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TDF STAGE 17 - THE LEAST LIKED RIDER IN THE PELETON

12:30·14 July 2021

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Carapaz refusing to take a turn was legal, but it burned goodwill he may need from future teammates and allies.
UAE's demolition job on Col du Portet shows a team riding partly to silence critics — team morale is a real race dynamic worth tracking.
Quick-Step weren't just babysitting Cavendish — they controlled breakaway size early to shrink the time gap and protect his cut.
Pogačar's KOM points are a quiet side mission: if sprinters and climbers get dropped, a GC leader collecting mountain points is free money.
When your domestique cracks before your protected rider, he has to dig even deeper just to stay useful — factor that into how you pace your own group rides.

Carapaz played a little game Ali used to call "rope - a - dope" today and it didn't win him any friends.

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KEY QUOTES

“If there's a big breakaway going up the road, quick step are closing it down very early to make sure the group that goes isn't too big. Because a group that goes and it's too big, they're going to get a large amount of time and large amount of time obviously means less favorable time cost for Cavendish.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

“It's tough, but we showed we have a strong team here. Nobody can say we're not strong. Sometimes you need to play the card and let the breakaway go, but today we showed it. We made a really hard tempo on the climbs and Tajé won.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

“Pogacha said in the finish there, he was asked about what Vinegar had said to him on the way up to climb and he said he didn't say much but he said to me talk carapas is bluffing I also knew he's unbluffing but it's not unusual this is attack again cycling.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT3 SECTIONS

Bastille Day and Cavendish's time cut

Salud, roadmen! Se la jour di la bastille! Commence la intro doxion! The big question is this. How do we use cycling as a tool to improve our health, our happiness and our longevity? That is the question. This podcast will give you the answers. My name is Anthony Walsh and welcome to the roadman podcast. Roman, welcome back to another Roman Cycling Tour de France podcast. Little bit of French there to start. One year getting my haul open and whipped in French races. Stull to me, I can ask for a coffee. I can ask what way is home. I can say hold the wheel and I can all variety of course words. And now apparently I can do the introduction to the Roman podcast in French in case you didn't catch that, it is Bastille Day and welcome to the Roman podcast. It's stage 17, 178 testing kilometres today from Muray to call the port. It was an exciting stage for the change on this year's Tour de France and we had some racing all the way to the finish. If you're not aware Bastille Day, it's the annual French stick a man in the break day. The French find insane levels of motivation on Bastille Day and they went close today as we're going to get into in a second. Also we're going to get into Carapaz, the snake. He's a man who makes enemies very easily and today he compounded his reputation on this podcast as one of the least likeable lads in the palaton. The Call of the Port Day is a difficult finish and it's a difficult because it's a long 16-17 kilometer climb but also we're hitting nice altitude here in the Pyrenees, we're in the toward week of the race and it's the highest finish in this year's Tour de France. When you merge all those factors together you can be pretty much guaranteed there's going to be fireworks at the end of today's stage and there was. But before we get into unpacking the final climb, let's rewind to the start because Mark Mark Cavendish made the time cut again today. Chappal Mark Cavendish. But what you'll notice the quick step are doing ingeniously is they're not just hoping that Mark Cavendish makes the time cut and they're not just sticking men with Cavendish to make the time cut. They're getting involved in the early stages of the race. They're deciding how big today's breakaway is. If there's a big breakaway going up the road, quick step are closing it down very early to make sure the group that goes isn't too big. Because a group that goes and it's too big, they're going to get a large amount of time and large amount of time obviously means less favorable time cost for Cavendish. So before Cavendish even pulls the parachute and gets dropped out of Maine Peloton, his teammates are working to make sure the composition of that breakaway is right and it's a small little group and they've done that brilliantly today and at the front of the race coming on to the you know the decisive part of the climb today we had two French on National French in the break day we had Perez and Godon from Kofidis and Francis de Jour, no sorry Aasjidou's there, then Perez clearly is stronger to win solo and honestly every neutral cyclone fan around the world must have been rooting for Perez if you weren't you've just no heart because it's 2008 cast your mind all the way back to 2008 and Sylvain Chavnall that's the last stage to cope with this one. 2008 is a long time ago folks but it wasn't to be because UAE were intent. I think their intent today I think was two-fold. Possibly even three-fold but I've just targeted the toward fault now. I think they wanted to put the demonstration down that the team is strong because they've been getting a lot of criticism about the team. I think they wanted to take the stage because they didn't want Pagacha to win a tour or would would only win the time trial. The great riders win on the hard stages. They want the Dafro Pogacha. And toward Lee, which I just thought of, Pogacha is edging into the King of the Mountains race. Walt Powers was dropped today, Mike Woods was dropped today, Pogacha wins the stage for an extra 20 points. He's right there now in the King of the Mountains race. So, all those coming together, they were very, very motivated. And we've seen Moica at the finish today and Moica is a quote from Moica on the criticism of UAE.

