All roads lead to Aigle: Pro Cycling 2020

[longeared]

Believe it was reduced in size rather than being scrapped outright.

Think Jumbo are going to try and bring all the breaks back and engineer Roglic into the lead through the time bonuses available later in the stage. There's nothing that should bring about a change in race leader until Friday and having yellow would be useful insurance against the race getting canned in the interim (which doesn't feel anything like an imminent possibility at present, but a lot can happen in a few days)

[ursus arctos]

There is a limited caravan, yes

One vehicle handing out packets of soap was wrongly blamed for the slick roads around Nice.

Aru has abandoned

[longeared]

Pogacar launches the next phase of the race with an attack on the Marie Blanque which deposits Yates out the back. Then Roglic takes the 5 second bonus on top of the climb and almost collides with Pog in doing so. That's Roglic ahead on virtual GC now anyway even if Yates does get back on.

[longeared]

Poor Marc Hirschi; got caught with 2k left after 90k out front solo. Then he led out the sprint but didn't have the legs and it was another Slovenian 1-2 with Pogacar from new race leader Roglic. Chuff me what a pair of thrillers we've had this weekend.

[ursus arctos]

Remarkable job by Hirschi after being caught with less than 2km to go.

Chapeau

[DPDPDPDP]

Remarkable job by Hirschi after being caught with less than 2km to go.

Chapeau

Excellent and exciting that only 62 seconds separates the top 8 riders after 9 stages.

[Ray de Galles]

My wife and I are idly pondering a family break in or near Naples during the half term holiday from October 19th. I realised that this would coincide with the last few days of the Giro though it doesn't go anywhere near the east coast then or at all.

Any advice on good stages to see from the 20th onwards if we try and incorporate them in to the trip?

[ad hoc]

No idea if it will be a good place to watch the Giro, but i went to Bassano del Grappa a few years ago and loved it (the town, the area, the mountains, the ...well, the grappa). That's the starting point for the stage on the 21st.

Long long way from Napoli though

[ursus arctos]

The mountain stages on the 21st, 23rd and 24th should all be worth watching, but as ad hoc notes, they are about as far as one can get from Napoli while staying in the country.

From a purely touristic point of view, I would take the Dolomites over the Alps, even though we love Bormio to bits and miss our more than annual visits a great deal.

[Ray de Galles]

Thanks both, we may plan it as a stop on the way to Naples rather than journeying up from there. Will take a look at it.

[ursus arctos]

Of the two endpoints on the prime Dolomite stage, Madonna del Campiglio is glitzy and expensive (though the area is stunning). Bassano Del Grappa is not poor, but rather more down to earth. Trento (not on the route itself but not at all far from the climb to Monte Bondone) is another possibility that has the advantage of being on major north south transit route, as well as a fine historical centre.

Driving on the day of the race will be a challenge, as there aren't a lot of through routes.

[Tony C]

ITV 4 coverage of the tour is excellent and their rest day show today was particularly good. Interviews with GC top dogs Roglic, Bernal and Pogacar (who all look about 15) and a particularly good piece about black under-representation in pro cycling. Also a curiously interesting segment by Chris Boardman on the history of cycle gear development.

Well worth catching if you haven't already.

[jwdd27]

ITV 4 coverage of the tour is excellent and their rest day show today was particularly good. Interviews with GC top dogs Roglic, Bernal and Pogacar (who all look about 15) and a particularly good piece about black under-representation in pro cycling. Also a curiously interesting segment by Chris Boardman on the history of cycle gear development.

Well worth catching if you haven't already.

My consumption of the Tour is always via the ITV4 highlights, and they've been even better than usual, I think it's done them good staying in this country rather than following the action, they've also ditched the Boulting/Boardman double act stuff, which was a bit tiresome.

And yes, they are all getting younger - Wout van Aert is another 15 year old. It's not just that we're all getting older, there is a definite "next generation" feel to things this year.

[San Bernardhinault]

Not one for the climbers today, huh? I don't know what the weather's like but it looks like it could be a day for some fun echelons and for random people to lose time, particularly if they don't have strong teams.

[longeared]

I think the highest point they reach today is the dizzy altitude of 32m, which is probably a bridge. They've designed this for echelons, although unclear how much the wind will blow and if it'll do so in the right direction.

There were mass Covid tests across the rest day, all the riders tested negative but four team staff (Cofidis, Ag2r, INEOS, Mitchelton) were positive. Another positive test for anyone associated with those in the next week and the whole team will be off the race. That's be Peak Cofidis if Martin got into a promising position and they get chucked off by having another case. Of more immediate interest is that race director Christian Prudhomme has also tested positive and is now isolating in a La Rochelle hotel. He had the French prime minister in his car on Saturday...

[longeared]

Il y a beaucoup de ronds-points a La Rochelle.

[ursus arctos]

Was going to say that this is a real stage for roundabout aficionados, who will be rather more interested in the proceedings than the riders "contesting" that intermediate sprint.

[San Bernardhinault]

Every time I've looked over from my work to the screen it seems people have fallen over today. Including a relatively big number of serious contenders, not just domestiques. Aren't they meant to be carefully staying out of trouble?

[ursus arctos]

For a pancake flat stage, there has been a ridiculous amount of twists, turns and road furniture, and I'm not sure that everyone was expecting it.

There is also a palpable fear among some of the leaders of being caught out by echelons, which leads them to occupy places they really shouldn't be in.

[Ray de Galles]

The peloton had the pleasing malleable shape of a bubble of wax (or whatever it is) in a lava lamp as it crossed that bridge earlier.

[Ray de Galles]

Bloody hell, I thought Bennett was going to fail at the last again there, brilliant finish.

[Ray de Galles]

Oh gawd, that interview was just too much.

[ursus arctos]

Two interesting factoids that surprised me

Bennett becomes only the second Irish rider to win a stage in all three Grands Tours, with the first being neither Kelly nor Roche

He's also the first to win a Tour stage as Irish champion

[longeared]

TBF there wasn't an Irish national professional championship race in the Kelly / Roche era.

[ursus arctos]

Ah, I didn't know that

There seems to have been a one-off race for professionals in 1993 in which Kelly finished second to Martin Earley on the Isle of Man