Protests Overshadow a Massive Comeback Win | Vuelta a España Stage 16 Analysis & Stage 17 Preview | THEMOVE+

Summary

THEMOVE: Protests Overshadow a Massive Comeback Win | Vuelta a España Stage 16 Analysis & Stage 17 Preview

Host: Lance Armstrong (absent), Spencer Martin & Johan Bruyneel
Date: September 9, 2025
Theme: An in-depth breakdown of the controversy-filled Stage 16 at the Vuelta a España—dominated by climate protests, an abridged finish, and Egan Bernal’s remarkable comeback victory. Includes tactical post-mortem, the wider impact of protest actions on the race, and a detailed look ahead to Stage 17.

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the chaos that overshadowed Stage 16, where well-organized protests forced the finish line to be moved mid-stage, scrambling both race outcomes and GC strategies. Spencer and Johan discuss Egan Bernal’s emotional win in the context of his recent challenges, analyze team and rider decisions under disrupted conditions, and ponder the future of the race as protests threaten its completion. A rigorous preview of Stage 17 closes the conversation, complete with betting odds and predictions.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Stage 16 Recap: The Race That Wasn’t

• Breakaway Dynamics & Unseen Drama ([01:30], [04:23])
  • Early breakaway included Egan Bernal, Mikel Landa, and UAE’s Marc Soler.
  • Spencer: “I’ve ceased to be amazed and confused by [UAE’s tactics]. I’m just going with it.” ([01:30])
  • Nico Denz, as the heaviest and fastest rider, was well-positioned if the finish had stayed at the bottom.
• Protest Disruption & Route Change
  • A mass of protesters on the penultimate climb forced race organizers to stop the race and move the finish ~3 km early.
  • Johan: “There was a lot, a lot, a lot [of protesters]...It was basically impossible for the organization and even the extra police to keep it under control.” ([05:07])
• Unusual Victory: Bernal’s Win Amidst Chaos
  • Egan Bernal and Mikel Landa outlast FDJ riders, who suffered a mechanical.
  • Johan: “It’s not the same feeling. There’s no victory salute...no podium. But it’s a win. Somebody had to win, and Bernal won it." ([04:53], [05:07])

2. Team UAE Tactics: A Pattern of Confusion

• Soler’s Role and UAE’s Strategy Under Scrutiny ([06:28] - [13:13])
  • Marc Soler was in the break for a stage win, not strictly as Almeida’s backup.
  • Johan: “He didn’t need to be in there...What they need to focus on now is how to put the pressure on Jonas and on Visma.” ([06:28])
  • The UAE team lost valuable support for Joao Almeida on crucial climbs, as domestiques pursued personal objectives.
  • Spencer (on Jay Vine): “It’s like he went out partying...Now the drinking is a problem. The breakaways have become a problem. They’re affecting the life of UAE.” ([10:11])
• Leadership and Decision Making
  • Johan: “From now on, nobody goes in the break. We stay with our leader...But that was not the case.” ([10:49])
  • Discussion on the negative impact of repeated solo efforts in the break for GC ambitions.

3. Wider Ramifications: Are the Protests Winning?

• Impact on Race and Rider Safety ([13:33] - [18:37])
  • Organizers and UCI unable to guarantee a safe, full stage finish.
  • Johan: “If the security of the riders is in danger and you can’t guarantee it, there’s not that many options, in my opinion.” ([16:19])
• Possibility of More Cancelled/Modified Stages
  • Both express concern that protest groups will be emboldened after repeated disruption success.
  • Spencer: “Are we going to see another successful uphill finish at this race?” ([13:33])
  • Question raised: if safety cannot be guaranteed, should the race be called off?
• Financial Implications
  • Johan confirms start and finish towns pay fees, but ASO’s deep pockets make those losses less critical compared to the Tour.

