Pogacar Goes M.A.D. & DESTROYS the Field From 50k | TdF Stage 11 '22 | The Butterfly Effect

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Who are you all betting your house on?

[@rpdole]

Gimme Jonas. Need some fish 🐟 mongering!

[@andrewj3372]

All of us lucky people on the couch. We are winning this year for sure. Great racing and great coverage!

[@RB..1]

Still waiting for Allaphillipe…🤪👊. Would like to see JV win but have a feeling Pogo pulls it out.

[@CFCMahomet]

Pogacar, but only if he’s willing to learn.

[@gardars9811]

No betting, just happy that TdF became more unpredictable. I think everyone was getting bored with the thought of Tadej’s complete dominance. Tadej might still win but the fishmonger is more interesting at this moment.

[@matthillard9363]

Best stage I've ever seen...primoz throwing himself under the bus over and over again to bleed pog dry for jonas was amazing to witness. Also benoot for sucking the uae domestiques dry was a thing to behold..he gave them no rest. Jonas finishing it off...what a stage and thanks to jumbos entire team for making this tdf the most exciting in decades.

[@budgetoz2120]

Jumbo Visma as a whole destroyed Pogacar, he was done, completely empty. What you don't see is that because van Aert and Laporte were in the leading group a jumbo team car was allowed to provision the riders, where UAE could not, further more Jumbo had provisioning stations placed along the course. It was a Master plan crafted weeks before the tour started at a reckon ride of this mountain. Only thing that was not planned was Roglic being 3 minutes back already so he was sacrificed to mass attack Pogacar together with Vinegard, to drain him before the last mountain.

[@michaelwiebe8273]

So Roglic sacrificed himself for Vingegaard? Roglic is done for GC now?

[@budgetoz2120]

@@michaelwiebe8273 Yes

[@indioshak]

Roglic being 3 min behind had nothing to do. In fact the further behind he was the lesser effective the attack would be. The fact that he was 3 min behind, being Roglic and from Jumbo, made him a threat enough for Pog to jump to every attack. Pog biggest mistake was to pace at the Gollibier, no sense. Congrats Jumbo Visma for a master execution.

[@budgetoz2120]

@@indioshak In the original plan they planned to be able to have either or both taking time.

[@xander0901]

This stage was about Jumbo Visma as a team battling Pogacar as an individual. Pogacar displayed his individual prowess, but he is pretty fortunate Jumbo Visma didn't let him go on a solo adventure to cook himself today. I've been reading articles saying that if any team wants a chance at beating Pogacar, they have to take the initiative and risk it on the road. I felt Jumbo Visma took matters into their own hands and forced UAE to respond the entire day. Major kudos to NBC's extended highlights for providing us with over an hour of the action. The coverage has been fantastic so far!

[@internettalker1]

Good point but Pogacar was battling as an individual because his team was dropped. The entire Jumbo Visma team looked stronger but who knows maybe UAE was just taking it easy during this stage because of the steep climbs.. Saving those legs you know!

[@TomYearby]

You're forgetting Pogacar was drilling his team unnecessarily in the last few stages that's why it was a team vs individual, his team were cooked. Not to mention Pogacar sprinting at the end of every single stage to nab a second here or there. It doesn't matter who you are, eventually those efforts will take their toll. Jonas and Primoz doing the 1,2 on the Col de Telegraphe wore Pogacar down but they both expended huge amounts of energy too resulting in Roglic dropping instantly on the final climb. I think Pogacar needed a bit of a recalibration and I think he'll now chip away at the GC for the remaining stages, it's not over yet.

[@Cepheide78]

Their tactic begun the day before when Van Aert pulled the peloton to avoid Pogacar loosing the yellow jersey...

[@guidonagle5075]

Is nobody gonna mention that Pogi lost two team members to covid, while the Jumbos - a stronger team overall to begin with - were intact.

[@shmvon]

Yea, and I don't agree with Chris Horner they should have let Pogacar go and make it a team pursuit chasing one guy: on the climbs most guys would or could be dropped anyway, or slow down the group, so that it would be Vingegaard against Pogacar regardless, but with Pogacar having a lead and able to pace in Evenepoel-style. Cycling in 2022 is not about waiting for the last climb and running trains up the mountains anymore. It's way more dynamic and fun to watch, and moreover, the best guy wins. What more can you want?

[@CFCMahomet]

I hope in the future you do a video on how cycling has changed… I kept rubbing my eyes watching the Green Jersey in a break on an HC mountain stage. The real winner today was us, the fans. This race just turned into a true battle.

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Big amazing day at the TdF. 🦋👊👊👊👊

[@peterwilliams1119]

Thor Hushovd did it often

[@Rahul-eh3rf]

In 2016 Sagan was in the break all day on a mountain stage in Stage 20 to help his teammate Roman Kreuziger on GC. Mads Pedersen, sprinter and World Champion, did it for Richie Porte in 2020. Thor Hushovd did it. What WVA is doing is nothing new

[@kaspernon]

Sagan too

[@Kvs-vf9nt]

Peter Sagan always did it.. I mean the guy won green 7 times. Show some damn respect.

[@d00dEEE]

Stunning stage today. My favorite moment was when Soler caught up to Rog expecting to sit on and rest a bit, but Roglic just gave Marc that "f that" look and took off. I laughed out loud.

