Kim Le Court Takes the Stage & Yellow Jersey | Tour de France 2025 Stage 5 | THEMOVE Femmes

Summary

THEMOVE Podcast Summary: "Kim Le Court Takes the Stage & Yellow Jersey | Tour de France 2025 Stage 5 | THEMOVE Femmes"

Release Date: July 30, 2025
Host: Lance Armstrong

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Introduction and Stage Overview

The episode kicks off with host Lance Armstrong discussing the recent Tour de France Femmes Stage 5, emphasizing the competitive nature of the race. Lance observes, “Nobody was swinging… leading into tomorrow is perfect” (00:00), highlighting the balanced field of favorites and the anticipation for exciting racing ahead.

Key Points:

• Stage Dynamics: The group of seven favorites showcased strong performances without any standout struggles.
• Rider Performance: Demi Vollering nearly clinched the stage, demonstrating significant momentum (00:00).

Kim Lacourt’s Victory and Yellow Jersey

A significant highlight of the episode is Kim Lacourt reclaiming the yellow jersey. Lance narrates the thrilling finish: “She almost got pipped at the line there by Demi Vollering” (02:16), describing the intense photo finish that solidified Kim's lead.

Notable Quotes:

• Ally Stacher: “But well deserved win for Kim Lacourt. She started the stage this morning saying she wanted that yellow jersey back on and she did it” (02:19).
• Mari Holden: “She's definitely having an incredible time… Sarah Gigante was up there, pulling through so hard” (06:19).

Key Points:

• Strategic Play: Kim Lacourt utilized her teammates effectively to secure both the stage win and the yellow jersey.
• Team Support: Sarah Gigante’s strong performance as Kim’s teammate plays a crucial role in maintaining their standings (06:45).

Zwift Sponsorship and Product Highlight

The conversation shifts briefly to acknowledge Zwift, the episode's title sponsor. Ally Stacher shares her positive experience with the new "cog and click" setup, praising its ease of use and versatility across different trainers (02:37).

Key Points:

• Product Features: The cog and click system eliminates cassette changes, enhancing the indoor cycling experience.
• User Experience: Ally recounts using the setup in challenging weather conditions, emphasizing its reliability (02:38).

Race Challenges and Athlete Fatigue

The hosts discuss the increasing demands of the Women's World Tour, noting the substantial number of race days and the resulting fatigue among riders. Mari Holden points out, “The teams are growing, the races are getting bigger, but then it's still requiring a lot from the riders” (05:20).

Key Points:

• DNFs and DNSs: The race saw eight riders not finishing and one not starting, with Kristen Faulkner’s multiple crashes attributed to fatigue (03:35).
• Season Demands: The extended calendar poses significant physical and mental challenges for the athletes (05:19).

Team Dynamics and Controversies

A heated discussion unfolds regarding tensions between team directors. Demi Vollering’s director criticized the peloton's lack of respect, prompting a rebuttal from Visma Lisa Bikes’ director, who disparaged Demi’s behavior (11:10). The exchange reveals underlying conflicts within the peloton dynamics.

Notable Quotes:

• Lance Armstrong: “Demi really thinks she is in a golden cage. Sure, she's the best rider. He's admitting that, but doesn't mean everyone has to move aside for her” (12:38).
• Mari Holden: “It's all at war” (14:07).

Key Points:

• Conflict Scenario: The disagreement centers on the perceived treatment and behavior of top riders within the peloton.
• Impact on Racing: Such tensions can distract riders and affect team strategies during the race (14:36).

Rider Highlights and Future Predictions

The hosts highlight prominent riders such as Anna van de Breggen and Allison Jackson, noting their strong performances and potential impact on upcoming stages. Mari Holden remarks on Allison Jackson’s aggressive moves representing North America (23:05).

Key Points:

• Anna van de Breggen: Her recent strength suggests a promising performance in future stages (08:08).
• Allison Jackson: Demonstrates aggressive tactics, increasing her visibility and influence in the race (23:14).

Listener Questions and Discussions

The episode features listener-submitted questions addressing various aspects of the race:

1. Pit Stop Logistics:

   • Question: Why don't longer races have predefined 'quote we zone' locations for pit stops?
   • Response: The hosts discuss the practicality and challenges of implementing such measures, emphasizing team coordination and race dynamics (23:18).

2. Nature Breaks in Women's Racing:

   • Question: Are women cyclists superhuman, or are they managing water intake differently compared to men?
   • Response: Ally explains that women handle pit stops similarly to men, with bib designs facilitating ease of access without compromising race flow (24:38).

3. Tour Length and Future Expansion:

   • Question: How was the decision made to extend the Tour to nine stages, and will it match the men's Tour length in the future?
   • Response: Mari Holden articulates that the extension aims for sustainable growth, balancing race quality with team and budget constraints (27:05).

