The BIG FOUR predictions at Tour de France 2024 🇫🇷 | Rob, Orla & Adam EXTENDED | Eurosport Cycling

Eurosport Cycling’s Orla Chennaoui, Rob Hatch and Adam Blythe chat through their thoughts on the start of the Spring Classics season, and whether there’s too much money in cycling. PLUS – they give their thoughts on the cycling’s big four at the Tour de France in 2024.

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We’re talking after Milano s and we just a few minutes after it’s happened um let’s have a chat about what happened with that well it’s freshing onl the winner of course was Jasper philipson it was a sort of heart attack last 10 minutes or so I still can’t piece

Together what I’m and help me for what but I just think UAE messed up today I I really do think UAE messed up I think they took it on too early I think everyone knew they were going to attack everyone knew they were going to like

Light it up to say but I just think they took it way too early got stuck in to early by the time they got to to Chessa which is the ultimate bit for everyone and especially for UAE they have Riders Tim wellin and Del Toro moving up at top

From a kilometer had KI on the front trying to set the best Tempo we could for me I think if they’d have gone into that full team not going tap on the front or as little as possible gun in all guns blazing from there I think it

Might be a different story because there was points where on that chess it whistle down to like 20 Riders but then they eased off because delar went off the back and they had to SA Welling later on I think if that would have changed it would have changed the

Outcome but I say luckily for us it is luckily for us that that did happen what happened today because we got the final that happened I know and also I mean how can they make it hard if they’re not pushing on the font is the question and

They needed to make it really hard and rachar wanted it to be much harder than it actually was you’ve got to give full credit to everyone else as well and certainly the sprinters teams because for the first time since 2016 we had a Sprint winner Sprint one two um CL a

Sprinter well I do though I do and I I didn’t I deliberately didn’t say on air it was a Sprint finish because it’s not like a bu no I said it was a Sprint winner did I not did I don’t know I I tried not to but maybe I last okay but y

Phillipson of course he’s a sprinter of course he’s a Sprint he’s one of the fastest sprins I think he is but I for me he doesn’t quite he falls into just a bub h on who hang on who’s the who who then Malia Malia Malia yeah but this is the thing

But Malia can’t come second in Blue Bay but he that’s saying W’s a sprinter because W it’s not though it’s not because W can’t beat yasper he can’t and he not very often refere yeah but wild def catler fish all together oh we special sorry Rob y Philips was the best

Springer in the tour the France last year thank he was but also Peter S was the best Sprinter in the tour the France and he wasn’t a sprinter Sprint oh we’re getting lost here what a start this true no no 100% yasper philipsson is a sprinter he can also diversify with

Other things but he’s first and foremost a sprinter Michael Matthews is first and foremost a sprinter we had a Sprint one two he is a Michael Matthews is a sprinter who can also climb which makes them great in in Sprint finishes that aren’t flat Street Runnings to the line

But he’s a Michael Matthews is a sprinter what else is he a ruler puncher no he’s not yeah yet he’s not quite he’s not he’s not don’t forget that to of front stage one that climb real estate climb sprin his game of that but do you remember everybody surprised at that and

Everybody said wow that’s amazing for Michael Matthews because he’s usually a sprinter know Adam that side things changed that much now that Ries have to be able to do more and I think we said this in in the live broadcast there aren’t many I think you actually said we

Looked at the STS as how many top name big traditional sprinters not so many maybe one two or three and that wasn’t paying any sort of lack of respect to the likes of Phillips or even Coy res well they just missed out on this final

The way yeah I think the way we want that I’m thinking of he’s pure Sprinter so Sprinter and pure sprin like thinking like a chip or a Cavendish yeah like Cavendish Cavendish Caleb you are pure sprinters the ones who count really good over the climes you mean you know to

D no but what yeah the last punchy spr but this is a thing with cycling which is so beautiful and so complex to anybody coming to it for the first time is there are grads of Sprinter so you come to the sport for the first time you

Think okay maybe I can get it there are sprinters there are climbers there are time Fist and there are Grand Tour winners and then you get into it you think well yeah but but he’s that kind of a time trialist and and he’s that kind of a climber and maybe you know The

Punchy climbs and not quite so much the alpines and it’s it’s all Shades of Gray and whatever color you cheese and more more to but anyway anyway can we just say because we haven’t even said it yet we’ve sort of reversed into this what a bloody marvelous finale that was today