[@123tilen123]

What an effort from Primoz today. Despite all the pains and disappointments again he rode for the team .I hope he is going home soon and recover for Vuelta.

[@jonathanzappala]

I think it’s great he gets paid tons of money, and went all on for his younger teammate to win the race.

[@epincion]

I doubt he will go home soon - he is recovering day by day as the race unfolds and still needed for the 1:2 attacks on Pog in upcoming mountain stages.

[@DK-vw1of]

@@epincion agree prob knew he was out of gc when he lost 2 min with the crash. See him going for a stage win though in laat week.

[@kjaesp]

@@epincion Doubt it, why would pog chase someone whos 8+ mins behind? I think that card is kinda played for primoz. It's just about setting the tempo up climbs for him now. Which is fine, he can still be incredibly valuable in that role.

[@GetSuperFit27]

@@jonathanzappala Are you new? Do you like to make things up? Roglič is only the 20th highest paid cyclist, so he can be a team leader. And he pull Jumbo Visma alone almost 10 years with his talent. Roglič is an amazing guy, he likes to help and fight regardless of the pain.

[@dzanikken]

What a wonderful stage. This is what we've been waiting for, and oh boy did we get it. My personal highlight of the stage was Jonas and Primož taking turns and attacking Tadej. Most say this was Tadej's tactical mistake but in my opinion, this just shows the respect Pogačar has for Roglič. They know each other better than anyone and Pogačar would never just let Roglič go. Despite Roglič's injuries and discomfort, he's still a force to be reckoned with and I doubt Pogačar knew the condition (and daily form) Roglič was in yesterday. For all he knew, Roglič could have had super legs yesterday and his back pain had finally subsided, so he just couldn't afford not to follow his attacks. Plus, this was the place where Roglič got his first TdF win back in 2017, attacking 34 km out. As we've seen, 2 or 3 minutes is not that much of a gap, and that could have easily been (a healthy) Roglič at the end instead of Jonas. My only hope is to see Primož make a comeback, preferably at this year's Vuelta. He's still got too much of a fight in him to simply become and settle for a status of a super domestique for JV.

[@kenrodriguez3067]

Holy crap! What did we just watch? As terrific as your after race analysis is Chris, this race will be dissected for days and months to come. That’s how much drama and twists were contained in this battle today. And that’s what it was. Nothing less than a battle that dragged on for kilometer after kilometer. It lived up to it’s hype in so many ways. And we the paying public were treated to a heavyweight fight that will be remembered for decades to come. No matter how this Tour ends or who wears the yellow jersey on the 21st stage we were witness to something special today. Something to share with the grandkids. Wow!

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Twists all over the place . Crazy stage. But loved it all even if I didn’t agree with everything tactic wise. 😜🦋👊👊👊

[@gobears6487]

@@ChrisHornerCycling great breakdown on an amazing stage but best part here is the way you're making me laugh all the way through this! 😂🚴🏼‍♂️👍🦋👏

[@irvhh143]

This is why cycling will never be on a level with football or basketball. The most important image was Mikl handing a bottle to Pogacar 3km from the last hill. Too little, too late. The average American would not have seen that or realized its significance.

[@jb7919]

great tactics from JV and perfect to use on an "inexperienced" Pogacar and UAE. Pogacar chasing Roglic (over 2 minutes down) over the top of Telegraph when he still had three teammates to pace it all back was the biggest in my mind. Roglic only had Laporte, Wout was 5 minutes ahead, that should be easy for UAE to pull back. Instead Pogcar followed the move himself, got isolated and then 1-2ed until he was forced to go into the red 50km out just to stop the attacks. JV forced UAE and Pogacar to actually have to make strategic decisions rather than let UAE dictate the pace before Pogacar sprints the last 1km to win. Great day of racing

[@Drumsgoon]

I think it was a real risk with Wout up there. Of course Roglic would be caught on Granon, but then UAE was also depleted. Though Pogacar probably more fresh..

[@glennmarshburn6113]

I’ve watched every hour of every TDF possible since Wide World of Sports pathetic efforts in the early 80’s and FINALLY real attacks. Everything we’ve always always always wanted! Thank you JV for the show. The tour is not over. Let the best man win! Stay well.

[@lesliepropheter5040]

Chris Jorner suggested this same tactic last year but no one was listening! It’s great to see it in action, one attack after the other makes Pogacar a tired lad and pays off in the end. WoW

[@elaineoconnell2344]

I’ve done the same. Would get so frustrated with wide world of sports.

[@glennmarshburn6113]

@@lesliepropheter5040 yes! everyone suggests it and we want it but it never happens like it happened today. I’m not talking Mano a Mano, a la Armstrong and Ulrich, I’m talking a whole team attacking another team to isolate the Yellow Jersey! Even if it doesn’t work, which it finally looked like, it’s what we want. We don’t want to wait and hope that things will only change in a time trial, team or otherwise. Same ol same ol. I’m not sure if I’ll ever erase the recoding of todays amazing stage.

[@EgeBerkGonul]

@@lesliepropheter5040 Jumbo was missing 4 riders last year and all the other teams were fighting for podium. No one even intended to stop Pogacar last year. TDF 2021 was a waste of time except Cavendish and Van Aert.

[@glennmarshburn6113]

Even Liggett said he hasn’t seen anything like this in his 50 years.

