2022 season thread

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

First topic message reminder :

Unfortunately the 2022 season kicks off with some awful news about a serious crash for Egan Bernal. Currently in intensive care after hours of surgery, which sounds like it has been successful...but the injuries sound career altering at best.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/60113862

From an Ineos point of view, he was going to the Tour as their designated leader...now they'll probably have to shuffle some schedules around and maybe make Carapaz the leader for the Tour rather than the Giro?

[Lowlandbrit]

Ineos have a quartet of riders designed to break Pogacar in the high mountains

The real problem, of course, is that at least one of them needs to lose less time while trying it than Pogacar does if it works.

[dummy_half]

Well, I got today a little wrong, in that the break away rider was caught a couple of hundred metres from the line...

Good to see that Vingegaard put some serious pressure on, and Ineos have a lot of riders up near the top of the GC now to try something in the next few days that MIGHT put some pressure on Pogacar.

[alfie]

The Poga-cart appears to be rolling inexorably towards the finish line... I do hate to see the race effectively over so early but unless something dramatic happens it is hard to see anything stopping the leader. At least Ineos have riders who seem to be travelling well so will presumably attempt to apply some pressure - but don't fancy their chances. Might be happy with a podium spot ?

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Well there does appear to be an issue or two for Pogacar - his team are falling by the wayside with Covid! Down to just 5 teammates now due to positive tests - and surely half a chance he tests positive himself now?

[alfie]

Well there does appear to be an issue or two for Pogacar - his team are falling by the wayside with Covid! Down to just 5 teammates now due to positive tests - and surely half a chance he tests positive himself now?

Only thing that could stop him , I reckon

Would be a bit of an open field if he did catch the bug , eh ?

[Azabache]

Well, we don't want to see that happen, do we! I want to see him seriously tested, and surely the next two days are there for some team efforts and/or solo actions, or some good, old-fashioned plots. There are plenty of hard, experienced riders there who must (try to) dispel this growing "myth" that he's the new Merckx and superhuman.

Er....trouble is, what if the blighter is!

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Incredible stage this - Roglic clearly not in his best shape after the crash, has been used to get rid of all domestiques basically, and we're left with Pogacar and Vingegaard together with only 45km and another climb to go! Van Aert is up the road for Jumbo.

Ineos have been totally shattered

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Vingegaard drops Pogacar!

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

And thomas drops him too - he's gone!

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Jumbo totally broke Pogacar today - gone! Will he be able to recover and launch his own attack later in the tour?

[Lowlandbrit]

Pogacar having to come from behind against Jumbo is certainly going to be interesting. Battle for the podium could end up playing a big role too.

[Soul Requiem]

I did think people were too quick to call it, having a strong team means so much in the tour. Vingegaard has Roglic and Kruijswijk; Thomas and Yates have each other plus support from Pidcock and Martinez.

People are also quick to dismiss Geraint Thomas, he is a very strong climber.

[formerly known as Sam]

Pogacar having to come from behind against Jumbo is certainly going to be interesting. Battle for the podium could end up playing a big role too.

That might suit him. It was very tough for Pogacar to sit on the front and defend with a diminished team. Jumbo have a great team and laid their traps really well today. Pogacar now is under no pressure to defend the jersey and use up his team leading the peleton or defending every move. He won his first tour sitting in the wheels of others teams. Absolutely no rush for him to make that time up, ideally he could chip away at it and possibly work with Ineos and Bardet to attack the Jumbo train.

Big ask will be getting through tomorrow after breaking today, how much did he push past the point he didn't have it anymore. If he can't handle the pace tomorrow it really is your over as his competitors will be smelling blood.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

I did think people were too quick to call it, having a strong team means so much in the tour. Vingegaard has Roglic and Kruijswijk; Thomas and Yates have each other plus support from Pidcock and Martinez.

People are also quick to dismiss Geraint Thomas, he is a very strong climber.

