Tour de France Stage 7 - Tomblaine to La Super Planche des Belles Filles (176.3km)

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119309743#Comment_119309743

You forgot Vingogogo as Kelly likes to call him sometimes

Squidgy Black

Jonas up out of the saddle 100m giving it his all with Pog behind him still sitting down closing the gap sums it up for me to be honest

mewso

Interesting stat on PCS. Pog has twice as many stage wins in the Tour (8) as Cav and Sagan had at the same age.

ARX

La Super Planche des Belles Filles - the Super Plank of the Lovely Girls?

Mefistofelino

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119309805#Comment_119309805

They all have Super Planks

retalivity

The japanese tdf coverage is a bit mental

https://twitter.com/jardinmondial/status/1545437193014898688

ratracer

It’s kinda disappointing that the race is effectively over since yesterday, and then confirmed today! Nobody else is getting in yellow now to Paris.

I probably said it the last couple of years too, but I really hope Pogacar is that good, and not the next Lance, he just seems to have something way above the rest of the peloton.

stevencn88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310091#Comment_119310091

Given the sports history it difficult not think there is something alright.

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310091#Comment_119310091

The thing with Pog is, he's been on a mental level since the start. Finished 5th in the tour of Slovenia when he was only 18, and riding with a Slovenian continental team, 3rd in the tour of Hungary, won the tour de l'Avenir when he was 19, was the youngest ever winner of a UCI WT race a year later, then added 3 stage wins of the Vuelta to top it off.

ratracer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310386#Comment_119310386

I know he has, and believe me I’m really, really, really hoping that he is just an immense talent that no-one in the pro peloton can touch. Can’t begrudge him his success, but the rest of them must be asking “what’s the point”! Anyway, that’s for another day, that hopefully never comes, it’s be nice to see a bit of a race to the finish though.

griffin100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310102#Comment_119310102

I think we all hope it’s clean and above board but I think it was Ross Tucker who suggested we should always be a bit suspicious when a country starts to dominate a sport out of the blue (Pog and Rog?).

Could also make the same point about Sky in the early days.

As for JV as a team riding away from the peloton regularly in early season events well that’s a different story (remember they are just the latest incarnation of Rabobank).

dahat

UAE were woeful up to now but had the legs to chase all day today. Sometimes you wonder are we all being fooled.

A bit like Usian Bolt who left quite a legacy in athletics I hope time proves the same for Podjacar.

stevencn88

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310429#Comment_119310429

yeah I fully hope it’s clean…..but at the time I completely believed Lance was also clean.

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310400#Comment_119310400

Yeah maybe it’s just because he’s such a likeable bastard, but I think he’s just superhuman.

Its such a shame that the UCI and ASO are such useless cnuts that the reputation of the sport is so tarnished that we all immediately question anyone who outperforms the rest

Kaisr Sose

Super Póg.. All this talk of Evenepoel being the next Merckx.... but at this rate it is who will be the next Póg? TT, Sprint, Climb.

He will beat the all time stage wins with ease at this rate, and TDF wins too. I think he is clean too. It's a pity for the sport, but understandable that there will always be questions over anyone that dominates and appears above all the rest.

There is still a long way to Paris...and Vinegard can climb and has dropped Póg last year.

"This race is not over"

Greg Le Mond, 1989....Allez..

griffin100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310529#Comment_119310529

That’s the problem though in some respects- there are serious questions yet to be answered about Jamaican sprinting but they probably never will be due to the need to protect the Bolt legacy. If Lance’s ego had allowed him to retire gracefully he’d still have his TdF’s I think.

I hope Pogacar is clean, and if all riders are subject to the same doping controls then unless he has access to undetectable PEDs then he probably is. There will always be a nagging doubt though about any dominant rider.

bazermc

I was going to post this yesterday but the Tour is definitely over now.

Kaisr Sose

Maybe... but the winner must get to the end in Paris for it to be over...back to Fignon in 89, he thought he had already won before Paris, then he lost it in Paris.

Sport is about hope and unknown outcomes until the line/final whistle.

I will still enjoy watching it and hope its good racing (not Skyesque measured and boring racing) every day. The best rider will win and if that is Póg, he will have to work for it and not think its in the bag after 7 days.

Yeah and sure Pog could test positive and it's race over.

Raoul Duke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310798#Comment_119310798

I think he has to be found infectious to get kicked out.

Weepsie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119309756#Comment_119309756

How so? If you watched it from above Pog was in and out of his saddle constantly too. He maybe went off too soon and made it a little easier for Pogacar to just have to wait for him to be done

If you've ever ridden anything that steep you'll find out quite quickly why you need your arse back in the saddle.

bazermc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310798#Comment_119310798

What sort of test 😉😉

De Bhál

Definitely can't say it's over until we get stage 11 and 12 out of the way. 2 big days in the mountains.

mewso

I think Pog looked slightly vulnerable today and Vingegaard looked pretty good. Pog dug deep in the end but there is a chance he won't have everything all his own way. His team are still weaker than others. Case in point. His last man, Majka, dropped off earlier than planned. You would still be mad to bet against Pog but anything can happen.

Dodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311654#Comment_119311654

Agree with this. Bennett was strong but Majka was nearly 2km at the front and couldn’t make a dent in Kamna’s lead. It was only the super steep stuff when the big boys went themselves that caught him

Vingegaard looked great and Jumbo has the team to trouble UAE. He dropped Pog on a climb last year too and Pog needed the descend to catch him. Pog clearly still the favourite but today made me thing it wasn’t done yet

CantGetNoSleep

Ineos also have four riders in the top 10 - of those I'd say only Pidcock would be happy with a top 10 finish on a TdF (and he is young enough to do it again).

Some sort of kamikaze all or nothing attack Froome / Landis style on one of the stages next week is probably our best hope.

Pogačar is the reincarnation of the cannibal channelling his inner Daniel Plainview, taking that stage win milkshake and drinking it up.

MyDarkArts

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310091#Comment_119310091

I'm hoping that he isn't too, but if you were looking for an ominous portent, he's just launched a cancer foundation...

Even Armstrong needed a strong team also on the sauce and the transfusions to pull off his organised cheating for victories.

What are the chances that Pogačar alone has some miracle PED and blood-doping regimen or e-bike that nobody else has access to?