[@TheChiefEng]

I guess this stage showed how important it is to have a team behind you with team members who are prepared to sacrifice all for you. This seems clearly to have been the Jumbo strategy for the day considering the reduced UAE team. Jumbo relentlessly attacked and lured Pogacar into responding so when Vindegaard launched the final attack, Pogacar did not have an answer. Huge kudos to everyone in the Jumbo team who helped Vindegaard but my deepest respect to Pogacar as a great sportsman showing greatness after he lost to Vindegaard by coming to Vindegaard to congratulate him. The challenge for Jumbo now is to make the necessary sacrifices to defend and protect Vindegaard.

[@Arsenal7Rulez]

Greatest stage of the Tour i've ever seen, what a ride from Jonas! Can't wait for Alpe d'Huez!

[@Gsp_in_NYC]

thank you for reminding us every 5 mins that this is the "Tour de France" and it's not just the yellow Jersey but the "race leader's Jersey of the Tour de France".....and this isn't just stage 11 it is the "11th stage of the Tour de France". useful for those of us who are former riders and senile.I'm saying this to be funny and I live for this MAN....1000 thumbs up.

[@nateridesbikes9204]

We’ll see how the rest of the tour plays out… but this stage will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest

[@steffenandersensahl9443]

I have no idea who will be in yellow in Paris. But I love that we at least have an amazing battle this year compared to last year. Pogacar is not done for sure. I think he learned a valuable lesson today, and I see him trying to take as much time and bonus seconds as he can, and then bank on taking enough time on the last TT to win the race, just like 2020. Even Thomas is still in it, and could possibly take yellow on that last TT stage. The race is wide open this year, and I love it. But this was truly an epic stage, one for history books for sure, and one that will be remembered for years to come.

[@jademermaidmusic]

Pogacar is absolutely done. Jumbo have the best team in the tour and Jonas is better in the big mountains. There’s no way Pog eats 2 minutes in the ITT. if Jumbo wants, they will eat him again on the big mountains

[@steffenandersensahl9443]

@@jademermaidmusic in 2020 he took 2 minutes on Rog to win the tour. On a 40km TT it is possible to make up that much time.

[@dennisdeyoung5428]

The most exciting TDF stage of the 21st century!

[@diggsfather]

I thought it couldn't get any better than stage 5, then I thought it couldn't get any better than stage 7. Now, I feel like it can't get any better than today's stage 11, but I know better. Can't wait to see Tadej and Jonas battle it out for yellow

[@jademermaidmusic]

What battle 😂… Pogacar his finished unless he gets back on the juice

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

@@jademermaidmusic I don't think so

[@talktomenowxbmc]

It was beautiful. Pack of wolfs working together.

[@bradborders]

The best recap in the business! Enjoying every minute of the TDF from humid NC! Thanks Chris

[@Yocambio]

Chris's commentating is easily as exciting as the racing itself. Outstanding!

[@ammramy]

When Pogo got dropped, it made me feel like I felt when Buster Douglas knocked down Mike Tyson. It was like Tokyo defeating Godzilla.

[@st14]

Chris is 100% on point with his analysis here. Tadej gave an interview wearing white following stage 12 or 13, where he directly says he was a knucklehead for attacking against 3 JV riders on the penultimate climb here on stage 11, which is why he cracked bad on the final climb. Chris description of UAE mistakes here is exactly correct.

[@jesselobo3213]

Pogacar reminded me of Alberto Contador when he was still young and stupid and cooking himself needlessly. Pogacar is an amazing talent but he still needs to utilize his team wisely and not waste his "calories" as you stated Chris. As usual you were spot on regarding Jumbo's use of the entire team to wear down Pogacar. Wout, was amazing to bring back Primoz and cooked himself properly for his team. Today was an amazing display of team tactics to burn down a supreme talent. I totally expect Pogacar to bring some serious wraith and payback tomorrow.

[@coopaloopmex]

Interestly that if Wout didn't bring Primoz back up, that Rafal Majka also wouldn't have made it back to the lead group. Since on the climb Rafal helped Tadej way more than Primoz helped Jonas and Co., I wonder if TJV could have done even more damage to the completely isolated Pogacar as well as not allowing Groupama squad a free ride the the front. I'm pretty sure Sepp Kuss and Steven Kruijswijk were already up with Vingagaard, but I do suppose that Wout was able to pull like a truck across the flats which likely helped put the other GC favorites to the sword. It seemed like a plan that both backfired, as Primoz didn't help and Majka got a free ride, while it also worked magnificently, as Wout set a heavy tempo that tired the entire GC field and let the TJV climbers not take the full wind across the flats.

[@fishandfloral]

I’ve been waiting all day to hear your full take on this. 🦋

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

I was working all day to get it to you. Enjoy 👊👊🦋🦋👊

[@gravesplendour3481]

What a stage, what a breakdown. I swear, watching Chris's commentary and analysis is almost as breathtaking as the actual stage!

[@EgeBerkGonul]

Van Aert bringing Majka to lead out Vingegaard at the last climb is nothing but genius 😅😂

[@pierrot148]

This is a communication error on Roglic, not on Van Aert. If roglic felt he could still attack on the last climb then this move was fantastic, because Roglic was still a GC contender. If he was running completely empty he should've told his team, so that Van Aert could assist Jonas on the Granon. Even if you think it was a dumb move, it still demands respect for what Van Aert did.

