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

[JR1012]

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

Thats a good question.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

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

Anna is nearly ten minutes back. They don't want PFP to slow things up to get any domestiques back. Gigante is isolated as well I think. And Niewiadoma.

 

[JR1012]

Surely AVB wont ride 91 km alone?

 

[JR1012]

Gigante also alone. So who will bring her back after the next downhill?

 

[RedheadDane]

Surely AVB wont ride 91 km alone?

Or maybe she will...
I have learned to never utter the phrase "Surely [rider] won't ride [large number] KM alone?"
Coz... they might just do it.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

So what is FDJ-Suez‘s plan? Attack the next descent? Or just ride tempo until Vollering attacks on Joux Plane?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Surely AVB wont ride 91 km alone?

Hmmm, I seem to remember a certain somebody who lost around 10 minutes on a mountaintop finish in the Maurienne valley, who then went solo early on in a stage including the Joux-Plane the following day and won solo by several minutes...

Realistically and all joking aside, she hopes to ride in alone of course and she has gone from this kind of distance before (2017 Worlds), however she also has the potential to 'Piepoli' a potential GC move if somebody attacks and gets across to her, especially if they attack the descent to get rid of the likes of Gigante. She's an ex-teammate of Niewiadoma and PFP of course. Not sure that the same courtesy may be there if it's Vollering after last year, mind.

 

[Andy262]

Surely AVB wont ride 91 km alone?

She’s capable of it and she looks like she means business….

 

[RedheadDane]

According to Trine Schmidt, AVDB is "sitting calmly on the bikes", plural.
She's good, but I don't think she's that good.

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

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.

This didn't age well

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Marty a bit confused as to why Demi is attacking the GPM, it's obviously for Chabbey, as Squiban is here and 2nd in the classification, but she'll need to collect a decent number of points throughout.

Demi going around trying to recruit help for pacing the group in her usual manner. If she isn't being outright hostile, she seriously needs a body language coach.

PFP is a lot better placed in this descent than she was in the last one, but she is leaving a little room between her and Demi. The FDJ domestiques dropping just behind her, feels like a scout mission.

 

[dgodave]

I had a whole big epic MTB ride planned for today, up to 12,000 ft. But theres wildfire smoke this morning, so here I am.

 

[Akuryo]

I feel like Sarah Gigante didn't get her money's worth from that descending coach she hired...

 

[Andy262]

All back for the sprint

 

[dgodave]

Adult shark doo doo....

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I feel like Sarah Gigante didn't get her money's worth from that descending coach she hired...

At least she tried. It's not like Mara Abbott deciding after every race where she gained loads on the climbs, lost it all on the descents, and then retreated back to her comfort zone in US domestic cycling where she was so much stronger than the rest of the riders that she could open up gaps that were un-closeable.

It was so frustrating seeing her expose the same flaws over and over again, and for riders like Longo Borghini to be sacrificed to work for Mara knowing full well she was only jetting in for one or two races and the rest of the season would be appearing as a "guest rider" in untelevised races on the NRS, depriving us of seeing the best climber in the bunch for 90% of the season. Given the parcours trends of the time and Mara's often fragile psychology, it was understandable, but it was still easy to resent her only doing a small handful of races where she was guaranteed leader and never reciprocating that work for riders who had more than earned the chance to lead for themselves.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

I don‘t know why FDJ are controlling here, it‘s not like they need to catch AVDB now or are the GC Leaders.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I don‘t know why FDJ are controlling here, it‘s not like they need to catch AVDB now or are the GC Leaders.

Yea, now that they've let some of the Visma and AG domestiques back in, their motivation surely ceases.

And indeed as they arrive at the foot of the climb EF and AG take over

Kasia and Kerbaol down!

 

[JR1012]

I don‘t know why FDJ are controlling here, it‘s not like they need to catch AVDB now or are the GC Leaders.

FDJ want to win the stage.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Not where you want to go down

 

[Andy262]

Both EF riders went down independently on the crossing.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

At the start of the season I had visions of Cille towing Niewiadoma to the front on big mountains, but this was absolutely not what I had in mind.

Interesting that Pauline has glued herself to Demi's wheel rather than Gigante's. I guess that one-dimensional nature of Gigante as a rider is a factor in that, but nevertheless she's the closest on GC...

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Syncronised crashing is possibly one of the available EF courses.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

AG are certainly trying to get as few people as possible here. Shredding things up pretty good so far. This does mean we could get to see Gigante descending solo, I warn you. It could be the most disturbing imagery broadcast since the 2020 Peyresourde stage in the men's Tour. Legend says you can still see Ilnur Zakarin descending the Peyresourde into Loudenvielle to this day.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

It was starting to look good for VDB, but even if she only manages to survive with the best over the top that is still better than getting dropped half way up. It is of course still possible that she won't even achieve that, but you don't win anything by not trying.