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Race Thread: 🇫🇷 Tour de France 2025 - Stage 2 (www.letour.fr)

submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

10 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Sunday 6: 12:15–12:35 → 17h20:17h50 (edit: start was delayed by 15 mn)

A stage arriving on the English Channel coast, for punchers normally.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Sagan won that finish so i wouldn't be shocked if Girmay is still there at the end. He looked fresh today i think.

In the end it's probably dependent on how Pog rides the Stage. If he goes really hard already on the second to last climb trying to force a move, all the GC have to follow and it gets to fast for anyone but VDP. Bettingwise i like Vauquelin for 51:1.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

I'm getting Critérium de Dauphiné stage 1 vibes from this profile. I could see this being Pog, Vingegaard, MvdP, Evenepoel, Skjelmose, Van Aert territory.

In the Dauphiné they only needed a small 300 meter hill to get away from everyone, and this is a much harder stage.

On another note, my family and I went to this part of France a couple of years back and loved it. I had the most amazing seafood platter with a lovely glass of muscadet in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Bettingwise i like Vauquelin for 51:1.

Not sure if they can do something against top punchers, but we should see the French trio from the Tour of Switzerland (Vauquelin, Grégoire, Alaphilippe) attempting to do it, anyway.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

we should see the French trio from the Tour of Switzerland (Vauquelin, Grégoire, Alaphilippe) attempting to do it, anyway.

Alaphilippe prepared for this stage, but unfortunately he's been a bit ill for a couple of days and was already struggling yesterday.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

What are the chances of crosswinds again?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Pretty decent, as the route turns north and follows the coast close to the finish at Boulogne-sur-Mer. But it's very dependent on exactly the angle of the wind, and that can change all the time, so no guarantee.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It feels like a bit of a running theme now that fans and the media underestimate the GC guys on these stages. Maybe too many people just looking at the overall stage profiles and not the percentages on the final climbs? The only reason for them not to be in the mix on a finish like that is if they just didn't try, which isn't the case with this current generation. Pogacar wants to win everything, Vingegaard follows him everywhere and then the rest are forced to keep up.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Ar least in Denmark, the cycling press is awful and has no tactical knowledge. Except Emil Axelgaard who writes for TV2 now, and the commentators on Max who are former pros, but the written press and the TV journalists on DR are terrible.

They are more interested in what the wives and girlfriends of the riders say about things than about analyzing the past and next stages.

As for fans, I am not sure. Seems to me that the people who are confused are those who only watch the tour and have not adjusted to how the races are ridden now. Today was pretty predictable I think.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Very exciting finish, and pretty much the same cast as in Dauphiné getting away on the climbs. Impressed with Vingegaards sprint, tbh.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

I concur with all points (even Onley was here!). However the sprint was relatively close to be 'bunchy', as most of the climbing distances were (strongly) paced by (strong) domestiques – Wellens (🇧🇪 UAE), then Narvaez (🇪🇨 UAE)–, and Vauquelin excepted, the other favourites didn't pull/attack much. Van Aert pulled a bit, but he really didn't last long; one could have thought that he would contest victory today as the profile suited him, but he was far from being able to do it.

Alaphilippe better than expected, but not enough to score. This could be the motto of his 2025 season 😀

Lenny Martinez still watching the peloton from behind all day long.

Several stupid crashes during the day. As the peloton was extremely packed most of the time, when the road rose up a hill and the peloton slew down, it was getting even more compressed from the back, and thus accidents did happen at the back.