With another sprint stage on tap and the sprint being only about 24K into the race I figured nothing would happen till after the sprint. Well MVDP is in the race so should have expect the unexpected. He went off with Jonas Rickaert and by the sprint that had a 3:40 lead and from what was said had averaged 30mph. The question was - what was up as MVD had said he was not going for the green jersey but this seemed to say differently. That said hard to see him being out there all day but in watching live wondered if the goal was get ahead then let the break usually goes after the sprint catch them and give them a group that could work together.
Even with the break up the road the sprint for the points was still going to be interesting as there were still lots of points available. Add to this Milan lost 10 points due to an infraction, not sure what it was as I saw nothing unusual yesterday, in the final sprint the day before. So who leads out the sprint - it is Quinn Simmons at the front again to help lead out Milan who got the best of the rest in this sprint. Now coms the long road to finish with 146K still to go. Was surprised no one went right away so would have to wait to see how this all works out. One thought I had at the time was that the least this helps Alpecin not need to do anything in the peloton so that Kaden Groves could rest up. This would leave the chasing up to Lidl-Trek and Inter-Marche for Milan and Girmay. May not have been the thought at the time but could work that way - in the end Gove only got 10th in the sprint so not much help, likely would have been better for MVD to lead him out. So, maybe was just a long hard workout for MVDP.
Along with speeds the winds did split the peloton up some but it looked clear they were going to get MVDP as with 29K to go the gap was down to less than 1:00 - but it ended up not really being that clear. Also interesting seeing UAE and Visma at the front since they had no sprinter but you did see Milan with no teammates up there making sure he was at the front if any splits happened. MVDP and his teammate were not giving up to make it easy on the peloton since with 10K to go the gap was still at 50 seconds. But then we saw Lidl-Trek back to the front as MVDP was off on his own with 6K to go and a 27 second lead.
It was exciting to see MVDP work to stay away with 7 seconds on the peloton with 1.5k to go. Pretty much sure he was going to get caught but with MVDP you never know. The gap was closed with just under 1K to go and it was down to the bunch to sprint it out. The sprint was won by Tim Merlier free lancing to get the better of Milan at the line. Might have been a flat and supposedly unexciting stage but MVDP kept it interesting from the gun all the way to 1K for the sprinters to do what was expected of them. MVDP ended up 68th on the stage and lost 17 seconds in the last 1k.
MVDP is going to feel that tomorrow but I think he knew that with it being a climbing day and him not gong to try for it so he likely figured he might and see what would happen if he went for it today. Will be interesting what he has to say about why he did what he did but then again it is MVDP and he will do stuff like that because he wants to and he can - the old nothing ventured nothing gained sure applies to him - and today a lot was ventured with some gain as he did get some sprint points but not enough being he was not in it for the final sprint. As a side note Joao Almeida had to abandon as with is broken rib from a couple days before it was just not happening - that he made the one extra day shows how tough these guys are.
Tomorrow is the ride mountain stage before the first rest day. While not as tough as some mountains to come but the first run at Cat 2's - 7 of them - with 4450M (14,600Ft) of climbing. As the race has a Cat 2 starting around 5.7K in and is a 4.1k climb it will be fun to watch the sprinters as the intermediate sprint points are at about 44.4K with some lumps between the Cat 2 and the sprint. Most of those aiming for the sprint will work to do all they can to get there and once by setting for the gruppetto to work together to beat the time cut off for the day.
With all the work done in the first 7 stages - let alone in yesterdays 7th stage alone - this stage was destined to be be a long rest day, well rest for them as most all of us would be suffering. Don't get me wrong even on a day like this many would suffer, especially those recovering from crashes and working to heal up. Take it from me having have wrecked a few times and then raced - wounds don't do well under your cycling clothing.
It is amazing how quick these guys recover - some more quickly than others - and early on in the race seeing American Quinn Simmons up front shows his recovery level - he did let the front go near the end with his work done as he would need to be used on Stage 9 for much the same. He has been up front for most of this tour and while has not won any of the daily most combative rider awards he for sure should win the most combative overall if there was a reward for that. Used to be, as I think it is in the other tours - or was as well - based on who spent the most distance in the breakaway but is now used on being chosen by a jury.