4. Highlights and Notable Performers

• Impressive Rides Despite Circumstances ([19:08] - [21:20])
  • Nico Denz: Rode impressively to nearly seize a mountain stage as a heavier rider.
  • FDJ’s Young Guns: Bria Roland and Brass Alfonso
    • Spencer: “Roland...This is the second time I believe he's come [in top three],...super impressive ride. He's 22 years old.” ([19:39])
  • Groupama-FDJ’s development system praised for producing strong neo-pros.

5. Stage 17 Preview: Tactical Dilemmas & Betting Picks

• Profile and Difficulty ([24:54] - [29:28])
  • Short (143km), mountainous, with ~3250m of climbing and a brutal final ascent (first 5km averaging 11%).
  • Likely outcome: Teams must decide between defending current GC and targeting a stage win.
• Predictions and Odds
  • Johan’s Pick: Joao Almeida (+300) in a sprint—"He has to win...if he still wants a chance.”
  • Spencer’s Pick: Jonas Vingegaard (+200)—“I could see him attacking at the bottom...and holding them off.”
  • Johan’s Wildcard: Jai Hindley (+1400) as the third-strongest climber.
  • Spencer’s Wildcard: Finlay Pickering (+12,500)—top breakaway prospect if race is again truncated.
• Persistent Protest Threat
  • Both question if the stage will even finish as intended.
  • Spencer: “If they're in the breakaway tomorrow, like, what, what are we doing here, guys?” ([13:13])
  • Johan: “Are we going to have a mountaintop finish tomorrow? We don’t know.” ([28:34])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bernal’s Comeback Win:
  • Johan: “Listen, obviously it’s great for Egon Bernal to win the stage...after his horrible accident. Of course, it’s not the same feeling. There’s no victory salute...But it’s a win.” ([05:07])
• On UAE’s Tactics:
  • Spencer: “It’s like he went out partying. Okay, great. But are you going to show up to work? No, he overslept, missed the alarm, didn’t show up to work.” ([10:11])
• On Protest Impact:
  • Johan: “There was already a lot of police today, and they still, they can’t keep it under control. I’m just thinking that this movement is going to get bigger and bigger.” ([18:15])
• On Potential Solutions:
  • Johan: “We’re going to end up doing circuit races in the future, Spencer. Something that is completely controllable.” ([30:24])
  • Spencer: “Are they gonna have to find a car racing track in Spain and do the last five stages on that? Not a good prospect at the moment.” ([30:31])

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Important Timestamps

• Protest Disruption & Race Reroute: [04:53]–[05:07]
• Bernal’s Win & Landa’s Comeback Discussed: [05:07]–[06:30]
• UAE Tactics Breakdown, Vine’s Role: [10:09]–[13:13]
• Protest Analysis & Organizer Response: [13:33]–[18:37]
• FDJ Young Talent: [19:39]–[21:20]
• Stage 17 Odds & Predictions: [24:54]–[29:28]
• Future of Racing and Security: [30:24]–[30:31]

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Episode Tone & Style

The discussion is analytical, frank, and occasionally bemused, mixing deep cycling insider perspective with plain-spoken criticism—true to THEMOVE’s “ultimate insider” promise. The mood turns somber and reflective when considering the protests’ threat to cycling itself but lightens up when spotlighting young talent and making stage predictions.

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Stage 16’s result is overshadowed by unresolved questions about protestor disruption and race security.
• Egan Bernal’s victory, though under unusual circumstances, is a testament to resilience.
• Tactical uncertainty reigns in top teams, particularly UAE, as internal and external chaos takes its toll.
• Stage 17’s outcome—and possibly the entire Vuelta—is hostage to whether the organizers can keep the race route secure.
• THEMOVE’s unvarnished opinions and real-time tactical analysis make for a compelling “insider’s look” when Grand Tour cycling is anything but predictable.

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Transcript

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[Johan Bernal]

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[Johan Bernal]

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[Johan Bernal]

Completely immersed in every story, every reveal, every breath. Download the Amazon Music app and start listening to your favorite podcasts ad free included with product time Listen Obviously it's great for Igon Bernal to to win the stage, right? After all the trouble this guy has had in the last years after his horrible accident to win a stage. Of course it's not the same feeling. You know, there's no victory salute. He doesn't cross the finish line first where all the people are. There's no podium. But it's a win.

