Tour de France Stage 2 | The Sir Wiggo & Johan Show

Summary

THEMOVE Podcast Episode Summary

Title: Tour de France Stage 2 | The Sir Wiggo & Johan Show
Release Date: July 6, 2025
Hosts: Sir Bradley Wiggins (A) and Johan Renil (B)

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Introduction

In this episode of THEMOVE, hosts Sir Bradley Wiggins and Johan Renil delve into the intricacies of Stage 2 of the Tour de France. The discussion provides listeners with an in-depth analysis of the stage's dynamics, rider performances, team strategies, and notable incidents that shaped the day's racing action.

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Stage Overview and Initial Observations

The hosts begin by reflecting on the dominance of two primary teams and riders over the past years, emphasizing their continued prowess in the Tour de France.

Johan Renil (00:04):
"We've talked about two riders who won the last five Tours. And it's not to be ended because these guys are still full on top."

They introduce themselves—Sir Bradley Wiggins as the 2012 Tour de France winner and Johan Renil, a seasoned directeur sportif with nine Tour victories. Together, they set the stage for a comprehensive breakdown of Stage 2.

Bradley Wiggins (00:24):
"I'm the 2012 Tour de France winner, Sir Bradley Wiggins."

Johan Renil (00:24):
"I directed my teams to nine Tour de France victories."

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Detailed Analysis of Stage 2

Course Length and Conditions:
Stage 2 was notably the longest of the Tour at 209 km, featuring unpredictable weather with rain at the start, adding to the day's tension.

Johan Renil (00:28):
"Bradley, well, let's talk about Stage Two. We saw a very nervous stage again. 209 km, strangely enough, the longest stage of this whole Tour..."

Crashes and Incidents:
The stage saw several crashes, including notable riders like Von Heathfeld and Eddie Dunbar, heightening the sense of danger and unpredictability.

Bradley Wiggins (00:20):
"We saw Von Heathfeld, we saw... Eddie Dumbo, Eddie Dunbar."

Race Dynamics:
A four-man breakaway maintained a modest lead of two and a half minutes, but team tactics kept the peloton's speed increasing due to constant repositioning and anxiety over potential crashes.

Bradley Wiggins (02:10):
"When you're watching it, I think it's ten times worse when you're actually in it... it's incredibly nervous and people are anticipating and waiting for a crash to happen."

Energy Expenditure:
Both hosts underscore the mental and physical toll on riders, even during flat stages where maintaining vigilance is exhausting.

Johan Renil (03:52):
"It's not just about avoiding the risk, but the amount of energy it takes and how it drains you down."

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Rider Performances and Team Strategies

Matthew van der Poel's Form:
A highlight of the discussion centers on Matthew van der Poel's exceptional performance, suggesting he is in peak condition and a strong contender for multiple stage wins.

Bradley Wiggins (07:47):
"He seems to be finding his legs again after that illness. But yeah, you know, teams are not resting on their laurels in this race."

Remco's Comeback:
Remco, who struggled in the previous stage, displayed significant improvement, signaling a promising trajectory in the race.

Johan Renil (09:00):
"Remco was back in the fold... he's back in the front and comfortable in that group."

Team Visma vs. UAE:
The conversation shifts to team dynamics, comparing the horsepower and organizational strategies of Team Visma and UAE.

Johan Renil (08:03):
"Visma have an incredible team. They look a bit stronger horsepower-wise than UAE."

Impact of Team Structure:
They analyze how team leaders like Jonas are supported by teammates like Matteo Jurgensen, ensuring strategic advantages during crucial race moments.

Bradley Wiggins (11:24):
"Matteo was never far away. He's in amazing shape."

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Ineos Team Developments

Return of Dave Brailsford:
A significant portion of the episode discusses Dave Brailsford's return to the Ineos team amid sponsorship changes and the potential impact on the team's future performance.

Johan Renil (18:44):
"Dave's first passion and love is the sport of cycling. His presence was always going to happen again."

Bradley Wiggins (19:30):
"Dave will dissect this Tour de France and make changes to get them back to winning ways."

Grant Thomas's New Role:
The hosts touch upon Grant Thomas's impending transition to a major management role within the team, emphasizing his experience and connection to the sport as invaluable assets.