[@kgarg92]

Funniest moment was when they (WVA and Roglic) arrived like a train on the descent and just swooshed past the gc leaders and pogacar was like wtf and chased on his own while kuss and kruiswijk had to rally vingegaard upto WVA😂😂😂 Also when Soler put so much effort on galibier to catch upto the leaders and roglic was like 'get the fuck out of here'..😂😂

[@Drumsgoon]

He also brought back Kuss ánd Kruijswijk, unfortunately all three could not keep up.

[@shmvon]

According to David Gaudu in his stream, Peter Sagan was teasing Tadej Pogacar in the early part of the race, saying he wouldn't dare to attack. It could have contributed to Pogacar wasting too much energy and having a fringale at the end.

[@morganconey2603]

wow a lot to unpack in todays stage! Thank you to Nairo for making it a race as once he attacked he was moving up on Bardets GC position which set off the domino effect. I'm still confused why UAE didn't let the TJV train pace the start of the Granon climb as they were obviously setting up to do. Majka immediately dropping Roglic and Kuss means Majka possibly went out to hard? I don't think theres a scenario on the Granon where Pogacar wins but maybe ticket collecting on the TJV train might have limited the losses as Vingegaard may have jumped later. Thanks to Nairo making Bardet respond which in turn made Vingegaard jump we didn't have to see 35 minutes of pacing and then things lighting up at the flamme rouge. Tomorrow is another brutal stage and with a Bastille Day Alpe d'Huez summit finish up for grabs I think we'll see some more fantastic racing!

[@Gachain]

LOVE your analysis after every stage, but this one really gave me insight about this, the most exciting stage of Le Tour I have seen since I started watching in 04-05! Mike

[@adamhindle9215]

Always nice to see a race split up on a descent. Pog was too confident, and tried to impress on the Galibier by dropping everyone except Vinnegaard, and it came back to bite him. The Tour is on now.

[@todd.goslin6190]

It's obvious a great deal of work goes into these videos. Appreciated. 🥰

[@MrWrob32]

I hope that Bardet's bad luck in the Giro, turns good in the Tour. Imagine the amount of French fans coming out to see a French man in yellow. It would be a fantastic spectacle

[@nigelduckworth406]

Big problem is he can't time trial with regularity

[@richmartin1427]

Great stage and insight from Chris as always. I leapt out of my chair when Pogacar cracked on the final climb. Kudos to Jumbo-Visma on a great plan and executing it. The only other criticism I have of them is dropping Wout Van Aert back to bring Roglic back to the group, because that move also brought Rafael Maika back to Pogacar which is how he got a teammate back on that final climb. Also kudos to Nairo Quintana, who is quietly having a good tour and actually is a forgotten man given everything else that happened today. If only his team car hadn’t got caught with the neutral service car when he needed a drink….

[@pnield5866]

Tomorrows stage is going to be very very very interesting! Go Pog!

[@michaambroz6148]

Great as always Chris! Thank you! I guess Roglic and Vingegaard continuous attacks against Pogacar were meant to drop him to avoid VVA giving him a ride on the flat. Pogacar got punished for being a bit too cocky.

[@Socaltrainwatcher]

Great wrap up of an awesome stage. I'm curious to know how did the knucklehead in Nairo Quintana's team car not have a bottle ready to give him on the final climb? How much if any did that miss bottle cost Nairo?

[@kasperhansen6548]

And the Misleading Headline of the Year Award goes to.... Chris Horner!

[@Jake_Sparey]

Tadej looked good smiling to the cameras just before the final climb, but how quickly can you go from feeling good to bonking out and what was your worst experience of that?

[@FFdo.]

that’s called cycling

[@ryanspivey2453]

Agreed but he was smiling after the finish too. I think he just loves bike racing.

[@samd708]

He wasn’t ready to pay for the earlier efforts. JV and Rogla only did 1 effort for every 2 Pog did bc of the flat section slipstream before the Galibier. Amazing stuff

[@philipsangalang5077]

Probably missed an extra bottle feed/couple gels (because of the extra burn from accelerations)

[@jademermaidmusic]

When you’re not in the juice that’s what happens

[@peterjeffiborja7337]

Tadej covered attacks from everyone. Now we see how strong that complete jumbo squad is compared to a depleted uae team. All the best to all!

[@spiritking18]

No question we fans won today. TJV had a plan and it worked better than anyone expected. Easily in my top 3 of the best TDF stages ever. I was literally cheering seeing Vindegaard put the final nail into Pogacar relieving him of the yellow jersey. Seeing that dude get dumped by G, who I thought had a great ride despite getting dumped a few times on the Galibier, was a sight I'd never see. If we thought today was something, my goodness tomorrow is even harder with 3 beyond categorized climbs. I can't wait to see this battle go down on Alpe Duez (after going back over the Galibier). I'm interested in who ends up in the KOM jersey provided everyone is able to recover from today.

[@roberteastwood6937]

My house goes on Pog. But I don't mind who wins. Recovery is the key. There are enough stages for Pog to take back a little at a time. It's great to see TJV "work him over", and Vingegaard ride away. I was stuck to my seat, eyes glued to the screen. It was great to see so many perform well and entertain us armchair athletes.

