[themaclad]

Did watch the entire stage via the medium of record, probably a well welcomed win for Jakobsen as two years ago he was fighting for his life after a horror crash in Poland, the build up to the 18 kilometres on the bridge was excellent with ever increasing shots from distance of the vast structure. There was a crash on teh bridge and got to thinking that if the guard rail had been a little bit lower some rders could have quite easily ended up in the drink.
Finally a heads p to Eurosport they do an epic job always fun to see how little Orla is wearing and Adam Blyth is as dry as anything

Beeb View

Fabio Jakobsen edged a thrilling sprint finish to win stage two of the Tour de France in Denmark.

The Dutch rider, making his Tour debut, beat Wout van Aert in Nyborg after a flat 202.5km route from Roskilde.

Jakobsen, 25, only returned to cycling 15 months ago after suffering serious injuries at the 2020 Tour of Poland.

Van Aert's ride was enough for him to take the yellow jersey from fellow Belgian rider Yves Lampaert, who won the individual time trial on Friday.

Tour de France stage two - as it happened
Jakobsen's triumph came after several crashes towards the end of the stage including a huge pile-up with 2.5km to go as the sprint trains jostled for position.

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar rolled over the line with a double puncture, while four-time winner Chris Froome was among the riders delayed, albeit none lost time because the crash happened within 3km of the finish.

Jakobsen's selection for Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl had deprived Britain's Mark Cavendish of the opportunity of surpassing the great Eddy Merckx's record of stage wins, but the Dutchman's victory wrote a wonderful story of its own.

Having proved to be of the fastest and most reliable finishers in the peloton since his comeback, he rode off the wheel of Van Aert to power to victory at the earliest available opportunity.

"Today is 'incroyable' as we would say in French," said Jakobsen.

"For me it was a long process, step by step. A lot of people helped me along the way. This is to pay them back so they can see that it was not for nothing.

"I'm happy that I still enjoy riding the bike racing and luckily I can still win. It is an amazing day. This is what we train for, this is why we race - a stage in the Tour de France. I have been dreaming about that for 15 years.

"It is the biggest race. As a sprinter you want to make it here and win."

Stage two results
1. Fabio Jakobsen (Ned/Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 4hrs 34mins 34secs

2. Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo-Visma) Same time

3. Mads Pedersen (Den/Trek-Segafredo)

4. Danny van Poppel (Ned/Bora-Hansgrohe)

5. Jasper Philipsen (Bel/Alpecin-Deceuninck)

6. Peter Sagan (Svk/TotalEnergies)

7. Jeremy Lecroq (Fra/B&B Hotels)

8. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned/BikeExchange-Jayco)

9. Luca Mozzato (Ita/B&B Hotels)

10. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra/Arkea Samsic)

General classification after stage two
1. Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo-Visma) 4hrs 49mins 50secs

2. Yves Lampaert (Bel/Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) +1sec

3. Tadaj Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +08secs

4. Filippo Ganna (Ita/Ineos Grenadiers) +11secs

5. Mads Pedersen (Den/Trek-Segafredo) +12secs

6. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Fenix) +14secs

7. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) +16secs

8. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) +17secs

9. Bauke Mollema (Ned/Trek-Segafredo) +18secs

10. Dylan Teuns (Bel/Bahrain Victorious) +21secs

Selected others

13. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +24secs

15. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +25secs

18. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +26secs

112. Chris Froome (GB/Israel-Premier Tech) +1min 17secs

[themaclad]

Fantastic crowd and Magnus Cort Neilsen gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about with a 150 km solo break taking all the KOM points he leads the classification with a grand total of 5 points. Sprint at the end gnat's todger between Groenewegen and Van Aaert. Days rest as they all head off to Calais

Dylan Groenewegen snatched victory in a thrilling photo finish to stage three of this year's Tour de France.

Wout van Aert took the lead as he sprinted for the line in Sonderborg but Dutch rider Groenewegen, 29, made a late surge to edge his fifth Tour win.

That capped a flat 182km route from Vejle and it was the third day running that Van Aert had to settle for second.

But the Belgian, 27, narrowly increased his overall lead as the Denmark leg of the Tour drew to a close.

Tour de France: Stage three - as it happened
Tour de France: Quick-Step concerns for riders after staff Covid positives
The Jumbo-Visma rider is now seven seconds ahead of Yves Lampaert while two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar is third, 14 seconds off Van Aert.