Genuinely I was saying to you every time every time we get to a t finale of Reus I genuinely think I hate this sport I hate what it does to me and I hate the feeling that I get so I have anxiety I’ve had it all my life this kind of a

Finish flares my anxiety and I I forget until I’m right in the middle of it and and it doesn’t matter to me I’m not I’m not with the rider I’m not part of a team I’m just a fan but watching it not knowing what’s about to happen especially when there’s so many

Different scenarios it could still play out over the Chessa over the podo and and the run into the line it’s like I think I can take it and it’s beautiful I thought that was a magnificent addition of Milano Lov it 10 well for those who haven’t really watched before milanoo

What 288 km isue usually a few kilm long call it three on longest race of a year and for of the day not much happen is especially Us in the commentary box trying to find ourselves talking about what we have for breakfast and coffee and yeah stuff we admire the senior as

It goes along and for those of you who stuck with us all day well done um at the end we expect those final fantastic 10 minutes on the P J descent maybe we could speculate that it could be an exciting final half bar with a Jessa and going back to your original

Analysis as UAE not quite working out for them that’s where it went wrong for them today they land had they to ride it they talked about riding it in less than 9 minutes yeah yeah yeah I think the record of the time the reference time that most sports direct useing was 9

Minutes 19 seconds with d a formal or having gone to the top really quick a few years ago and having had a group of about 20 Riders maybe still in the race today they were all set up to do that they started putting the pace on the Tre

The three Short Hills in the last 50 before you get there but when they got to the bottom they were sort of bullied out by other teams out the way that they took them I would say the first two kilometers of the Chessa to get sort of

Organized and even when they did that they didn’t have the six or seven riders that I think we were all imagining in our heads you know the night before this is how they going to ride it this is how they’re going to do it didn’t happen

Didn’t we expect them to do that though didn’t we expect to have the team to be able to do it against the teams that showed up and especially a trap that showed up you thought they could they could have but they just messed it up on

The cap I think the last capier with capera they got bullied out of it a little bit they rode over the top and then the lead into Chessa because they’d being riding so hard up the three Cappies they got on the most crucial bit let’s say leading into the Chessa and

They were just nowhere like um kovi eventually got to the front with Pacha about four 500 meters into the Chessa but it took wellin and Del Toro a good kilometer and a half to get up for him they be in mind they started in 30 or 40

So when K’s riding full gas these teammates are trying to get to them rather than just backing off and saying right they’re here now bang let’s go or even if they started at the front I think it have made a world a different but I just think they not overconfident

I think they wanted to make it hard but ultimately if you want to do the chessor as hard as possible do the chessor as hard as possible don’t do the other clients at a Tempo which is then going to affect the ultimate goal of doing the

Chessor as hard as possible so I just think after that as well they came into a situation 25 30 guys at the bottom and they had one guy well with Pacha if they had two or three teammates and hammer down all the way to the podo make it

Hard yes they’re sitting in the wheels but as they got there then everyone have just been there’s no chance for Recovery just sitting on that wheel full gas I just think that’s ultimately where they slipped up a little bit today I mean I wonder what’s going to be said in that

Team Boston at the team hotel after all of that because T said it was too easy you know it was an easy addition of the race for him which kind to laugh at stud I know 46 km per hour yeah absolutely mad 46.1 km it was wasn’t it the record

That stood what since 1990 in J she was the way I mean that says a lot but you know the fact that he wanted it even harder and could make it harder what does that say as well about their tactics and about the team support and

The team selection I don’t know but if it’s the fastest ever as you say and it still wasn’t hard and fast enough for him hard do wio yeah I I I think the original plan like to me the original plan if you put it down to okay execution yeah I just if

You look at um let’s say going into a mountain that’s six sevenk Longs and it’s like perfect of gatcha they will start at the bottom of the climb and M full gas rim to make it really hard they won’t start 13 14 15K before on the Flat

Road to think we’ll made this a little bit hard for everyone and then go they’ll just go right bottom of the clim bang today 134 15K out they started doing it already I just why you want to make it hard on One Singular clim why are you making it hard before which

You’re not properly going full gas you just hurting the legs a little bit they’ve already done to say okay they everyone’s going to be hurting so that’s my point well it was a climbing Centric team that was picked for them I just wonder if with the addition of the rulin

Though who’s capable of winning that fight for the bottom of the chess again and again this is what if you know who in the he battle who did they have in that team to do that now and there’s poet yeah Neil’s poet yeah good one yeah