[Spencer Martin]

Everybody, welcome back to the Move. I'm Spencer Martin. I'm here with Johan Berniel. We are breaking down stage 16 of the Volta Espana and then we will predict and preview stage 17. I'll give a quick background on what happened during the stage, then we'll get Johan's thoughts on on what he thought of it. There was a breakaway went clear. We didn't see it unfortunately. I'm sure it was exciting. As it happened, the the big cliff notes are it had Egan Bernal, Mike, Mika Landa and Mark Solaire from uae. UAE up there again in the breakaway. I've ceased to be amazed and confused by this. I'm just going with it. And up front the move is breaking up. Eventually Mika Landa and Igor Bernal get clear with two FDJ riders plus Nico Denz who stood out in that group because he was by far the heaviest and the most powerful and the fastest. And this was relevant because there was so many protesters in the final climb. They moved to finish from the top to the bottom. So if Dense made it to the line he could have won. But they hit a super steep. The second to last climb we talked about in yesterday's preview. Not very long, like two and a half kilometers. But they were hitting grades of 17%. Bernal and Landa go clear with one of the FDJ riders who unfortunately flats. And then Bernal and Landa kind of awkwardly sprinted out with the 8k to go banner. It looked like they weren't quite sure that was the finish. But Bernal gets his first World Tour win since 2021 at the Giro d'.

[Johan Bernal]

Italia.

[Spencer Martin]

Also on stage 16. Kind of a funny coincidence. Back in the GC group. The the most notable thing I thought that happened is they hit the second to last climb. Rain goes to the front. Did not see that one coming. Torsten Train putting his team on there. They do drop a few GC guys like Felix G. So ended up being worth it. They also dropped the entire UAE team. So J. Madea completely isolated Jay vine, who we were talking about being in the breakaway the day before the rest day, pushing on, trying to win that stage. Looked like he paid for it. He's dropped. And then Mark Solaire has to come back from the breakaway to support Almeida. He does so in kind of an awkward way. And he gets caught on the final climb and then doesn't really do any work and gets dropped from the front group. I probably would have had him catch them at the top of the climb so he could support him over the top. Jonas Verdard has a problem with his bike. Flat or mechanical. He J takes one from a teammate just like the Tour de France last year. Ben to let with an incredibly smooth dismount and then pushing of Vinderard. And apparently Vinegar didn't tell his team because Mato Jorgenson stays on the front setting pace. But he gets back in pretty well and then rides that bike to the finish line. We. We've seen him do that again where he just doesn't seem to care about riding someone else's bike and is able to do it well enough that it's not a problem. And then the GC group rolls into the finish line. The only the.

[Johan Bernal]

The.

[Spencer Martin]

I guess the. The abbreviated finish line. Felix G. Loses time. And I was there any like junior. Was there another.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah, junior.

[Spencer Martin]

Junior.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah.

[Spencer Martin]

Yeah. But kind of a. I guess a little bit of a wet blanket of a finish. Johan with the protest. We'll talk about. I mean we mentioned it yesterday that we thought this would be an issue in the final week and it has proven to be an issue. But what was your takeaway of the Day.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah, obviously, Spencer, the fact that the stage couldn't go all the way to the finish, you know, this was an uphill finish, a decent climb. We didn't get to see that about 3km before the finish, more or less. There was.

[Spencer Martin]

There were.

[Johan Bernal]

The protesters were. I mean, there was a lot, a lot, a lot. And it was basically impossible for the organization and even the extra police to keep it under control. So I think they made a very wise decision. But to have the finish at the bottom, I was first. First. I was thinking, well, maybe they're going to take the times. And again, no stage winner that would. This. This time they did it differently. Listen, obviously it's great for Egon Bernal to. To win the stage, right? After all the trouble this guy has had in the last years after his horrible accident, to win a stage. Of course, it's not the same feeling. You know, there's no victory salute. He doesn't cross the finish line first. Where all the people are, there's no podium. But it's a win mean somebody had to win and Aan Bernal won it. So, I mean, really happy for. For him to, you know, to. To have him win again after maybe a bit. A bit of a disappointing VA in terms of gc Also great to see Mikalanda there again. You know, he also comes back from. I mean, this guy comes back from really, really far. I mean, we all remember his horrible crash on stage. One of the Giro broke his. His back or his neck.