Groenewegen's victory also prevented Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl becoming the first team to win the first three stages of a Tour, after Lampaert won stage one and Fabio Jakobsen edged stage two on Saturday.

Dutch rider Jakobsen, making his Tour debut, was involved in the charge for the line but found himself out of position after the final turn and crossed in fifth on Sunday.

Meanwhile, another pile-up late in the race helped Britain's Adam Yates and Tom Pidcock move up into the top 10 of the general classification.

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar was fortunate to escape trouble just retaining his balance as the peloton was split in two 10km from the finish. However, four-time winner Chris Froome was delayed for a second day on the trot, while Dutch rider Bauke Mollema dropped 30 places in the general classification.

Groenewegen had not won a stage at the Tour for three years and has been on a road to redemption since being involved in a serious collision which left his compatriot Jakobsen with horrific injuries at the Tour of Poland in 2020.

The incident saw Groenewegen handed a nine-month ban by world governing body the UCI and face death threats and abuse.

"It was a long way (back)," said the BikeExchange-Jayco rider. "I want to say thank you to my team and my family and friends for getting me back to the Tour in good shape. It's beautiful.

"Not physically, but mentally it's been a hard time of course after all that happened. This is for my wife and my son, it means a lot."

The Tour now transfers to France and resumes with a hilly 171.5km route from Dunkirk to Calais on Tuesday.

Stage three results
1. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned/BikeExchange-Jayco) 4hrs 11mins 33secs

2. Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo-Visma) Same time

3. Jasper Philipsen (Bel/Alpecin-Deceuninck)

4. Peter Sagan (Svk/TotalEnergies)

5. Fabio Jakobsen (Ned/Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl)

6. Christophe Laporte (Fra/Jumbo-Visma)

7. Alberto Dainese (Ita/DSM)

8. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra/Arkea Samsic)

9. Caleb Ewan (Aus/Lotto-Soudal)

10. Danny van Poppel (Ned/Bora-Hansgrohe)

General classification after stage three
1. Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo-Visma) 9hrs 01mins 17secs

2. Yves Lampaert (Bel/Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) +7secs

3. Tadaj Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +14secs

4. Mads Pedersen (Den/Trek-Segafredo) +18secs

5. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Deceuninck) +20secs

6. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) +22secs

7. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) +23secs

8. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +30secs

9. Stefan Kung (Swi/Groupama - FDJ Same time

10. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +31secs

Selected others

12. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +32secs

112. Chris Froome (GB/Israel-Premier Tech) +2mins 02secs

[ritchiebaby]

Tomorrow's stage starts in Dunkerque and travels 171kms to Calais, even though the two towns are only 44 kms apart. The hilly stage should suit the tougher sprinters like Wout van Aert, Mads Pedersen, Mathieu van der Poel and Peter Sagan. There are no difficult climbs, only 6 Category 4s but it will be the cumulative effect plus the expected coastal winds that might prove decisive. I'd expect at least two breakaways with an attack from a breakaway in the last 50kms. Keep an eye open for https://www.compagniedudragon.com/en in Calais. I'll be disappointed if there's not a photo opportunity there.

On Wednesday, the curse of the cobbles could strike with a vengeance, even though the stage profile from Lille Metropole to Arenberg Porte Du Hainaut is fairly flat. The leading GC contenders will have their own litle joust putting safe passage ahead of all else, but this test is tailor-made for the likes of Tom Pidcock, who could soar up the GC rankings, as well as the above mentioned riders. Expect the unexpected. Lille is famous to people of my generation as the birthplace of Charles de Gaulle of airport fame. Arenberg is famous for coal mines and cobbled tracks, which will find a few victims.

[themaclad]

Going back to younger days De Gaulle always annoyed me when he vetoed UK's many requests to join the then Common Market, looking back in hindsight, he was right, he knew what would happen.

[themaclad]

Neilsen 100 % on climbs today

[themaclad]

Had to laugh at the commentary, they referenced the fact that VA had been back to a support car five times and was looking peaky, he then blitzs the stage

Wout van Aert's sensational escape in the final 10km of stage four gave him his first win at this year's Tour de France and extended his overall lead.

The Belgian had finished second in each of the first three stages of this year's race but this time his plan worked to perfection.

A breathtaking attack up the final climb sent him clear and he held on in the closing kilometres into Calais.

Van Aert moves 25 seconds clear in the General Classification.

Behind him, Jasper Philipsen won a bunch sprint to the line and raised his arms thinking he had won the stage, illustrating the chaotic nature of the finish.

