Tour de France Stages 1-3 - Very Weird First Days

[@aubreyxengland]

arguably one of the best moments is when the NBC sports announcers are forced to advert Kung Fu Panda 4 during the TdF

[@kathyljohnson6203]

Drifting back to congratulate Phil on being 100% correct about Cav 🎉🎉🎉 Undisputed GOAT!

[@SlowlyGettingFaster]

A video breaking down team tactics would be awesome!

[@Hxrmss]

lol "reverse breakaway" love it

[@Frostbiker]

If I ever join any sort of a group event, that's how I will describe my riding strategy.

[@Newtttton]

Very proud of Biniam ("Bini") Girmay. He gives hope and inspiration to a lot of African cyclists. His win is a huge deal.

[@philipkoop9411]

"Reverse breakaway" ftw! "Work smarter, not harder" 🤣🤣🤣

[@petervonl]

Awesome, Phil. Seeing this retrospectively, you absolutely nailed it. Looking forward to the next ones 😊

[@kenhunt]

Phil basically called Cav an old dog that barely makes it through crosswalks. Ouch.

[@Boomeranger]

You should hear what he calls me. 😢

[@dalenesbitt]

This video aged like fine french wine.

[@stevem3308]

The million view video would be Phil debating team tactics with Chris Horner!

[@jayobannon5359]

boy that wouldn't be fun

[@georgehugh3455]

Agree about the "overreactions" - apart from strength and _possibly_ some inspired tactics, there are THREE weeks and some luck (or lack thereof) that will figure in

[@neildharrington]

You should TOTALLY do both a "team tactics in Tour vs team team tactics on a day in a team tour (nuance, I know) - but. you allude to but, unspoken rules (aka "tv time") I think your average viewer is pretty sophisticated, but you bring a good balance, and other than the Velomaniti is there really a good resource

[@williamlamey1]

Please do a video explaining basic team tactics. Love the way you succinctly explain this stuff

[@westonlindberg4912]

When I'm not on a "recovery ride" I'm in the reverse breakaway, thanks for the lol!

[@jeremysteinmeier1701]

Happy that Jonas came to play.

[@loranmillard738]

Top notch analysis, love it! Thank you

[@topherjaynes]

Basic team tactics would be an awesome video!

[@JedEdelstein]

first time really keeping up with the tour and I appreciate your overall highlights approach, helps me not get stuck in the weeds and stay focused on the important!

[@johnhayes1641]

I would definitely watch a video on team tactics!! PLEASE!!

[@nicholkid]

Stage 4 really looks like a difference maker. Will be fun to watch. We'll see who actually has the legs.

[@michaelloos3872]

Cut to 7/3 - nailed it.

[@drewcama2488]

Now thats a review I can watch any time! Yes please explain tactics because that's the part of the race most announcers ignore..

[@tomdzikowski2261]

A Video about race tactics would be super nice👍

[@andreasruther8750]

Thanks for the breakdown! Not sure if it's for just me, but the audio is clipping. It makes it a bit harder to follow.

[@daniellitz9028]

Awesome, I have to work during this Tour. Thanks for the recap. 4-day weekend coming up, maybe I can catch a couple/few stages.

[@OhJustSomeRandomGuy]

Man, I can't believe Cav is shamelessly lifting my "reverse breakaway" tactic. I've been using this since the very beginning of my cycling adventures!

[@David-zk7jk]

Phil can you do a video on logistics of the race. Behind the scenes how staff, bikes, buses go stage to stage. How they get supplies moved and prepped stage to stage.

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

Gaimon for UCI President!

[@veerravuri6210]

Thank you for making these! im trying to get into tour de france but I get busy

[@Zb1999]

Watch lanterne rouge highlights

[@xgymratx83]

Reverse breakaway. Perfect.

[@sigfreed11]

Love the video - keep them coming

[@squishlefunke]

Nala can read numbers, confirmed

[@pythor2117]

"Sales of Astanas and Kazakstans" lmao

[@birdbro1990]

Wait there is no Sepp? I am a causal viewer who only watches the Tour and the Netflix show about the Tour. But have watched most Tours over the last 15 years. Wonder how many of us there are, % wise who basically just watch the tour. Sepp not riding is such a bummer for USA. Most of these first few stages is trying me to learn these new confusing teams names and kits. With that being said these first few stages have been fun to watch. Love Tadej attacking, always fun to see a gamer.

[@sigfreed11]

2:58 definitely was struggle bus, the dude puked - however he’s fine. It was never going to be an issue

[@DanBrim]

Definitely not a comfy zone 2 ride but he wasn’t ever in serious trouble thanks to his team. The fact that Jakobsen was there with them was enough evidence that they were pretty comfortable on pace

[@hhmako]

1:35 "20 to 40th best in the world at riding a bike up a hill" is an absurd statement 🤣🤣🤣

[@BlueJayGer]

Fatigue or lack of preparedness likely come into play towards the end of the second week and the third week

[@apod2020]

Jonas was totally gassed today. Maybe it's the lack of prep showing up on the longer climbs vs stage 2 which was a shorter power climb.