Notable Quotes:

• Ally Stacher: “I think we're trying to grow it in a way that, you know, they can continue the quality of the race and really just grow it thoughtfully” (27:33).

Stage 5 Preview and Race Strategy

Looking ahead to Stage 5, the hosts preview the first mountain stage featuring significant climbs in the Massif Central. The stage includes four categorized climbs and a challenging descent, setting the stage for intense competition.

Key Points:

• Stage Profile: A 123-kilometer route with 2,450 meters of climbing, emphasizing technical descents and strategic bonus sprints (18:29).
• Strategic Moves: The placement of bonus seconds near climbs influences team strategies and rider efforts (19:09).

Notable Quotes:

• Lance Armstrong: “The race for the GC really starts tomorrow” (31:09).

Light-Hearted Moments and Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with a humorous exchange about Ally’s cat, Puck, showcasing the hosts' camaraderie and light-hearted side. Despite the intense race discussions, the hosts maintain an engaging and personable atmosphere.

Key Points:

• Personal Anecdotes: Lance shares a playful banter about not allowing cats on the race, adding a relatable touch (29:35).
• Final Thoughts: The hosts express excitement for the upcoming stages, assuring listeners of more thrilling content (31:09).

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Conclusion

This episode of THEMOVE Femmes provides an in-depth analysis of Stage 5 of the Tour de France Femmes, highlighting key performances, team dynamics, and upcoming challenges. With insightful commentary from Lance Armstrong, Ally Stacher, and Mari Holden, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the race's current state and future trajectory. Notable tensions between teams add an extra layer of intrigue, setting the stage for an exhilarating continuation of the Tour.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• “Nobody was swinging… leading into tomorrow is perfect” — Lance Armstrong (00:00)
• “But well deserved win for Kim Lacourt. She started the stage this morning saying she wanted that yellow jersey back on and she did it” — Ally Stacher (02:19)
• “It's all at war” — Mari Holden (14:07)
• “I think we're trying to grow it in a way that, you know, they can continue the quality of the race and really just grow it thoughtfully” — Mari Holden (27:33)
• “The race for the GC really starts tomorrow” — Lance Armstrong (31:09)

Transcript

[Lance Armstrong]

And for my money, nobody was swinging. Like, if you're thinking, okay, here's the seven favorites. They just showed that today and leading into tomorrow is perfect. Like, there was nobody sort of. You always know when somebody. We looked at their faces. Pauline looked effortless. Demi, I think Demi was arguably the biggest winner today. She almost won the stage sneakily, but just kind of. Just kind of got the momentum rolling again. But nobody's. Nobody's suffering in that group. There's going to be a hell of a. There's going to be some fireworks, one would think. Well, good morning, everybody. Welcome back to the Move podcast. Talking about the Tour de France femme of Ex Zwift Stage five.

[Ally Stacher]

You've had a long few weeks.

[Lance Armstrong]

You just wait till we get to the questions at the end. So we have a lot of questions in here for Ally, of course. I am joined by Ally and Mari and Mat Mel virtually in some way. Mel, what'd we do today? I'm really looking forward to this.

[Ally Stacher]

Wow. I think the only better thing than Meldus doing our stages, if she was like sitting right there doing the stages.

[Mari Holden]

With us, that'd be about perfect.

[Lance Armstrong]

Yep. Well, she could have actually could have done the first two days like that while she was here. What a day. I mean, a day where you had stage action, but you also had this sneak peek into the GC action. Right. I mean, all the things safe to say, all the favorites for GC were represented in that group in the front.

[Ally Stacher]

And we have seven riders to look for.

[Lance Armstrong]

Yeah. Teeing it up for the real GC race that starts tomorrow.

[Ally Stacher]

And yellow jersey back on Kim Lacourt. And we were a little stressed about that.

[Lance Armstrong]

I don't think we were stressed so much about the yellow jersey, but the finish, stressful. I've never seen that looking back before the finish line. I've never seen a rider do that right looking back. Sure. After the finish. But she almost got pipped at the line there by. By. By Demi Volunteer. While she was looking back. I mean, there for a second, we. It was unclear.

[Ally Stacher]

We were. We were waiting for the photo finish.

[Lance Armstrong]

Never seen that.

[Ally Stacher]

Never seen anything like that. But good to see Damie being able to push again and well deserved win for Kim Lacourt. She started the stage this morning saying she wanted that yellow J back on and she did it. And then of course, before we get started, let's talk about Zwift, obviously, the title sponsor.

[Lance Armstrong]

I wanted to talk about my T shirt.