That was all down to Van Aert's attack up Cote du Cap Blanc Nez, with a cross tailwind helping to split the pack as they tried to stay with him.

Tour de France: Stage four as it happened
More to follow.

Stage four results
1. Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo-Visma) 4hrs 01min 6secs

2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel/Alpecin-Deceuninck) + 8secs

3. Christophe Laporte (Fra/Jumbo-Visma) Same time

4. Alexander Kristoff (Nor/Intermarche) Same time

5. Peter Sagan (Svk/TotalEnergies) Same time

6. Luca Mozzato (Ita/B&B Hotels) Same time

7. Danny van Poppel (Ned/Bora-Hansgrohe) Same time

8. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra/Arkea-Samsic) Same time

9. Michael Matthews (Aus/BikeExchange-Jayco) Same time

10. Benjamin Thomas (Fra/Cofidis) Same time

General classification after stage four
1. Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo-Visma) 13hrs 02mins 43secs

2. Yves Lampaert (Bel/Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) +25secs

3. Tadaj Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +32secs

4. Mads Pedersen (Den/Trek-Segafredo) +36secs

5. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned/Alpecin-Deceuninck) +38secs

6. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) +40secs

7. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) +41secs

8. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +48secs

9. Stefan Kung (Swi/Groupama - FDJ Same time

10. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +49secs

Sadly at work tomoz probably record stage and watch it when I'm home

[ritchiebaby]

This is the first stage I've been able to watch from start to finish. The curse of the cobbles didn't really materialise, as almost all of the incidents took place on the tarmac, mostly jostling for position leading into the cobbles. The stage was won right on the line by Simon Clarke from Taco van der Hoorn with Edvald Boassen Hagen coming in 3rd 2 seconds behind. An aggressive display from Neilson Powless saw him finish 4th a further 2 seconds down. These 4 were part of a 6-man breakaway after 21 kms and held together almost all the way home.

Wout van Aert, despite a crash and waiting for Jonas Vingegaard who punctured, still leads the Yellow Jersey rankings 13 seconds ahead of Powless and 14 seconds ahead of Boassen Hagen, with Tadej Pogacar 19 seconds down. There are only 11 riders within a minute and today's big loser must be Primoz Roglic, 2 minutes 36 seconds behind the leader, after a crash. Van Aert leads the Green Jersey competition by a comfortable margin. Marcus Cort Neilson holds the Polka Dot Jersey and was part of the breakaway, although no KOM points were at stake today.

Tomorrow's stage is the longest at 220km and is described as hilly - a slight understatement as it seems to consist of 20 or 30 hills plus two Category 3 climbs and a long uphill slog at the very end. It starts in Belgium at Binche and meanders south-eastward through the Ardennes to Longwy. I'm still waiting for van der Poel to put in a sustained challenge and it looks like he's waiting for the right day. Will it be tomorrow? - it's looking less likely every day as his fitness seems to be an issue. If not, the usual suspects of van Aert, Sagan and Cort Neilson (for KOM points) should be to the fore. Don't discount a big breakaway to be allowed to go long either, which would suit Matej Mohoric.

Friday sees the first ot the proper mountain stages from Tomblaine to a summit finish at La Super Planche des Belles Filles, a total of 176kms with two Category 3 climbs and a Category 1 climb, including ramps of 20% and 24% to finish with. This stage will probably see the first real battle of the big boys, Pogacar and Roglic, with most of the sprinters concentrating on finishing within the time limits. It looks like the last chance saloon for Roglic, even this early in Le Tour. Warren Barguil, Thibaut Pinot and Romain Bardet will be keen to do well for France. AS Nancy Lorraine in Tomblaine was the starting point of Michel Platini's senior career. Not only is he famous for his footballing exploits, but also his managerial and administrative service to the game, both good and bad. Quite a character!

