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

[Red Rick]

PFPs seated style looks so much like Adam Yates lol

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Why is Marty surprised at Lucinda Brand doing so well on the climb. She's been 4th in the Giro and was top 10 last year. She's just a total diesel when it comes to climbing.

Ghekiere swings off and Gigante takes the pace, still 9km from the summit.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Justine Ghekiere incredibly recognisable physiognomy, I think it's the very pinchable cheeks.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

Fair play to Gigante for trying but this is looking a bit fruitless. Is she planning to just pull at the front VDB style?

 

[Red Rick]

Looks like a massive headwind out there?

 

[Tim Cahill]

Psychological headwind

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Fair play to Gigante for trying but this is looking a bit fruitless. Is she planning to just pull at the front VDB style?

I thought she might just go for a "ride tempo until everybody drops" technique but I think she's concluded that it's too soon for that to work, hence the trackstanding and them letting Lucinda Brand, who is over an hour down, go forth. However, NFB kinda needs her too.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Rider in pink team jersey is having to come back from behind during a long solo over Joux Plane at the front, but sadly no equalities of Sastre, Cunego, Moreau or Pereiro

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I thought she might just go for a "ride tempo until everybody drops" technique but I think she's concluded that it's too soon for that to work, hence the trackstanding and them letting Lucinda Brand, who is over an hour down, go forth. However, NFB kinda needs her too.

It actually looked like a decent situation for NFB to attack herself, although it probably is better for her to have Brand with her until the bottom of the descent or longer if possible.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Rider in pink team jersey is having to come back from behind during a long solo over Joux Plane at the front, but sadly no equalities of Sastre, Cunego, Moreau or Pereiro

Now she's lost Vallières-Mill she's on her own, but she is a demon descender, so if she can stay at a reasonable distance she can at least catch some of the group ahead, especially as there are some suspect descenders in the group.

However, we're still 5,5km from the summit of the Joux-Plane (actually a bit more because that's from van der Breggen) so a lot that can be won and lost in that time if anything kicks off in the favourites group.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Brand is done, and Vollering takes the front... and Gigante attacks.

Down to 5, as Włodarczyk and Labous are gone, NFB hanging on but gets the wheel after a few seconds' hard battling.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Let PFP chase it ffs

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Let PFP chase it ffs

The gap will never grow to a point where it makes sense for her to do so.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Surely Demi vollering has been saving all her energy for a big attack any minute now right ?

 

[JR1012]

Surely Demi vollering has been saving all her energy for a big attack any minute now right ?

She will attack downhill.

 

[Andy262]

Demi makes frustrated gesture - why not attack instead?

 

[Ilmaestro99]

She will attack downhill.

Great tactic to put time into multi discipline world champion and MTB superstar Paulin ferrand prevot

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Surely Demi vollering has been saving all her energy for a big attack any minute now right ?

I do not believe she expects to get the 3 minutes on PFP. She needs around 40 seconds on Gigante. Downhill attack is much more fruitful for that. PFP hasn't been descending great so far, but I think Vollering's concern is Gigante and/or not losing out to Niewiadoma as she is a strong descender, and then it's "if I drop PFP and gain some opportunity against her, it's bonus".

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Great tactic to put time into multi discipline world champion and MTB superstar Paulin ferrand prevot

Did you miss her getting distanced by 30" on the first descent of the day?

It may have been a one-off borne out of other circumstances, but she did get dropped on the descent.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Did you miss her getting distanced by 30" on the first descent of the day?

It may have been a one-off borne out of other circumstances, but she did get dropped on the descent.

I mean, maybe Demi can convince them to go so slow that 100 riders come back and PFP can be out of position, but otherwise I don‘t think she‘s struggling on the descents.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I mean, maybe Demi can convince them to go so slow that 100 riders come back and PFP can be out of position, but otherwise I don‘t think she‘s struggling on the descents.

Doesn't mean we pretend it didn't happen. Is lightning likely to strike twice? No. But it doesn't mean that testing it out isn't a valid strategy.

Bearing in mind both Gigante and PFP are climbing better than her as evidenced yesterday, why is attacking uphill being treated as the required strategy demanded of her, and attacking downhill a strategy being treated as worthy of criticism?

As I said in the previous post, I think Demi does not expect to gain 3 minutes+ on PFP, and she is targeting gaining as against Gigante's weakness, and any opportunity that gives her against PFP is just an added bonus.

 

[yaco]

Did you miss her getting distanced by 30" on the first descent of the day?

It may have been a one-off borne out of other circumstances, but she did get dropped on the descent.

PFP was dropped twice on descents in stage 6.

 

[Red Rick]

Surely PFP just takes off on the Corbier and solo's it home

 

[Samu Cuenca]

FDJ would have been better off trying to get Labous up the road before the top, although she probably wouldn't have been allowed to. Now she has been.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Labous attacking is an intriguing move. She won't be chased most likely and also then gives Demi somebody in the valley. Kasia takes up the chase, and Gigante already giving up space.