[Spencer Martin]

I don't remember what it was.

[Johan Bernal]

It was very, very serious. And, you know, to be back now and. And in the. In contention for a stage win, that's also really good. But, you know, I mean, I just wanted to talk a little bit about the break and the fact that UAE had a guy in there. And again, Mark Solaire. I don't know what I have to think, Spencer. You know, I mean, something tells me that Mark Soler was not in that break with the intention to be up front and have to and then come back. He was in there for the stage win, which I think. I mean, obviously, first you have to be in it and then you can make a decision, right? What's happening was a big group again. But, yeah, I mean, he didn't need to be in there. They don't need another stage win. What they need to focus on now is how to. How to put the pressure on. On Jonas and on Visma and. And on top of that, this morning, Victor Campenaerts didn't start because he's sick. So they're down to six riders because they already lost Axel Zingle in week one and after a few days already. So they're down to six riders. Right. So I would have tried to have the majority with, with Almeida over, over that second last climb anyways. Then afterwards, you know, it all got canceled because the stage didn't go through to the finish. But man, I mean, Soler was in the front today. He rode okay. You know, he missed that five man break, then he tried to bridge up, didn't make it. But then I'm looking at the group of the favorites on the second to last climb, which was really hard. And I think, if I remember correctly, I think it was Bahrain setting the pace with three or four riders for Thorsten Train to keep off Junior Le Cerf, I guess, because I guess their goal is top 10. And the CERF was in ninth, I think. And Train was intent, so they set the tempo. So you would have to think it's a fast tempo, but it's not. The best riders who are setting the tempo, it's not super fast. And what do I see? This Jawal Meda is isolated. Felix Groschartner was getting dropped. I mean, he would have made it back, but he was getting dropped. And Noah used to be seen. And I said, where's Jay Vine? Where is Jay Vine? You know, Jay vine is a guy, he has to be there. If this must have four riders, Bahrain has three or four riders. I mean, that's a bit surprising to me. And so I'm still. I still don't know what's going on. Why do they let these guys, why do they keep them letting go in the breakaways? Why would you go after the polkadot jersey for Jay vine if you're uae? Okay, for Jay vine, it's fine, it's okay. But it cannot be at the expense of the team goal. And it has happened a few times now that the guys who need to be with Almeida in the crucial moments of a certain stage are not there. So that's. That was interesting. That was interesting to see.

[Spencer Martin]

Yeah. To me, this was the worst one.

[Johan Bernal]

Or.

[Spencer Martin]

I mean, we talked about it yesterday. I. I don't understand. Jay vine, okay, he's gone for km. He gets the K points and then on Sunday he just keeps pushing for a long time, spends a lot of energy a lot, and then is absent from his job. It's like he went out partying. Okay, great. But are you going to show up to work? No, he overslept, missed the alarm, didn't show up to work. Like, now, the drinking is a problem. Like, the breakaways have become a problem. They're affecting the life of UAE and. And they're in it again.

[Johan Bernal]

I just. I.

[Spencer Martin]

How does this keep happening, Johan? Is it, like, are they. Who's deciding this? Is this the writers deciding this or management?

[Johan Bernal]

Well, I mean, I think there's. There's. There's different things. First of all, there's the decisions that are made before the stage. And in my opinion, in my opinion, it needs to be. Listen, from now on, nobody goes in the break. We stay with our leader, and we're there with him. And whenever one thing could be okay, let's have one rider up front, and if Visma is having trouble, we have already a guy up front who maybe, but Solaire should always be in the group. Whenever, let's say to let is there. Yeah, maybe not. I mean, to let has been riding really well, but.