Days like this is when it must be hard to commentate as they just have to fill the space with talk and when they show the race from the start that is a lot of filler. It is funny at times listening as there is a lot of chances for faux-pas and errors. Does seem Phil Liggett makes more and more but may just be he is getting up there in age. Then there is Bob Roll who often has to correct, as politely as he can, Phil but then he makes funny comments. He was talking about the noise from the crowds and said it could hurt your "ear balls" - did not know we had those:)
Gotta admit would be nice to have two sprints on these flat stages as with it being at near half way makes it less exciting to watch. But this is just a spectator comment as I am sure the riders would rather not have a sprint or have it early and then let a break go. With it being at half way no one was going to get away till at least at the sprint then they were not to get much leeway as the sprinters want this day. I will say this was far from slow since after about 70+K they were still averaging 28mph!!
Once at the intermediate sprint it was being set up for a sprint between Milan and Girmay but when it came down to it Milan was not challenged. Not sure what Girmay was doing but he only got 4th so not sure if missed the jump or not feeling it and saving it for the finish. But there is still a long way to the finish to rest up from this sprint so not sure. There were a few efforts to go after the sprint and Simmons covered them as it is clear they want this together for the final sprint. But it would not stop others from trying. A break of two riders from TotalEnergies did get a small gap of just under a minute with 55K to go.
Have to hand it to the break as with so little of a gap they kept it for a long time as with 13k to go they still had 25 seconds. Then at 12.6 one of the two dropped off but pretty clear this will not last long with now there only being 1 rider - would not last with two but with 1 even harder. In these last K's we were seeing sever crashes and one of the sprinters Tim Merlier, winner of Stage 3, off the back of the main peloton after an incident but got back on to a quick moving peloton. But others were dropping off as the speed ramps up.
When it came to the sprint it was clear it was going to be about the fast guys with Alpecin leading out Groves, Lidl-Trek Milan, Inter-Marche Girmay and it seemed Merlier finding his own way. Once the sprint started it was clear Milan was fastest but was great to see Wout Van Wert in there and getting second and Merlier in third - Girmay just did not have it and ended up 5th.
They now go back to get some rest before another sprint day on Stage 9 before some mountains on Stage 10. Pretty sure the sprinters will want it to stay together anther day as after tomorrow they only really have three more chances on Stages 11, 16 and the final on Stage 20 with lots of suffering in the gruppetto to come as the GC and climbers take over. I did notice that tomorrow on Stage 9 the Intermediate sprint point is at about 24.5K so early and after that they may let a break go but pretty sure Milan, Merlier, Groves and Girmay will want it together at the line to pick up the points there as much more than at the intermediate sprints.
Once again things were hot as the first hour was at about 30mph so up to then no break was gone. Once one did get separation they still never were given much of a gap. This was likely due that not only did the hills hit later in the stage but they were after the Sprint point at 140K and thus the sprinter teams, especially Lidl-Trek with Milan who was leading the points category wanted the 20 first place points as they know he was not going to be in it at the end where there were 50 points fro first up for grabs. But also MVDP wanted to keep the jersey if he could so Alpecin was going to not let tiebreak have to much time - Same with UAE. So with 20 miles to the sprint the break only had 1:30+ on the peloton.
In watching I really thought that the Peloton would catch the break before the sprint but they still had a 1:30 or so coming into the sprint. So the peloton was going to spring for less points but still would sprint. Was interesting to see Quinn Simmons lead out and Milan could not get his wheel so near the line Quinn basically stopped and Milan got Girmay at the line - not a lot of points but some and one more than Grimy. All that said the final sprint at the line was going to be a difference with 50 for first then 30 for second.
