it could have been better if they had started from the QOM instead so that Joux Plane had been the first climb. Still, there will be some tired legs already and the pace hasn't dropped completely yet.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Now it obviously seems like it could have been better if they had started from the QOM instead so that Joux Plane had been the first climb. Still, there will be some tired legs already and the pace hasn't dropped completely yet.

Why would it seem obvious that Joux Plane should be the first climb?

 

[Didinho]

This is how a last stage should be ridden. Isolate yellow.

 

[Red Rick]

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Why would it seem obvious that Joux Plane should be the first climb?

I think if they had the legs, someone other than Van der Breggen would have been more likely to keep pushing the pace after the first descent if there was only 80 km left rather than 100. The descent from Arâches-la-Frasse is of course easier than the other one, so it is very much possible that we wouldn't have got a start like this in my scenario.

 

[Andy262]

Anna rolling back the years. Why don’t FDJ let PFP do the chase?

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Massacre already on the first climb. Joux Plane and afterwards should be epic.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

I think if they had the legs, someone other than Van der Breggen would have been more likely to keep pushing the pace after the first descent if there was only 80 km left rather than 100.

Well, Van der Breggen would have attacked a lot on Joux Plane and there would only be the GC riders left to push the pace so I wouldn‘t be as optimistic. The same could still happen on Joux Plane anyway.