Tour de France: Top talking points from the first week
The first rest day is upon us and I thought it would be a good opportunity to jot down a few thoughts about what we’ve seen in the first nine stages.
I felt really excited about this year’s Tour before it began, but I have to say after about stage eight the interest has died down a little. But let’s dive into some of the biggest talking points thus far.
MvdP surprises everyone and no one
We all knew he was superhuman, but the fact that he took yellow and actually kept it for a good few stages was not something many of us fans expected. He came to the Tour knowing he would leave to give himself enough time to really work towards the Olympics, and although he has done now, he didn’t half put some effort in during the time he was in France. In some respects, someone like Mathieu taking the maillot jaune was good news for the general classification contenders as it took the pressure of wearing it off of them. But I found it interesting just how hard he appeared to work at the time trial on stage five to keep it. From his emotional winning of the jersey and the tribute to his grandfather, Raymond Poulidor, to launching himself into the breakaway on a hilly stage, he’s taken an unconventional approach to his time at Le Tour, and it’s been fantastic to watch.
Crashes mar the first week
By now everyone in and out of the cycling world has seen the damage caused by the multiple crashes in the opening stages of the Tour. Most famously a spectator holding a sign causing Tony Martin and about 100 other riders to pile up while attempting to get her message onto the television. I don’t agree with the witch hunt that followed, but I think we do need to remember that as fans, cycling is a unique sport and one we are lucky that hasn’t been made less accessible over the years. With the ability to get so close to the riders comes a level of personal responsibility. The riders are there to race, and fans should not impede this from happening. Crashes do happen, yes, but don’t be a cause of a crash if you’re lucky enough to stand at the roadside.
Of course, this wasn’t the only crash to take place, and as a non-professional rider, I don’t feel comfortable commenting on whether or not a nervous peloton was the root cause or whether it was the choice of route. Perhaps the organisers should have considered neutralising the GC times from earlier in the stage (i.e. 5km from the finish) to avoid riders needing to stay near the front to keep their times, but again, I am merely an outsider looking in safely from my settee.
Either way, these dangerous few days took a toll on the GC riders and has already seen big names such as Primož Roglič abandon, and Geraint Thomas slip so far down the leaderboard due to their injuries.
“Shit! Panic, brakes, crash
Riders and bikes in pieces
Directeurs sink heads”
Pog’s dominance
After last year’s final TT stage of the Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar has been catapulted into the cycling spotlight. He and Roglič were meant to duel once more this year, but for obvious reasons, that hasn’t been able to happen. Unfortunately for everyone else riding, Pogačar appears to be in the form of his life, riding everyone off his wheel and seeming to do so quite effortlessly in the big ring on the first Alpine stage of the race. Of course, such a dominant display raises unfortunate questions, ones which I won’t go into detail here because I don’t think I can bring anything of merit to the table. However, it is quite astounding to watch the 22-year-old defeating veterans and titans of the sport by such a margin. As we head into the second week, he leads the race by 2:01 from Ben O’Connor, with the top ten separated by almost seven and a half minutes. Of course, there is a long way to go until we get to Paris.
Cav back to his best
By far one of the better things to come out of the Tour this year is Mark Cavendish’s return to form. I only vaguely remember when Cavendish was dominating sprints as I only started watching cycling with interest a couple of years ago. However, to think that he almost ended his career at the end of last season is astonishing. He comfortably sits in the green jersey and looks like he could equal if not better the Cannibal’s 34 TdF stage wins. I think the best thing about his return to form is the return of his confidence. With Michael Mørkøv the Manxman’s lead-out man, he looks settled and back to where he belongs, at the pointy end of a sprint. You can tell he’s enjoying himself from post-race interviews, and it’s great to watch.
Honourable mentions:
Alaphilippe winning on stage one, and my prediction of Michael Matthews finishing in the top three on stage one coming in and my brother missing out on an 18/1 win because he didn’t think I had a clue.
Best TdF bits across the web
Musette Chef has been sharing recipes from the region the Tour visits each stage, and as someone who is quite lazy but always hungry, it’s a great way to broaden your cooking horizons.
Nic Dlamini courageously finishes stage nine after crashing earlier on and finishing outside of the time limit.
Giro stage winner Alex Dowsett ‘Dowsects the week’
And of course, I couldn’t do a social media roundup without adding one of Tom Owen’s hilarious threads.
So there we have it, an action-packed first week of the 2021 Tour de France. There has been so much I haven’t included but I don’t think people want to read thousands and thousands of words, particularly on a rest day!
And as we head into the second week, questions remain - will Pog be able to make it to Paris in yellow? Will the few remaining pure sprinters make the time cut on stage 11? Will I get to see any Peugeot 205s on the Eurosport coverage? All will be revealed.