[@a.westenholz4032]

I think there is an aspect most people aren't considering; that of age. Pogocar last year had the benefit of being a very young captain, and riding with the added exuberance and restitution you have when you are 22. Though I honestly didn't expect it to make a difference before another few years, it could be these are the first signs that Pogocar is beginning to lose that advantage. Most of the times we don't see what really young riders can do because they are limited in their roles as domestiques. They might be allowed to win minor races, or set free to take their own chance on a single stage in one of the major tours, but most of the time they are burning that extra energy helping their captain. By the time they might make it to the top of the field, it is skill and experience, not extra energy, that helps them win. TP seemed like a monster because he still was so young at the top of the field. But nobody stays young forever.

[@michaelecurtis]

Seems like it was also a big mistake for Jumbo to send Wout back to tow Roglic up to the yellow group before the last climb. Seems like a waste of Wout's motor, and it only served to gift Rafal Majka to Pog to help him up most of the Granon and probably limit his time losses because Roglic was dropped as soon as the climb started so JV got nothing out of it. It seems like it would have been better to keep Pog isolated rather than towing up UAE's best super domestique. Credit where credit is due: you went back and nailed David Gaudu's name on the broadcast today! ;) Fantastic stage and fantastic recap - thanks, Chris!

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Yep. I didn’t much care for that either. Especially when Rafal dropped their whole team except Jonas. 🤔😳🦋👊

[@michaelecurtis]

@@ChrisHornerCycling especially where it came down to calories, isolate, isolate, isolate! They need to just blow up the climbs tomorrow to make sure Pog doesn't have easy access to fuel from teammates.

[@dawnc5797]

Congratulations to Jonas on a great battle and a satisfying win. Man that was insane! Chris, you looked so excited in the post race show today. I told my husband you were going to vibrate right out of that suit. 😄 When Coca cola was mentioned and Christian said you had *a lot* I was like- yep super caffeinated vibrations. The best stage I've ever seen! Considering this is my first TdF that's not saying much, but still! 😁 What a fantastic effort by every TJV rider today. I *almost* missed the first attack by Roglic due to a nature break but I caught Bob's voice getting excited so I stayed put. What a show. My weekend was exciting with a five car battle for points in the Formula One race in Austria and excellent riding in the TdF with today's stage being THE perfect hump day treat. I am so looking forward to tomorrow.

[@jmireles6316]

Man, I COULD NOT WAIT, to hear about the knuckleheadz on this stage. I gotta say knucklehead of the day goes to TADEJ! It all caught up to him Attacking, going on without his teammates, saying "full gas" smiling at the cameras while wearing bibs drenched in salt deposits. He never stabilized the gap, he lost more time as the climb went on. Jonas looked like total class, quiet, but vicious, humble, still focused. JV looked like they have the energy and momentum now- relishing the moment. Now, does Tadej have covid? did he burn all his matches sprinting for meaningless seconds and places the first week. or was it just calories. or is UEA burnt out? Time will tell. Can Tadej recover from that effort in one day? and tomorrow is an EPIC day- Galibier again! Croix de Fer, and the Alp! Did JV maybe expose and exploit a weakness in Tadej and UAE... they attacked on the flat... the flats seem to be UEA weak points. JV has all the options now.. MAN this is exciting to watch... Still Hautacam and a 40k TT looming SHEEEEESH

[@TK-gq2hq]

Do you think Jumbo-Visma made a knucklehead decision by sending Van Aert back to pace Roglic back to the lead group? With Roglic immediately dropping on the Granon, the only thing Van Aert accomplished was bringing Majka back, who helped out Pogacar on the lower slopes of Granon and potentially saved him from losing even more time.

[@epincion]

Disagree it was a bad decision - 1) Majka ended up pacing Jonas as well as Pog up the first half of the Granon 2) After bringing back Rog and others including Majka to the GC group WVA went to the front of the group and forced a hard fast pace through the valley denying Pog and Majka a rest and the ability to eat and drink much - especially critical as Pogacar had burned a lot of matches leading Jonas up the Galibier at a fast pace. 3) Lastly it was a masterstroke of psychological war in that Pogacar only fears two riders Jonas & Primoz which is why the 1:2 attacks from them earlier on the lower Galibier had rattled him so much and now suddenly he was faced with them two again at the bottom of the Granon and Roglic leads off with an attack - even though Rog was spent physically (he is still recovering) within 200m I'm sure Pogacar really did not like seeing Rog back at the base of the final climb.

[@TK-gq2hq]

@@epincion 1 and 3 are good points. The only thing I'd say about your first point is that Majka's pacing helped Pogacar more than Vingegaard because it delayed the moment when there were no more domestiques and Pogacar would be forced to either follow attacks or expose himself as not being strong enough to win. I don't think your second reason makes much sense because if Wout hadn't dropped back to Roglic he still could've paced Vingegaard's group hard not letting any UAE domestiques catch up while keeping Pogacar from being able to rest. Crucially, the UAE car was behind the Roglic group, so by not pacing Roglic back it would have made it even harder for Pogacar to get food or water from his car or from Majka.

[@jayjey7692]

One of the greatest bike race I have ever seen!!!

[@kanuto6745]

It's very hard to see Tadej struggling. Great teamwork by TJV

[@frankoakwood1673]

Quintana reaching Barguil: "Mate, give me water and pull!" Barguil: "Where am I? What is the purpose of life?"

