Tour de France 2023 ***spoilers*** Warning in OP

Stage 14

This might be the most critical stage of the Tour.

The breakaway could have all the riders from 4th to 15th in it I think outside of those needed for the GC teams.

I was just thinking back to today's stage and Jumbo didn't do much while UAE did a whole lot. I'm thinking now that Jumbo rested riders and have a plan for today.

I think they'll take it up early and try and burn off as many UAE riders as they can, they have to be tired after all their efforts today.

Adam Yates will be crucial on this stage if Jumbo turn it up early. There's two cat 1's on this stage and you know Kuss will be there on the second one. Yates has to be there too.

There's a treacherous downhill finish to the stage and it's anyone's guess how that'll work out.

I can see UAE sending someone in the break, possibly Majka, and Jumbo will of course send WVA.

So I expect Jumbo to make the first cat 1 tough and then Kuss to really turn it up on the second one. If Yates is there he can play spoiler but if he's not then Jumbo have control and Pog has to sit on the wheel of Vingegaard as breaks will be hard to make with Kuss there willing to burn up all his energy to defy it.

If Vingegaard sees any cracks in Pog it'll make for a huge gap.

Having said all that I think Pog is back to his best and better than Vingegaard.

The Jumbo riders looked like they took the day off but Vingegaard couldn't and didn't. Vingegaard looked tired on the second rough day last week.

I'm predicting Yates is still there on the second cat 1 and spoils the well thought out plans of Jumbo.

I'll take Pog for the win and the yellow jersey.

I did this stage for l'Etape last sunday, they took the times at the top of the Joux Plane for safety reason,s as they didnt want people racing down the descent to Morzine. The descent is sketchy as hell, it is steep, bendy and the road surface is rough and patchy/inconsistent. Really surprised the are not doing the same for the pros.

There's pictures of all the previous tour winners (except one!) and KOM winners on Ramaz, here's one of our own:

The Joux Plane is easier at the top, the hard bits are at the bottom and middle, they'll need to attack lower down to try and get away from each other.

Theres two cat 1's, Ineos or anybody else haven't a hope of causing any issues for Jumbo. If Yates and Majka are in good shape they might be able to but only after Jumbo have burned a few matches.

If Jumbo decide to up the pace from the start of the first cat 1, and I believe they will, then it's a GC day.

They should shorten the stage then, it's scary in dry weather. We don't want to see riders having serious accidents. It's treacherous in wet weather.

Massive crash, race neutralised

They have to shorten the stage now. It'd be negligent to have that last decent.

Bardet crashes as well, road must be treacherous

Yeah, I felt that when thinking about yesterday. They are going to try and drain Pog and then Vingegaard will take off.

I don't think it'll work but it's about the best plan you could come up with.