Tour de France 2020 TdF2020 - SPOILERS

[Fixed]

Stage 21 super fantastic photography On the beautiful Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Cheers

[grateful]

Nice call!

Originally Posted by jpw

Roglic and Jumbo are doing too much.

[rain dogs]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

And yet Valverde showed up ...and was even competitive for a few glorious moments. That alone warms the cockles of my ~60 year old heart more than almost anything in professional sport.

It was not flashy, but still a quite impressive secondary story. Valverde really cracked in the final time trial (losing almost 7 minutes) but he was damn close to being the oldest rider ever to finish top ten in the Tour... An honor still held by Raymond Poulidor (who was also 40 when he finished 3rd!)

He's always been consistent, insanely driven and competitive, but I think we've perhaps reached the time when we may not see Valverde lift his arms in victory again... even in a shat small race. Had to happen sometime.

[redir]

Originally Posted by rain dogs

It was not flashy, but still a quite impressive secondary story. Valverde really cracked in the final time trial (losing almost 7 minutes) but he was damn close to being the oldest rider ever to finish top ten in the Tour... An honor still held by Raymond Poulidor (who was also 40 when he finished 3rd!)

He's always been consistent, insanely driven and competitive, but I think we've perhaps reached the time when we may not see Valverde lift his arms in victory again... even in a shat small race. Had to happen sometime.

I was explaining the white jersey to my wife today and she said, "What? Why don't they have a jersey for the oldest riders?'



Yeah at 40 you are not a spring chicken in the pro peloton that's for sure.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by redir

I was explaining the white jersey to my wife today and she said, "What? Why don't they have a jersey for the oldest riders?'

That would be the maillot gris.

[flying]

Originally Posted by enr1co

All i know is that i hope i look as good as Ernesto at 88 years.

First thing I thought when I saw his pic there with the yellow frame

[ridethecliche]

To echo what many are saying here...

I really enjoyed this edition of the tour. Everything was so unpredictable. The break aways stayed away. The solo breaks too.

Some teams dictated the pace but couldn't quite control the race.

So much more to say but I honestly really enjoyed the grand boucle.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by rain dogs

It was not flashy, but still a quite impressive secondary story. Valverde really cracked in the final time trial (losing almost 7 minutes) but he was damn close to being the oldest rider ever to finish top ten in the Tour... An honor still held by Raymond Poulidor (who was also 40 when he finished 3rd!)

He's always been consistent, insanely driven and competitive, but I think we've perhaps reached the time when we may not see Valverde lift his arms in victory again... even in a shat small race. Had to happen sometime.

Weird how people are screeching that the 21 year old who wins the Tour is likely on the sauce, but the 40 year old who's still in the upper echelon of a Grand Tour -- and already been popped for doping once in his career -- everyone's silent about.

[Red Tornado]

Originally Posted by redir

I was explaining the white jersey to my wife today and she said, "What? Why don't they have a jersey for the oldest riders?'



Yeah at 40 you are not a spring chicken in the pro peloton that's for sure.

Not a bad idea, actually. Some might see it as a joke, but the "fastest" old guy? Hmmm.....

[fried bake]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

Weird how people are screeching that the 21 year old who wins the Tour is likely on the sauce, but the 40 year old who's still in the upper echelon of a Grand Tour -- and already been popped for doping once in his career -- everyone's silent about.

C’mon, man...

Tom Domoulin posted World Championship TT power and lost by 1:20. Math tells us that Pog’s results relative to the competitive set was off the charts unusual. When you have pros publicly questioning this outcome, why is it so unusual that we, the viewing public, would as well?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by fried bake

C’mon, man...

Tom Domoulin posted World Championship TT power and lost by 1:20. Math tells us that Pog’s results relative to the competitive set was off the charts unusual. When you have pros publicly questioning this outcome, why is it so unusual that we, the viewing public, would as well?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Sure. Question it. I'm simply asking if people are going to dope pearl clutch about this tour they pretend to be consistent about it.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by redir

I was explaining the white jersey to my wife today and she said, "What? Why don't they have a jersey for the oldest riders?'