With 40K to go the break only had a 1:00 lead and with the tough section coming with about 20K to go the break was not going to last much longer. While there is no one to worry about ahead in the break there are those in the peloton who want to put the hurt on for the GC so just makes things stay fast. Also, they all know that come stage 10 on Monday where the mountains start there are few stages to have a chance on so they just are all n for this. Then add to this that Stages 8 & 9 are going to be flt and likely for the sprinters this could be the last chance for those who are not climbers or sprinters. Then again there is Poggy, MVDP and Jonas who still seem to want in on this and for sure MVDP.
So they hit the Mur-De-Bretagne for the first of two passes and the pace went up drastically with one lone remainder of the break just hanging on and MVDP having troubles, but still in there, as the big three and their teams put the hammer down. At the top the leader only had about 20 seconds with the peloton in sight and still 15K and another time up the Mur-De-Bretagne. MVDP looked like he was suffering but hanging on so how he would do with the last climb did not look god to hold on to his 1 second led in Yellow. He did have some rest -well no real climbs but who can rest - till the last climb up the Mur-De-Bretagne which was a 2k climb. Was setting up to be a great finish - well for those watching but not so much for those riding.
Then when you think it is all down to the sprint there is a big crash at the back of the pack evening a small group. Not good anyone crashed but Almeida did not look good, he did finish which is a good sign but will see how things go for him for tomorrow, and Healy the winner yesterday who had to work to just try get back on before the final climb. Watching live it sure seemed Visma might be up to something with the number of the riders up front - but UAE did as well.
As they went into the final 2k climb Wellens was up pulling with Tadej on his wheel then you suddenly have the big three just waiting to make a move and Vauquelin latching back on with 1K to the top - man this is the kind of finish you like to see and we are only on stage 7. It came down the final 300m and Tadej went with Jonas on his wheel and while Remco was dropped Jonas hung on but could not get by so Tadej picked up 10 seconds and some more seconds on Remco. MVDP struggled to the finish but still up there but lost the Yellow Jersey and dropped to 5th.
It becomes clear that for now this is a three man race but don't rule out Mateo who was 5th on the stage and in there till the sprint. This helps Jonas later in the race as Visma still keeps multiple GC options - if they need them. All in all maybe the one no-one saw coming was Oscar Onley who was third on the stage and moving into the top 10 at 7th. Also Kevin Vauquelin showed he is no slouch either as he is now third overall and was 7th on the stage with the small gourd that followed in behind Tadej and Jonas.
The next two days are flat as the sprinters will be working to get wins before the first mountain stage on Monday. Usually by now the last few years the second Monday is a rest day but with not transfer early early with a break and an extra day there was no rest this year till after stage 10 - going to be some tired legs resting up.
The excitement would start early with the days sprint point for Green Jersey points being at 22k so there was not going to be a break till after that. In the sprint was Milan for first with MVDP second and Girmay third. So looked like at least for now MVDP wants to stay in the Green Jersey hunt.
Was interesting as right after the sprint the break was likely to go and it did with Simmons and Healy going off the front. Sort of thought this would happen as saw Quinn near the front but not leading out Milan so the plan was to just keep going so we had the first break of the day - likely would have been better with 4 but it was a start.
With 168+k to go the lead group went to 4 as they started the first climb of the day that now included strong man Victor Campenaerts - a good guy to have in the break but he worked hard to get there. But this break was not going to be gone for long as the peloton wanted to keep them in check. Breaks need the right mix to make them stick with this still being a stage others want to win as once they hit the real climbs on Stage 10 in the mountains the possible winners changes. As far as sprinters it was going to be a long day as with 155k to go the big sprinters were almost 2:00 off the back - opening the door for MVDP but they likely hoped that a break would go and the peloton would ease - well they hoped for this. To get how fast they were going for each stage they have a predicted time along the way and at about 134k to go they were 3 minutes ahead of the fastest expected time.