Carapaz refuses to pull

He said, it's tough, but we showed we have a strong team here. Nobody can say we're not strong, Moica Grins. Sometimes you need to play the card and let the breakaway go, but today we showed it. We made a really hard tempo on the climbs and Tajé won. Moica, that criticism was getting to the lads and they were strong. Like they were really, really strong. They shred the bunch apart. And some of the big riders just completely caved. like we've seen. One guy I felt bad for today was Hijita from EF because UAE said this crazy pace. They brought Black Perez and broke the French hearts. Then movie star, Enric Mas got dropped, Luchenko from Astana got dropped, Volpeld got dropped, Guillaume Martang got dropped, Pogacha gives a little increase and now Eurang gets popped. So Hijita, who's been working all day to help Iran and he's dropped before Iran, finds himself riding back up to Iran and having to ride all the way to the summit. I felt for Hakeeta and it's a miserable position to be in. I found myself in that once or twice before and it's not noisy. You think your day is over, you've given everything and then you're asked to give some more really difficult. The only people that could follow Pogacho and his teammates eventually pulled off and Pogacho was left and accelerated. The only people who could follow were JV, Jonas Vin the guard, and Richard Carapas. So Richard Carapas decided to play this game of as Ali would call against Forman, rope it up. And he did not do one single turn all the way up the climb. He shamelessly didn't share the pace and I actually don't have a problem with this because this is part of the game in Sausal. It's part of the theatre, it's part of the pretend that I think it's just that it's Carapas and I already don't like Carapas and Jonas Vindigard, I'm just going to call him JV because it's cooler. JV seems like a really nice humble kid, you know he was walking slinging fish for a fish trawlers and ice packing place only a couple of years ago and now he's second in the Tour de France. I like him, I really like him and I don't like Carapas after the stories about him sliding the movie star saying he'd stay and he'd already signed for any else. He came across like a prick in the Netflix documentary. I don't like Carapas. And again today, he just, there's nothing to build him. He's no, there's a way of doing that. And he's no class about him. He's no pro-Aide. He's no, there's no honour or dignity to him. And I just don't like him. And I take a lot of cycling fans today, just don't like him. I know that's part of the game and it's how we do it. But there's something just very unlikable about the way he done it. Pogacha said in the finish there, he was asked about what Vinegar had said to him on the way up to climb and he said he didn't say much but he said to me talk carapas is bluffing I also knew he's unbluffing but it's not unusual this is attack again cycling but then he tried to attack when he attacked he dropped the kindergarten and honestly it's this tour de France I have him in that anime at bar the Marques van de Stuff because that's got me super pumped but when vinder guard got dropped when carapas went on the attack I was like he's gonna lose his place in GC now to carapas this is horrible and I was just praying and Taji wouldn't come through and do a turn. And he didn't. And in the end, Yona's JV clawed his way back up to the back wheel of Carapaz and Pogacha. Pogacha opened up for his sprint, took the win. JV took second with Carapaz, the snake coming in toward. And David Godot, actually notable. I don't know where he got on his first floor, but he got a notable ride for Francis Tushua. He looks and began stronger as the race went on. He attacked the your aunt group from behind and he was yo-yone and at one point I hardly might get back up to the three leaders but he is going well he was someone I called out at the start of the race and probably that's why I mentioned I'm now to try and justify some of my weak calls in case I ever do an edited version and I go back and go oh there you go I made some decent calls because I think I called Grand Thomas, Pogacha and Rodle, Chester Pauldium and obviously we know it hasn't gone particularly to plan.