[@michaelnewman4302]

Thirty-five. Hey, what are those comic strips?

[@worstretirementever]

my garage is decorated with prints of all of the calvin and hobbes comics that contain bicycles. If you ever read those, there was a thing that his bike was alive and trying to kill him, which always spoke to me

[@michaelnewman4302]

@@worstretirementever That's excellent. My cartoon nemesis would be in the form of a hill.

[@augustusanderson9596]

You should do a review of DS moves….seems like a real lack of strategic creativity!

[@scottraines4254]

Don't you think EF was working for Carapaz for yellow or it was just luck while positioning Bettiol?

[@recrevs963]

Do you think Galibier Strava segment will be broken today? Not a hill top finish for stage 4 but just before.

[@Nova-dy6fq]

The climbs have been refreshingly well behaved but there still has been some bad fan behavior. There was the fan who jumped a barrier and accidentally knocked out Jan Hirt's teeth. Also the woman who stuck her phone into the peleton, it got knocked out of her hand and then she tried to go in to get it back.

[@GerritD]

comparing cav to your 15 year old dog 😆

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

Team tactics, Chris Horner style, would be welcomed !

[@MannAusNapalm]

but isn't the "overly aggressive" racing the fun in watching bike races? - not having 100% dialed teams but riders that just love to race bikes? I remember last stage last year, where Tadej more or less lead-out the sprint. For a GC-guy (with 2nd place already booked) completely unnecessary but it showed how he is into going fast and racing the best riders. Pure joy to watch, imho

[@michaelpolakowski7301]

Is it just me, or does the bandwidth of the coverage seem noticeably throttled? I'm used to somewhat pixelated video at first, which then clears to a nice, crisp HD after a few seconds (longer if there's a lot of movement). This year it just doesn't seem very sharp, ever. I'm hoping it's due to Italian TV somehow screwing things up, and will get better soon.

[@sigfreed11]

1:54 34 not 44 😅

[@chrisridesbicycles]

The question now is: How much is a notch and how many notches better that Pog was Jonas last year? 🙃

[@Frostbiker]

I don't know which one of Pogi or Vingo has better legs, but who has a cooler head is readily apparent.

[@triatheletewolf7279]

But Jonas knockdown from last year's 8+ minutes means Pogacar might get within 3 minutes???

[@jgross68]

Where can I get khazakstans? Is there a website or something?

[@BufordDuckworth]

Why is the Tour de France happening in Italy?

[@elijahauer]

Is there another microphone? The levels fluctuate too much

[@drvarg01]

Sales of Astana lmao

[@raymond_luxury_yacht]

Hope he gets another stage... All the nonsense he's been through and so close so many times

[@jacobdeangelis7702]

Where Can I buy a Kazakhstan??

[@michaelnewman4302]

They're on the shelf right below the Astanas.

[@worstretirementever]

buy 3 Astanas get one Emirate

[@kristopergriffin9774]

Fans already cause a pre race crash that broke 3 teeth, before stage one started.

[@aaronhill7599]

Turn down the gain on your mic.

[@Visco1003]

I’ve always wanted to like and support Cav, as he’s geographically the most local rider to my home. But, I find it hard to like him. I read his book and struggled to see past his massive ego. He’s been a dick to most journalists than necessary.

[@kevinbuggie3808]

Anybody else wish we could watch the Eurosport broadcast on Max instead of peacock? No ads too

[@stevem3308]

The fact that we are forced to watch the Americanized and Sanitized version is absurb when Peacock is a PAID service! The Eurosport Team is the best and I love how they have announcing teams who take breaks, have lunch, etc. It takes us inside how truly long each stage is and what they go through keeping us entertained.

[@YelCan]

I’d even watch it on a one day delay. I’d pay for it. I already paid and got Peacocked. Listening to Phil and Bob makes you dumber by the minute, but I suppose that’s what the advertisers who sponsor sports want.

[@silenagomez3547]

VPN (30 day money back guarantee w Nord) set to Canada plus Flosports sub has saved my tour watching experience. No commercials and hanging w Ant and Nico for three weeks. Perfect.

[@MarkRadcliffe]

Cav's trying to go from 34 to 35 wins, brother, not 44-45...

[@FVK-PMA]

Ok I’ve heard enough Phil is awesome. 100 percent should he take place of GCN yes he should. Is he better than Horner yes he is , but I love shrooms. lol. Should cav beat Merckx nope. He was an all rounder period. So I’m glad that an van aert an phillipsen are beating him but whatever makes your boat float. An gets people to watch all the sub plots. Maybe I’m to old school . But fuck cav great dude but no I hope I doesn’t get it.

[@philipgrice1026]

Please fix your audio. It's got the 'fuzzies'. If you were yelling at the camera like so many YouTubies I'd say you are overdriving the amplifier, but you're not, so maybe you've just got a crappy microphone.

[@ital.effect]

Yes! I thought there was something wrong with my computer

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

If this is how Cav gets the 35th, it's pathetic.