[@artursilva6189]

One could make a drama movie with this stage, so much action and things happening 😳 As much as I love Pogacar, thermonuclear Vingegaard is godly and I want more 😍

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

I loved it. Jumbo a 100% all in. Pogarcar throwing down. 😳👊🦋💥

[@AlanForkosh]

@@ChrisHornerCycling And Ineos following along and picking up the crumbs.

[@GOlone9597]

I thought you're preparing an hour long video, been waiting for ages for this stages' BE 😂 Thank you Chris for another great analysis! Now the real GC battle begins, hopefully there would be a close battle among the GC contenders. (No more UAE riders out of the race, Pogacar stay negative, no more severe crashes)

[@jademermaidmusic]

What battle? 😂😂😂😂

[@joelronningen9930]

Also, can't remember the last time Quintana actually didn't implode after attacking, interesting to see.

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

Same, I was literally counting the seconds for him to go down hard. But he kept at it

[@HkFinn83]

He’s 72 years old what do you expect

[@sldulin]

Thx for shout-out to MVDP. He bit off more than he could chew with Giro/Tour double and it has ended up making him look bad against WVA. But it took courage to try and his performances in the Giro were super entertaining. Great rider, let's all hope he gets back to 100%.

[@epincion]

I agree - I loved the CX start to yesterdays stage with WVA & MVDP racing from the get go

[@robinbeckford]

Great in-depth analysis of a great race, Chris. When Wout brought the Roglic group back - you have a still at 8'50" - they arrived so fast that they went past the lead group! The UK tv commentators had a 'wow' moment at that. Also, kudos to Bardet, Quintana and Thomas. Spectacular.

[@Slimandthegeeks]

Complete brutality on two wheels, human sacrifice, a climb that seemed it would never end, unreal velocity from Jonas on those attacks, now that was a race! Will Jonas recover enough to light it up tomorrow? Can,t wait! Awesome Chris!

[@epincion]

Jonas will be fine - after all Pog paced him up the Galibier and them Majka paced him halfway up the Granon:)

[@zaviwaher9536]

That is an analysis I have no heard anywhere else, to let Pogacar ride away on Galibier to bait him into a long solo attack. That is super clever. I think Jonas wanted to try and drop Pogacar there and then have WvA tow him down the descent to Granon. Anyway it was an absolutely mind-blowing stage, I don't think anything coming up can get even close to this.

[@Sportsloverandrew]

Jonas has what I would call one of the most beastly forces around him now in full support of the yellow. Benoot, Roglic, Kuss, Stevie K for mountains Laporte, Wout, Van Hooydonck, for anything else. Unless Jonas blows I don't see how PoG takes back meaningful time until the TT. Jumbo can most likely make a relentless pace the majority of the day.

[@jademermaidmusic]

Jumbo are going to sodomize Pogacar again before the ITT

[@delightchinosengwa1431]

Wout can do anything to protect Jonas that guy iz half motor half human

[@keyboard_g]

Thank you for not spoiling with the title. I have to stay off of social media all day until I can watch at night.

[@GCALcontent]

Great stage and stunning & well deserved victory for Vinnie. However, Wout VA was a clear standout for me and is such an amazing athlete in terms of what he can/does do on the bike. He could probably (almost) secure all the jerseys at once ...just for laughs. 😂

[@tfd6944]

When he pulled roglic up again was fantastic, and made sure the UAE car couldn't join the front, and went full power to the climb soo they didn't have time to get food from the car, when it came back to the front

[@kjaime7030]

You can't suggest that the UAE director didn't prepare the team for these tactics, because I'm pretty new at this game but I was saying a month ago that Jumbo was going to use 2-3 riders to play leap frog with Pogacar. Also, part of why Jumbo did all of their tactics of the day was that they KNOW that Pogacar's biggest problem is his pride. They knew they could get him to respond to each attack and overwork him while isolated, even though in reality he could have easily ignored each one of Roglic's attacks. All he needed to do was stay on Vingegaard's wheel.

[@samchen9585]

Many thanks Chris for the great analysis as always! Your TdF posts are a must-see each morning out here in Asia :)

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Thanks Sam 👊🦋

[@ozzie2545]

Best stage in 20 years, what a pleasure to watch!

[@Fetucinee]

What a stage! What an analysis! More mountain mayhem tomorrow; bring it on!!

[@2XFactor51]

Seems like Jumbo finally watched the Butterfly Effect. 🤔 It’s about time they actually worked like a cohesive team, and put the screws to Pogacar. For the record, I LOVE Tadej, his heart and how he races because he makes things interesting. However, I can’t stand teams letting the yellow Jersey to dictate the terms of the race once they assume the Jersey. That one-two from Primoz and Jonas was epic, and this stage was about as exciting as it comes. Props to Jumbo Visma for animating the race the way they did.

[@sheldontarre3322]

We have a race! Incredible stage! what a show ! Pogacar is human after all - Kudos to Jumbo going all out and attacking like crazy we'll see who recovers the best soon enough - today is Alpe d'Huez! Thanks again -

[@pdlngsqrs9547]

Correction UAE with a 5 1/2 man team... Marc Hirchi no where at full strength. Lack of teammates now seems to be TP achilles heel..