Fair enough there you go there you go yeah I don’t know though I think it was it just turned into such an evenly matched race in the end you know and and at um sh bian we saw T Pacha going in that 80 kilm solo attack and we were

Wondering no disrespect to anyone else who was there but what would have happened if we’d had a mature there or um amads there even and we got to see that today and they were all incredibly well matched mature vundo the defending Champion the world champion he also couldn’t make the difference which is

Yeah I mean come on I white shorts and mullet we need to get to that in a bit but anyway did he not make the difference though because to finish off the story he went over the the podjo he made that big acceleration when bacho really attacked for the second time 200

Meters to go there’s one or two more seconds hesitation there a bet of wins doesn’t he yeah yeah yeah he made the difference to the ice cut but he could make the difference for himself is what I’m saying so actually when you look at we were looking at the top two we’re

Looking at Mato we’re looking at taddy and saying it’s all going to come down to those two but it didn’t and everyone else played a fantastic race as well to make sure that K dying to T finishing in third and match finishing intense they were still there obviously mat racing in

The end for y fiper but I just think that actually it turned into a very very well matched race in terms of strength in terms of form in terms of tactics in terms of teams which was an absolute Joy yeah I I agree with you I think that the

Outcome of the race as it went was like the perfect scenario for everyone watching at home with philipson especially as well it was just like the perfect race to watch so much happening I think I think the hardest thing for Pacha today was everyone knew what he

Was going to do and everyone was ready for it so there wasn’t a chance of something else there wasn’t a chance that anyone might try to do something else because what’s the point T pagach is going to attack on the podo soon as he hit that last little bit with a K to

Go the real steep kicker he will go guaranteed and that’s what he did he it last year as well so everyone is just going to base everything around that you know it’s getting that anything else that happens before it as long as I’m still there it doesn’t really matter get

To that point if I can go over it I can possibly win this race if he does it very clear so I think for everyone today and Patu especially it’s everyone knows you’re going to attack but he’s attacking against vandero he’s attacking against Michael Matthews he’s attacking

Against sprinters that all of them have a better acceleration than POG does what Po’s got is that sustained High power output for a minute two minutes and I think that’s the difference when pikacha can really make it when it’s really hard for a long time and then go

The way you attack today it’s flat well it’s not flat they go the Padre as a cover back C melons and it’s flat so you have a chance just to get 20 seconds of not recovery but right here we go it’s coming it’s coming it’s coming it’s just

Like waiting to get punched almost you can brace yourself for the punch and then it comes and everyone’s like right let’s go here we go this is it now so I just I don’t know if it’s a right tactic to for batcha maybe to go at that moment

Is the hardest point but think you with the Chessa really that that was the key but he said at the start of the day he was going to wait to the Poo yeah but but you know it hasn’t worked it hasn’t worked surely we got to have an attack

On the Chessa and a sustain proper one that’s that leaves no prisoners I think you could just tell out not easy it was not easy on the podo whatsoever the amount of guys coming to the top and backing up it’s the first time I’ve really seen it at the top of

The podr like that where why is back off and then someone’s a to go again up there it’s it’s not happened in years as long as I can remember back so I think it’s just that look around and going oh my God everyone’s still here what what

Do I do now and his last chance effort was to go once more and hope he stay around M down bit if you got Beast Vander pole first day of racing and mat and Pig and the D Hill so was there as well s commentary that would have been

The most surprising Saturday more winner Daniel also is getting very excited about that in studio wasn’t he very excited no no no well you had a wonderful day with Daniel o I know that we’ve had a wonderful day watching yasper Phillips a win Michael Matthews was second just in front of his

Good mate we traveled to the start with at April batch up they travel together your oh they got in a car together oh wasn’t it nice that explains why TDY was posing for pictures with Michael’s daughter and they were having a hug off the end I love that come doing the tour

To fronts together leave these to you and let’s go to our first ever gretto interview it’s the winner yasper philipson with Hanah Walker yasper Phillipson a first Monument to your palmes Milano Sano talk me through your emotions now and and how that worked out it’s difficult to

Describe I think I have to uh thank my TR pool a lot for what he did to me uh yeah without him would wouldn’t be possible I was just really happy with how how I felt and then yeah I had the feeling has for me m today this has

Always been known as a a sprinter’s classic a sprinter’s monument and over the years it’s changed we’ve seen solo breakaways and it’s really been one that suited and favored the climbers you’ve just proven that the sprinters can win here in Milano sunmo I know it was