Johan Renil (21:25):
"Grant Thomas is retiring and is going to get a major management role within the team."

Future Prospects:
They express optimism that under Brailsford's leadership and with the introduction of experienced personnel like Grant Thomas, Ineos can reclaim its former glory.

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Team Classification and Rider Roles

Strategic Team Classification:
The discussion explores the evolving importance of team classification in the Tour, contrasting it with past strategies employed by teams like Movistar.

Bradley Wiggins (28:08):
"Keeping Almeida close in GC to finish two riders on the podium... The point in keeping Almeida close is beyond just keeping egos happy."

Almeida's Role:
They debate the strategic placement of riders like Almeida in the general classification (GC), questioning the balance between individual ambitions and team objectives.

Johan Renil (30:08):
"What's the point in keeping Almeida close in GC... other than keeping egos happy."

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Prominent Quotes

• Johan Renil (00:04):
  "We've talked about two riders who won the last five Tours. And it's not to be ended because these guys are still full on top."

• Bradley Wiggins (02:10):
  "When you're watching it, I think it's ten times worse when you're actually in it... it's incredibly nervous and people are anticipating and waiting for a crash to happen."

• Johan Renil (18:44):
  "Dave's first passion and love is the sport of cycling. His presence was always going to happen again."

• Bradley Wiggins (28:08):
  "Keeping Almeida close in GC to finish two riders on the podium... The point in keeping Almeida close is beyond just keeping egos happy."

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Conclusion and Looking Ahead

As the episode wraps up, the hosts briefly touch upon the upcoming Stage 3, anticipating another intense day of racing with potential sprint finishes and tactical maneuvers influenced by the day's earlier dynamics. They express excitement for future discussions and encourage listeners to stay tuned for further analysis.

Bradley Wiggins (32:38):
"Tomorrow's stage is going to be a straight sprint to Dunkirk... another tough day, much similar to the first day."

Johan Renil (33:33):
"We'll probably see the first real sprint but hopefully all the sprinters there because yesterday was different."

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Final Thoughts

This episode of THEMOVE offers a thorough exploration of Stage 2 of the Tour de France, blending expert analysis with insightful commentary. Hosts Sir Bradley Wiggins and Johan Renil provide listeners with a nuanced understanding of the race's strategic elements, rider performances, and team dynamics, enriched by their extensive experience in the world of professional cycling.

Transcript

[A]

For the last four or five years, we've only ever spoke about two teams that have dominated the Tour front.

[B]

That's true, that's true. We've talked about two riders. I mean, if you think about the last five Tour de France, there's two riders who won it. And it's not to be ended, you know, because these guys are still full, full, full on top. And there's no, for the moment, there's no signs of any of those two Jonas or today slowing down.

[A]

I'm the 2012 Tour de France winner, Sir Bradley Wiggins.

[B]

And I'm Johan Renil. I directed my teams to nine to the France victories. Welcome to the Sir Wiggle and Johan show, our daily show where we dive deep into the tactics behind every stage of the Tour de France. Okay, Bradley, well, let's talk about stage two. We saw a very nervous stage again. 209km, strangely enough, the longest stage of this whole Tour de France. Things have changed, but I think it's, you know, you can't compare anything to 10 years ago, 15 years ago. It's just a different game. Think a bit of rain at, at the start. So that's obviously very stressful.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And your typical four man breakaway peloton kept it at two and a half minutes. We had a few crashes. You know, we saw Von Heathfeld, we saw what's his name, the, the Irish guy from on Jaycob's name. Now that's not good. Eddie, Eddie Dumbo, Eddie Dunbar. Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, so what I wanted to, to ask you, Bradley, but you know, we, we, we're going to talk about how the stage developed in a little bit and it was as we expected, you know, it was nervous and teams fighting for position and then finally on those last three climbs, it split a bit. But you know, the amount of times that you're holding your breath when you see these helicopter shots, you know, when they almost crash, Describe a bit, you know, what it feels like on the bike, you know, because I know that, I know that usually it's completely different when you're in it than when you watch it. But still, describe a bit the feeling you have when you're in that washing machine.