[themaclad]

Watched it a bit later than you, every credit to Magnus in the break again


Stage five results
1. Simon Clarke (Aus/Israel Premier Tech) 3hrs 13mins 34secs

2. Taco van der Hoorn (Ned/Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux) Same time

3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor/TotalEnergies) +2secs

4. Neilson Powless (US/EF Education-EasyPost) +4secs

5. Magnus Cort (Den/EF Education-EasyPost) +30secs

6. Jasper Stuyven (Bel/Trek-Segafredo) +51secs

7. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) Same time

8. Jasper Philipsen (Bel/Alpecin-Deceuninck) +1min 04secs

9. Fabio Jakobsen (Ned/Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) Same time

10. Luca Mozzato (Ita/B&B Hotels)

General classification after stage five
1. Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo-Visma 16hrs 17mins 22secs

2. Neilson Powless (US/EF Education-EasyPost +13secs

3. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor/TotalEnergies) +14secs

4. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) +19secs

5. Yves Lampaert (Bel/Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl +25secs

6. Mads Pedersen (Den/Trek - Segafredo +36secs

7. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo - Visma +40secs

8. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +48secs

9. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +49secs

10. Geraint Thomas ((GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +50secs

[ritchiebaby]

Yet another masterful display by Tadej Pogacar, who must surely win Le Tour, barring any serious accident or fitness issue. He was hot favourite before the race and looks set for 3 wins in a row in Paris on 24th July. He reminds me of Chris Froome in his prime with his ability to attack anyone anywhere. He's always in the mix, whether courtesy of his own team or using other teams' lead-outs or even going off on his own. He blasted past Primoz Roglic with 250m to race and outsprinted Michael Matthews and David Gaudu to win the stage and take the Yellow Jersey. Wout van Aert led the small breakaway for most of the stage, but surrendered well before the end. He'll probably be a domestique for Vingegaard now and possibly Roglic, if he can still compete against Pogacar.

Wout van Aert still leads the race for the Green Jersey by 61 points from Fabio Jakobsen and a further 48 points from Jesper Philipsen.

Magnus Cort Neilsen is on his own at the top of the Polka Dot Jersey competition on 11 points ahead of Alexis Vuillermoz and Wout van Aert on 2 points.

[themaclad]

Have to agree bar a disaster he wins

Tadej Pogacar sprinted away at the finish to win stage six and move into the overall lead at the Tour de France.

The defending champion attacked at the top of the short climb into Longwy, pulling away from the peloton to finish ahead of Michael Matthews and David Gaudu.

Britain's Tour debutant Tom Pidcock finished fourth.

With a time bonus applied, Slovenian Pogacar, 23, has a four-second lead overall from American Neilson Powless.

It was a seventh stage win in the event for the UAE Team Emirates rider, who won the Tour in 2020 and 2021.

The 219.9km route from Binche to Longwy marked the longest stage in this year's race and it began frenetically with Belgian's Wout van Aert at the forefront of several attacks before one stuck.

The Jumbo-Visma rider initially escaped in a three-man group containing Jakob Fuglsang and Quinn Simmons but his over-ambitious move which saw him at the front of the race for over 130km and go solo in the final 30km, eventually cost him the yellow jersey when he was caught and passed 11km from the line.

His attention will now divert to the points classification in which he currently enjoys a healthy lead over Fabio Jakobsen and to helping team-mate Jonas Vingegaard attempt to challenge Pogacar.

While the Ineos Grenadiers trio of Adam Yates, Pidcock and Geraint Thomas all moved up in the GC race to sit fourth, fifth and sixth, Pogacar's display suggests he will be difficult to dislodge at the top of the standings.

"Every time I win it's even better," said Pogacar. "Today was so hard from the start. The first two hours were crazy and the strongest guy went in the breakaway.

"My team did an incredibly good job to put me in a perfect position.

"It was not a pure sprint after we rode the last two climbs above threshold. I guess I had good legs to push in the end. I don't mind to take the yellow jersey but I'm above all happy to take the stage win. Everything else is bonus."

Stage six results
1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) 4hrs 27mins 13secs

2. Michael Matthews (Aus/BikeExchange - Jayco) Same time

3. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama - FDJ)

4. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers)

5. Nairo Quintana (Col/Arkea Samsic)

6. Dylan Teuns (Bel/Bahrain Victorious)

7. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma)

8. Daniel Martinez (Col/Ineos Grenadiers)

9. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma)

10. Romain Bardet (Fra/DSM)

General classification after stage six
1. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) 20hrs 44mins 44secs

2. Neilson Powless (US/EF Education-EasyPost +4secs

3. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo - Visma) +31secs

4. Adam Yates (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +39secs

5. Tom Pidcock (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +40secs

6. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos Grenadiers) +46secs

7. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus/Bora-Hansgrohe) +52secs

8. Daniel Martinez (Col/Ineos Grenadiers) +1min

9. Romain Bardet (Fra/DSM) 1mins 1secs

10. David Gaudu (Fra/Groupama/FDJ)