Possible but uh yeah it’s only one shot uh out of a lot of chances so I’m really happy everything falls into place and that the race unfolds uh my way and I’m super happy talk me through those attacks on the podo Tad Patu with 6.5 km two big big stinging attacks and you

Were still there talk me through that moment yeah I was really happy that uh yeah the TS were on but they were looking a little bit at each other at one point and I was able to come back so I I dropped a little bit he couldn’t uh

Match the attacks but uh yeah they look a little bit at each other and I was able to uh yeah be there again at what point did you and matchu speak to each other because we saw him do that big pull to bring mic back pitcock also

Saero at what point did you make that discussion to go all in for yourself yeah let M knew I was there uh yeah that he that he had to uh yeah let nobody ride away or he would be riding solo away but yeah I think we feel each

Other well um and of course it was also a gamble for him but um I’m really proud we could manage to do this as a team so that’s the first Monument done we’ve got a Belgium winner let’s go back towards the start of the season now because

Obviously this is our first episode the first group the first time we’re out the back this is not the first time sorry this is not the first time I’ve been out the backou and I managed at least to make the final group today so for us

It’s the first time look and all she’s even got her slippers on she’s done it without her Arrow Shoes look at the state she’s ready for the jeto as well did I’ve got my I’ve got my good old my pink my pink socks on yeah yeah yeah my

Brave socks I was actually going to comment on your um shirt I didn’t realize until a moment ago the hood was attached this is this is lovely it was for sure no no I just no I thought there was a hood coming out I thought it was a

Shirt with a hood underneath I’m not that sophisticated I love it I really like it very nice anyway anyway and Adam love it yeah next titling yes rewind back to the opening weekend in Belgium and we had somebody turning up for the opening weekend who’d never been there

Before and you think of her palmeres Richie apart from maybe mer is unrivaled Mariana Force I’m talking about she only turned up to the first race of the Season won it in fantastic style and again after the doubt to the latest layoff you’re thinking oh is that it for

For a cycling sort of caught up with her now s day works dominating and by the way I think it’s 11 race wins this year Michael producer is that right yeah 11 he’s looking he’s notd in his head by the way Michael I know he’s not on

Camera he’s got sort of Antonio Morgado mustache thing going on it’s a good Tash I like it he’s going to be finishing fifth in a second division Belgian classic Victor Camp art stash it is isn’t it actually it’s a good old Victor Victor he can’t say anything which is

Great makes a nice change yeah anyway so back to Belgium back to the opening weekend and Mariana V I mean what is there left to say about has been said already because she’s still right up there at the top despite the keki and people like dominating things elsewhere

That’s a thing about her actually that I that I love and we’ve talked about this on air a lot her love for winning her appetite for winning the celebration that she gives as she crosses the line is magnificent but she won in an era okay the predecessor to estd works also

I mean they’ve be been the dominant team in women’s racing since forever um but the way they are winning right now often makes them appear unbeatable and sometimes they are frankly unbeatable so what Marian does as if more impressive because we talk about the psychology of winning and the psychology of racing to

Be able to believe that you can still not single-handedly she now has an incredibly strong team around her but nonetheless to be able to take a race like that into your own hands to take SD works on on her terms is what makes her so impressive because SD Works already

Going into opening weekend had dominated the UAE women’s tour and we were already sort of scratching our heads and thinking how do we make this really interesting I mean it’s no disrespect to SD works it’s full respect to them but it doesn’t become the most dynamic storyline if they continue to win and

Then just when we needed it opening weekend news and she comes takes the win absolutely storming stuff and we’ve written her off before we’ve said before that’s it she’s had her time and even then we were saying goat and that’s you know wonderful and nicer time maybe that

It’s caught up with her and she comes back and now she’s winning again and again and you know after as well taking wins at the a win at the first ever trade of France fam she’s taking off the things that are great should be tiing

Off you I I just think with her she she started back in the era like when Nicole cook was around that like Beijing Olympics 2008 she did the road race I think she was second there and I think if you go back all the way there successful then and still successful now

With a lot of that with a lot of ups and downs and that’s for me it’s not the race wins that makes her the go it’s the way that she can still perform at the way she does yes okay if you look at it greatest of all time on paper yeah men’s

And women’s like flat out the greatest of all time by a long margin but it’s the way she’s able to race when she first started win bike races win for five or six years consistently then start to really struggle with other riders coming through being challenged a