[A]

Yeah, I mean, when you're watching it, I think it's 10 times worse when you're actually in it because it's, it's, you know, every. Well, the thing is in these early stages like this, everyone's shoulder to shoulder, everyone's waiting for the hammer to go down. So it lines out, so it creates A natural selection. But when it's not flat out, it's just that awkward sort of speed where everyone can be there and everyone's trying to do a job. There's all different team dynamics going on in those moments and it's incredibly nervous and people are anticipating and waiting for a crash to happen. It's not a case of if they will crash, it's a case of when they will crash. And so with that, it creates this anxiety in the peloton and this atmosphere of nervousness where everyone wants to be five bikes ahead of where they're already sitting, even if they don't need to be, they want to be. So it creates this domino effect where people are moving up the outside and this washing machine a sec where teams are coming up the outside because they're not happy with where they're sat, they may be sat 20th wheel, 30th wheel. And as more teams come up the outside, you end up back in 50th wheel. So you start the process of moving back up again. And this is just constant. And every time that happens and more teams start to move up, it adds a couple of kilometers an hour each time to the speed in the peloton. So it gets faster and faster and faster. Then eventually something happens. A corner, a piece of road, traffic. There's a small incident on the right or the left, as we saw today, a confidence rider go off the road into the bush that, you know, that creates more unnervousness. So people go, great, we're sat too far back here. If this guy's crashing, let's move up a bit more. And so it gets faster and faster and faster. And it's just, it crescendos if something happens in the race, either a huge crash or a decision making split.

[B]

Yeah. And also I think it's, it's worth noting. I mean, I want people to understand that it's not just about avoiding the risk, but the amount of energy it takes and how it drains you down.

[A]

You know, it's just constant.

[B]

I know. And so, you know, like sometimes I say, oh, you know, it's a flat stage. And you talk to these writers and say, we are dead. Dead, you know?

[A]

Yeah. And it's, it's a nervous energy that you expend doing that. And then at the same time, while all that's going on, you've got to make sure where your team leader is. If you're the team leader, you've got to remember to keep eating. You know, it's just, it's there's so many things to think about and in these early stages, so little time to switch off and take your mind away from the bike race.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, sure, sure, sure. Well, this show our presenting sponsors Ketone IQ we're going to talk about a bit later, but let's talk first about our first partner today.

[A]

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[B]

Yeah, I mean I'm using it all the time because I live in Spain and I like to watch Belgian TV because sometimes there's races on Belgian TV that are not on, on Max or anywhere else. So it works, it works amazingly. Great product. Yeah.

[A]

I've got it here to start watching the stage early in the morning on Peacock because obviously I've got a British iPad.

[B]

Okay. Yeah, cool. So Bradley going back to the stage. You know we have the usual scenario, the four guys again today. Two guys crashed in the breakaway. That was, that was strange. But so they get caught and we, I mean even without chasing and that's exactly what you said. You know, it adds another 2km speed every time that there's a nervous. Even without chasing, this breakaway had no chance. Right?

[A]

Exactly. Yeah.

[B]

The inertia of the race basically takes care of the speed of the peloton.

[A]

Yeah, that's.

[B]

But man with 30k to go, like, like that's when they got into. I mean and nowadays, you know, there's no more surprises. Everybody knows the course, they have videos, they have fellow viewer, they know everything. Plus on top of that all the teams, especially in the Tour, they have cars up front to go scout and report back to the cars. But that stress with 30k to go and we saw Visma and UAE really, really coming to the front. Yeah, yesterday and today I think either today and Jonas, they were really, really in, in front. But on that first on that first climb we saw first Walt von Aert and then Matteo Jurgensen and there was a split already. It was, it was, you know, as it came back, but it, it was already really split.

[A]

Yeah. T Spanute, you know, these, these riders who are here for the three week tour, you know, in terms of the job they're going to have to do for their respective leaders, they're already spending a lot of energy. We saw T Spanut basically doing a podgio style lead out.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

On that climb and swinging off and basically stopping. Camping out's the same many times today. You know, so we talk about the, the expended. The energy expended by the big guys. You know, the tadde's of this world, Jonas Fingergall. But the team are also expending, you know, these guys are going to be here and important figures later on. And we saw, well, Van Art today back to the front, which was good news I think for all of us as fans.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Of. Well, you know, he seems to be finding his legs again after that illness. But yeah, you know, teams are not resting on their laurels in this race. You know, we're only two days down and already we're seeing the two big teams in this race using up a lot of, a lot of chips early on.