It will be interesting to see how Jumbo play it now - as Sam points out, less stress on Pogacar/UAE now he has lost yellow, and also Roglic is not longer a GC threat, he can just sit in wheels until the end of stages, rather than as he was today, having to single handedly close pretty much all attacks on Galibier, and not have anything left by the end of the stage.
Jumbo used their team perfectly today, and in particular Roglic, who clearly isn't on form but still had that GC threat...now they don't have that, do they go more defensive and almost "Team Sky" it on climbs? Pogacar should still take time on Jonas in the final time trial, maybe upto a minute, so they should still try to crack him if they can I think...just going to be a bit tougher now.

I am presuming Pogacar is ok - I think he was still pretty damn strong today, he just had to do so much he had nothing left by the end, and Jonas/others were able to sit in wheels pretty much all day. But, maybe we will see tomorrow that he isn't ok, and the tour is just whether Jonas can hold off Bardet/Ineos...

Be interesting to see how Ineos play it with Thomas/Yates now - wonder if they try to get some satellite riders in the break (Martinez, Van Baarle?), and have Yates (if he has good legs), attack near the top of Col de la Croix de Fer tomorrow and have his teammates pace the descent/valley - see if he can get time on Jumbo before the Alpe. I kind of tend to think they need to almost be willing to sacrifice Yates's GC, in aid of Thomas's (with Thomas likely to smoke Bardet/Quintana/Yates himself in the TT on stage 20)

[formerly known as Sam]

Agreed. Ineos need to be a bit more daring. Gamble with Pidcock and try to get him into some breakaways. He should be far enough down for them to let him go but it'll force Jumbo to stay on the front and keep the breakaway insight as he's not that far down. Could be a good bridging option.

Martinez doesn't look great so far. Think it was said he's been on antibiotics so might be best to leave him until after the last day and hope the time taking it easier enables him to be fresher in the final week.

[Azabache]

Let's hope the dreaded Covid isn't a factor going forward.

And please give Quintana a mention!

[alfie]

Let's hope the dreaded Covid isn't a factor going forward.

And please give Quintana a mention!

Indeed- hope the wretched virus doesn't interfere any more than it already has , with what now starts to look like an interesting contest rather than a procession. Confess I had begun to think Pogacar was untouchable but apparently he is just very good but still human. Team tactics going to play a big part from here on , eh ?

[formerly known as Sam]

Covid is a factor already with two UAE guys out. Bennett is a real blow to Pogacar.

[Big]

Having also though Pogacar untouchable - I'm also a bit glad to be proved wrong and see a hopefully more competitive rest of the race. Hoping he's not unwell, and this is just good racing. I'm now super excited about Alpe d'Huez this afternoon...

[No name Bertie]

Jonas Vingegaard leads Pogacar by 2' 22" after yesterdays race, with Alpe d'Huez today and then  just two more mountain stages to come.  Doesn't seem Pogacar is favorite to win anymore.

[formerly known as Sam]

Great day for the Brits so far with Pidcock and Froome off in the breakaway. Pidcock descending like a demon as well.

[Big]

Well, wonderful ride by Pidcock for the stage, and Pogacar getting no change out of Vingegaard or Thomas despite a few efforts. Great day of racing.

[Soul Requiem]

Brilliant ride from Pidcock, he has a massive future ahead of him. He reminds me of Van Aert and Van Poel with his versatility but with greater climbing potential.

[formerly known as Sam]

Pidcock sewing the seeds to be a future leader at a Grand Tour with that ride. I thought he looked a bit iffy in the mountains previously but today imperious. I think the key will be to get him to the front on the descents as he is so quick down those he got rest time whilst the rest caught up, other days in the bunch he couldn't do that.

Nice seeing Froome back up there as well. Still life in him yet.

[Azabache]

What a stage!!

Of all the unforgettable moments, how about Chris Froome in that breakaway; Pidcock touching 105KM/HR on the Croix de Fer descent; Thomas dourly staying on; van Aert keeping up the pace beyond the call of duty; Bardet and Quintana never giving up.....

