Le Tour CXIII: The 2026 Tour De France Stage 4 American in 2nd in GC!

I’m hoping to see Simmons win a stage this year

Pogacar -360 odds to win his 5th TDF (3rd in a row)

No Ventoux but Alp d' Huez
No Tourmaile

Looking at my top 10 makes me think this the most stacked field I’ve seen since I began watching back in 2014. That top 10 is insane

Thanks Drank. LFG!

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Any Americans who will do well this year?

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Quinn. I think this is the year he wins his first tour stage

Tadej interview

Cyclingnews (CN): Following on from what we've already talked about regarding Pogacar's performance, can you explain a bit more about how his low-cadence torque work helps him? Or to put it another way, can we still expect to see Tadej racing in the high mountains, trying to drop people using those ultra-fast accelerations?

Jeroen Swart (JS): Yes we can. But when it comes to the torque work, it is not just about the performance in the moment, though, it's also a very key aspect of durability. Durability is the ability to continue to perform close to your maximum level after a prolonged workload. In some of the highest workload stages in the mountains, after three or four cat. 1 or HC climbs, we're looking at total energy expenditure exceeding 4,000 kilojoules, and that's when you're getting to the point where most individuals demonstrate a loss of ability to produce power for a particular duration.

Most athletes will start to show a decline in that ability after 3,000 or 3,500 kilojoules of energy have been expended.

Previously, that was a weakness of Tadej. When he lost the Tour de France in 2022, that was on a stage that exceeded 4,200 kilojoules of energy expenditure. So one thing that the strength work does is it maintains the ability of muscles to perform.

Tadej normally loses less than 1% of his fresh performance despite having done 4,500 kilojoules of work, which is why he's able to do these long attacks late in a race and get away and stay away. Other riders are starting to have that fatigue and that's one of his key attributes, his ability to have exceptional durability at a very high workload.

Oh wow, how did I miss that! I feel like that is a more grueling climb than the "Cathedral of cycling"

I still would love to see a team time trial up the Tourmalet or Huez.

I just think it would be unique.

Today is the day. About 12 min to go.

Interesting that it is the first over the line for the team time trial today. Instead of the 4 or 5 having to be together.

Does Poagcar get yellow today?

Why is Ineos having guys put arms in water? I’ve never seen that before


I forgot how bad Phil has gotten.