[@epincion]

Yes but Pog won the 2019 TDF with effectively no team by gluing himself to TJV all along

[@wwelsh100]

What a day. That was awesome. The action was amazing. Cool to see WVA pull back the team before the last climb. Even if Rog only did 200 m, there was no rest for Pog in the valley. I agree that it is calorie issue, but dont think Tadej can win. He can probably pull back 120 seconds. He beat Jonas by 7 seconds in the ITT. So Tadej can probably pull back 60 seconds in stage 20. Gain another 60 seconds through bonus and time gaps. His problem is Alp du huez and Hautacam. I know they are not as steep, but Jumbo should be able to do the same thing to UAE on the stages. I do not know how they fix it.

[@jademermaidmusic]

You’re dreaming if you think Pogacar can pull back 2 min from Jonas. Only way he doe that is going natty all the way to his gills

[@epincion]

Thanks Chris. I agree its still a very close call for final yellow winner. What a stage to watch! One for the ages. IMO the most telling hammer blows on Pogacar were the multiple Roglic- Vinnegaard 1:2 rolling attacks at high speed on the lower slopes of the Galibier which baited Pog into chasing them down and then to take control by setting a high pace up the hard part of the climb taking Jonas with him but which made Pog burn lots of matches. It seems that the only two riders who Pog fears are Jonas and Primoz and he was rattled enough to make tactical mistakes. IMO thats why WVA going back and bringing Roglic (& Kuss) back to Pogacar in the valley before the start of the Granon was a masterstroke in psychological warfare even if they could each only pull for a couple hundred meters once the climb started.

[@ad9898]

Fantastic analysis Chris, I think Pogacar can put a minute into Jonas in the final TT, meaning he only needs 1.30 in the road stages. I'm with you, he'll nudge Jonas out.

[@zaahierstanley955]

That boy got ambushed almost like in a all out war. They had him circled and surrounded and then they even had the "enemy" down the road waiting. Actually felt so sorry for Pog and he tried to fight back and eventually started to bleed. Hope they can stop the blood oozing out

[@D1carter]

Glad I recorded this stage...the best I've seen in twenty years. More please!

[@Javi1WanKenobi]

Epic stage today! Cycling History 👏👏👏👏❤❤❤❤🦋🦋🦋🦋🇪🇦🇪🇦🇪🇦🇪🇦🇪🇦🇪🇦

[@Cepheide78]

Great analysis Chris (as usual) ! This stage was a great show.

[@allisonking785]

I asked on your other program two days ago this, and no one answered my question. “Past is past, we can not change it, but learn from it and be better in the future. Question for the experts here, because I am not one. Is there a scenario in the remaining stages that Vingegard can win the yellow jersey? Even for a day? But I agree with Chris that JV cannot have both.” Well Vingegard answered it now In ACTION!! Congratulations to him and the JV team!!!

[@jeanholt9633]

The calory deficit aspect was interesting … never thought about that as I was screaming at the TV for JV

[@Solarsystem50]

Tadej forgot to pop one more gel at the foot of the climb.

[@jorisswie]

Great coverage Chris! There is so much to talk about this race. Great and risky tactics from TJV and Jonas. Thinking about your tactic to let go of Pogey and let TJV reform and then challenge. There could be a chance that they take with them more UAE riders back to Pog and help him with the leg end of this race. Anyhow, good race in the front and loads of respect to Tadej

[@mattpotter8725]

I think we'll find out tomorrow if it was just a calorie issue with Pog. I just think the one-two punch from Vingegaard and Roglič conbined with Pog's youthful exuberance of thinking he felt great and attacking instead of thinking of the biggest picture and what was to come later in the stage is what really did his legs in. I may be wrong, but all tour Vingegaard has looked the stronger climber and although Pog has always had an answer and been and to get back on terms with him I thought this might just happen. The problem for Pog now is that he will need to break Vingegaard and I'm not sure I can see that happening, not to the extent he'd gain 2 and a half minutes. I thought all your analysis was spot on, except for Wout van Aert basically pulling Maijka back up to Pog. Personally I was geniuses by this tactic. Jumbo-Visma got away with it in my opinion. Sure Pog's UAE teammates had been dropped on the previous climb so the thinking was they wouldn't be out any help, but I thought Wout would have been more use up front with Vingegaard. I didn't see the Jumbo-Visma riders he brought back up being of much use and they weren't. In the end of was Vingegaard showing his strength and dropping Pog that made all the difference. As for the others I was really surprised that G Thomas didn't react sooner when Bardet attacked, that cost him his 3rd place. I guess in his defence be felt Pog would choose the gap for him, but to everyone's surprised he had nothing left. I loved seeing Quintana ride so well. I'm so happy he's doing so well and looking may it continue. Lastly this tour will has a long way to go, starting tomorrow. I think it Pog doesn't have an answer tomorrow we'll know if today was just a blip, and if Jumbo-Visma went too hard today they could pay for it on another excruciatingly hard stage finishing up the iconic Alps d'Huez, after having already been over the Galibier again and the Croix de Fer. I can't wait because today was such great racing. It shows that to beat Pog you can't just attack him on the final climb you have to fatigue him long before that with clever tactics of sending riders up the road and doing one-two punches by your best riders on the penultimate climb. If that doesn't work, as it looked like it might not then you have to put your hands up and say he's too good, but that wasn't the case today and they gambled and won big time!!!