My Man of the Match? All the above, but for me...Sepp Kuss-truly a Domestique Extraordinaire!

[formerly known as Sam]

The way Kiss got back up to leaders after Pogacar attacks might have helped save the day. Vindegaard didn't look in trouble he was saved any serious examination by Kuss.

[Lowlandbrit]

Roglic out to start rehab on his shoulder. Not sure if that's sensible, strange, or both.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Roglic out to start rehab on his shoulder. Not sure if that's sensible, strange, or both.

Seems sensible to me - he’s not even been out-lasting Kruiswijk/Kuss in domestique duty, and really did what he needed to do for Jonas on stage 11.

You’d imagine he will be fine in time for the Vuelta now.

Kind of think FDJ should do the same with Pinot who’s carrying a back injury

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Roglic out to start rehab on his shoulder. Not sure if that's sensible, strange, or both.

Seems sensible to me - he’s not even been out-lasting Kruiswijk/Kuss in domestique duty, and really did what he needed to do for Jonas on stage 11.

You’d imagine he will be fine in time for the Vuelta now.

Kind of think FDJ should do the same with Pinot who’s carrying a back injury

Well yesterday went about as badly as it could have done for Jumbo on a non-GC day. Roglic gone, and then on an innocuous stage, Kruiswijk falls and breaks his collarbone and has to abandon, then Benoot/Vingegaard himself both crash and while both continued, who knows what knocks/bruises they have picked up that could impact the third week.

Definitely an opening for Pogacar/UAE now Jumbo aren't this super team, and really a great chance for Ineos to try and take advantage of a weak UAE/Jumbo you'd think.

[alfie]

Guess Ineos have the best list of fit riders left upright...but can they really do anything that will enable Thomas to make up that 21 second gap to Pogacar ? As to catching the leader you'd think he'd need to have a really bad day...

Agree they should at least give it a go though.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Guess Ineos have the best list of fit riders left upright...but can they really do anything that will enable Thomas to make up that 21 second gap to Pogacar ? As to catching the leader you'd think he'd need to have a really bad day...

Agree they should at least give it a go though.

It will be tough for sure - but we saw on stage 11 how you can use that extra team strength to effect Pogacar (Thomas dropped him on the final climb too), and maybe Vingegaard could be similarly effected without ample support?
Worth a punt - Yates is 5th in GC and 4 minutes down with Pidcock in 9th, a decent enough GC threat to be used as bait I think. At worst, it should hopefully secure Thomas's podium, even if he can't drop Pog/Vingegaard.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Pogacar isn't having much luck this tour with teammates - Soler got sick and missed the timecut yesterday, and Majka didn't start today with a right thigh strain. He's down to just three teammates now I think!

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Pogacar cracks up Hautacam - Vingegaard is riding to the yellow jersey!

[formerly known as Sam]

That should take it. More than three minutes is too much to make up now. UAE might be having a look at their roster for next season, they need another top class domestique or two to compete with Jumbo.

[Soul Requiem]

Vingegaard is simply the best climber in the field and more than deserves to roll into Paris in yellow. I got the feeling he could have ridden away yesterday if he wanted to but played it safe.

[Azabache]

I'm finding watching the live coverage too exhausting! Pogacar's sudden collapse surprised me, but I guess he'd knackered himself by those frequent attacks. Good to see sportsmanship throughout (like when he crashed and Vingegaard waited).

All credit to Thomas plugging away; and another "veteran"-Quintana-showing the youngsters a clean pair of wheels. Van Aert and Kuss-what can one say! Sorry to see Froome withdrawing with the Dreaded-I really wanted him to make Paris...

[formerly known as Sam]

Fred Wright has been representing Britain well this tour. Been in so many of the breaks and attacks and a top 10 finish in the TT today. Unlucky not to grab himself a stage.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Fred Wright has been representing Britain well this tour. Been in so many of the breaks and attacks and a top 10 finish in the TT today. Unlucky not to grab himself a stage.

