Ben Healy! Finally!! 
14 Likes
It’s amazing to me how Healy got away from the breakaway that was so strong. Kudos to him. Nice win.
Pog on win number 2. I think we should expect 2-3 more as he usually wins 4-5 stages. At this rate he will obliterate Cavs record.
Also I am placing over/under on stage 14 as the stage where Roglic crashes out of the tour.
1 Like
I love seeing the up and coming riders emerge at the tour. How about Oscar Onley performance? Will fascinating to see how he fares on Stage 10 and in the first mountain stages post rest day. And I hope Kevin Vaquelin continues to ride well. Hopefully Seixas rides the tour next year or in 2027.
6 Likes
Van Der Poel after getting dropped on final time up Mûr-de-Bretagne climb in Stage 7: “I sometimes wonder how everyone else recovers like that every day.”
4 Likes
Everyone has a different skill set. I’m sure some wonder about how he can sustain vo2 repeatedly for so long, especially in the mud circuit.
He can do the same thing as well, but he will lose what’s unique about him.
VdP wants to win stages, he also needs to lead out Phillipson on the sprint stages (not anymore obviously) and he is contesting some green jersey points, and he has the burden of protecting the yellow jersey for a few stages. It all adds up while the GC guys are resting on the flats!
1 Like
We need to stop talking about Pogi, Simon Yates is unequivocally the best grand tour rider of 2025 based on number of grand tours + stages won.
Jk, but this has been quite the rebound year for someone I thought was pretty washed at the end of last year.
1 Like
All things considered I think the week 1 parcours has delivered what the organizers hoped for.
Time gaps among the GC riders that feel important, but will likely be meaningless in the grand scheme of things in the high mountains
Several compelling stages that valued handling and pack skills over w/kg
A few stages for the sprinters and rouleurs
A variety of winners from a variety of teams as well as a number of different yellow jersey wearers
No major GC contenders were directly impacted by crashes, arguably the largest impact to the GC is the loss of Almeida weakening Pog’s mountain support significantly. While I hate when crashes impact the race, losing only one significant domestique in that first week is way lower than I’d have guessed 10 days ago - so a win IMO
Looking forward to the rest of the race, hopefully teams get more aggressive in attacking Pog and Jonas as we get into the mountains
7 Likes
Probably David Millar helping him out with some special sauce over the winter 
First stage I can easily recommend watching from start to finish. Great break formation and changing dynamics throughout the stage
Not surprised they waited for pog after the crash, the time gains would’ve been under a minute and the final GC gaps will likely be larger than that - little to gain by riding and a whole lot of good will to lose - was the smart thing to do
The potential longer term injuries from the crash will determine the impact of this more than anything else
Hopefully nothing serious as I hate seeing injuries/crashes determine races
5 Likes
I’m not surprised either, it’s part of the sport, but especially in today’s world, I do think they deserve the credit for doing the gentlemanly thing and waiting.
Just consider how many people talk down about “the spirit of gravel” complaints, or the “win at all costs” mentality that is creeping into society, and I think it’s refreshing that this code endures in the modern professional peloton.
9 Likes
I was thrilled to see the group slow down after Pogacar’s crash. I think given the circumstance of the crash (which they may not have seen at the time) it made it an even better decision. It was at a period where waiting showed good sportsmanship and likely won’t affect the final result. I read some interviews about it later and it seems both Remco and Ben were both the leaders in pushing everyone to slow down.
In the instances like Pogi crashing at Paris-Roubaix, it obviously wouldn’t have been expected or reasonable for MVDP to slow down.
I was pretty let down seeing MVDP being caught after his huge breakaway the other day. He earned a stage win that day. He’s been one of the most enjoyable riders to watch this last year. People talk about Pogi’s dominance, but MVDP has had some pretty huge wins (Gravel Worlds, Paris Roubaix) plus a TdF stage win and holding the yellow jersey. He won’t be at Pogi’s level in the tour but he’s still fun to watch.
3 Likes
Oof. Remco dropped out of the GC group on lower slopes of the Col du Soulor, but fights his way back in. Not a good sign.
1 Like
Looks like a jours sans for Jorgensen and Remco - but maybe things will turn by the final climb
Yes, though Jorgensen is looking better than Remco, but I expect both to shed a lot of time by the finish. Right now, it looks like after today there will be two races: GC between Pog & Vignegaard; final podium spot
1 Like
After today’s Hautcam stage, I’ve pretty much lost interest in the TdF. It seems a given who will eventually win now (as long as no accidents occur).
2 Likes
How can you lose interest in it with all the excitement for 2nd and 3rd. And the rest. My mind boggles.
5 Likes
If it wasn’t for Onley being in there I’d be with @Tallrunner49 and would have lost all interest; there’s little bit of interest remaining for me but nothing significant :-/
1 Like
Soooo that is basically the tour over unless pogi starts feeling the crash badly in the next two days… And even then he would need to loose a lot of time and Jonas does look closer to the rest then pogi…
St least there can be a fight for the white jersey…
1 Like
Certainly the top step of the GC podium seems decided barring crash or illness - so if that’s the only thing you find exciting in bike racing then you can switch to short highlights the rest of the way
Personally stage 11 was my favorite stage so far and had no meaningful GC impact with the crosswinds on stage 2 a close second
As such I’ll stick with it to find the fun stages and races beyond the GC. To be honest the GC at the TDF is rarely in my top 10 for professional cycling memories in a given year
2 Likes
It was decided baring crash/injury in the Criterium du Dauphine. It was clear that Pogi had improved and Jonas had not or had even regressed. It seems that post crash he never got back to his old level unfortunately.