[B]

Yeah, well, in terms of, in terms of Visma Lisa bag, one thing that I'm noticing is that they obviously they have an incredible, incredibly strong team. I think for the moment. I mean it's maybe my subjective point of view, but they look a bit stronger horsepower wise than, than ua. Or is it because they're more organized? But if you look closely, Bradley, they have this whole. All these guys around him are around Jonas, but Simon Yates and Sepkus are nowhere to be seen. They are surfing in the back of the peloton, saving energy. Which are the two guys. I mean Mateo Jorgensen needs to be up there because they want to keep him in front of the gc. But those two climbers are nowhere to be seen. Same thing goes with, with uae. Okay, Almeida made the split today, but otherwise he's never in the front. And Adam Yates is also always saving himself.

[A]

So.

[B]

But it does take a lot out of those big guys, you know, those big engines. I mean, I remember back in the days with Postal and Discovery, the amount of work George and Padronos and Ekimov had to do in those stages, that's really, I mean that's something that really underestimated because it's like every day is a classic. Right. And, and the Way they recover is, is just, just amazing. But anyway, so we get into those climbs and, and we see straight away the, the guys we expected, right, the GC guys. Remco really good today, I would say compared to yesterday. He was, he was there, he was good.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

And his team was also really taking care of him. Something tells me, I mean I saw an interview with Remco afterwards that yesterday they got, they got caught napping. Yeah, they kind of decided already, okay, nothing's going to happen anymore from now on. They got caught out. But today he was there and, and it was amazing to see like on, on the steepest climb, that 1km 10% we had, we had Matthew Van der Pool and then all the other guys were GC guys.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Vanderpoel looked really strong on that climb, actually. Yeah, he, he's probably as good as we've ever seen him really at the Tour de France was certainly four years ago when he won on Muir de Bretan. But he's really, really in good shape at the moment. And I wouldn't be surprised he wins another stage in his first week, the way he's going.

[B]

Yeah, I think he's in, I mean in our recap of the Dauphine, I think I said something along the lines of, Matthew van der Poel did an intensity training camp during the Dauphine. He was amazing there, but he was, you could see he was playing, he was, you know, managing his efforts and he took it as training. But yeah, yeah, the power today on that climate, especially in sprint. Bradley was, was incredible because you know, he basically, he did everything wrong. He, he, he was way too early in the front in the sprint and you know, I mean there was, once he got going, there was, I mean today was on the wheel and he could hardly help the. Hold the wheel. Right, Yeah, I, I'm happy to see Matthew van der Poel. You know, it's four years, four years after his last stage, but at least now he has a picture in the yellow jersey without a mountain mask.

[A]

Yes, yeah.

[B]

Remember he took the yellow jersey.

[A]

Yeah, I do, yeah, yeah.

[B]

But what a rider.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Incredible. And Eunice actually got distance a little bit in that kick to the line. You know, he didn't lose any time but he certainly, you know, it's, it reminded me of the attack that today did in the Dauphine when Eunice was just, just couldn't those top end powers when they really going for it on an uphill. But Eunice did, played it really well today, I thought, you know, again he was a little bit excitable. We saw him on. We saw him cause that split on that descent, didn't we?

[B]

Over. Just over the top. Yeah. I mean, you can ask yourself the question, is that really necessary? I think probably not. It's not, no. But it's also a way to make sure that you stay in front and that it keeps being strung out and you stay out of trouble. I think being. I mean, losing the wheel a little bit in the sprint from Jonas, I think it's to be expected, right?

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

There's no way you can hold Matthew Vanderpool's wheel in. In the case of Jonas. And. And today is also super explosive. Let's not forget that today beat and dropped Matthew Vanderpool in his own backyard in the Tour of Flanders. So. So, yeah, I mean, Matthew Vanderpool first, Pogacha second, Jonas third. It doesn't get any better than this.

[A]

No, no, no. And as you said, Remco, good, good ride today. He's back in the fold. You know, what's he called? Rolled. He was back there as well. Comfortable in that group.

[B]

Yeah. He didn't make the first split, but then.

[A]

No, I think.

