Tour de France 26. The least exciting one ?

[weeksy]

It's nearly time for the Tour. Although i think some won't get to see it due to paywalls, but i'll have it on each day. I'll miss weekends though of course as we'll be out.

This could be the least competitive one for decades potentially with Pogacar being hot hot favourite and Jonas being 2nd favourite.

Or can someone like Seixas step up as the golden boy of French cycling and give those 2 a run for their money ? Or Remco to fly and use his pre-race camps pay off ?

You can't see Jonas getting anywhere near Pogacar once he starts trying though in truth and he's likely to win with many minutes to spare... well, as many as he wants really.

I'm not looking forward to it as much as usual in some ways, the sprinters like Cavendish and Jasper made the flat stages more of a watch, but with the domination of the main GC teams that seems to unsettle the racing now and make it less of a spectacle.

[Count Steer]

I'm one of the 'outside the paywall' cohort.

Hey ho and never mind, I'm sure I can occupy the time and check the BBC app each day to keep tabs on it...but I suspect my interest will wane as per with everything else that money-grasping sports organisations have done.

[weeksy]

I'm one of the 'outside the paywall' cohort.

Hey ho and never mind, I'm sure I can occupy the time and check the BBC app each day to keep tabs on it...but I suspect my interest will wane as per with everything else that money-grasping sports organisations have done.

I think there's a highlights prog on somewhere and iPlayer has race commentary so i've heard... but i've not looked in depth as i don't need to

[MingtheMerciless]

I think C5 are doing high lights.

[weeksy]

Tadej Just looks wacky too strong for anyone else. The peleton now is just a juggernaut and sweeping up breaks with ease.

Its intriguing rather than exciting.

[Dodgy69]

I'll be watching highlight show about 7pm. Still a good watch even if we do know the winner.

[Hot_Air]

While Pog looks super strong, the strength and depth of his UAE team has also got to make a difference. Visma’s budget is hardly small, but the UAE team’s annual budget is €10m bigger.

[Hot_Air]

I think C5 are doing high lights.

Regarding the Channel 5 highlights, I’m impressed by Rebecca Charlton commentating despite dealing with an aggressive form of breast cancer. Not easy.

[weeksy]

41deg over there so i guess hydration and cooling are the biggest factor at the moment as everyone is melting.

[Dodgy69]

I'd rather the other presenters when it was on channel 4. Liggot and co.

[weeksy]

I'd rather the other presenters when it was on channel 4. Liggot and co.

No idea who's on C5. I've got the usual guys on TNT as per Eurosport for last decade.

Surprised at result today. It was always going to be a sprint but thought it would be Jasper Philippsen.

[Dodgy69]

I've no idea either.

[MingtheMerciless]

Watching the race highlights today with all the comms and telemetry, I think every other tour should have a “stage du brutal” harkening back to the origins of the tour. A minimum of 200 miles, one big climb and descent and no comms other than “man down” or “I’ve got a technical” with a night finish in a city under street lights. To put everyone out of their comfort zone and upset the apple cart.

[cvilla]

Pidcock did well, no exact spoliers...at least there is a race for second Can't believe they race in that heat! Let's see what happens in remaining mountains.

[Hot_Air]

Given the nighttime doping tests for Vingegaard and Pogacar, this year’s Tour might become exciting for the wrong reasons.

According to the French press, a judge signed off the unusually-timed tests (2am and 5am) because of the seriousness of the doping allegations.

I really, really hope that we aren’t back to they dark days of doping.

[weeksy]

Tough question there isn't it. I mean they are sooooo much faster these days, but technology, nutrition, training etc have all moved on a lot.
Id like to thibk they're clean.

[Nordboy]

I think I'm in the 'they're probably doping' camp.

I'm not sure how they can do what they do, day in, day out for weeks on end without some sort of chemical assistance? I may well be wrong though, and it's still a great spectacle and race.

[Hot_Air]

I think I'm in the 'they're probably doping' camp.

If so, micro-dosages could be how doping is done nowadays. I wouldn’t have won the egg and spoon race without it.

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/from-microdosing- ... -century-1

[cvilla]

Lost another of the GC contenders sadly, still mountains should be a good fight for podium, can't wait for the next highlights on C5.

[mboy]

Given the nighttime doping tests for Vingegaard and Pogacar, this year’s Tour might become exciting for the wrong reasons.

According to the French press, a judge signed off the unusually-timed tests (2am and 5am) because of the seriousness of the doping allegations.

I really, really hope that we aren’t back to they dark days of doping.

The WADA are so hot on it these days, there just isn't really a way to trick them any more, like there was when Lance was in his prime... Per the letter of the law, these riders are "clean" these days...

Don't get me wrong, "doping" is only considered doping if the substances are illegal or there's too much of an otherwise allowable substance, any "legal" performance enhancements will absolutely be taken advantage of to the nth degree... The bigger job for the teams these days is staying on top of what's legal, and what isn't, cos the goalposts are pretty much constantly moving there...

Tough question there isn't it. I mean they are sooooo much faster these days, but technology, nutrition, training etc have all moved on a lot.

More than your average person would credit! When Lance was winning, 6W/kg was considered competitive (and the bikes were slower too)... Now 7W/kg is considered also ran numbers, and Pogacar is consistently up above 8W/kg output... It's marginal gains stuff on top of marginal gains, but when you add it all up together over the space of 2 decades, it really does make quite a performance difference!

Lost another of the GC contenders sadly,

MASSIVE shame that Vingegaard is out... I mean, Pogacar is as untouchable as he's ever been right now, at least with Vingegaard there there was always the threat of "what if", but as it stands they might as well just sack the last week of the race off now and just give him the Jersey now I'm afraid!