Well, the closest thing might be the Lantern Rouge, the unofficial award for the slowest rider in the tour. This year it was won by Roger Kluge.

Sam Bennett was the Lantern Rouge in 2016, and then wins the Green Jersey just 4 years later.

[gasman]

Bah, it's a pro sport. They likely all dope in some form or other. It's entertainment and I lost all illusions that any pro sport is really clean.

Still, I found myself enjoying this Tour especially the last week. Heck, I told a friend on day 2 that they would never make it to Paris because of covid as there's going to be enough exposure from the peloton riding together for three weeks and screaming fans and on sides of mountains.

I was wrong.

[weisan]

Thank you pro riders, pro team support personnel, tour organizers, the announcers, the army of people putting up and tearing down the race safety barriers, stage, etc EVERY SINGLE DAY for three weeks straight...thank you all for putting up a spectacular show this year.

Needless to say, this year's tour is especially memorable because it happened in the midst of strong public opposition, and the extra logistical challenges due to COVID-19.

From a social and a medical standpoint, at the beginning, it may seem irresponsible, arrogant and profiteering to go ahead with this year's tour.

But, speaking for myself, I thank you for the annual three-week distraction that I have come to rely on every year to relive previous years' fond memories and to be reminded why this is the MOST BEAUTIFUL sport and the MOST INCREDIBLE human endeavor ever put on show LIVE before the world. Nothing compares. Nothing.

At some point, we would all have to move on and live with the new realities that are before us. And you have shown us how.

By working tirelessly to adapt and to implement the necessary changes to keep everyone safe.

By standing tall on what you believe to be true and good, on a set of values that are immutable by external forces, by bringing people together instead of separating them and creating divisions.

People can ridicule, blame, insult, throw punches, instill fear, make accusations...but in the end, one must act according to one's values and beliefs and one must live with convictions, strength, determination and hope.

The positive, and proactive stance is what separate the people who are making progress from those who are stagnating and holding others back.

If I can sum up my sentiment towards this year's tour in one sentence, it's this...

People Who Say It Cannot Be Done Should Not Interrupt Those Who Are Doing It.

Vive le tour!

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by weisan

Thank you pro riders, pro team support personnel, tour organizers, the announcers, the army of people putting up and tearing down the race safety barriers, stage, etc EVERY SINGLE DAY for three weeks straight...thank you all for putting up a spectacular show this year.

Needless to say, this year's tour is especially memorable because it happened in the midst of strong public opposition, and the extra logistical challenges due to COVID-19.

From a social and a medical standpoint, at the beginning, it may seem irresponsible, arrogant and profiteering to go ahead with this year's tour.

But, speaking for myself, I thank you for the annual three-week distraction that I have come to rely on every year to relive previous years' fond memories and to be reminded why this is the MOST BEAUTIFUL sport and the MOST INCREDIBLE human endeavor ever put on show LIVE before the world. Nothing compares. Nothing.

At some point, we would all have to move on and live with the new realities that are before us. And you have shown us how.

By working tirelessly to adapt and to implement the necessary changes to keep everyone safe.

By standing tall on what you believe to be true and good, on a set of values that are immutable by external forces, by bringing people together instead of separating them and creating divisions.

People can ridicule, blame, insult, throw punches, instill fear, make accusations...but in the end, one must act according to one's values and beliefs and one must live with convictions, strength, determination and hope.

The positive, and proactive stance is what separate the people who are making progress from those who are stagnating and holding others back.

If I can sum up my sentiment towards this year's tour in one sentence, it's this...

People Who Say It Cannot Be Done Should Not Interrupt Those Who Are Doing It.

Vive le tour!

Cannot be done and irresponsible to do are two different things.