General Race Thread 2022 **spoilers**

Dodge

Loved that stage. Delighted for Pinot and Bardet.

Eddie finished 18th on GC. Just ahead of Pinot…

breezy1985

mr spuckler

When I saw 20 unread msgs in this thread I knew something of note had happened! Really delighted for Pinot, especially after yesterday.

Not sure if he's always looked like that on the attack but his face up that climb was something. Almost angry looking, looked a different man.

griffin100

Delighted for Pinot given the **** few years he’s had. He never really recovered from his TDF injury in 2019. Always liked his style.

eagle eye

I can understand everybody being delighted for Pinot but it would have been just as good if De La Cruz had won, he's went longer than Thibaut without a win.

I'm delighted for Thibaut myself, always loved how he pushed himself so hard in the Tour. Just feel sorry for De La Cruz, hope he gets a win soon.

Dodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118962275#Comment_118962275

It isn’t just about the distance since Pinot’s win though. His attacking style is great and he always wears his heart on his sleeve. Heartbreaking seeing him DNF for years in the Tour with injuries. Add in being so close yesterday and it all adds up

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118962275#Comment_118962275

De La Cruz is just one of many promising cyclists who it turned out didn't win much. The peloton is full of guys waiting longer than Pinot for a win but it's Tibo's story that makes him stand out. DLC never stood on the road crying as the physical embodiment of an entire country that just had it's heart broken.

Also in a sporting world of trained sound bites Tibo is a huge ball of honesty who always speaks his mind and always seems to be himself whether that's on the bike or on the goat farm.

Mefistofelino

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118963567#Comment_118963567

I actually felt sorry for Loulou in that TdF. Rode out of his skin, two stage wins and the yellow jersey for two thirds of the race. Finished fifth - which was the same position Pinot was in before he mullered his leg on the bars - and all his nation said (as the had been saying for three weeks) -"Yeah but Pinot". Pinot would probably have podiumed that year but I don't reckon he had the beating of Bernal, even without the stage changes.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118964400#Comment_118964400

To me Pinot looked a lot better than Bernal in the few climbs we actually got to see.

Ala became a national hero that Tour so I don't think he was forgotten at all.

Mefistofelino

I didn't say he was forgotten. It was a case that he was only regarded as keeping the yellow jersey warm for Pinot. I was in France at the time and much of the sports press would give as much coverage to Pinot as Loulou, even on the days when Ala was winning stages.

IMHO, what makes Pinot so popular - his heart-on-the-sleeve racing- is also the reason he probably won't win this TdF either. It would be foolish to bet against him going for Stage 12 this year - a French win on the Alpe on Bastille Day is pure Pinot. Problem is, he'll make that gesture even if it physically costs him more than the other GC contenders. Madiot in the car doesn't help matters.

Pinot needs to go full Menchov to try to win at the Tour. Hide for over a fortnight, just marking the others. No grand gestures, no attracting attention and then go big on the Peyragades and Hautacam stages ( and hopefully dont fluff it up on the ITT afterwards).

But that's not in his nature. More likely we'll see a couple of stage wins, a brief period of "he might pull this off yet", followed by Karma going "hold my beer" and setting his bike on fire or making him crash into a marmot, before finishing in 7th, while France swoons again, thinking "There's always 2023"

Squidgy Black

https://twitter.com/tamaupogi/status/1517805756816449536?s=21&t=MsZ2xm64FCv2Wxsw-eNyWg

Dodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118964644#Comment_118964644

To be fair, I don’t think anyone thinks he has a chance of winning the Tour, even himself. A few years ago one was pretty much set up for him (tiny time trial, loads of long mountains) but we all know what happened

Winning stages now is what he’s about. Even in the Tour of the Alps, he was a stage hunter while Storer and Attila the Hungarian were the teams GC chances.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118964659#Comment_118964659

Understandable, Urska Zigart's mother passed away.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118964644#Comment_118964644

It would be nice to see him get in an early break and pull a Voeckler. Make the race interesting for a bit.

Nothing Pinot done in 19 fits with what your view of him. The heart on sleeve stuff is his interview style not race style and he is not a crazy go for broke attacker. Honestly don't see where you pulled that idea out of.

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118964708#Comment_118964708

Yeah I had a feeling he wasn’t going to be back once he flew back, even though the team kept saying he would be.

Will be interesting to see if there’s any changes to the rest of his program in terms of another race or he’ll just wait until the tour of Slovenia in June before the TdF

retalivity

Massive crash in LBL, could really impact who is available to win...

Huge crash 😱

bazermc

Carnage

griffin100

They were flying when they went down. Some riders look like they’re in a bad way. JA involved? That looked like him not moving under a tree.

retalivity

Alaphillipe not in the peloton anyway.

All 7 Bahrain lads on the front drilling it 😂

Replay showing Bardet heading down to check on Alaphilippe in the ditch.

Allez Landa

retalivity

Landa is non-stop

retalivity

The speed remco snapped out of the peloton there!

breezy1985

Remco time

griffin100

The chase looks badly organised considering the teams there.

retalivity

He hasnt even turned his bib number upside down!

Squidgy Black

It feels like a reoccurring theme this year where nobody wants to lead the chase for the win, and that hesitation causing the gap to creep back up.

Squidgy Black

Wout went too early in his sprint it looks like, pipped at the line