Things were interesting as a break of 5 became more with MVDP in it but the peloton not far back at 20+ seconds and still 112K to go. Lot of work for a break with such a small gap but the front was not letting off and at the time the sprinter group was already 8:00 behind. If you did not know there is a cut-off time for every stage based on a percentage of the winning time so they have to watch that as if drop behind that they are eliminated from the race. Maybe a good thing was there were so many in the group but the estimated time limit was about 48:00 so not likely but will be a tough day for them. This was not what I think they expected but is what took place as they were all just drilling it.
The break grew to 8 and in it with MVDP were the two Americans Quinn Simmons and Will Barta. There was no one for the big guys to worry about for GC, long term, but they were still not letting them get much of a lead even though they could let them go out further as a long way to go and a lot more climbing. On top of this with at 105K the average speed was 47KPH (29.2mph) and the sprinters group was now 8:45 behind and a long way to go for them. Was interesting watching as the longer they kept the break in check it was not sure if it was so they could come forward or then let it stay at a good distance - remember MVDP was only 1:28 behind so if they got out too far he could get the Yellow Jersey but long term was no threat to Tadej, Remco or Jonas.
By under 100K to go they finally let the break go out over 1:00 but still al long way to go with plenty of climbing - not exceptionally long but steep in places - even the finish is on a short steepish rise. Then by 78K to go the break had 2:04 on the peloton with MVDP in the Virtual Yellow. That said in watching live the test was going to be at 65K to go when the final 4 climbs then the rise to the finish starts. That is still a long way to go so the peloton still had them in check with UAE and Visma able to close that gap pretty close. Hard to tell Tadej's mindset as to if he wants to keep the Jersey - watching live this makes it really interesting.
Seeing the break go out further to 3:00 started looking like they would let them go but the question then was would they bring it back some to keep Tadej in Yellow or just let it go. Truth is this was all about what Tadej and UAE wanted as letting MVDP go was not a big issue GC wise long term as he would loose the amount he gained here on the first mountain stage - keep in mind still hilly stages to come. So letting him go here they then could just keep it where it was for the next stages and takes the pressure off of UAE. It does seem Tadj and MVDP get along so would have not put it past Tadej to let him go. The other advantage with a group out front is it makes life easy for UAE - well unless others had different designs coming close to the finish.
In watching the break I do think Quinn was working hard as did not go for the Mtn points when he was right at the front. Smart move on the first of the closing climbs if working hard as a hard effort early could spell doom for later. Saw this on the second climb as well. That all said gotta remember that Quinn, and Healy, had been in the break since the sprint at just over 20K - tough day for them both.
With 43K to go and the break now at almost 4 minutes it was looking more and more like they were going to let them go. But this did not stop there being action up front as the 7 riders with MVDP know they need to work to do something and can't wait till the end. Ben Healy was the first to make a bold move with 42K to go to go alone and everyone else going to want to wait on MVDP to close the gap. Healy's gap moved out to 20+ seconds but still a closable gap. At the time I was figuring MVDP wanted to wait to close, if others did not, till he knew he could get away alone and be able to make it to the finish. As thing went it was pretty clear the Peloton was not going to chase as with 33k to go Healy had a 5:00 gap on the Peloton and 45 seconds on the breakaway. I think he knows MVDP wants the Yellow and to keep it he could not put out too much here but would he was the question at the time. The coming climb - next to last but for the finish - would tell what was ahead.
As Healy kept his lead on the two chasing him, actually growing it, and the rest of the break one might ignore the peloton as Tadej gives up the yellow. That said there is still something to watch at the end in the peloton as the finish is a leg burner and there could be gaps and can impact the main GC people - especially with Jonas not wanting to lose more time. The race at the front is great but still was going to be a race to watch in the peloton. But looked good for Healy as he eased out more time on Quinn and Michael Storer and even more on the MVDP group. Unless he has issues he was looking good as these types of breaks are what he has done before.
At 15K to go it came pretty clear that unless Ben Healy blew up he was going to get the win. Also, seemed less clear if the two behind Healy could stay ahead of the 5 man group with MVDP. To their advantage was that everyone wanted MVDP to bridge the gap and I think by this time all MVDP had on his mind was to keep the right amount of gap to the main Peloton and his grip on the Yellow. Really was smart of MVDP as while Healy and others can just rest the next days if in Yellow MVDP will need to keep working to hang onto Yellow - likely to Stage 10 and the first Man stage so 3 stages of hard work for MVDP. I did wonder if he would work to get Quinn and Michael to get finish points to help on a run at Green.