[@qbertq1]

If it wasn't for leadout trains, Cavendish would have about 20 stage wins by now, maybe fewer.

[@hhmako]

@@qbertq1 What point are you trying to make? Yeah, of course results would be different if everyone just decided to remove a major tactical element from the sport. Why stop at removing leadout trains? Why don't we abolish teams altogether and have everyone ride for themselves? Cycling is a team sport where tactics play a huge role. It's a fundamental part of the sport and an aspect that many find very interesting. Attempting to undermine one rider's legacy because of this is laughable. All of that aside, 20 stage wins would still be a phenomenal achievement. It would put him tied for 5th on the all-time list

[@steven54knights]

My hot take: Cavendish does not deserve to be at the TdF at this point in his career. There are better sprinters that have a chance at winning a stage. He's holding back the rest of his teammates from accomplishing something special in their careers. This is just a smaller team trying to make it into a headline.

[@michaelnewman4302]

Nothing Astana could realistically hope do at the Tour this year would top Cav getting #35 in their kit.

[@worstretirementever]

i agree with this. They made that decision a long time ago and built a team for it

[@davidvonslingshot]

memories of Lance….. without the dope.

[@chiefsittingstill6061]

I don't think it's a matter of deserving, as the team is free to deploy their resources how they see fit. Imo the issue is that his career as a top-level sprinter has already ended, but the mystique of this mythical 35th stage win is blinding people to that reality. The PR and media hype around it is making people think that the laws of nature will be suspended just long enough for him to take the record outright before riding off into the sunset to retire...

[@blockchainisajoke870]

​@@chiefsittingstill6061 I remember Phil saying in one of his videos a long time ago: in pro racing, you're only as good as your last race. It's a super competitive sport and expensive too. Past accomplishments are awesome but you're judged on how you perform today.

[@outtatrex]

Cav gets mentioned a 100 times, but Frank Van den Broek zero times??? Yes, Tadej is unnecessary aggressive always every time. He will pay for it in week 3. Evenepoel has a big mouth. .. and I miss Sepp already.

[@davidvonslingshot]

cav didn’t win today - he’s not gonna win as time goes on with more miles in the tank. nope. sorrynotsorry

[@hhmako]

Very insightful... Have you seen today's stage result by any chance?

[@aquilafhionnlaigh4490]

Mark Cavendish is roughly Joe Biden’s age in bike racing years. Wishing him the best of luck to get win 35.

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

I hope Cav DOES NOT get the 35th. I don't want to see a grown adult crying and blubbering like a child over a bike race. Give me a break!

[@silenagomez3547]

Oh no, not EMOTIONS

[@user-cx2bk6pm2f]

@@silenagomez3547 Emotions are good... but not when excessive and uncontrolled. Like when he throws tantrums and slams his bike at mechanics. Not cool. He needs to grow up and conduct himself like an adult, not like a child on the playground.

[@Watcher1989-gd8zw]

Cav should go home

[@BPM-xh4yu]

Cav is fat and won't make it to Paris

[@hhmako]

I'm sure he would do so happily after today's stage result!

[@hhmako]

​@@BPM-xh4yu good job they aren't going to Paris this year then isn't it!

[@isitrachelorj3953]

Phil, you gave a very plausible explanation for the "imps" efforts (or lack there of) during stage 1 and 2, and that behavior is insulting to the TDF. No runner at the Olympic gets to run last in the preliminary heats and move on with a chance to win the finals. Nobody who can't spell "competitive" gets to contest the final round of the National Sprpelling Bee. Why is Cav allowed to "game the system" - he made no effort to stay with the peloton (other sprinters) from the get-go, just like last years stages 5 and 6, so he would have all his bullets to shoot on stage 7? You "media types" are all mamby-pamby on this subject. Grow some balls and say what you really think (I think you agree with me, just are afraid to say it).

[@eleycki]

You are so wrong. Sprinters are literally out the back in mountain stages, in the autobus. He wasn’t alone in stage 1 and the majority of the field didn’t finish in the peloton: Should they all go home? It’s like you have never watched cycling!

[@isitrachelorj3953]

@@eleycki no, just the ASTANA guys and Fabio. Cav did this twice last year, put in no effort whatsoever. Did a zone 2 groupride while the other sprinters put in an honest effort - and then got dropped. Why should any non-climber bother to ride with the peloton if they know that just staying with the celebrity participant guarantees they get to start the next day

[@petebenson5030]

Everybody participating is “gaming the system” to get the results they want. All that makes these grand tours fun to watch.

[@eleycki]

@@isitrachelorj3953 you don’t know what you are talking about I am afraid. The grupetto normally has all the sprinters in it. It’s part of cycling. The time cut varies. Try doing a 200km stage through high mountains and only dropping 20-30mins to pog!! Good luck

[@YelCan]

You are mistaken about the Tour de France. It is a business that sells the attention of its audience to advertisers. Sports, and its aide-de-camp Sportsmanship, are bit players. The performance that counts is at the box office.