[Ally Stacher]

I love your T shirt, cowgirl. Watch the femme right there. That's perfect. You look great. I said it made your arms look good. So Tour de France Falm, I've ex Zwift, title sponsor of the show, just rolled out their new cog and click setup. Oh, I told Lance I wouldn't pick it up, but I did. I'll set it down gently, but this is a great setup. I actually spent the afternoon riding Zwift. Um, Bolch kept me company, stood next to me actually, just making sure I, I was safe. Probably, you know, not wearing a helmet on the trainer. But with the cog and click, no cassette changes, no bike drama. You can put it on any bike you have and you can make a Zwift ready trainer from all the big names. I had it on a Wahoo Kickr. You can also use it on Garmin Jet Black Elite Decathlon. Comes fully equipped, starts at $299. Getting more people on bikes. And I'm up there in Snowmass and it was pouring down rain, so I just put on my Roubaix on the cog and click set up there on the kicker. But I'm there riding, riding the bike, getting credit, getting credit.

[Lance Armstrong]

So lots of other I'm have some DNFs, some DNSs. We lost our Olympic champion, Kristen Faulkner. But just a question actually, is this race taking a toll? Is perhaps that stomach bug?

[Mari Holden]

I mean I think it spreading through the peloton? I think definitely looking at the, all of the crashes and stuff in the beginning of the race, it seems like people are a little tired. That's when you're a little distracted, is when start to happen and it just starts adding up. Especially for poor Kristen with, you know, her third crash. And people talk about bike handling and stuff, but the fact that she's so tired, just like it happens more frequently.

[Ally Stacher]

And you know, she, I mean we.

[Lance Armstrong]

We talked about it yesterday. I mean this just sometimes and we've all been again, this is, this is. We've all been there, right? Where just everything starts to go wrong, right? And then, then your head goes to bad places. You're like, what am I doing here? And I mean crashing in the neutral zone is not a good sign. Yeah.

[Ally Stacher]

No, what we counted my friend Lucas on the. What do we call it, X. Now we counted though. I think it's 6 DNFs and 1 DNS. Now it's more.

[Lance Armstrong]

The official results have 8 DNFs and 1 DNS. So a total of 124 riders left in this peloton.

[Ally Stacher]

Yeah, and I did think though, that There might be something to. As the Women's World Tour is growing and becoming, you know, bigger stage races and these grand tours and the coverage, but these women, like, if you look at what Rooster has done all year, her first race day was January 25th. Going all the way through here, where today's had 48 race days. And now, I mean, Rooster. Like, I know My highest was 96 race days, which is a lot. Right.

[Lance Armstrong]

That's a ton.

[Ally Stacher]

And so. But the. The teams are growing, the races are getting bigger, but then it's still, like, requiring a lot from the riders. So I think we're seeing more fatigue as the calendar gets more exciting, but.

[Mari Holden]

It'S growing, but the team sizes and stuff haven't caught up yet, so it's hard. The athletes get spread a little bit. Th. And I think we're starting to see some of the. Of what comes from that.

[Lance Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Of course. Kim lacart back, and she stated before the stage she wanted to. To take the yellow jersey back. That's not hard to imagine. You look at today's profile, and you think, can we drop Marion Voss on. On in this finale? And. And they did. Right. And. And she kind of had a perfect scenario. Right. She had enough time over the other people on the break to take yellow. She had a teammate there, and she.

[Ally Stacher]

Got two teammates, technically, but one at the end. Yeah.

[Lance Armstrong]

And could drive it. And then, of course, that wasn't enough. Go on and win the stage. I mean, great result for her. She's having a hell of a tour.

[Mari Holden]

Yeah. She's definitely having an incredible time. And the fact that I was impressed, obviously, that Sarah Gigante was up there. I mean, you said it, Lance, that, you know, we got all the GC favorites up there now, but the fact that she was pulling through so hard and she made it through all the tricky stuff to get there and looked fairly fresh at the end. I think it's gonna. She's gonna be doing well and help, especially being able to help Kim and then seeing what she can do on the climbs.

[Ally Stacher]

I just realized, out of that seven. So we were talking about this. The. We're looking at the seven women that finished the stage together as our GC contenders. As we look towards the end of the Tour, Kim and Sarah are the only ones with a teammate. That's right.

[Mari Holden]

Yep.

[Ally Stacher]

Okay. I know, Mari, but no, that's.

[Lance Armstrong]

No, it's impressive because they're each other's teammate. Where are you going with this?

[Ally Stacher]

Teammates in life. No. Yes. So every other writer is isolated. This. We're looking at. There is a GC play here, and that is impressive. And for as small as Sarah is, I. She is in incredibly good time trials, too. She has been national champion for Australia in the time trial, as well as.

[Mari Holden]

Rusting what they can do in some of these next finals, you know, especially like on a day like tomorrow that's going to be so hard at the finish.