[B]

I think it's brought him back. Lipowitz is strong man, because this guy, he's not. He's not a master in positioning, but he brought him back. And then on top of that, he attacked in the end. Well, I was hoping. I was hoping. You know, I think you guys talked about it on the move. Right. I was hoping we could see. I could foresee. I mean, if. If the favorites didn't win, I could foresee a scenario where on the top of the last climb, There was about 4 1/2 K to the bottom of the last climb that there was a guy who took a flyer and. And made it. And my pick had been Kevin Vocala to do that. So he tried it a few times. I was. I was rooting for him.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But at the end of the day, you know, there's no. I mean, usually nowadays the favorite race.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, I'll tell you, I was really, really impressed with today, you know, is Mat Jorgensen. I mean, he showed. He showed his class yet again. He's a really calming figure. I think for Eunice, he's going to be the most important teammate over the next three weeks. But, you know, right where he needed to be every step of the way today, right to the finish, but always side by side. He always let Jonas do what he wanted to do. And. And Mat was never far away.

[B]

Yeah, there Was one, there was one moment where Jonas got a bit nervous and so he went to the front and he was in the wind. And then you see Matteo looking at him and just going in front and protecting him. Right. So, yeah, I agree. He's, he's in amazing shape. Other than that, Bradley. So we have, we have these, these guys, the favorites and we have the guys who are not where they are expected. But before we go into that, I want to talk about our presenting sponsor, Ketone IQ. Yeah, my preferred format of Ketone IQ is this, this shot here, it's 10 gram ketone shot. And it's been proven scientifically that ketones boost athletic performance. In a placebo control study with trained athletes, Ketone IQ boosted average sprint power by 19%, peak power by 13%. They cut fatigue by 10% and spiked blood ketones five times in just 20 minutes. Additionally, it's now also been proven that ketones help for a faster recovery. That may explain why these guys. I mean, almost everybody's on, on ketones in the Tour de France, but ketone IQ recently teamed up with Team Visma Lise Bike and also with the University of Leuven to explore recovery and high altitude adaptation. And their findings are quite impressive. It's an improved blood flow, higher muscle oxygenation for better endurance and stamina. So take your Shot and get 30% off your subscription, plus a free gift with your second shipment at ketone.com/the move. That's ketone.com the move. I'm going to do like every day. I'm on a ketogenic diet so I can use my extra ketones. This is it. 10 grams.

[A]

Nice.

[B]

Straight in. Straight in. And the flavor is actually really good. I mean, ketones normally don't, I mean, they don't taste very well, but ketone IQ has gotten it down to very, very drinkable and enjoyable.

[A]

Yeah, they've done well.

[B]

Yeah. Bradley, the, a part of the guys who are in the front who are right now, they're not where they should be. And, and who is disappointing?

[A]

Well, I mean, so, you know, is it a disappointment? Yates twins. I mean, terrible first weekend for them both.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But are we really thinking. We're not. We're certainly not thinking about them for gc. They're going to be the two important riders for their respective leaders in this in the next few weeks. So the fact they've stayed upright, the fact that there's healthy is, is, is a positive. But there was, there was talk of people expecting them to be front into the front. Today, you Know, but because these, these stages. But I think the eights in particular, I think we can give them a pass because. Absolutely, we want to see them in the high mountains. The other one I noticed today again, he did have a crash yesterday, even though he was in the front was Ben Oconnor. He got dropped a bit in the final today. Lost 31 seconds again today, I think, or 43. I can't remember what it was. But Ben, you know, fell hard yesterday, didn't he? Crashed heavy and he was in the front when he did crash.

[B]

Yeah, I agree. And then for me, for the moment, the, the disappointment is timing. You know, that GC guy is Carlos Rodriguez. Hasn't been, hasn't been on the level we expect him to be. You know, he did have in his favor or in his defense, he did have a crash early in the season. Very complicated collarbone fracture which they took a lot more time to recover from. But you know, he was not at the level we expected him to be at the Dauphin. And today he also lost time again. And they had, you know, their, their. The British champion was in front.

[A]

Sam Watson.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Very talented young boy.

[B]

And was Axel Ross not in the front?

[A]

Did you see whether he was in the front?