With 5K to go it was clear Ben Healy was going to win so the next thing to watch was if Simmons and Storer could stay ahead for 2nd and third. What a ride it was for Ben to go when he did and not only hold it but grow the gap over a difficult course. Races like this keep you interested as all sorts of stories. How much would Ben win by, Would Quinn and Michael stay ahead, they did, and where would MVDP end up - if not in going for top three not sure he worried about it - but points are points.
All that said you also had the Peloton who has barely been shown would be very interesting to watch at the finish for GC ramifications. But even then the gap from MVDP to the peloton was down 3:33 and he had to be over 1:28 ahead to get Yellow and the peloton can move fast if it needs to so there was still a story line to see written.
Awesome to see Healy and Simmons who went from 22K finish up front - long day out front for them going 1 - 2. Next drop came in and MVDP was not there but did include American Will Barta. The questions was where MVDP ended and the gap to the peloton who had really picked up the pace as MVDP dropped back and the result was that Tadej ended up losing the Yellow by only 1 second. In watching after the finishes that MVDP was toast and how would he be in tomorrows once again hilly stage. Also cool to see that Healy moved up to 8th place on GC.
What a race and was clear the Peloton was moving at the end and not bad for Tadej as only being back by 1 second and Jonas and Remco right there with him as before MVDP is not a worry. Tomorrow will be get even more interesting as will be hard for MVPD to defend but sure his team will try. Best for him would be that another break gets away and he and his team can get some rest as even on break days on these hilly routes the final K's get brisk.
The rides of the day go to Ben Healy and Quinn Simmons for the long day out front. Also, we often take MVDP for granted but this was a tough one for him and he was able to get Yellow, even if by only 1 second. The rest of the GC stayed much the same with Ben Healy moving up to 8th with his great win today. Did notice while not much Roglic lost 5 seconds to the main guys on the final push - a finish that normally he excels on.
Not sure I hear the ITT referred to as the "Race of Truth" much any more but you did when I raced back in the day. It was called that as there was no place to hide as it was you against the course and the clock. Back then I was pretty good at them - well before there was much in the way of aero - oh yea I borrowed a set of Roval wheel since that today would be considered just "wheels." But it was an event where you just had to learn to suffer and the one who could go the faces often was the one who could suffer longer. I remember watching the LA Olympics in 1984 and the Italian TTT team which was made up of what would be considered big guys - 80kg or more - and I wanted to do that - never happened but one can dream.
The key going into today's stage was you can pick up - or lose - time as no one can draft and it is just you. So going in Remco was taken as the #1 ITT guy but no one was sure where he was at on this day. Then with Tadej not winning the last stage race ITT he was in (Criterium Du Dauphine) some wondered if he dogged it, had a bad day or what but he lost 28 seconds to Jonas and 49 seconds to Remco so we just did not know. I think he was just trying a different approach which I thought he said did not go well. All that said this is a different day and with yesterday's stage this was going to be one to watch. The race may not win for someone but it can for sure lose it if they had a bad day.
Now to be honest while I like the ITT as a race watching it is a little tedious - especially as the early riders often are looking to just get done with a few maybe going for it. As a reminder if you did not know it the ITT start order is the reverse of the GC so the person in last goes first with a 1:00 time gap between the riders till you get to rider 86 then gap goes to 1:30 and then finally with last 15 riders it is at 2:00 gaps. Also, as this course is flat with not a lot of key sections it does not add to the excitement. All that said when it gets to the last riders the excitement does ratchet up as the intermediate tomes come in and the GC works itself out.