300 episodes and Patreon thanks

It was a very exciting stage, it really was. And oh, before I wrap up there, I just noticed yesterday when I was editing the podcast, yesterday was episode 300 of the Old Man podcast. An amazing milestone. And I remember like episode one hooking up the microphone and trying to figure out how to distribute the podcast to all you guys, how to edit this. It's just, you know, time flies, it really does. It can't believe it's episode 300. that I put this podcast out from Columbia, from Jerome, from all parts of Ireland, from after races, hotel car parks, literally been going out with my girlfriend for dinner and trying to edit a podcast under the table. Like before the dinner got served, it's been a journey getting this podcast out to you in such a consistent fashion. But thanks for everyone for supporting and then please do continue to support the podcast. We're just getting started with the podcast. We've amazing plans for the next 12 months, including taking on our first full-time staffer in the next month, which is amazing news. So we're gonna go from strength to strength, so please continue to support it. And the way you can do that, it's over on Patreon. It's patreon.com forward slash Anthony underscore Walsh. The link is always in the boil. It's a model of soundness we're calling this thing where if you're enjoying the podcast, if you'd see me in town, if you'd be willing to buy me a point of beer on Anoyo, to say, here, have a beer, I'm enjoying the podcast, getting a bit of value out of it, getting a laugh, learning a bit about the tour, there's a beer. You can do that over on Patreon. Please, if you're on the fence and you're tinking about it, do head over there because it makes such a difference and I know that I often listen to these things. I'll get around to it, but just take this opportunity to press pause, go across there and get it done because it makes such a difference. Over on Instagram as well, you can drop me a follow. I've got some big plans for this weekend, actually, I'll let you know them tomorrow so you can follow that over on Instagram. which will be a bit of a laugh, a boig packing, two day adventure, it will be revealed tomorrow, but you can follow all that for our on roadman.cycling on Instagram. So before I wrap up, let's give it a GC, Tajepo Gacha, he's still undefeated. He's the champion elected at the moment with JV at 5.39, the snake at 5.43, Rigoberto runs the big loser today, he's back at 7.17, All we seem to come up right at some point in the ground, or Ben O'Connor, what are the ladies doing? In 734, tomorrow we're heading to stage eight, Dan, it's the final tough day in the mountains. And we're featuring two of the most famous climbs in the Pyrenees, it's the call of the tourmalet, and then we're heading up to the famous ski station, where Lance Armstrong was famously almost defeated by a shopping bag at Luz-Ardie Dan. We're starting out tomorrow, it's 129.7 kilometers, starting in Paul and finishing it in lose Artydene, roadman until then, ride safe and I'm gonna chat to you then. Hey everybody it's Anthony again, really quick I want to invite you to join Artydene arguably the best thing I've ever put out inside the roadman community. It's a challenge, it's a challenge called a 14 day kickstart challenge. So regardless of where your fitness is at right now, this is going to be the catalyst for making you faster and making you leaner. I've created this challenge to take the guesswork out of everything. It's 14 days of training plans regardless of what your level is. There's the master's beginner advanced, there's meal plans shopping list and even a video course holding your hand and talking you true at all. So what I recommend you do right now is just stop everything, press pause on this audio and go to roadmansoycling.com forward slash 14 day or check out the link in the bio that roadmancycling.com slash 14 day

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who won Tour de France Stage 17 2023?+

Tadej Pogačar won Stage 17 of the 2023 Tour de France, the 178km mountain stage from Muret to Col du Portet. Jonas Vingegaard finished second and Richard Carapaz came third. UAE Team Emirates controlled the final climb to set up Pogačar's victory.

