Yes, very much. When Frain came in a blew away Cavalli so unexpectedly I made an audible shout/groan, and I very rarely ever do that. It looked SOOO bad.
Masettiās belly slide didnāt look as bad, it can be so hard to tell from watching TV. You just never know with a road slide. Sometimes itās just so hard to tell how bad a crash really is. Some crashes that look bad end up actually being minor and something the minor looking crashes end up causing some nasty injuries.
SĆ¼Ćemilch lying in the road for so long definitely was very disconcerting.
You never want to see anyone drop out of a race because of a crash, especially not one so special as this one.
Caught highlights today, those crashes, oh my God they made me sick for those ladies. I hope they all recover okay. What a horrifying thing to see.
On the plus side, and pardon the delayed reaction , about bloody time for its return !
Only gold and gem encrusted trophy teapots from now on I hope!!!
Sure loved the stage 2 finish, as I was cheering for Marianne Vos from the get go, only because sheās the oldest name I recognize as a casual fan, and I would love to see an old familiar face clean up this first/new TDF time
Also, the GC and points leader being the same, ah thatās great stuff
Great finish to Stage 3. Brilliant racing, and amazing to see someone so jubilant (tho with quite a bit of language in her interviews, lol) after her stage win. Good to see her bouncing back with a win after yesterdayās crash-fest.
Loving this TdFF (apart from all the crashes on Stage 2 - never nice to see). Stage 4 looked awful for those on a bike though - the size of some of those little rocks! And the visibility was equivalent to pea-soup when youāre scuba diving!
I saw the highlights of Stage 5 and there was another huge pile up again I hope Emma Norsgaard is really OK, as she was seen crying after that huge pile up.
I only caught the last couple of hours of live racing today and missed when Wiebes dropped out. Was it because of the crash on stage 6? The announcers mentioned she was out but didnāt say why or when it happened. Todayās racing was nuts!
I got to watch stage 6 and 7 right today, so sad for wiebes. That was a nasty crash, she went down in the descent along with kopecky, and while kopecky hit back in the group and made third, Wiebes was lucky just to finish. Torn up on both her sides, bleedingā¦ What a sad day for her!
Then to have to scratch right at the start of stage 7. She looked so distraught at the end of stage 6 I didnāt expect her to even start today. Kudos to her for an amazing effort. She must feel devastated.
Van dijk and the steam train to finish stage 6 was amazing, loved it. I think it was van dijk said after āI did my best but if Marianne wins, Marianne wins.ā
I felt so lucky to watch van vleuten do todayās stage. I feel as though I have just watched superhumans race. Stunning, what a way to take the yellow jersey. Iāll be shocked if she doesnāt take the GC win tomorrow.
So many great riders and stories, like Vollering, Ludwig today. And Anna Henderson also really impressed me yesterday. Good lord was that riveting! I donāt know if itās the number of teams/riders versus menās races, or me being sexist? But Iāve never gotten so into watching cycling before.
I feel bad for Weibes on stage 6. She was working extra hard to stay in the group on a lumpy day that didnāt suit her as well the other to make it to the finish which she likely would have won if she made itā¦ And then possibly have taken the Green jersey. Only to lose it because of a crash on the descent with 2 days of mountains to follow which do not suit her at all and have no chance at winning Green. Absolutely gutted. Iām not surprised she scratched at the start of Stage 7. Nothing more to race for.
But for AVV to be sick for the first few days of the race and then come back to dominate Stage 7 like she did. So incredible! And then to see her finish with a smile and seem so at ease, while Vollering had to put in the effort of her life to limit her losses to stay in second and then finish like she had no energy left. So insane to see the difference between the two. AVV is just amazing!
Wowwww. I was absolutely in tears of amazement/joy watching that finale.
I couldnāt respect these women more. What efforts, determination and teamwork.
And the sheer suffering! Unbelievable to watch. I donāt think I could do 500 m of that final climb.
Gotta say, I found the women taking on super planche even more impressive than the men, for some reason. And every rider that crossed the line was just so tired, and so happy. Very cool.
I will add one, maybe controversial opinion. I was SO TIRED of hearing āavec Z*****ā every five seconds.
I mean, I get it. On the one hand, had Z***** not stepped up as title sponsor, this race probably didnāt get revived. So credit where due. But I also know that ASO would NEVER, in a million years, allow a title sponsor onto the marquee of the menās race.
Letās just call it the āTour de France Femmesā and be done with it. Put up all your Z***** signs, placards, whatever. Itās all good and sincere thanks for your sponsorship. But my god no more āavecā sāil vous plait!
What a fantastic 8 stages - great racing and awesome performances. Brutal finish - the men have it much easier on the CEš. Perhaps the thing I enjoyed most though was how the crowds (and television viewership) were larger than anticipated. Big crowds and viewership means lots of eyeballs for the sponsors which translates into more money for the teams and events. Perhaps soon weāll then be able not only to drop the āavec Zā (I concur with @CPT_A) but also the 'Femmes". Or if Femmes is kept then we really need a TdFF and a TdFH.
āPrivilege is invisible to those who have it.ā The success of the TdFF (return to having a womenās TdF) is not only in how exciting it was and how many people were glued to their screens or the mountainside, but in how it also has got those people talking and thinking. Helping make the invisible (to the privileged) visible. I know my eyes continue to be opened. Chapeau!
tour to date.
I hope Emma Norsgaard is really OK, as she was seen crying after that huge pile up.
Unbelievable to watch. I donāt think I could do 500 m of that final climb.