A very promising young rider - 7th in Tour of Flanders earlier this season too.

[Azabache]

Phew-we can have a rest now until the Vuelta!

We've all mentioned during the course of this epic our own particular heroes, apart from the two principals Vingegaard and Pogacar: Kuss, Van Aert, Pidcock, Froome, Quintana, Thomas, Bardet...

Vlasov and Gaudu have also been very consistent, as have Meintjes and Lutsenko; and don't forget Adam Yates. OK-all these are in the top ten, so "easy" to pick, but in the general frenzy they have maybe not had their honourable mention.

Team? I would say Ineos rather than TJV, merely due to their remarkable achievement of finishing intact.

The Moral? The team is everything! I'm sure UAE are already having a deep think about the way forward...

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

The post tour transfer rumour mill is already abound - some chatter about Roglic being available now, and Ineos interested.

Stefan Kung looks set to leave FDJ also

[dummy_half]

Phew-we can have a rest now until the Vuelta!

We've all mentioned during the course of this epic our own particular heroes, apart from the two principals Vingegaard and Pogacar: Kuss, Van Aert, Pidcock, Froome, Quintana, Thomas, Bardet...

Vlasov and Gaudu have also been very consistent, as have Meintjes and Lutsenko; and don't forget Adam Yates. OK-all these are in the top ten, so "easy" to pick, but in the general frenzy they have maybe not had their honourable mention.

Team? I would say Ineos rather than TJV, merely due to their remarkable achievement of finishing intact.

The Moral? The team is everything! I'm sure UAE are already having a deep think about the way forward...

Of those highlighted, Gaudu was quite visible on some stages and Meintjes had the big time gain from his break, while Yates biggest contribution was as a domestique for Thomas, but Vlasov and Lutsenko basically achieved decent GC positions by being in the second group at the end of each stage. I sometimes wonder if this is really a worthwhile use of a rider, rather than doing what Pidcock did and looking for the one big stage win and to a certain extent sacrificing an invisible 9th place

[Lowlandbrit]

Without actually checking, Vlasov feels like he has and will finish 5th in the GC every big stage race he's in.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Egan Bernal to return to racing at the Tour of Denmark - great news!

[Azabache]

7 months after his "career-ending" crash!

Let's see how he performs, but one tough nut eh?

Also, the Vuelta starts this Friday!

[dummy_half]

Don't think anyone actually said career-ending. Possibly career-threatening. Also will be interesting to see whether there are any long term debilitating effects, as with Froome.

And with one GT winner coming back, another in Dumoulin has announced immediate retirement. Obviously out of love with racing a bike, and as an intelligent person (I believe he was training to be or is trained as a doctor), he has other options going through his life.

[formerly known as Sam]

Dumoulin said he wasn't happy with the impact of his training. I think he wants to be at the sharp end or off the bike. He's not interested in half measures.

Interesting Ineos lineup for the Vuelta with some young riders getting a go for the first time. Ethan Hayter, Luke Plapp, Carlos Rodríguez and Ben Turner all getting a go to show what they can do. Sivakov, Geoghegan Hart and van Baarle provide the experienced support for Carapaz's final grand tour shot with the team.

[Azabache]

Thanks for correction! Yes, at his age hopefully "only" career-threatening, but it obviously puts race plans back, there will be concerns over debilitation; and-even more difficult to assess-the mental considerations (say, when hurtling down a hairy descent!)...

[Lowlandbrit]

Fire up the hype machines: Evenepoel takes the red jersey.

[Azabache]

The jury's out on how significant this is on what was a foul day....

[dummy_half]

The jury's out on how significant this is on what was a foul day....

Agreed - interesting day, but given the cold and wet conditions, how important it will be for the rest of the race, both in terms of how good Evenepoel was and how poor relatively the main GC favourites were. Unsurprising that a Belgian did OK on a day that wouldn't have been out of place in an early Spring Classic, and that southern European GC contenders found it less so.

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