Onlooking at the splits it is clear Luke Plapp went for it and paid the price as it was not till the 3rd time check that Remco took over the best time. It was clear Remco was the best TT rider out there but did show that Affini still had a great ride as Remco was only 33 seconds ahead. Behind, Tadej was not far off ERemco but I think Tadej was more concerned about Jonas, at least early on, who he was ahead of at all the splits.
As far as MVDP, he was not expected to hold onto the Yellow jersey but all things considered had a good ride finishing only 01:44 behind the winner of the Remco and 01:28 behind Tadej. Maybe more surprising was that MVDP was only 23 seconds behind Jonas. A great ride by him and will be interesting if he moves over to try for the Green points jersey now.
In watching it live it was clear Remco had a great ride as did Tadej who even picked up a few seconds on the 3rd split to be 17 seconds behind Remco and finish 16 seconds behind. But Jonas did not have the ride he wanted as at time check 3 was about 50 seconds behind Tadej - time he did not want to lose. It was going to come down to the final 7k or so and this is what was exciting as watching it live the question was how close could would the big three be. In the end Remco won as sort of expected but only gained 16 seconds on Tadej but unexpectedly he gained 1:21 on Jonas. This was for sure not the ITT Jonas wanted as on the GC Remco slotted into second at 00:42 behind Tadey while Kevin Vauguelin moved into 3rd at 00:59 behind Tadej and Jonas now in 4th at 01:13 back.
When riding an ITT there is no where to hide and Jonas found that out. I am sure Remco got some confidence from this but I would suspect he thought he could gain more. Maye the take away was Tadey lost nothing it seems over the last half. The Race of Truth did not lie as it showed us who is going to fight this out and with no rest for the early there is a hilly stage tomorrow. It is on the days after such a hard effort the full story is told - who dug deep and has a hard time climbing out, who did just enough and who will put the hurt on everyone when they have the chance. There is only one ITT left but is is shorter and climbs 8K of the 10K ITT so will play into the hands of Tadej and Jonas - so we shall see
So, we are back to normal with a break going right at the official start after the neutral roll out. In the break were Lenny Martinez - a climber who was getting dripped in every climb the first two stages and the other rider in the break was Jonas Abrahamsen. Abrahamsen was one of the revelations of last year's tour as he was in most every break in the first weeks and even in the Polkadot Jersey. But the story was that unlike most every rider who seeks to lose weight and be as close to what for some looks like a cadaver he decided to put on 20kilograms (40+ lbs)and it changed who he was and he was stronger and while for sure being the early Polkadot jersey wearer does not mean you are the best climber in the peloton but the one to take chances early in the race. But Abrahamsen's story is a good one in a peloton where being light is the mantra he took the path less traveled and had success - you can read the story here. ( https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/tour-de-france-unsung-heroes-jonas-abrahamsen-on-gaining-almost-20-kilos-to-go-faster ). Being a bigger guy - cycling wise, myself at 80+kg (180lbs) it is nice to see something other than skeletons at the front so when I see riders like Abrahamsen and others like MVDP and Wout Van Wert up there it gives hope. But the message for us is that you need to find the weight that is best for you as it is not just about being as light as possible. Abrahamsen actually climbed better once he got bigger as he was more of a power rider and when you lose weight you do tend to lose power if your natural weight is higher. Not saying Poggy and Vingegaard don't have power but pretty sure none of us are them:)
Once the break got 2 minutes that was held by the peloton with Alpecin keeping the tempo up as they worked to keep the break in check. The break did gain two other riders, one of which was Kasper Asgreen who is a strong rider, so as to make it 4 riders which would allow them a little longer time out front - but hey they know this was not going to make it to the end with the big names wanting to win this stage. With climbing to come the peloton is working only as hard as they need to so as to keep break in check. Did find it interesting in looking at the course profile that before the first Cat 4 climb - called the Cote Jacques Anquetil - there was a similar climb - oh wait it was not a climb based on the course profile even if it was one:)
As they got close, 52k from end, to the first categorized climb there was a crash on a small raised divider and it took Sep Kuss down but he did get right but but then as the pack is racing to the bottom of the first climb he has to catch back on. Everyone wants to be on the front before a climb as they know it can all blow abort there with 30+ miles to go. Once on the climb the gap got smaller but the 4 stayed away over the top with Asgreen getting the point for the climb.