[B]

Maybe, maybe he was. But anyways, I think that's a disappointment. So I just wanted to ask your opinion. I mean, it's been in the news, Bradley, that, you know, obviously ineos, they're, they're restructuring. They got a new sponsor in Total Energies also, obviously also going forward, they will be on board. And then one of the news items we saw before the Tour is that Dave Brailsford is back with immediate effect on the team. And, and I've seen somewhere also actually in the team car. What are your thoughts about that?

[A]

Well, I mean it's, it was a surprise to me, but at the same time it wasn't a surprise. You know, obviously his time at Man United was disappointing and it's not worked out there for him. And I, I guess the next natural thing. Dave ultimately is a huge cycling fan and, and Dave's first passion and love is the sport of cycling. So I imagine he, what has been watching the last few years from afar and seeing how INEOS has, has developed, you know, bearing in mind Dave, you know, had created a winning culture there. I mean, how many tours we won there were Grind, myself, Chris Froome, you know, I mean, he's, you know, so, so there is a natural feeling that his presence, you know, was, was always going to happen again. Coming back to the team, particularly their lackluster performances the last few years. And I guess there's some work to be done from that. And, And Dave, if anything, I can't imagine Dave coming in and having an instant impact on this year's race. You know, it's too little, too late in many ways, but what he will be doing, I imagine more so than anything. And his role this three weeks will be, you know, taking notes, observing what's going on, what the current setup is like in order of. In order to. To make changes for next year and the next few years and see where they can get back to winning ways and that winning culture. Because one thing Dave is very good at is creating a winning culture, particularly in the sports, cycling. I can't speak for other sports. He's done, but, you know, and it took me a few days to think about that, actually, Johan, because of my own personal feelings towards him, I'd have to separate the two because, you know, my judgment was being clouded by what I know about him and what I know he's done. And so, you know, I've had a thought about what. What was his actual skill set and what can he bring to this team in this Tour of France. So that. That's my view on Dave. I think this is more of a project for next year and where this team is going, because left as it is, you know, there's a chance that this team will dwindle down the rankings even more and there's no direction of what they're good at, particularly with Grind Thomas retiring now. And it's a young squad. It's a young. A lot of young British riders on that squad and young talent.

[B]

Yeah, well, I mean, I think it's good news to know because at some point earlier in the season and when I. And last year I was, you know, looking what happened there, and I was almost convinced that the team was going to disappear, that Ineos wasn't interested anymore, that Ratcliffe wasn't interested anymore, to keep going. So the fact that Bradleford comes back, I think it's good for the team. And also, I mean, I don't know if it's confirmed, but I seen quite a few reports is also that Grant Thomas is retiring and is going to get a major management role within the team. What do you know about that?

[A]

Well, I think. I think there's talk of a development team next year. Yeah, you know, it's been confirmed.

[B]

It's been confirmed.

[A]

Yeah. I'm not sure whether Grind Thomas's role is going to Be within that development program. Obviously it's all one now anyway. But I think, I think that's a great. Groin is going to adapt into that role brilliantly.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I think there's so much to offer. He's in.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

A great, great guy.

[B]

I think they need a guy like him, you know, who's. Who's got been there from the beginning, seen it all, and still is in touch with actual cycling because, you know, believe it or not, I mean, Brailsford has been out, what, for three, four years, five years maybe It's. It's long enough to not be in touch anymore with, with what's going on right now. He needs to catch up. So it's not anymore. I mean, you said it before, Bradley, when we were off, off, off before the show. You know, the. You have a son, a young son who's racing professionally and his numbers right now or equal to Tour. It's crazy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, and so, and, but, yeah, so I think, I think it's a good thing that Brussels coming back and I think it's even better news if Garain Thomas gets a really, really important role on ineos, because that team just can't afford to be where they are right now. They need to be up there with the top three guys, with the top three teams. Right?

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. And I think they will. You know, as I say, you know, with Dave's return, you know, Dave. Dave will dissect this Tour de France, whatever, whatever the performance is. And one thing Dave will do is he will go away and dissect it and make changes and do what's necessary to, to get them back. And then part of that will be looking at what other teams are doing, you know, the best teams. Because Dave has always looked at other teams to see what the best teams are doing, but not, not to imitate it, but to create his own, you know, vision for. For how can get back to winning ways at the highest level, which is.

[B]

The Tour de France.