Why did Richard Carapaz get booed at Tour de France 2023?+

Carapaz refused to take a single turn on the front during the final climb of Stage 17, sitting on the wheels of Pogačar and Vingegaard without contributing any work. This tactic drew widespread criticism from fans and commentators, earning him the reputation of least liked rider in the peloton that day. Anthony Walsh covers the controversy in detail in this episode.

What is rope a dope tactics in cycling?+

Rope a dope in cycling refers to a rider conserving energy by sitting on rivals' wheels and refusing to share the workload, forcing others to burn matches while contributing nothing. The tactic is borrowed from Muhammad Ali's boxing strategy of letting an opponent exhaust themselves. Carapaz used this approach on the Col du Portet climb during Stage 17 of the 2023 Tour de France.

Did Quick-Step help Mark Cavendish make the time cut at Tour de France 2023?+

Yes. Quick-Step worked early in Stage 17 to influence the breakaway composition, ensuring the gap to the peloton stayed manageable enough for Cavendish to survive the time cut on the mountain stage. Anthony Walsh highlights this as a strong piece of tactical riding from the team given how difficult the Col du Portet finish was for sprinters.

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KEY QUOTES

“If there's a big breakaway going up the road, quick step are closing it down very early to make sure the group that goes isn't too big. Because a group that goes and it's too big, they're going to get a large amount of time and large amount of time obviously means less favorable time cost for Cavendish.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

“It's tough, but we showed we have a strong team here. Nobody can say we're not strong. Sometimes you need to play the card and let the breakaway go, but today we showed it. We made a really hard tempo on the climbs and Tajé won.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

“Pogacha said in the finish there, he was asked about what Vinegar had said to him on the way up to climb and he said he didn't say much but he said to me talk carapas is bluffing I also knew he's unbluffing but it's not unusual this is attack again cycling.”
Anthony Walsh — Roadman Cycling podcast host

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who won Tour de France Stage 17 2023?+

Why did Richard Carapaz get booed at Tour de France 2023?+

What is rope a dope tactics in cycling?+

Did Quick-Step help Mark Cavendish make the time cut at Tour de France 2023?+

TDF STAGE 17 - THE LEAST LIKED RIDER IN THE PELETON

KEY QUOTES

Bastille Day and Cavendish's time cut

Carapaz refuses to pull

300 episodes and Patreon thanks

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

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LIKED THIS EPISODE?

TDF STAGE 17 - THE LEAST LIKED RIDER IN THE PELETON

KEY QUOTES

Bastille Day and Cavendish's time cut

Carapaz refuses to pull

300 episodes and Patreon thanks

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

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TDF STAGE 7 - A LESSON FOR EVERY BIKE RIDER

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LIKED THIS EPISODE?

TDF STAGE 17 - THE LEAST LIKED RIDER IN THE PELETON

KEY QUOTES

1.Bastille Day and Cavendish's time cut

2.Carapaz refuses to pull

3.300 episodes and Patreon thanks

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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TDF STAGE 7 - A LESSON FOR EVERY BIKE RIDER

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LIKED THIS EPISODE?

TDF STAGE 17 - THE LEAST LIKED RIDER IN THE PELETON

KEY QUOTES

1.Bastille Day and Cavendish's time cut

2.Carapaz refuses to pull

3.300 episodes and Patreon thanks

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

NEVER MISS AN EPISODE

READ THE GUIDE

RELATED EPISODES

TDF STAGE 7 - A LESSON FOR EVERY BIKE RIDER

DOPED RIDER WENT UNDERCOVER TO EXPOSE DOPING | RIDER SUPPORT

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LIKED THIS EPISODE?

Bastille Day and Cavendish's time cut

Carapaz refuses to pull

300 episodes and Patreon thanks

Bastille Day and Cavendish's time cut

Carapaz refuses to pull

300 episodes and Patreon thanks