[Spencer Martin]

So, I mean, Mark Solaire is a pairing east winner.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah. I think, you know. Yeah.

[Spencer Martin]

And you'd think he could be there with to let.

[Johan Bernal]

Well, yeah, I mean, okay, maybe he can. Maybe he can, maybe he cannot. So if the intention was that Solaire had to be up front in order to drop back, then I said, okay, good. I, I can, I can. I buy that. But that was not the case. I mean, he was going for the stage win once. Once. Once these five guys were gone and he missed that, that. That move.

[Spencer Martin]

He was. He was like the one welding it.

[Johan Bernal]

Back together really fast, like, really on. There was one uncategorized climb which was really, really hard. He dropped everybody except.

[Spencer Martin]

What's his name?

[Johan Bernal]

The guy from Finley.

[Spencer Martin]

Yeah, Finley Pickering.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah. That was the only guy who would stay with him. So he was going really, really hard. So he was. At that moment, he was not thinking about waiting. And then finally they had to call him back because it was. It was getting too tricky for. For Joel Maehda. Okay. So the question is, okay, at least he could drop back. Maybe if he would have stayed with the group, he wouldn't have been there. But I think it's just an accumulation of the amount of efforts they did and the amount of energy they have spent already going in these long breaks that now at the end, hey, it's the last week or the last few days of a grand tour. You just have to hang on, hold on to whatever you have, you know?

[Spencer Martin]

Yeah, yeah. I find it confounding. I mean, we'll talk about tomorrow in a little bit. If they're in the breakaway Tomorrow, like, what, what are we doing here, guys?

[Johan Bernal]

Spencer, they might be, you know, it might be part of a plan. I don't know. I mean, I'd like to figure out what the plan is.

[Spencer Martin]

Well, I mean, this isn't, this isn't what they were thinking, but I hate to say this, Johan, is the GC done in this race? I just don't see. I mean, I think we should say up top. I think that the vault and UCI need to provide safe racing conditions, like it's incumbent upon them to provide a safe course. I think we can all agree on that. I don't really know what they do in this situation. I give the protest, especially on these small climbs, these narrow climbs, and that's where the race is finishing. If they want to get on the course, there's not really a lot you can do to stop. Seems like they're picking up steam. I like, are we going to see another successful uphill finish at this race?

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah, well, yeah, I mean, as we, as we said, there was, there was talks about not having stage in Madrid today. When I listened to the Tour of Spain director Javier Guillen, he, He said that they're going to Madrid now. It's not going to only depend on him. Right. Yeah, but, but yeah, I mean, tomorrow is another uphill finish, same kind of area, same kind of roads. Like, like today. I mean, if they couldn't control it today, what is going to stop the same people from doing the same tomorrow? I mean, the more they, they were successful today.

[Spencer Martin]

Yeah, right.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah.

[Spencer Martin]

I mean, think they were successful back in Bilbao and then it's like today's another win. They have to be seen that as a win and I just imagine that that gives them more power to keep doing it.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah, yeah. I'm, I'm afraid we may seem, we may see a few more of these modified stages. Obviously, you know, it's, it's. I mean, it's a shame for the Vuelta, it's. And for the riders, you know, they all want to raise their bikes and it's definitely. If you see the situation today, you know, they sprint until the bottom of the climb and of course then it's chaos. You know, nobody there. Of course, all the buses were on top. Yeah, right. There was nobody there. Everybody. I mean, there was not even enough vehicles to transport the riders because it's two vehicles per team that are in the race and all the other vehicles are, are, are on top. They couldn't make it down.

[Spencer Martin]

I mean, it's a total mess. I mean, here, here's a provocative. I'm also worried about the time trial. You talk about wanting to disrupt something. There's nothing easier to disrupt in a time trial because there, there's sitting ducks out there. Is, should the race be called off? Like, if they can't provide a safe course, should they just cancel it?