[A]

Because for the last four or five years, we've only ever spoke about two teams that have dominated the Tour.

[B]

That's true. That's true. We've talked about two riders. I mean, if you think about the last five Tour of Run, there's two writers who won it. And it's not to be ended, you know, because these guys are still full, full, full on top. And there's no, for the moment, there's no signs of on us or, or are they slowing down?

[A]

Well, what's the stat, Johan? That there's only Three teams that have won the last however many monuments.

[B]

It's, it's, it's Alpine in uae. And, and who's. Which one is the other one is it. It's not Visma because they didn't win any money months or not many.

[A]

Spencer, what's the three stats?

[B]

Three teams that won the last four games.

[A]

Yeah. Three teams that won the last 14 Monuments, which is.

[B]

Wow, that's crazy.

[A]

It shows the dominance in cycling.

[B]

I don't want to leave before we talk about alpecin and the root of course, and what they've created and how they are able to every time be there at the right moment. You know, that's two for two. Yesterday we all said, you know, Merlier was the big favorite, Milan was the big favorite. Jasper Phillipson shows that he's the Tour de France rider by excellence. Winning the first stage, taking the first yellow jersey today. It was like as if it was programmed. And of course, you know, it's easy to set up a plan when you have the horsepower of Matthew von der Poel.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You know, he was by himself and he, he, you know, he brought it home. So congrats to, to Christoph and Philip Rothoft. What, what they're doing where they come know and they are amazing. You know, if you look, if you, if you look at the budgets of the, of all the teams, they are in the lower tier, you know, they're in the middle somewhere. They're not one of the top five or six biggest budgets.

[A]

No.

[B]

So, you know, it's, it's really amazing what, what, what they're doing and.

[A]

No, and you think, you think what they potentially could do the next week, I mean they got tomorrow. I mean you wouldn't discount Jasper Phillips and winning again.

[B]

Oh no, no, for sure.

[A]

You know, we've got, we've got van der Poel potentially could win another stage. He's one on Muir de Bretan before. I mean it's, it's quite something. When was the last time one team won the first three stages?

[B]

That would be something. That would be quite something. It would have to have been a sprinter. Right. But that, yeah, that would be quite something. It's, it's not impossible. I mean especially. And, and also what you see, Bradley, you know this very well, especially at the Tour de France. You know, it's, it's war. Right. But the, the sooner a team wins, it's, it has this snowball effect. You're in this dynamic of winning, the winning mode and it just all so much easier. You know, the stress is gone. They're not nervous. They make less mistakes because they can be kind of more relaxed. Because right now more than half of the teams, if not more are not going to win two stages in the tour and they have done their job already. Right.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So, so I can, I mean that would be something to, to see tomorrow again stage enough of, of Jasper Phillips and that would be, that would be amazing. Yeah, would be incredible. One other thing, I just, I, I, I, I know that when and looking at the two inter two different interviews, Matthew Vanderpool post race interview said, you know, well it was a lot harder than I expected actually the final and then contrast Almeida who you know came to the front and started to, he's the guy who actually pulled. Was it vocal? He pulled vocal. Think so. And he said yeah, you know, it was stressful but it was, it was not as hard as we thought. So you know to really. It also shows that Almeida is in great form. You know, he's in great form. If he can, he's going to be for sure the main guy in the mountains. I would, you know, what do you think about this? I mean me as a, as an ex director, I'm still struggling with the fact that, that you know, if you go for the Tour that you allow these other guys to go for their own gc like for example, if, because Omega potentially could be on the podium. He's probably the third strongest rider in the, in the, in the race.

[A]

Yeah, he is what we've seen.

[B]

Right. But what, what happens to you know, a guy who does his job, takes the last pull and then sets up, sits up and saves everything he has to be there again for the leader. That doesn't happen anymore. What, what's your thoughts on that?

[A]

No, I don't know. I mean I, I, It's a tough one that, isn't it? You know, I mean obviously when I was riding the 212 the Frumi for me was the last guy, you know, but we were first and second on GC and, and I guess there's an element if I fell away, you know, through me was there to take over. But yeah, it's, I, I think more, more than anything these days as we saw in the judo. You know, it's, it's good to have strength in numbers to play different tactical cards, you know, to create fear when, when you get someone up the road is, you know, it cancels out you having to ride and it puts the opposing team having to ride if they're fearful of losing. And then also now Johan, something we haven't mentioned is, is the importance of how. Of how teams view the team classification now. You know, and keeping as many riders up there for the team classification. Really? You know, I think so, yeah. I mean, Movistar was renowned for it back in the day, weren't they?

