Tour de France 2024 - this time it’s personal

Brian?

I don’t like the route. Not enough high mountains. But it’s going to be interesting.

I don’t do previews properly. But I do create threads and Velogames leagues. The league will come.

Dr. Bre

cheers Brian! Looking forward to the velogames again and changing my team everyday till it starts cos I can’t make up my mind who to pick !

eagle eye

Nice one Brian!

Looking forward to it. I'm looking for some young lad to turn up and shock the world and make it competitive.

Brian?

I’m predicting Bernal will finish on the Podium. I have an irrational belief he’ll come good again.

Dodge

mark padun 😂

eagle eye

I'm shouting for Sepp Kuss

werenotthere

Stefan kung breezed past me in gran canaria in january and chatted at the top of the climb.... so I am all about groupama fdj. Fan boy

Danny healy ray

mark padun is my man he has an aunt living in kenmare

happytramp

Definitely have a soft spot for Rodriguez after watching the ineos episode of the tdf doc.

retalivity

Jonas to sandbag/play dead for a while then destroy everyone in week 3. UAE look super strong though, could see Pog or even Yates/Ayuso winning it and not be surprised

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122280912#Comment_122280912

That's my hope too!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122280931#Comment_122280931

That's also my hope too!

I'd love to see a French rider/ team to do something at this Tour. Is Lulu down to race? All hell will break lose when they finally produce a Tour winner. When they do, I hope he's classically French and not a Sky/ JV style robot.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122281819#Comment_122281819

are the Partypants brothers riding? They should be good for a stage win at least.

I can’t see a French tour winner in the current crop or the juniors.

retalivity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122282362#Comment_122282362

Martinez and Gregoire are the great new hopes. Gaudu looks a busted flush.

I see Visma announced the team, and another bloody blue kit.

https://twitter.com/vismaleaseabike/status/1803739678660518265

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122282362#Comment_122282362

That's depressing. Where are they going wrong? Too much nostalgia for old-school way of doing things? Gaudu has been really disappointing since his breakthrough year… he looked like their best shot in years. A huge amount of pressure on any youth coming through.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122282461#Comment_122282461

I think it might be focus. Cycling isn’t in the top 3 sports in France anymore I think. Football, Rugby and Basketball are all more popular

eagle eye

Vingegaard in it. The picture is interesting. Sepp seems to have a slightly bigger frame than Vingegaard and WVA and the rest have smaller frames. Does that mean Kuss is no.1 and Vin isn't ready to compete for the win so will be a super domestique for as long as he can go?

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122282632#Comment_122282632

The next two responses refer to Jonas and Wout, as if they are the focus and the next one has Jonas in the front ahead of Sepp and Wout. Either a complaint went in or they want all angles covered dependent on who does best.

retalivity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122282632#Comment_122282632

Kuss only has a bigger frame as he won the vuelta last year, he has shown zero form this year so far, if anything jorgenson should be plan b instead of him.

eagle eye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122283641#Comment_122283641

Maybe but when have you seen Kuss show form before the TDF?

retalivity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122283655#Comment_122283655

Last year, dragging roglic around italy? Kuss went to the dauphine this year and was repeatedly dropped very early…not a good sign

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122283761#Comment_122283761

It could be a very good sign actually. He just came down from altitude and will peak for the tour.

MangleBadger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122283773#Comment_122283773

I think it was also mentioned that he was carrying some form of illness

retalivity

Froome not picked for IPT. The right call, but im shocked they actually did it

Macy0161

tao geoghegan hart out as not recovered from illness. He'd surely rival Eddie in the unluck stakes.

Paddigol

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122286359#Comment_122286359

I'm shocked he's still racing! Genuinely, I have heard so little about him recently, and given his complete lack of results since his accident, I'd assumed he'd quietly hung up his wheels at the end of last season. Is he still on gazillions at IPT?

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122286438#Comment_122286438

He just finished 81st at the Dauphinie, and even put in a shift at the Tour of Rwanda in February.

Not quite earning those gazillions but not got his feet up either.

https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/christopher-froome

Macy0161

Only time he was at the front at the Dauphine was when the race was stopped and he was trying to get it neutralised!

odyssey06

On saturday evening TG4 will be repeating a documentary about Sam Bennett and the 2020 Tour de France.

Bambaata

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122286359#Comment_122286359

I was hoping they'd bring him and that he'd miss time cut in the first mountain stage. Its laughable that the chap still has a contract, was hoping bringing him as team leader might be the final straw to end the madness.

andyd12

Jorgensen has come out and said that the idea of Vingegaard supporting him is not true.

I find it hard to believe that Vingegaard can match current Pogacar and UAE. Perhaps they are hoping he grows into it as the tour progresses

Dodge

Sam Bennett confirmed in the Decathlon team. No lead out for him. We go in hope more than expectation