[Lance Armstrong]

Yep. We're going to talk about tomorrow at the. At the second half of the show. But. And for my money, but nobody was swinging. Like, if you're thinking, okay, here's the seven favorites. They just showed that today and leading into tomorrow is perfect. Like, there was nobody sort of. You always know when somebody. We looked at their faces. Pauline looked effortless. Demi, I think Demi was arguably the biggest winner today. She almost won the stage sneakily, but just kind of. Just kind of got the momentum rolling again. But nobody's. Nobody's suffering in that group. There's gonna be a hell of a. There's gonna be some fireworks.

[Mari Holden]

One also interesting to see Anna van de Breggen. I mean, she's been strong the last few days, and if she's riding into this, you know, maybe coming into some better form than she had.

[Lance Armstrong]

What a. What a storyline that would be.

[Mari Holden]

Yeah.

[Ally Stacher]

Oh, she was boss in that finale, too. She attacked the descent, but then Cassia took over that descent. And then I was getting very nervous. Pauline Gigante got off the back a little bit. Pauline, I think, was just opening up a gap just to be safe, and I have no doubt in her descending abilities, but I think she was like, whoa, ladies, let's. Let's do this. But I think everyone looked great.

[Lance Armstrong]

And then I got third. Got the time bonuses as well. This is Shape. Former director of Demi, right. Retired, comes back. Demi leaves the team. Both Dutch, like, you start to see. Ooh, yeah.

[Mari Holden]

She knows Demi really well.

[Ally Stacher]

She used to coach her and be her director.

[Lance Armstrong]

Oh, yeah.

[Ally Stacher]

Ooh, that's some drama, though.

[Lance Armstrong]

You know what, Johan? Don't get any ideas. I will drop your ass whenever I want. I will. That'd be pretty funny. Like, get two tours in. Johan's like, ah, I'm coming back. I'm gonna come back.

[Ally Stacher]

What do you think about that bonus sprint, though? That was interesting. A couple K before the. The climb.

[Lance Armstrong]

And I love that.

[Mari Holden]

I think it's great.

[Lance Armstrong]

I love that. I love that. I mean, that. That's. Look, I think psych. And I said it a lot during the men's tour. I mean, we're gonna have to have this Applies to men's cycling and women's cycling. We're gonna have to find ways to spice this thing up. This is. We can't think, oh, let's do the Tour de France just like they did in the 50s and 60s and 80s and 2000. Like, why not?

[Mari Holden]

Well, but the fact that there were, you know, the bonus seconds there, the teams. Yeah, but the team hard to get their GC rider in position to try and go for those bonus sprints, which left most of them without teammates for the actual.

[Lance Armstrong]

Which is what causes loss.

[Mari Holden]

Right. They made a selection which makes really exciting racing. You know, I mean, it wasn't just the fact that the sprint was before it. It was the. The sprint was important before. It wasn't just like for points or something that the GC doesn't care about. They cared about those seconds. They. Their teams worked hard to get it to them, and then they were on their own to the rest of. Except for Sarah and Kim.

[Ally Stacher]

Well, I thought Justine from AG Insurance, Soudal, who was the QOM winner of the Tour last year, current Belgian national champion, full gas, leading it out. And Lance, we were calling Pauline like she was climbing, looking like she was smoking a cigarette, like she was just having a nice time. But Kim did jump around and Pauline did the second time bonus.

[Lance Armstrong]

I mean, look at, look at. I mean, the results don't lie. I mean, Kim Lacourt has an 18 second lead over Pauline. I mean, 18 seconds is. If you think back to. I mean, people would have killed for 18 seconds. They would kill for eight seconds last year.

[Mari Holden]

It also makes you wonder, four seconds. What was Pauline thinking? That, you know, maybe she's thinking, okay, conserve here. If she's feeling good and then going for it later. And not just in that they already had basically the selection.

[Ally Stacher]

I thought it was super exciting, stressful for me. I'm very happy I was not doing bonus seconds. 2K before the finish of a climb down a technical descent. But, you know, you go, girls.

[Lance Armstrong]

Yeah, they had it covered.

[Ally Stacher]

They did have it covered and it was exciting.

[Lance Armstrong]

Well, what else has been covered?

[Ally Stacher]

Oh, boy.

[Lance Armstrong]

You know, we talked about it yesterday. We got a little tea in the peloton here at the Tour de France fam of Ex Swift. I don't know what to make of this. In fact, I'm just going to stay out of it mostly, other than tee this up. But there were some quotes from Demi's director regarding the peloton. The lack of respect in the peloton. Can we speculate that that's sort of the way that things go down in cycling now, maybe, but turns out we had to level this thing up and warm the tea up even more. Al, you've got all the.

[Ally Stacher]

I do.

[Lance Armstrong]

They're basically rebuttals to what Demi Vollering's director said. But this, my friends, is starting to get spicy.

