Competitive Cycling

[Nickslikk2112]

Pogi can be beaten! Only got third today!

Well played Jhonatan Narvaez. Plucky Brit Geraint Thomas came in 10th, which is better than I thought he would, always comes in a bit undercooked for a Grand Tour.

[Thenop]

My guess is Pogi trained to be the best over 3 weeks, in doing so losing some of his immediate response quality. Day for day maybe 1 person can be better, but he will not be beaten overall. The ease he came from nearly last n the peloton to pass by and ride to the 2nd place, impressive.

Well done Narvaez indeed.
Disappointed in Arensman.

[Nickslikk2112]

I think Pogi really did want to try and win all 21 stages. But I don't think he'll mind now that he can't so long as he has some fun.

[Nickslikk2112]

That's it. Pogi in pink. Can he win 20 stages? He even had a crash.

Plucky Brit Geraint Thomas came in 3rd.

And well done Demi Vollering for winning the Vuelta Espana Feminine

[Thenop]

Vollering was fantastic, great win.

And Pogi, well.. I don't see anyone coming even close.

[Nickslikk2112]

Hmmm, that was supposed to be a boring sprint stage. The first half was, then after the first intermediate sprint the sprinters took off together in a break which caused big splits in the chasing peloton.

It all came back together again. Pogi and G picked up bonus seconds in the second intermediate sprint, then when Mikkel Honoré took off with 3k to go, Pogi went off in pursuit and G had to follow. They dropped Honoré and were then caught with about 250m to go and a regular sprint finish happened, bonkers.

Hope tomorrow's boring sprint stage is a dull!

[Thenop]

It was a weird one, with a logical conclusion. But still, Pogi is trying t prove himself a bit too much. Last time he did that he lost the TdF.

[Nickslikk2112]

Not so much stiff competition in the Giro though.

[Thenop]

Not so much stiff competition in the Giro though.

We're not in week 3 yet

[Nickslikk2112]

What's up? Pogi didn't contest that stage!

Good win for Jonathan Milan, was hoping Top Ganna would make it, but he'd not quite got enough.

Shame that Bini Girmay's out after two crashes.

[Thenop]

Didn't see anything. Work, it takes up so much of my free time...

Anyway, good news today: Vingegaard is back in training and says he will do everything to make the TdF.

[Nickslikk2112]

I'm retired, spend too much time watching cycling. Still, it lets me travel the world without leaving the comfort of my settee, somehow Italy seems more tempting than Belgium.

They were discussing Vingegaard on the commentary today and they think it will be a hard battle for him, but he may well be able to hit the ground pedalling and cycle back into form in the Tour.

[Nickslikk2112]

Another nice day's armchair tourism.

Another boring sprint stage which wasn't. Alpecin Deceuninck brought back the breakaway on the midpoint big climb hoping to burn out the other sprint teams. It all came back together and another breakaway went off and got to the end, with Benjamin Thomas getting Cofidis' first win of the season.

Some nasty looking crashes. Christophe Laporte came down on his own, Riley Pickrell cut his head open and Tobias Foss ended up at the bottom of a pile of cyclists. Hope they can all start tomorrow.

[Thenop]

Managed to see the finale today. Wonderful, the big teams were, late, too late. I bet there will be harsh words tonight.

Well done Benjamin Thomas!

[Nickslikk2112]

Breakaway did it again today. Pelayo Sanchez outsprinting Alaphilippe and Luke Plapp, all three on their Giro debut.

Took over half the stage to get a breakaway, they were going over 50kmh, bonkers.

Interesting to see Patrick Lefevre handing out a bidon to Alaphilippe, on the commentary they wondered whether it was full of concrete or dust...