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, they were very famous for that.

[A]

They would. That was their number one objective, was.

[B]

I remember 1. 1. I mean, in all the Tours. In all the Tours that Lance won, we've never, never gone for the team classification. We actually used it strategically to our advantage to give it to another team. But obviously that has changed. Yeah. I mean, maybe. Maybe I. I still think. I mean, once. Okay, I can understand. In the beginning phase of the Tour, until you get to the mountains, you try to keep these guys up front, but once you have the first big mountain stage and, you know, there's a big attack of the favorite and, you know, the things are straight. Yeah, it's difficult. It's difficult. It's all. I guess it's also a way of keeping the egos happy. Right. Because. Yeah, it's not easy to keep these guys on the team. Right. I mean, a guy like Almeida will probably have huge offers from any other team to be the leader, but yet he stays. Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. And I wonder if there's ever going to be a scenario. I can't imagine a scenario where Almeida's third on gc. Today's in the yellow jersey. Almeida's a minute down, and they strategically place Almeida in a breakaway. That takes three minutes and Tade's team don't have to ride. Would there ever be a situation where Tade would give the race to Almeida in a position like that? I can't imagine that ever happening.

[B]

That's very difficult to imagine.

[A]

I can't ever imagine that happening. So. So it goes back to your point, is there. What's the point in keeping Almeida close in GC to finish two riders on the podium? I mean.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Other than. Other than keeping egos happy.

[B]

Yeah. And also, I mean, you. You, You. You brought it up. I mean, it's. It is right to think that, you know, something can happen to the leader and then it's obviously to have somebody else in front of the gc. Right.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. We're almost done. Last sponsor of the day, our daily Ventum trivia, Ventum Bikes. So we had a question yesterday about stage one. The question was, how many times in the Tour's history has every stage taken place in France? We are. We got. We Got an answer here? We are unsure if that's correct so we're going to save that. We got many people writing in so we will definitely have the right answer and and draw a winner. So for today's stage, you send your your answer to phantomracing.com the move don't send it to the Move, send it to Vent the page of ventumracing.com the move to be entered to win this year's grand prize of $5,000 of store credit towards any Ventum bike you want. If you don't want to wait or don't want to join the contest. Ventum is also during the Tour de France offering a standard standing discount of 10% on the whole site using the code the move 10 or 20% of any NS1 the bike you riding built with the code NS120. NS120. Do you have the question for the day, Bradley?

[A]

Question for today is.

[B]

I know you know the answer.

[A]

I know the answer. You're not allowed to say so what, what, what was the longest ever Tour de France? Yeah, what was the longest ever Tour de France?

[B]

Yeah, so that's the question. What's the distance of the longest Tour de France ever in history? As I said, send your answers to ventumracing.com the move and you can win $5,000 off any B tomorrow stage. Bradley.

[A]

Yeah, I mean tomorrow's stage, it's going to be a sprint stage to Dunkirk. That small climb, 20:30k to go Moncastel which we all know from the four days of Dunkirk. Yeah, the only thing that could really impact tomorrow is as we know, the roads, you know, obviously starts in Valenciennes. Paris Roubaix roads without the cobbles tomorrow. Or she is the left's rights. You know, classic Paris Roubaix in between cobble section roads. The wind could play its part tomorrow. A little bit of rain during the night, wet roads at times, maybe some showers tomorrow, but it's another one, another, another tough day, much similar to the first day.

[B]

Another stress fest.

[A]

Stress, stressful day. Yeah, for a lot of guys after two days of hard racing.

[B]

I think tomorrow though, I mean it's going to be a straight sprint. The wind, it will create nerves but from what I've seen In the last 30, 40k it's more of a headwind. So obviously that will, that will calm the peloton down a bit. But yeah, we'll, we'll probably see the first real sprint but hopefully all the sprinters there because yesterday was different and we'll be back tomorrow for stage three.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Look forward to speak soon.

[A]

See you later.