[Ally Stacher]

It is getting so drama llama. And I'm curious how many interactions Johan had. So of course, we covered the lack of respect yesterday that FDJ quoted, which then of course makes Visma Lisa Bike respond and say, let me.

[Lance Armstrong]

Can I just ask one question? Because the quote yesterday from Demi's director was not specific to any one team or any one rider. It was very general. However, what you're about to read feels to me like a personal rebuttal.

[Mari Holden]

Well, even right after the race yesterday, you know, Vaas was saying that she thought it was, that there was no disrespect going on. You know, I mean, the fact that she already alluded to.

[Lance Armstrong]

That's the same team.

[Mari Holden]

Yeah, no, that's what I mean.

[Lance Armstrong]

They're already feeling like they're in the crosshairs.

[Ally Stacher]

So Jos, the director of Visma Lisa Bikes, said, let me be clear. What he's saying is completely ridiculous. It seems to want a peloton of eight riders with Demi in it riding in a golden cage. Come on, this is sport, isn't it? Nothing happened that shouldn't have. He has been influenced by Demi, by her dramatic behavior. Let me leave it at this. But it needs to be said. Demi really thinks she is in a golden cage. Sure, she's the best rider. He's admitting that, but doesn't mean everyone has to move aside for her. And then he says that that's just not true. That's not reality. If you think that maybe you should do another sport. Okay, no, no, no, no. And then it gets better, Lance, because, you know, I'm good at this. So I'm going through the Internet and then there's these videos.

[Lance Armstrong]

You know, you're great at going through the Internet. Congrats. But this is good, so let's keep going.

[Ally Stacher]

So then they have this video and the two directors have a 20 minute conversation, and of course, somebody's on their iPhone. And then we think it's all good. We think, okay, Visma Lisa Bike and FDJ are now friends. The directors have put, you know, bygones to bygones. And then FDJ responds this morning when he was taught, when I was talking about lack of respect, I wasn't just Referring to the crash. It's been like that since the start of the season. It's not the first time Van Emden, which is the director of Visma Least Bike, talks like this. For him, it's all a game. I think he's a stupid man, and that's all I have to say.

[Lance Armstrong]

Wow. Okay. All right.

[Mari Holden]

It's all at war.

[Ally Stacher]

This is exciting.

[Lance Armstrong]

This is good. I mean, it's a little crazy, too.

[Ally Stacher]

He brought it on himself, though.

[Mari Holden]

I mean, with doing a. Like a press release like that after the race or making those comments. I mean, we were talking poor writers.

[Lance Armstrong]

Yeah, the writers. The writers are reading this. The writers are getting questions about this at the start, at the finish, at the hotel over there. You know, people are texting. It's a distraction, but it's interesting. I mean, I. I feel bad for the writers.

[Mari Holden]

For. For some of the writers, possibly. I mean.

[Ally Stacher]

Yeah, but I mean, you've. We've talked about. Some directors in the men's peloton are much more vocal about sometimes even negatively against their writers or against other teams. I mean, this isn't new. These ones was. Were a little shocking to me. They're, you know, a little more blatant.

[Mari Holden]

In the press, though, calling another director stupid. I mean.

[Lance Armstrong]

Well, I'm saying somebody, you know, is in a golden cage. I mean, this. Those are frightened words on both sides.

[Ally Stacher]

But in the same sentence of the golden cage, he does say she's the best writer. I think that's in respect. I'm trying to be positive.

[Lance Armstrong]

Yeah, well, we're going to find out. I do think she had a good day.

[Ally Stacher]

She did.

[Lance Armstrong]

I think.

[Mari Holden]

She'S not showing the crash.

[Lance Armstrong]

I'm just. There's nobody. They're all there, right? I mean, they're all. Of course, where the rubber hits the road tomorrow. Actually, the rubber hits the road starting tomorrow, all the way through Sunday, which is perfect for us fans.

[Mari Holden]

It's gonna get better.

[Lance Armstrong]

It just gets better and better.

[Ally Stacher]

It's gonna get exciting. There is a lot to come up. I did want to do a little.

[Lance Armstrong]

But Nia Doma sitting back there, she's out of this, right? She's. She's. She's the defending champ. She's happy.

[Mari Holden]

They're all fighting.

[Lance Armstrong]

Yeah, she looks good as well. These other teams are going to each other. She's just sitting back chilling, going, hey, you guys, you know, arm wrestle over here. I'm just gonna ride my race.

[Mari Holden]

She's well, and she did have her team up there keeping her safe and doing a really Good job. I mean, Chloe did an incredible job bringing that back before the bonus sprint. You know, for time bonuses and stuff. So.