Lot more so it wasn’t that she stopped winning but winning became a lot harder for her and I think as the years have gone by it’s increasingly got harder and harder and harder and harder and then if you look at now before omu we were just

SD Works SD Works SD Works SD work we getting bored of it all most cuz it was just like we’re going to expect them to be racing each other she comes along Voss and it’s not if you get Voss in the condition she’s in it’s not just Voss is

There because she knows what she’s doing it is that but she’s got the legs to do it and if you put them two together it’s done like it’s done there’s like no matter how good keki was that day if she was 50 and 20% better than Voss and she

Could not drop her she’s still not going to be and and as you say it’s that length of time it’s not just the duration of time and how difficult it is to maintain that winning later in your career it’s how much woman cycling has changed since she

Started racing and winning if you look that she was well before you know the Women’s World Tour started in 2016 she’s winning in 2008 even since the inauguration of the Women’s World chair women’s racing has changed dramatically it is transformed almost as a sport in terms of the professionalization the teams that have

Risen to the top the training the knowledge the science everything around it has changed so much so for her to still be winning with all of that transformation she is absolutely historically exceptional yeah massively I think she bed on the track as well you know I think it was like

2007 she did the track but the track nowadays is rare well I say that K rewind she used to race the really good on that but yeah she’s multidisciplinary and she’s won across her multi disciplinary attempts and and she’s just amazing she’s amazing sh say it again

Amazing and also she still brings her cat everywhere her dad and the cat and her brother in the C they still travel in the camper yeah yeah yeah yeah isn’t that brilliant yeah is that yeah and her mom I’d be interested to know actually if you think or if anybody in the

Comments by the way wants to write and they’ve observed I’m sure foss’s career and the different eras of cycling has anybody seen as much change as Mar I’m not sure no probably not actually because even anim F flen who retired at the age of 40 she started racing later in her

Life um Mariana has been around a very long time I don’t think there is anyone who’s men women Li is the closest I’d say yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah you’re right yeah Liz di she’s probably the closest 20 she Beijing didn’t she no 2009 I think she started professionally so yeah

Probably not too far off but a little bit behind her not incredible incredible since then has been L of keki younger generation Estee Works who just cannot stop winning and it is so difficult if your for or any of the other teams you know even Canyon trama strong as well

They’ve got good Riders the niia D and people like that young Beck as well all sorts of top Riders and as you mentioned it’s a really competitive scene at the minute but at the very very top like we’ve seen with UAE and visma Lisa bike

Over in the see what I did there visma Lisa bike uh as we’ve seen and the men’s side it’s just that final step isn’t there and there is one or two teams one team really that’s just cleaning up at the minute yeah yeah and the thing is

The encouraging thing is that the other teams that you mention are there or thereabouts and I have talked a lot about Canyon Shram over the years and high frustrated I’ve been with them because I love the team I love the setup I love the the development of young

Talent I love the Riders I love everything about them and so I’ve been very frustrated that they haven’t been able to deliver on the winds and I think the last year in particular they’ve really taken a Step Beyond and that’s really encouraging Trek as well are a

Team that I have shouted about for a long time again really really professional a brilliant sense of teamwork within that Squad and again just really likable characters from back now yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah back from uh having her first child amazing so a few moms on that team so I think we’re

Not far off being able to break SE works as dominance but we’re not anywhere near there at the same time however if we get the rumors materializing and Damie varing maybe skipping Camp to UAE team Emer UAE adq um then that would change the Dynamics an awful lot I think I hope

That would be a lot of fun I think it would be a lot of fun but I think she struggled massively I really do think she struggled to win as many bik races does just because of the whole team set up the Riders around it everything with

It it’s like if you know like Chris F or whoever it was move teams have won the Tour of France won something like that they move teams F’s a different case though isn’t it because of the crash but just for roit or even phip Philips are today you know older talk last week

About maybe ah he’s putting himself up for sale he’s got Alex carera to to sort of negoti well my future might lie away if he looks at today and see what F did for him racing in that team it’s the same thing strength in numbers certainly in

Well here’s the thing SD Works don’t seem to be trying to keep dami do they you know they’ve already announced that L is staying until 2028 uh if they wanted to keep dami they would maybe be throwing a lot of eggs in her basket right now so maybe they’re