Next up was the sprint so the pack wanted to catch the front to get the points. So with 10k the gap was down to a minute. But, they held the gap to the sprint with Abrahamsen getting there first but the peloton was not too far behind with Milan getting there before Girmay to add to his Green Jersey lead - next up climb 2 and at the line the peloton was only about 19 seconds behind the leaders which meant lead was short lived.
At the next climb which was 1.3k long and topped out about 30k from the finish. Martinez was able to hang on with Wellens coming from the peloton to get 2nd. But this was the start of the race for the win as while Martinezt opened his gap up to 16 seconds at one point it was inevitable he was going to get caught with 3 more climbs to come and the big guns wanting the win. The lure of the Polkadot jersey kept him out there even if it was unlikely for him to stay there.
With narrow roads and everyone working hard to get to the finish there was a big crash with just under 25k to go. While you would hope things would get less risky it does not as the climbs are not long enough to thin the field so crashes happen with people trying to get in position. I am pretty sure many of the riders start to go cross-eyed this late in a race and that does not help with handling ones bike in a big group which there was at this time.
Climb three, of the five, was only about 900m long and about 7% but this close to the finish, topped out about 20k from finish, everyone is going for it and you need to protect your position. So who do you seeing coming forward - Poggy, well he is always near the front, MVDP, Vingegaad and Remco. You also see the rest of the field really strung out and this is a Cat 4 but at these speeds it might as well be a Cat 3 or 2 since may be a lower category but they just push harder - there are really no easy climbs in the Tour, especially when near the end of a stage.
This stage may not of done much for the majority of it but it ended with a bang with 5 climbs that were just long, and steep, enough to put in the hurt. For many in the peloton this hurts even more as they know they just need to get to the end but the pace just stays high and the closer it gets to the end it just ratchets up every kilometer that is passed. Poggy stayed near the front as did not want to descend and take risks being behind anyone so he just does what he does leads it and in doing so stretched it out.
UAE was just drilling it at the front leading up to the 4th climb so that no one was going to go off the front and when they hit the club it was to be done on tired legs as the pack stretched out heading into the 1.8K climb at 5%. I think it could be seen in hindsight that Poggy had designs on this stage and win number 100. The Alpecin riders added some help to set things up for MVDP. The peloton was greatly reduced by the bottom of this climb with about 12K left from the top to the finish. Good to see Quinn Simmons still there on the 4th climb and up near the front with the big boys. The pace up the climb was about 20mph - yep up a 5% climb.
On the way to the 5th climb Visma attacked with Vingegaard on their wheels and stretched out the peloton. They however did not lose Poggy and MVDP. Keep in mind this is only stage 4 so a long way to go but as seems to be the case they race most every day, not so much yesterday. The last climb is a Cat 3 that was 800m at about 10%. Visma just drilled it and it was just a long line of riders.
You knew this last climb was going to be decisive but who would go and like usual Poggy went 0.2k from the top with Vngeggard on his wheel and MVDP having to sit down and allowed a gap. With only 5k from the top this was key so was not unexpected but thought MVDP would not let them go so quickly but you can only do what you can do so he played it smart. You can see this is going to be a great Tour as Vingegard lost Poggy's wheel at one point and seemed he was done but he dug down and got back on before the top - he is going to do all he can to stay with Poggy - might pay for it later but he knows he can't lose time anywhere. Back behind them was a small peloton (8 riders) which included MVDP and Remco.
The race came down to the last 5K with the 8 riders behind working to get back on which they did with Remco driving the chase. Once they caught on American Mateo Jorgenson went to the front, good to see him there and he went again and got a small gap with 1K to go- but too much fire power behind. I say that but sometimes that is to the advantage to the one ahead as the big guns look at each other but not in this case. So Poggy followed MVDP and got by and MVDP just gave out near the finish and Vingegaard got by. Seemed like a perfect set up for MVDP but Poggy is no slouch and Vingegaard shows he does not want to lose any more time than he has to.