[Johan Bernal]

I mean, it's an option. It's an option. It's not safe. I mean, look, I mean, Javi Romo today had to abandon. Yeah. After his crash from two days ago. He tried yesterday, but, you know, he was, he was hurt too much and he had to abandon. You know, one thing is the protests and then another thing is, you know, the, you know, the insecurity and crashes, you know, it's, that's obviously a different, different subject. But if, if, if the security of the riders is in danger and you can't guarantee it, there's not that many options, in my opinion.

[Spencer Martin]

Yeah. I mean, what are they doing? The vault is different because a lot of these stages don't finish in towns, but I imagine they have contracts with these starting towns and finished towns. And like, do they have to keep going to collect the money that those towns have paid?

[Johan Bernal]

I mean, yeah, yes. But, you know, it's not the same. I mean, yes, I mean, the answer is yes. The, the towns, the start places and the finish places, they pay. But, you know, this is aso. ASO had a lot of money. True.

[Spencer Martin]

And a lot of these are like very rural areas that.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah. And it's nothing, nothing compared to the, the money that's in the game, like, for, like the Tour. You know, this is completely different.

[Spencer Martin]

So Madrid might pay them not to come, I'll pay them not to do the final stage so they don't disrupt everything. But I, I, I'm in a pretty, I don't know, pretty negative. Just setting everything else aside, it's like, I, I don't think we're going to see GC race. It just puts a damper on the race when you're like, well, I don't know what would have happened today. We have no idea and we'll never find out. If Jonas could have dropped. I was quite excited to see that final climb and then it didn't happen.

[Johan Bernal]

I think what's going to happen is the, the, the, the, the, there's going to be more and more police coming to the race, but there was already a lot of police today and they still, they can't keep it under control. I mean, I, I'm just thinking that this is going to, this Movement is going to get bigger and bigger and more and more people are going to join.

[Spencer Martin]

Yeah. Yeah. And like I, yeah, like I share an office with my wife and like she works in international relations and like the moment that the Bill B stage happened, like she was hearing about it on call, she was on. So like if this is now bigger than cycling, it makes me worry a little bit that yeah, it's. The race is going to get like put through the shredder a bit. Anything else on today's stage? We should shout out Nico Dense guy. Guy almost nearly wins a mountain stage. Pretty impressive.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah, he was. The fact that he was there with these other four riders was already impressive. And yeah, I mean it's like you say, if he makes it over that climb. There was no way he could make it over that climb, Spencer. It was so steep.

[Spencer Martin]

Protesters stopped it there.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah. The riders were zigzagging over the road. There was 17, 18%. So it was, it was a lot harder than the last climb actually that, that second to last time.

[Spencer Martin]

Sure. We should also say that the FDJ rider, Bria Roland. Roland, this is the second time I believe he's come. He got third back on stage 12, if you recall, behind Romo and I used to have super impressive ride from this guy. He's 22 years old, so I felt like we glossed over him. Wanted to call him out.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah. Is it his first year pro?

[Spencer Martin]

If he's 22, it must be close to his first year pro. He. Yes, it is. He was on the continental team last year.

[Johan Bernal]

Pretty impressive.

[Spencer Martin]

Wow, that is pretty impressive. Let's just keep the, keep the media away from this man.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah. Also there's this other, this other writer who I did not know this on, on fdg on Group Armor Brass. Alfonso was already in a move also and, and today he was actually with Ego Bernal and, and Michael Landa until he had a puncture. Also really a name to, to remember and to follow.

[Spencer Martin]

Yeah, I mean it's. I guess it's in theory possible that he wins the stage. If he doesn't. It just shows you. I mean they, they've. They're going through a hard time. Group fdj a lot of talent though that they get. They still pick up. It's pretty impressive.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Spencer Martin]

I guess.

[Johan Bernal]

I guess their, their development program is pretty good. I'm gonna guess this guy also comes through a development program. Like this guy's 25 already. I think Brazil. Alfonso.

[Spencer Martin]

Yeah, he is 25 and then it's his first year. But he was on a continental team last year, so it's his first year as like, I guess like a pro, True pro rider. Yeah. It must be. Must be a story there. I don't fully.