[@mikhailway]

To my eyes G Thomas also lacked any help from his team mates. Everyone saying GT has a chance seems to overlook this fact. But clearly GT did better on the calorie front that TP. I was also concerned that TP wasn’t eating much. Let’s hope it was the lack of calories. Even if TP keeps JV honest today and the following days we’ll have some great racing.

[@a.westenholz4032]

The only other thing to add is that the rest of the TJV guys probably had a somewhat easier time of it yesterday than the UAE guys. So that they can offer more support to JV in comparison.

[@ryanphelan6861]

This stage was absolutely insane. So many twists and turns just incredible. Why cycling is sports theater at its best all that action and arrows shot and race changes in just over last 5 k when Jonas was isolated with Tadej and Majka. Why you have to watch every second to understand the race within the race. Crazy stuff it was shades of 86 with a rider paying price for again for endless attacks. Completely different details TJV deserve credit for forcing tempo winding him up. Thought pushing on from Roglic only to have Wout drag him back and have to chase him again in valley was a sign of a lot of energy even pogacar can't afford to spend. Chapeau Jonas and TJV was like Basque country 2021 2.0 got a feeling Tadej might be like Contador where wins GT's and podiums zero :) Thomas and Bardet raced very smart too. Nairo Man as well. Nine more stages but its ones like this that really shape a tour incredible.

[@s2pacific]

Chris Horner you had me with that title, so I didn't listen immediately, but amazing it's all mixed up now and not totally dominated...total surprise listening thanks!!

[@alfredracho]

I don't know why I even bother with other cycling sites/videos (okay, maybe because they actually show videos of the stage, rather than stills that Chris Horner shows, maybe because of licensing or whatever), but the best commentary and explanations of what happened is right here at The Butterfly Effect.

[@michaelanderson5442]

Loved seeing the team attacks one after another, can only cover so much.

[@patricelaurent7883]

That’s the best analysis of this stage. Thanks Chris.

[@ahnnahargrove1354]

Cudos to Gérant for hanging in there with all those youngsters. Bravooooooo....

[@branislavtrninic4505]

Absolute delight of race

[@weijingburr2392]

I think you're right on with the Calories observation, there was a shot of Pogacar on NBC and he motioned to the camera and it looked like he was saying "I need food" with his hands.

[@HellaRandomVideos]

What a historic day! 🦋🔥🦋

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

Historic 🦋🔥🦋 🧨💥🧨💥💥🧨🧨

[@davidstarkey6826]

The best breakdown of such a great stage. Awesome insight.

[@justsumtriduuude]

I have been anxiously awaiting this video. Thank you

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

I was running late with NBC work. Hope you enjoy it 🦋👊

[@amandajane8227]

It was a massive stage. As I watched the way TJV played with the Pog it made me think about velociraptors playing with their prey. I actually felt sorry for him. When the Pog recovers from the disappointment and absorbs the lesson I think it will make him a much better rounded rider into the future. Learning how to work with his team and not just rely on his strength to win.

[@markopodganjek845]

First he need to have a team. He has some kind half team on beginning, which is now 1/3 team. They failed to feed him. Without this he would maybe loose 1/2 minute, but with empty legs because of lack of food he lost more.

[@gobears6487]

I don't think I'll ever not be amazed at the huge time gap JV got over TP in such a crazy short distance!!!!!! Wow. The whole stage was fantastic but that last 5k 😳😳😳😳😳

[@barriem5318]

Love your analysis and insight Mr Horner. Thanks for all your hard work!

[@yods03]

Rog and Vingy body-bagging Pog left and right paid off near the end. What a stage.

[@jonathanhowland42]

I LOVED seeing everyone finish one by one by one.

[@jascollinscork]

Fantastic detailed review of stage 11 Chris 👏🏻👏🏻😍 and you point of lack of food for T.P. is bang on too👍🏻 but I think some of the UAE team is week especially Marc Hirschi 🤔 all well and good having the legs to climb but if you don't have the balls to follow attacks downhill your not much good 🤔 can't wait for stage 12 !!

[@RB..1]

The Jumbo attacks were great. They blew up Pogo’s help and wore out Pogo. Tadej will recover and try to come back strong. Long from over. 👊🦋

[@ChrisHornerCycling]

🤞👊🦋

[@gulfgal98]

Cycling is a team sport with an individual winner. So who has the better all around team? I am not a betting person, but if I were, my money would be on Jumbo Visma. One thing today showed is that Tadej Pogacar learned that he cannot win the Tour without his team. He seemed to be more worried about Roglic than Vingegaard . When they have gone mano a mano on the long climbs in the high mountains, Jonas has been the stronger rider. He is the first rider to have dropped Pogacar on a climb when he did it last year on Mount Ventoux. And I believe Jonas is in better form this year. Speaking of form, I was very impressed with Romain Bardet. Geraint Thomas rode a very intelligent race yesterday.

[@viralfire]

It's easy to sit in a chair and condemn team tactics but in the heat of the race it's a very different matter...and you know that very well. Also, if your money is still on Pogacar you better get ready to lose your cash. Remember that Pogacar has never been able to drop Jonas in this race and he only gained the 39 seconds because Jonas had some bad luck in the cobbled stage. Yet, coming back from a 39 second deficit on Pogacar and now sitting pretty over 2 minutes ahead, clearly displays that so far Jonas is the stronger rider going in to the 2nd week of the tour.