[Lance Armstrong]

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[Ally Stacher]

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[Ally Stacher]

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[Mari Holden]

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[Ally Stacher]

No idea what that look like.

[Lance Armstrong]

The arm wrestling. I'd be like I want to arm wrestle these.

[Mari Holden]

I'd have to keep the two of you apart.

[Lance Armstrong]

Exactly. We're gonna get some questions. We've had some questions about why Ally is so well behaved saved this year. It's whoever's asking that question, you just.

[Ally Stacher]

Stay out of it, all right?

[Lance Armstrong]

Because so far so good, right, Mari?

[Mari Holden]

Is I'm keeping you guys apart.

[Lance Armstrong]

Let's look at. Because as we just said, I mean this race, the GC battle, I guess in many ways did start today. Today was a little prologue for them. But the real race starts tomorrow. So let's just have a look. See.

[Ally Stacher]

All right.

[Lance Armstrong]

Come on.

[Ally Stacher]

This is big. So this is a classified as our first mountain stage. Four categorized climbs, two 350 meters of climbing.

[Lance Armstrong]

Yeah. The actual road book has it a little more. I think it's 2450 which is 8 for those who think in feet, that's 8200ft of climbing in a short, I mean, 123 kilometer stage, that's 77 miles. That's. You can look at the profile, obviously weighted towards the back half, but. And looky there. And the bonus looky right there towards the end, folks.

[Ally Stacher]

We love that bonus. It is our last bonus sprint of the Tour. Interesting, because then we're going into real stuff.

[Mari Holden]

Yeah, yeah.

[Lance Armstrong]

But this is. And these are not when you think about, and we've been checked up on our geography, but this is the Massif Central. So, you know, there are climbs in the Massif Central. These are not the Alps, these are not the Pyrenees. But nonetheless, you still have, you know, category.

[Mari Holden]

We're getting the category one and two climbs in there, which we haven't had. We've had maybe one, three or two, three climbs. Yeah, yeah.

[Ally Stacher]

And the bonus seconds are on top of an uncategorized climb. But it is close to the finish. I mean. Yeah, but we're looking at the Col de Belle, which is like 10.2 K with an average of 5.6%. I mean, these are, these are big climbs.

[Lance Armstrong]

Yeah, yeah. Well, it just adds up. Right. And we actually did have a question about road surfaces and more specifically in and around Chip Seal, this is, you know, the massive central. They just, they don't. I don't know what it is. Maybe the, the region there just doesn't love going back and paving and repaving roads. So Chip Seals got more.

[Mari Holden]

Heavier.

[Lance Armstrong]

It's heavier, it lasts longer. There's not to mess with it, but it's slow, right. So you throw in 80, 200ft of climbing, short stage, a lot of action, slow pavement races heating up. Come on.

[Ally Stacher]

And we're gonna go through some like volcano stuff tomorrow too. So that's just gonna be super exposed.

[Lance Armstrong]

And when was, when was the first year we did. No, I'm just kidding.

[Mari Holden]

And I mean like, if you look.

[Lance Armstrong]

At the star one there when they did the volcano, I have it all.

[Ally Stacher]

Written down, if you'd like to know.

[Lance Armstrong]

What was that, mark?

[Mari Holden]

I was just saying, like, if you look at the sprint in the beginning too, it's going to be. Be fast from the gun again. I mean people, you're gonna have people wanting to get in a break, you're gonna have other people wanting it to, to come to the sprint. And then the racing starts with the three right after that.

[Lance Armstrong]

We said it in the pre show here. I mean, this just like the men's race. I I think this green jersey competition, you know, Lorena weave is 208 points, Marion Voss 178 points. There's nothing. There are stages later in the Tour where the, where the bonus, the intermediate bonus comes later in the stage after some climbs. I think this is gonna just, just I don't have to watch it necessarily tomorrow. But this I think and I asked y' all like, is this something? Is Marianne Voss really wanting and targeting the green jersey because if so they can make, they can make this race really interesting for that jersey.

[Mari Holden]

Yeah, I mean I definitely think is going for it. Yeah.

[Ally Stacher]

Well then I find these intermediate sprints interesting. I mean yesterday it felt like it was like how can you try the least amount to get the points to also beat somebody that's trying the least amount. And it's, it's. Every intermediate sprint, regardless of a break, is up the road. It's one Webis to Voss and I don't think she's going full gas to come around Webis because knowing then webis would go more full gas and we. This wins.

[Lance Armstrong]

Well, there was a group up the road today, so as more points are, are unavailable.

[Ally Stacher]

Well then it's a two point spread.

[Lance Armstrong]

When they're doing that just, just, you know, take it. Right.

[Ally Stacher]

But for her that she's trying and doing these intermediate. She's looking later in the Tour when the stages get harder, Webis will be dropped. Voss will still be in the group.