[Johan Bernal]

Which team was he on? N.S.

[Spencer Martin]

Atlantique.

[Johan Bernal]

Oh, H. Yeah.

[Spencer Martin]

H. The show.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah.

[Spencer Martin]

That is impressive. Anything else on today's stage before we move on?

[Johan Bernal]

No, I don't think so. That's. That's about it.

[Spencer Martin]

All right, well, let's take a quick break, ad break, and then we will preview stage 17. Today's episode is brought to you by Cook Unity. During the Vaalta, I am quite busy watching the race, podcasting, putting out my newsletter about the race. Long days, late nights, barely enough time to eat healthy. And that normally means I end up sacrificing health in term for convenience, which is not good for my long term viability as a person. But lately, Cook Unity has been delivering fresh, never frozen meals straight to my door. And I am in love with this product. Last night, after getting out the newsletter, I had Chef Jean's miso salmon. It was perfectly cooked, fresh vegetables on the side, which I probably, normally, normally would not include in my meal. It felt like I was sitting down at a restaurant, except it was ready in under five minutes in my own kitchen. That's what makes Cook Unity different. Every meal is crafted by award winning chefs, Food Network alums, even James Beard award winners. They handpick ingredients, rotate seasonal menus with over 300 ops and options. It never gets repetitive or boring. And it's not just about taste. Their app makes it really simple to filter by cuisine and even specific chefs. So fueling up between recording sessions has never been easier. No cooking, no cleanup. Cleanup. Just fresh chef delivered meals delivered right. Chef driven meals delivered right to my door, which I'm a big fan of. I'm very lazy when it comes to my food and cook. Also, you can pause it while you're away, so that would be another thing I would be worried about. But the app is very easy to navigate. Fuel your day with the freshest, best tasting meal delivery made by award winning chefs. Go to cookunity.com themove free or enter code the move free before checkout for free. Premium meals for life. That's an incredible deal. Free premium meals for life does not get better than that. Using code the move free or cookunity.com the move free. All right, Johan. Stage 17 tomorrow. Another mountain stage another. I. I'm not racing it, but just from the profile, looks mild. I would say. I know people might if we Actually rode the course would say well, that was quite hard. But not a lot of damage will be done to the peloton probably. There's a sprint point with bonification seconds about 100km into the stage. The whole stage is 144km and then it finishes with a really, really tough final climb. 9k long 10 average. It looks like though the final 5k is 11% average. So this will be an incredibly tough stage. I'll list off the favorites and then we'll get your take on who is going to win. Jonas Vinegard is the favorite at + 185. This is on FanDuel in the US you might be see slightly different prices elsewhere. Joelameda + 280. J Vine + 1100. Why not you so + 1300. Jai Hindley + 1400. Todd Pickock + 2700. Santiago Butrago + 2700. Set. Goose + 3000 goes on and on and on. We'll call them out if we need to. And if you do want to bet, check out nxtbets.com bet outcomes. It will show you the best price wherever you live and where to bet where you live and the best signup bonus for each book. But Johan, how does this play out and who do you think is going to win?

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah, well, you say mild. Spencer. 143 kilometers and there's 3250 meters of vertical. So that's not nothing. And, and the last climb, I mean I, I think I, I have a different profile here. It's here it says it's 8.8 kilometers at 9 and a half percent. The last three kilometers seem a bit easier.

[Spencer Martin]

You know, maybe I misread that. And it's the first five kilometers.

[Johan Bernal]

Okay, yes, the first five kilometers. Yes, the first five kilometers are very, very hard. The last three or the last 3.8 are a bit, I mean a bit better. Means 8.6 and then six and a half. Yeah, seven. 7.7 and seven and a half. So still still very steep. But because of the fact that the, the, the, the easier part of the climb is at the end. I'm going to pick Jo Almeida to win in a sprint against, against Jonas and other favorites. He's plus 300. And also I think tomorrow he, he has to win. Maybe if he still wants, if he still has a, wants a chance. He needs to start getting time back. And, and so tomorrow could be one of the, one of those days. J. Madea plus 300 for the win.