Happy enough for her to go yeah I’ve not heard this rumor mill about Phillipson where was he rumor to go I’m going to guess anywhere basically he was putting himself up for sale and saying you know I’m quite like where I am I’m doing rather well but let’s put the price up a

Bit do you know he’ fit quite well into UAE wouldn’t he you reck he was there already as well well yeah I think he’d fit quite well in there you think him and patcha are obviously very good friends yeah and I think they’ve not got that Sprinter yet patcha yes he’s he can

Win the Tour he can win these races but philipson would run a very different program until it got to the tour I think it’ be a huge mistake would they like a Sprinter for philipson yeah look at how much he has benefited from having mature doing his lead

I just don’t think he would have won or 2 million well yeah fine then if money’s talking then that’s absolutely a different ball game if you’re looking at winning though yeah I’m not talking about life choices you know is a life choice yeah yeah absolutely and I

Applaud anyone who does that and you know it’s a short career absolutely take everything he can but he’s not going to win the same without mat no I I agree completely agree he won’t win the same but he could earn a lot and still win for sure and I think that’s what it

Comes down to though they don’t yeah yeah yeah I think a lot of riders if they’re say if I don’t know Philip was on let’s say 500 Grand a year and then UAE offered him 600 Grand a year I’m sure he’d go I probably stay but if he’s

On let’s say he’s on I don’t know 1.5 million now and then UA he say we’ll give you two and a half million you like it’s a lot of thinking to do you really have to decide how much you love the sport and it this goes back to all bike

Riders right when they go oh I just love it I just love it do it for free like come on do it for free you don’t love it that much like everyone loves riding a bike but everyone grew up riding loving it Win It take the money away and see

How much everyone loves it yeah but that’s practicality as well isn’t it it’s life and you have families and you have you have to build a future if it was you you used to be a sprinter not really but sort of you were don’t do yourself a diservice if you were in that

Position and that luxuri position of you’ve just won Milan Sano mat of fpol could have ridden for himself world champion defending Champion but he’s worked for you since the Pod you he’s also put his backside on the line through the trade of France last year but you’re been offered double the money

By UAE what would you do depends how long I can’t put myself in his shoes but if I was him winning as much as he is I’d probably take the money and just think like you’re taking that money you will still get the chances like today in

Milan Sano if he’s there together with pagat at the top of there pagach might just say he’s there you know they’re good friends you have to remember that the good friends has that mutual respect between them pagat is built built he’s PID to win bike races but if you got a

Rider there who’s faster than you he might help him coming into the Tour of France we’ve never seen Pat there or thereabouts all the time you’d have a couple of riders to help him coming into a lead out and let’s face it all the Sprints everyone’s always coming through

So he will start to eventually win less it be a huge mistake for UAE to bring a split team to the T of France when they haven’t won it for the last two years wouldn’t it yeah but W is w I keep saying but this but this is the thing

Right yasper philipson is not W vanart yasper philipson cannot pull up a climb the way W vanar can it’s very true but I don’t think that UAE needs to pull as much I think they only need one or two climbers with I mean he’s won it without

That much team support before so yeah well let’s wait to see because I think it’s a pretty strong stacked team that Yi Emirates are going to send to the tour this year well on the subject of money quick recap back to start of February now Fe there hang minut yes

Please you take CS shut the coffe take [Laughter] cards that you can that’s a blur machine to the beat machine by the way while we’re at it where were we start the season in the school playground by the I think I know you are you said you are I think I think

Adam needs break time doesn’t he but we’ll carry on for now we’re going to have a break in a minute I do actually no I’m good I’m good sorry apologies not that sorry but carry we’re going to have a break in a minute whil we listen to a

Good old mate of yours because Philip jilber sent us a video from the Sano Finish Line talking about the very subject of money and it leads us to talking about the male dominance he’s got a lot he has got a lot of cash sorry he’s got

A lot of it is that why you’re such friends with him no of course it’s not God how do you keep this lot in check it’s amazing you see new fan respect for all he thought I was rubbish before let’s gone here from Philip jilber

Talking to us from Sano hi Rob I’m here in Milan Sano we onite with the guys and we’ve been talking about uh some issues in cycling and uh I think like uh for the fair play um it’s not always Eagle uh about the number of stickers and the

Vehicles the teams have so I have a personal experience in 21 in the tour like it was a heat protocol on and uh the the organizers uh decided to give more stickers to the teams and we received also stickers but we didn’t have uh personal and and cars able to to