[Lance Armstrong]

Well, certain she certainly has the team to, to drop her. To try and drop her.

[Ally Stacher]

Yeah. And I mean with Pauline, you know, she's going to be up there working eventually anyway, so pretty exciting.

[Lance Armstrong]

Good stuff. Any other. Yeah, we'll wait on the other jerseys. My favorite, the polka dot jersey.

[Ally Stacher]

Oh yes.

[Lance Armstrong]

Not too shabby.

[Ally Stacher]

Not too shabby. Hey, she's still in it.

[Lance Armstrong]

Hey, she's doing it. Whatever.

[Ally Stacher]

She's doing it. I actually did want to give credit to. We have a little rider Kata Soda and she's been in the break every. She's the Chilean national champion and she was the first Chilean ever to participate. This is her second time at the Tour de France fame of exwift. So I mean I spent a lot of time in Chile this spring, but I mean I think it's cool for some smaller country like where cycling is getting out here on a smaller team, but to getting those breaks and producing like to be able to race at this level.

[Mari Holden]

And it's been nice to see Allison Jackson going back into the break again today too. She's been pretty aggressive trying to get into moods representing North America. Pretty well then.

[Ally Stacher]

Yeah.

[Lance Armstrong]

Some questions here.

[Ally Stacher]

Oh boy.

[Lance Armstrong]

It's. It's. We had two. I'll kind of just merge these two questions and I'm not quite sure why men are asking these questions. These are, These are both from Mike and Scott. They both are in and around nature breaks.

[Mari Holden]

Okay, we'll let Ali take that one.

[Lance Armstrong]

One can take Mike and one can take Scott. But, but, but, but basically Mike says, I just learned what, what women. He just learned this. What Mike talk about failing some courses here. But I just learned what women need to go through to do a pit stop while riding. Why can't longer races say multi hour and multi stage races like the Tour de France fam of Ex Woo have some predefined quote we zone locations. It could be a pre defined location similar to the feed zone or. You get my. You get the gist. All right. Come over to Scott. Watching the men's races, you see a lot of riders doing nature breaks. Not so with women racers. Are the women superhuman or are they watching their water intake? I mean it. It's kind of. But it's not like it's. If you watch the men's race, they pull over all the time and half a peloton will pull over.

[Mari Holden]

And it's the same for the women.

[Ally Stacher]

It's the same. We'll pull over.

[Mari Holden]

That you didn't.

[Lance Armstrong]

No.

[Ally Stacher]

Maybe it's just easier.

[Mari Holden]

You failed.

[Lance Armstrong]

No, I mean, I know how it happens.

[Ally Stacher]

At least usually my experience. I mean, honestly, like our bibs, most of them have. Whether it's a magnet or a stretchy part. I call it free to pee where you don't have to take off your bibs to be able to pee. You can pull them down. I think if your bibs don't have that feature, that's a horrible design because then you're unzipping and all of that. And then the other thing you do is, is if the you know the GC leader or you know, people you respect. Like maybe I would go up to like Kopecki and be like, you got to go to the bathroom. She's like, yeah. Then I'm like, I'm going to go to the bathroom with her. Because the peloton will wait for her and there big groups and I have photos of that and they just do not make tv. But also you just you, you. I'm glad they don't.

[Mari Holden]

But it. But what you're saying is the best is the best way to do it. Probably similar. Like everyone kind of Decides together that it's a good time, you know, to go. There's nothing's happening in the race. It's a good time to maybe pull over. Maybe you're near a spot that's not by a bunch of houses or something.

[Ally Stacher]

Yeah, that's not a good thing. Oh, yeah, because when Tour Qatar, we got all. The whole peloton got fined for nature because we were too close to a mom mosque. And you're in the desert.

[Mari Holden]

There's nowhere to go there. You might not want to be trying.

[Lance Armstrong]

Listen, we're getting a little too geopolitical here, all right?

[Ally Stacher]

But it happened.

[Lance Armstrong]

We believe you, Meg. Thank you, Meg. We'd love to hear Johan join you for a recap.

[Ally Stacher]

Oh, that'd be fun.

[Lance Armstrong]

I know he's watching the race because he texted me this morning about it. Who are his favorites for the femme? He praised Lorena Weis when she won track Worlds and said Puck is better than 80% of the women's peloton. What does Johan think is up with Demi? That these are questions for Johan. I do. One of these days, Johan, if you're. You are listening. I know you are.

[Ally Stacher]

He's always listening.

[Mari Holden]

That'd be fun to have him.

[Lance Armstrong]

I would love that. So, Meg, we will get on that. All right, Justin has a question. I have a question about the length of the Tour. How did they arrive? This is a good question because it has. It has changed and seems to be growing in length over the, you know, the last three years. How did they arrive at nine stages? And who decided that? Does it have to do with sponsorship? Do you see a time in the future when the fam Tour will be the same length as the men's tour? And then Justin ends his question by saying, none other than Byee. Look at this. Look at all the E's.