[Spencer Martin]

I mean, yeah, at some point UA has to circle the wagons, target a stage right at the front. Almeida wins and takes time back. It is a good climb for Almeida because it's so steep. He like the Almeida. The thing you don't want to see is like him starting to yo yo off the back. But when it's that steep, he won't yo yo because it's just so slow and hard and everyone's going as hard as they can. It's really good for him and then he can maybe win the sprint at the end. I'm gonna go though Jonas Vinegar plus 200. Because I could see Vindegaard attacking at the bottom of this climb, getting clear and then holding them off. I mean, he doesn't really have to, but he kind like, I just can't imagine he wants to go into this TT with a 48 second lead. That would not. I don't think that's ultra comfortable. So I think he will try to extend his lead tomorrow if he truly is the strongest rider in this race.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, listen, it's. It's logical that these two riders are the big favorites. You know, looking at the stage, Spencer, I think a breakaway has very little chance. I actually think that UAE will control this stage. They kind of have to. They kind of have to control it and make sure that it's all together or that at the bottom of the last climb, they're in it for the win. And so my second pick is going to be another guy from gc. If it's not Jonas or Jaw Almeida, it has to be Jay Hindley. I think he's the third strongest climber in this race at this moment. I think that Pitcock was up there a few stages ago, but I think Jay Hindley has kind of made up that deficit in terms of form right now. And on a climb like tomorrow, I could see Jay Hindley also having a chance to win. He's plus 1400. So that's interesting.

[Spencer Martin]

That's actually pretty smart because he's under. He's under almost the most pressure to attack. If he wants third, like, he needs to pull and he doesn't know how many. The problem is it's like you're flying blind here. Like, how many chances are you going to have? Like, this might be the last summit finish.

[Johan Bernal]

Like, well, then the question. The question is, Spencer, are we going to have a mount up finish tomorrow? You know, that's. Well, that's the condition. I mean, that's the conditional. You know, we don't know.

[Spencer Martin]

That's where I'm zagging. Here for my wild card, I'm going Finlay, Finlay Pickering, plus 12,500. Just in the case. I think you're right. I think it's too hard for a break to stay away on the. On the climb. But if they finish at the bottom, like today, a break probably wins. So go ahead and pick whoever you think is going to be strongest from the break. Pickering is really. I assume it's. This is not the child of Ed Pickering, the cycling rider, but if it is, if it is, that's incredible. But he has really impressed me at this race, so I'm gonna go. At this part of the race, you tend to see the same people or GC guys that are no longer GC guys like we saw today at the front. So I'm gonna go Pickering for the win at plus 12, 500.

[Johan Bernal]

Okay. All right, let's see.

[Spencer Martin]

Anything else, Johan on the stage?

[Johan Bernal]

I just hope we have a regular. Me too. Nice stage tomorrow.

[Spencer Martin]

Yes. Just a normal stage where they finished the race would be fantastic. Um, we. It is quite short, 143km, so should be explosive. We might not see all of that because of the television decision. The. The problem with their TV programming is they're, like, turning the race on after everything's happened, and then the last part gets canceled. So it's like the worst possible TV product you could have.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's. I would not want to be in the. In the shoes of the V organization right now. Some really stressful, stressful moments.

[Spencer Martin]

Stressful days when you start to realize, like, a lot of pro cycling is dependent on, like, communion between fans and writers. Like, please don't storm the course, because there's not really anything we can do to stop you if you want to. All right.

[Johan Bernal]

Yeah, we're gonna. We're gonna end up doing circuit races in the future, Spencer. Something that is completely controllable.

[Spencer Martin]

You know, I mean, that's what I was thinking. I was like, are they gonna have to, like, find a. Like, a car racing track in Spain and do the last five stages on that? Like, it's. It's not a good prospect at the moment. All right, thanks, Johan. And we will be back to break this down tomorrow.

[Johan Bernal]

Okay, thanks, Spencer. All right, bye.

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