So we are once again at that time of the year and the best cyclists in the world are pounding French roads for our entertainment. And let's be fair, the first 9 days have been a veritable feast! I don't know about you, but any pre-formed ideas I had about how the Tour would pan out this year have not come close to predicting the real life drama!
In fact, even before the race began it seemed to have been turned upside down. The loss of @chrisfroome during a training ride at the Dauphine upset the apple cart before the fruit was even ripe on the tree! Adam Yates getting sick and calling it a day rubbed salt into British wounds, which were then just beginning to heal when along came G's crash at the Tour de Suisse which firmly kicked the disabled cart down the bank and into touch! It seemed that the God's of Cycling Chaos were laughing at us; taunting us Brits into believing that 2019 was to be the end of the British grand tour domination!
The outrageous form of Julian Alaphilippe, the phenomenal rise of Wout van Aert, a wonderfully resurgent Thibaut Pinot and a second Dauphine triumph for the dominant Jakob Fugulsang all seemed to be sending the message loud and clear.
Britain.....this ain't gonna be your year!
But we're made of stern stuff in ol' Blighty and are not likely to be shoved aside so easily!
And so.....here we are! First rest day after 9 days of incredible racing and, whilst it may be the width of the Rhone Valley away from where I thought we'd be at this time, the GC has rather a familiar look to it; one that I never expected it to have to be sure, but one that I am, as a proud (slow!) cycling Brit and chest thumping patriot, am very pleased about.
G is on the rise and sits 2nd; Adam Yates is up to 8th and Froomey is out of hospital! My confidence of yet another G success...or should it be 'a G up?'..... is once more high! If Yatesy can attack successfully in the coming mountain stages as well we may well be looking at a two Brit podium once again! Which would be wholly unexpected but very, very welcome, I must say! I just hope that the crash when Mike Woods brought G down is the extent of his mishaps this year otherwise I may well be eating some serious humble pie in 2 weeks time!
That said I must tip my chapeau to some amazing non-British performers thus far. The stand out performance in my opinion has been that of Julian Alaphilippe, who has proven himself by far the best all round road cyclist in the world and must surely now be considered a serious threat for overall victory! There would be no more popular winner I'm sure and I wish him all the very best for the days to come.
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| Alaphilippe, in the yellow jersey, follows Nairo Quintana & Geraint Thomas with Thibaut Pinot in the foreground. |
Next, the amazing, up and coming talent of Wout van Aert who is surely the natural successor to the whirlwind that is Peter Sagan. And finally, a huge tip of the hat to the guy who has picked the baton of the Tour's iron man from the now retired Jens Voigt and that is Thomas de Gendt, who doesn't know the meaning of the term 'to have an easy day!'
But without each and every rider we would have no race and without the race what's the point of having the Summer!!! So thank you one and all.....ride hard, stay safe and keep doing what you're doing.