[Ally Stacher]

Oh, wow.

[Lance Armstrong]

That's a real fan. Thank you.

[Ally Stacher]

Fan after my own heart.

[Lance Armstrong]

So how do we get to nine stages? Do we think it gets longer? And what affects the link?

[Mari Holden]

You know, I feel like they're trying to grow it in a way that, you know, they can continue the quality of the race and really just grow it thoughtfully. I don't know that there's a specific goal to make it the same length as the men's. The women's peloton is different, as Ali was talking about early. The team sizes and, you know, trying to do grand tours that are longer. I think right now, it's so good for.

[Lance Armstrong]

You're talking about total team size.

[Mari Holden]

Total team size throughout the season to choose from, you know, so if you have had longer stages, you need bigger teams, you need more budget. I mean, there are a lot of pieces, but they're trying to grow it thoughtfully and I think they're doing a great job of it. They are making it longer and I think the goal is to keep extending it, but the way they're doing it makes it sustainable. And I think that's one of the key things in women's sport is let's keep it sustainable and. And grow it thoughtfully.

[Lance Armstrong]

You know, it's. No, we always. I think we all kind of seem surprised, but we shouldn't be. I mean, the crowds on the side, I mean, these are real, like coming through the towns. It's awesome.

[Mari Holden]

It's awesome.

[Lance Armstrong]

And it'd be cool. Of course, we'd get into the mountains or some. Some climbs tomorrow. That's where you really start to see the climbs. But the people of France and Europe are responding, embracing it. Yeah, last.

[Mari Holden]

Well, everywhere, I mean, I'm getting all kinds of comments about people wanting to go over and watch the Women's Tour, which, you know, 20 years ago you weren't hearing people saying, I'm going to go over to France and watch the Women's Tour, you know, when it was the Grand Buchal or whatever they called it back in the day. But to have families wanting to go over there and bring their daughters to come seeing the. See the racing, that. That's huge.

[Lance Armstrong]

Yeah. Yeah. You have a job. Don't. Don't get any ideas. Next month I'll take a group.

[Mari Holden]

I'm hang out with you.

[Lance Armstrong]

I'm going to take a group of people in France. Excuse me, you're not. All right, last one and I'm just going to end done with this. Listen, this is. Andrew asks a lot of guys. I love this. I mean, I don't love it, but it's cool. No, it's cool that we got dudes out here watching and this is. This is the last time we're gonna address it. Okay. For the rest of the week and hopefully forever. He's. Andrew says y' all are killing us. What's this? What's the story with the cat? I thought we talked about it. Allie has. I didn't even know you had a cat.

[Ally Stacher]

You obviously don't follow me on Instagram near enough.

[Lance Armstrong]

I think I do. I don't. I don't like. Your name is Puck. I don't like social media. I don't. Look, I don't do a lot of.

[Ally Stacher]

Well, Andrew, the deal is Lance just has a cold heart and would not let me bring my cat to the Tour.

[Lance Armstrong]

She wanted to bring the cat. She wanted to fly with the cat. She wanted to stay. We wanted the cat to stay with the team at the team house.

[Mari Holden]

It's almost as crazy as Kim Lacourt. Looking back at the finish, you just don't hear that kind of stuff.

[Ally Stacher]

Nobody does that. So apparently Lance made a rule that's no Pucks unless it's Puck Peters. He's like, no Pucks given except Puck Peters. And there you go.

[Lance Armstrong]

Look. Thank you, Andrew. I'm glad you asked that question because we're not ever talking about it again.

[Ally Stacher]

Yeah, we are. So you guys can.

[Lance Armstrong]

But I'm with you, Mari. That's like. What's weirder?

[Ally Stacher]

Worst.

[Lance Armstrong]

What is the worst idea? I'm about to win a stage in the Tour France. I think I'll just put my hands up and look around before the finish line. That's. That's not a good idea, bringing a cat. I mean, look, by the way, too, just for the record, before all you cat people start hating on me, I grew up with cats. I love cats, but I just don't think you bring them around others. Yeah, that's weird. Anyways, on that note, the race. No, we're done. The race.

[Ally Stacher]

We're done. I was going to ask for questions more about the cat, but I was going to do the question.

[Lance Armstrong]

Yeah, no cat questions, but send other questions. Send them to Catido T Info Wedo Team. The race for the GC really starts tomorrow.

[Ally Stacher]

Yep.

[Lance Armstrong]

So I'm. I'm. I'm excited. We're all excited. Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you tomorrow. 3, 2, 1. 3, 2, 1.

[Ally Stacher]

Bye. Sa.