Tour '25

[Jeremy McCreary]

The rider's revenge...

Alaphilippe's definitely one of the coolest guys on the Tour. Glad he came back from his shoulder injury to take 3rd today.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Over in Ireland now & lashing rain all day so was able to watch the whole stage from start on Irish language TV (in Irish,) weird stage. They rarely cut back to peloton and it looked like a tacit agreement by Visma and UAE to have a quiet day - I'm assuming after the hellish last four days. Lot of action in the various splits of the breakaway.

Simmons strikes me as someone who is good at making the breaks but constantly misses the key move late on. And good at blaming everyone but himself. Not sure he's the brightest.

Wellens timed that move to perfection top of final climb so he could power to the finale. My money was on him or Campenaerts but like all the visma gang he looked knackered.

Alaphilippe is a hero of mine so good to see him attacking even if he's a shadow of the amazing rider he has been.

Rest day now then the infamous & deadly Mount Ventoux- The killer of Tom Simpson (put me back on my bike) then 2 massive alpine days and two hilly days including Paris & the mimicking of the Montmartre cobbled climbs from the Olympics. Good for the puncheurs not great for sprinters.

They need this rest day. 5 intriguing stages to go.

 

[BlackHand]

Quinn Simmons on Stage 15: "Great Cat 5 tactics today".

He's not talking about climb classifications. He's talking about American amateur racing ability categories, which starts at Category 5, Novice. That's a slam on Wellens for sitting on the back of the break and attacking to win. That's generally regarded as a novice move.

Totally agree with @Rás Cnoic 's take on Simmons.

Saw a longer interview clip than they showed on the stream - he also mentioned Campenaerts for wanting to wait for Van Aert, the rest of the break for not committing, his race radio for having him work for Milan early on, and the moto's for giving Wellen aero pull at the front.

Campenaert had a more measured take on Wellens:
"He's smart, he's sneaky, he knows how to play it. He wasn't allowed to do any pulls, he was sitting on, but he was very strong, he didn't miss any decisive moments, and he did a perfect move there on the highest point of the parcours," Campenaerts said of his compatriot.

"Of course, second is not what we race for, so it's a bit disappointing, but it is what it is. Wellens was really strong, very smart, and he didn't stroll this victory. I knew straight away this was the guy to beat. He has experience, he's going very well."

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Getting a similar impression of Simmons. Grievance and blame are quite popular in the US now. The official frame of mind in fact.

That said, I'm sure he hasn't been Mr. Popular amongst the Euro riders. Could hold some hard feelings around that. Problem is, he's not just American, he's in-your-face American, and that was his decision.

Wish they'd let us see more of Campenaerts. An interesting guy.

 

[stompandgo]

Yeah, I'm pro-American regarding riders, but two of them have disappointed me in this year's tour.

 

[stompandgo]

Front of the field. Jonas and TP, plus two Visma and two UAE.

LFG.

 

[stompandgo]

Let's go Jonas!!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

LFG

Let's Freaking Go?

 

[stompandgo]

You are correct sir.

Well that was an exciting but disappointing finish.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Exciting is an understatement! Best showing yet for Vingegaard, but Tadej still got there first.

Lots of live technical difficulties for Peacock at the end. Hopefully the replay will be better.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Van del Poel abandoned today, and he's barely been mentioned in the last 2 stages. Quite a fade from a brilliant beginning.

@stompandgo told me early on that MVDP's not a GC rider. Guess this is what he was talking about.

 

[Base]

Matt has pneumonia...

 

[stompandgo]

I wonder how many other riders are sick.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I wonder how many other riders are sick.

Same here. A lot of uncharacteristic underperformances lately.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I watched the stage finish during a short stop on my ride to a Warsaw hotel

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Imagine coming around a bend with Pogi and Jonas closing fast, already all but spent, and seeing this ahead at 9-10%.

Gulp.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Healy fantastic again. Not sure he could have done better in that sprint. If he'd waited another 50 metres before jumping he might have clinched it but hard to say, that skinny French rider was tenacious! Excellent stage on the old mountain. Good to see Alaphilippe on the attack.

 

[stompandgo]

Healy attacked too early, and he knew it at the summit before the finish. What an amazing performance to get into the top 2 riders at the end. He's young and has a great future.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Healy attacked too early, and he knew it at the summit before the finish. What an amazing performance to get into the top 2 riders at the end. He's young and has a great future.

Loved how he tries to get rid of riders one by one on the road. Imagine looking in yer rear view mirror and there's Healy with that dogged lip sided hunched pedal stroke clawing back the meters! That skinny Paret-Pientre (never heard of him!) was not letting go! Bravo to him. Bet by the end Healy was trying to figure out which of the four had a kick and who was totally finished and finally reckoned better go now then a four up sprint. But yes too early.

Be interesting to hear the EF discussions right now about the next 4 days. 2 big mountain stages & 2 more rolling. Does Healy try and stay with the riders ahead on GC to preserve his top ten placing on the big mountains, or rest a bit and gamble on another break last 2 stages and maybe pick up another stage? Which is worth more? He has a chance of catching Johannesson annd finishing 8th overall. Also depends on how he's feeling tonight. Thus far he's been king of stamina so hopefully he can last for these final stages.

I see Roglic has passed Kevin V for 5th, canny old dog. Must have his sights on Onley now only a few secs ahead. Finishing 4th would be a very good result for him- maybe not what he hoped at start but after this tour, impressive.

Poor old MVDP. Pneumonia- that's seriously bad news for him. Hope he's back flying by Worlds & autumn classics.

Tough tour this edition.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Van del Poel abandoned today, and he's barely been mentioned in the last 2 stages. Quite a fade from a brilliant beginning.

@stompandgo told me early on that MVDP's not a GC rider. Guess this is what he was talking about.

He's not a GC rider because he's too big boned and muscular to stay with the lightweights on these 10, 20km climbs. Like in a different weight division in boxing. The fading is illness not his riding style and just unlucky. Does explain his lack of characteristic explosive riding in earlier stages. It was very unlike him.