Wout van Aert won Stage 20 of the 2021 Tour de France

Here's a look at the top five in the general classification ahead of Sunday's finale:

1. Tadej Pogacar
2. Jonas Vingegaard, +5:20
3. Richard Carapaz, +7:03
4. Ben O'Connor, +10:02
5. Wilco Kelderman, +10:13

I know I’m a broken record here, but you really have to appreciate what Wout van Aert is doing. He finished 2nd to Cavendish in a sprinter’s stage (10), the very next day won an extremely difficult mountain stage, and yesterday won a time trial. And he’ll likely be in the mix in today’s sprint. If you want an analog for what he’s doing: Shohei Ohtani, if he also played shortstop.

(07-18-2021 09:57 AM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  I know I’m a broken record here, but you really have to appreciate what Wout van Aert is doing. He finished 2nd to Cavendish in a sprinter’s stage (10), the very next day won an extremely difficult mountain stage, and yesterday won a time trial. And he’ll likely be in the mix in today’s sprint. If you want an analog for what he’s doing: Shohei Ohtani, if he also played shortstop.

Just tore my rotator cuff patting myself on the back.

I love me some Wout.

Van Aert: one rider won three different types of stages: MOUNTAIN, TIME TRAIL & SPRINT. Pretty good all-around rider.

Congrats to Pogacar for wiining the overall GC race this year.

Slovenian Tadej Pogacar wins second straight Tour de France

Quote:Pogacar won his first title last September when he became the Tour's youngest champion in 116 years. He is now the youngest double winner of the race.

Wout van Aert won the 21st stage in a mass sprint. That prevented Mark Cavendish from beating Belgian great Eddy Merckx's record of 34 stage wins which the British sprinter equaled earlier in the race.

Van Aert, a 26-year-old versatile Belgian with exceptional skills on all terrains, became the first competitor since 1979 to win a sprint, a mountain stage and an individual time trial in the same edition of the Tour.

Cavendish, who consoled himself with the Best Sprinter's Green jersey, banged his handlebar in frustration after van Aert edged Jasper Philipsen to the line. Cavendish was third.

Pogacar's dominance was helped by the misfortunes of two of his biggest rivals, last year's runner-up Primoz Roglic and former Tour champion Geraint Thomas, who tumbled during the crash-marred first week of racing and never recovered. More importantly, 2019 champion Egan Bernal skipped the Tour this year after his Giro victory in May. The Colombian climber is just 24, has excellent time trial abilities and should be Pogacar's main rival in the years to come.

That Lanterne Rouge video is all you need to watch. It's one of the best examples of cycling analysis you will see. Great camera shots; stops to explain the circumstances; uses graphics to illustrate his points. It's the kind of thing we expect from other major sports but rarely get from bike racing. Tip of the cap to that guy.

I've been so enamored with van Aert that I haven't paid as much attention to the yellow jersey. Pogacar is 22 years old and was just so untouchable that he really wasn't a story. He was never in danger, won the most important mountain stages, hammered the ITTs; did everything he needed to do and won going away. There are certainly other very strong riders out there but he's so young and is only going to get stronger so I suspect we're in for a run of TdF dominance unless Pogacar gets sidetracked. I do wonder if he'll focus on other Grand Tours at some point (he finished 3rd in the 2019 Vuelta); hope so.

(07-19-2021 01:04 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  That Lanterne Rouge video is all you need to watch. It's one of the best examples of cycling analysis you will see. Great camera shots; stops to explain the circumstances; uses graphics to illustrate his points. It's the kind of thing we expect from other major sports but rarely get from bike racing. Tip of the cap to that guy.

I've been so enamored with van Aert that I haven't paid as much attention to the yellow jersey. Pogacar is 22 years old and was just so untouchable that he really wasn't a story. He was never in danger, won the most important mountain stages, hammered the ITTs; did everything he needed to do and won going away. There are certainly other very strong riders out there but he's so young and is only going to get stronger so I suspect we're in for a run of TdF dominance unless Pogacar gets sidetracked. I do wonder if he'll focus on other Grand Tours at some point (he finished 3rd in the 2019 Vuelta); hope so.

Merxx said he believe Pogacar can easily win many more TdFs.

(07-19-2021 01:23 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Merckx (edited) said he believe Pogacar can easily win many more TdFs.

Called him "the new Cannibal" - high praise indeed.

(07-19-2021 01:39 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(07-19-2021 01:23 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Merckx (edited) said he believe Pogacar can easily win many more TdFs.

Called him "the new Cannibal" - high praise indeed.

It might go that way. Or it might go another way. Jan Ullrich was 23 when he won the 1997 TdF, and he never won another after that.

(07-19-2021 02:44 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(07-19-2021 01:39 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(07-19-2021 01:23 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Merckx (edited) said he believe Pogacar can easily win many more TdFs.

Called him "the new Cannibal" - high praise indeed.

It might go that way. Or it might go another way. Jan Ullrich was 23 when he won the 1997 TdF, and he never won another after that.

Yes, well Eeyore, let's hope Pogacar isn't going down the Ullrich path, but we can already say he's had a more successful TdF career.

(07-19-2021 03:43 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(07-19-2021 02:44 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(07-19-2021 01:39 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(07-19-2021 01:23 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Merckx (edited) said he believe Pogacar can easily win many more TdFs.

Called him "the new Cannibal" - high praise indeed.

It might go that way. Or it might go another way. Jan Ullrich was 23 when he won the 1997 TdF, and he never won another after that.

Yes, well Eeyore, let's hope Pogacar isn't going down the Ullrich path, but we can already say he's had a more successful TdF career.

They caught all those guys but not Virenque?

(07-19-2021 04:40 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(07-19-2021 03:43 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(07-19-2021 02:44 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(07-19-2021 01:39 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  

(07-19-2021 01:23 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Merckx (edited) said he believe Pogacar can easily win many more TdFs.

Called him "the new Cannibal" - high praise indeed.

It might go that way. Or it might go another way. Jan Ullrich was 23 when he won the 1997 TdF, and he never won another after that.

Yes, well Eeyore, let's hope Pogacar isn't going down the Ullrich path, but we can already say he's had a more successful TdF career.

They caught all those guys but not Virenque?

Not in that batch, but they got him eventually. He Armstronged his way through for as long as he could.

Like autoracing, some folks just watch for the crashes, so here ya go:
[b]2021 Tour de France crash compilation[/b]