Thus Poggy gets win 100 and MVDP hung on to Yellow and they all go back to rest for the 33k ITT tomorrow that will really tell us what is ahead. It is for sure this was not an easy day n the saddle before a critical ITT so will be interesting to see how they do. Remco said he was just going to sit in but he could not and did not so we shall see. I expect MVDP to lose the Yellow Jersey tomorrow but you never know.
Back to normal at the Tour means all out racing and while that means something different for every rider in tomorrow stage for the guys up front it means you can't hold back. But for the sprinters and domestiques it means riding easy enough to get rest but hard enough to not miss the time cut that is still in play for an ITT.
Stage 3 - Valenciennes to Dunkerque - 178.3k - Flat
With the race starting in ran, seemed to go quickly, and seemingly lots of mechanicals early to deal the start and with headwinds to come this stage started relatively slow as compared to the previous days and as we often see. This does give the riders a break but also can lead to more nervousness and everyone knew the slow start could not last forever. As one of the commentators said at 69 miles - it was a boredom fest. That may be so for the spectator on TV but for the riders who usually get a rest day/transfer day early but do not get a rest till 10 days this is a day to recoup for what is to come as this is going to get as this is only day 3.
Have to say it is interesting that none of the small teams went out there to get their sponsors on the TV as is usually the case. they usually do so as they stand no real chance at the finish so TV time is the best they can do. But everyone must have been tired or thought they had a chance as even the obligatory rolling advertisement of a small break did not transpire
Was sad to see Jasper go down in the intermediate sprint which was at about 36 miles or so to go. Not much he could do as the Bryan Coquard who was in front of him banged into the rider next to him on his right then bounced back to the left with his feet coming out of the pedals and took out Philipsen. Looked bad as soon as they showed him since they quickly sent on the team members on - never a good sign - then was quickly announced he was out. Bummer as whether you are a Philipsen fan he is one of the best sprinters and thus makes sprint stages more interesting.
Once past the crash after the sprint the race relaxed again as they next looked to the Cat 4 2.3k climb that tops out with 31k to go. UAE let Tim Wellens go off and take the points on the climb and thus get the Polkadot Jersey. This also meant that as the climb created no gaps - Wellens came back to the peloton, the sprint was going to be a full pack sprint of people who are well rested. Thankfully once they reached the safe zone after 5K many will relax but still makes for a sketchy sprint as they can still lose time if dropped and that does happen as they go so fast.
And Sketchy it was with some crashes on the way in, I think some were happy to not be in them but be able to cruise in and not lose time, and a pretty gnarly one with one guy flailing along the barriers in the last bend. MVDP tried to get Groves up as Philipsen was out but just no room to move up for him and be in it. Was a photo finish between Milan and Merlier with Merlier getting the Winn by the narrowest of margins. Is funny watching how Milan sprints as can't say he is smooth as he bobs up and down so fast but, hey, he gets power to the pedals.
I can't say I have ever been in a fields sprint of that speed and that number of riders but back in the day I was in a few large packs that were moving right along and they were scary and when I watch these guys flying along so close it is actually amazing less people don't go down. It is a combination of great bike handling - well not for Coquard - as many times that is what stops even more carnage and also just fortune. I remember racing on the velodrome and that was even more scary at times but you just did what you had to do. These guys as a whole are so far better -even the guys at the back - than many of us can imagine.
As a whole was a not so interesting but will be tomorrow as they go at it for 174.2k of hilly terrain. Sadly when races go like this what happened near the end just seem inevitable. The Philpsen crash was sad for the tour a a whole but when these intermediate sprints are essential to go for if you are in it for the Green Points Jersey crashes will happen then as well. Tomorrow will be good I think as some will want to maybe gain some time with an ITT the day after on Stage 5 and others will just want to not lose more time as there are gaps from Poggy and Vingegaard even this early in the race.
