Hello all! With the Tour de France just under a week away it's time to get this thread up to build the tension. The Tour this year runs from June 26th to July 18th so make sure to catch some of it even if it is just a day or so, you'll be very welcome to post in here regardless of how much or how little you know about cycling.

Full coverage will be shown on ITV4 as usual, with highlights at 7pm (or whatever random time they decide to show them this time round!) which I'll be watching.

Who are the contenders?

 

Tadej Pogacar - The surprise winner of last year after a fantastic time trial, Pogacar has had one of the best starts to the year a Tour winner has ever had with plenty of wins along the way. His downfall may be the lack of a big team to support him, and of course the fact that he won't be able to spring a surprise this year.

 

Primoz Roglic - The man who looked pretty much nailed on for the win last year until the penultimate stage, Roglic will be back with a vengance this year and has the team to back him up to do it. Although is age getting the better of him?

 

Geraint Thomas / Richard Carapaz / Teo Geoheghan Hart / Richie Porte - Yes that's right, in response to not having the strongest rider in the race Ineos have decided to send FOUR former Grand Tour podium finishers this year in a bid to simply out-team the two Slovenians. In theory this is a great idea, but will they all really be willing to sacrifice their chances to help their teammates?

 

Miguel Angel Lopez / Enric Mas - Both stalwarts of Grand Tour Top 10s (and both with a podium finish to their name), they're both riding for Movistar now which will complicate things a bit but there's definitely room for two leaders on their team. Lopez is notoriously bad at time trials so this could be his undoing but either of them could be in with a shot at the podium if disaster befalls any of the really big hitters

 

David Gaudu - The French hope for this year's Tour, he has proved himself over the past few years and has the Tour leadership over Thibault Pinot, but he's probably the worst of all the GC riders at time trialling so could have a hard time trying to get a spot on the podium.

Prediction Card: (again, fill in as much or as little as you’d like!)

 

GC Top 5:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

 

Other Jerseys:

Polka Dot (Mountains) Jersey:

Green (Sprinters/Points) Jersey:

White (Young riders) Jersey:

Team Classification:

Combativity Award:

 

How much time will separate the Top 2?

My predictions:

 

GC Top 5:

1. Primoz Roglic

2. Tadej Pogacar

3. Geraint Thomas

4. Enric Mas

5. Richard Carapaz

 

Other Jerseys:

Polka Dot (Mountains) Jersey: Lennard Kamna

Green (Sprinters/Points) Jersey: Sam Bennett

White (Young riders) Jersey: Tadej Pogacar

Team Classification: Movistar

Combativity Award: Julian Alaphilippe

Stage 1 is tomorrow! For the first time in as long as I can remember it's neither a sprinters' stage nor a time trial :o It's a hilly stage in Brittany ending atop a Category 3 mountain.

Just caught La Course - almost forgot it was happening but always exciting to see a women's stage race like that! Demi Vollering takes the win from Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig who does incredibly to beat Vos to second.

Hope they find the person who caused that crash

 

Stage two results

 

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Fenix) 4hrs 18mins 30secs

2. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE-Team Emirates) +6 secs

3. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) Same time

4. Wilco Kelderman (Ned/Bora-Hansgrohe)

5. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +8 secs

6. Bauke Mollema (Ned/Trek-Segafredo) Same time

7. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo Visma)

8. Sergio Higuita (Col/EF Education-Nippo)

9. Pierre Latour (Fra/TotalEnergies)

10. Jack Haig (Aus/Bahrain-Victorious)

 

General classification standings after stage two

 

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Fenix) 8hrs 57mins 25secs

2. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Deceuninck-Quick-Step) +8 secs

3. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE-Team Emirates) +13 secs

4. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) +14secs

5. Wilco Kelderman (Ned/Bora-Hansgrohe) +24secs

6. Jack Haig (Aus/Bahrain-Victorious) +26

7. Bauke Mollema (Ned/Trek-Segafredo) Same time

8. Sergio Higuita (Col/EF Education-Nippo)

9. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo Visma)

10. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama-FDJ)

Hope they find the person who caused that crash

I do feel a bit for her, but at the same time the fact that she was too busy staring at the camera to even watch the bike race going past her does question her intention for being there in the first place. Two crashes bringing down half the peloton in the first day really is unlucky though! And knocking two of Ineos' potential cards out of contention as well.

 

A really exciting first two stages though - Pogacar and Roglic already showing their faces at the front of the race, and of course Van der Poel taking yellow in some style, the jersey his grandfather famously never wore.

Well that stage was... eventful :unsure: A sprinters' stage which should be a day off for the race but there were so many crashes everywhere that the GC contenders are all completely spread across the field! Carapaz was the only contender not to lose any time and moves up to third, Roglic lost over a minute and most of his skin.

Hope they find the person who caused that crash

 

This was absolutely wild!! Not surprised she fled after this never to been seen from again. I would as well.

Indeed - they're trying to sue her apparently... if they can ever find her!

Mark Cavendish!!

 

What an absolute LEGEND. *.* Brilliant.

And to think everyone thought his career was dead and buried just a few months ago!

 

Have to feel for Brent Van Moer though, SO close to winning from a surprise breakaway. He must be gutted.

Well today was telling wasn't it :o Pogacar wins the stage comfortably and is now only 8 seconds behind Van Der Poel and miles ahead of any of the actual contenders. And Ineos with all their power don't have a single rider in the Top 10 yet!

ANOTHER win for Cavendish :o That Merckx record really is on the horizon now...

Another fantastic stage today! A stellar breakaway including yellow jersey Van der Poel and third placed Van Aert, taking three minutes off the Pogacar group and filling the Top 4 of GC with riders in the break (including stage winner Mohoric). Roglic lost a chunk of time and is all but out of GC now :(

erm what

 

@1411345553452154883

 

(both Thomas and Roglic lost half an hour today so are unequivocally out of contention)

Aaand another twist in the tale yesterday as Ben O'Connor, 8 minutes down on GC, took 6 minutes out of everyone in a break and is up to second! I don't think I've ever seen a Tour like this one :o

And a third win for Cavendish, he's now just one win off of the Merckx record - let's see if he can survive tomorrow's double-ascent of Mont Ventoux...