Drive to the tour so we were like uh with the same amount of of cars and help and some other teams got like up to 16 cars and they plan to have a every 20 minute service on every climb so get got uh every 20 minutes ice water drinks service everything so it

Makes a huge difference and I don’t think it’s like Fair because you give even more power to the richest team and it’s make a big difference uh between the eality of cycling so maybe it’s uh interesting to speak about it uh in the podcast and uh and go more in details

About it we’ve been listening to Philip Jil there talking about money as far as he’s concern maybe some teams having too much of it and so far this season want to talk Phil you can respond to that he’s taking the trouble to get in touch with

Us for our big debut and you treat him like complaining about salary caps were you sunshine serious for a minute serious for a minute he he was talking about salary cap may be there in a roundabout way he’s obviously talking about certain teams the teams that have dominated so

Far this year in men’s cycling vimma Lisa bike and UA Emirates having that little bit of extra budget to have extra people to fuel on the course and we all know how important fueling is it’s the buzzword isn’t it of professional cycling at the minute what’s your

Reaction to that I know let’s say off camera before they started talking about egg chasing by the way there was uh quite a bit of reaction to it Adam loves rugby by the way yeah we got sideline do you know what no I’m not even going to

Go into it it’s going to spark a rugby chat I just don’t want to have this rugby chat right now all is boogered across off to rugby and it’s all she keeps trapping on about whenever she’s got a free minute it’s rugby L I’ve mentioned rugby like once twice today

Twice a minute it’s the last day of the SE third time now third time now Adam Adam gets possessive now he’s like you don’t belong over in rugby you belong over here yeah you do belong in CCL all right that stuff I’ll take that that’s nice thank you but anyway how much money

Belongs in cycling okay can I jump my so box here because at full respect yeah might get Dusty full respect to Philipe everything he knows about this sport I cannot claim to have a fraction of his knowledge or his experience obviously however we go however I’m just not on board with

Talking about salary caps capping the sport we need to talk about investment about growing the sport about making it bigger yes maybe sharing the money around but not by teams who enjoy a larger budget sharing it out finding different ways for the smaller teams to come through and get more investment and

That’s all about restructure team structure in the finance structure but if we’re talking about capping anything I feel like we’re so Naval gazing sometimes in this sport whereby we see our pie and we see the slice of the pie and I remember chairing this debate once

At the UCI which was like an open floor debate with all the main race organizers and all the main team bosses and sports directors and essentially this discussion was supposed to be about how we grow the sport and whether there’s a streamlining of the calendar and making

It more Gen X friendly whatever and I was stunned by the reaction from almost everybody in that room who was more concerned about keeping their slice of the pie rather than making the pie bigger I was wondering that was coming but it absolutely drives me insane we

Need to step outside of this sport we need to see it in a global sporting context in a global business context and realize there is so much more that we need to be doing to grow it not to contain it when people started talking about the rumor about dami varing being

Offered one million EUR to go to UAE and all of a sudden straight away it’s yeah but is that good for women cycling does that trickle down to the Grassroots come on if we’ve got one of the best riders in the world getting a blinking good

Salary for her career then we get proper talent coming through and seeing this is a viable alternative to foot footb or American football whatever it might be and actually investing and growing in this sport if we’re talking about salary caps in a sport that struggles for

Finance or budget caps and and just one last thing sorry but what the third team that we didn’t mention in the big budget teams is any US grenadiers money is not a guarantee of doing well so what are we going to say your budget is Cap if

You’re successful will let you keep the budget because you’re not winning quite so much it doesn’t make sense to me I I’m not a fan at all we need to grow the sport not and just before we come to Adam just to put some context there Vis

Malisa bike and UA Emirates have been you know hoovering up the winds P ban earlier on you’ve had success for M today but of course to refer to what you’re talking about inos they’ve had a very poor start whereas Vis M Lisa bike have turned up got that right again

Richard and they’ve uh they’ve had yon Vago absolutely ripping things up inos of course with the budget they have probably underperformed again you know we’re not being nasty here let’s give them the course of the season to perform but do you have as an ex Rider A Bit of

Sympathy for for Philip there because of course if you’re on a lower budget team you know you’re not going to get the the same drink and food stops as everybody else as I mean you know we’re we’re on a different kind of show I’m going to give

My personal opinion for once don’t do that I’m with you you know I think that we should is there any sympathy there as an ex Rider position we’ve not been in for Phil there is it’s it’s not just for Phil it’s for the riders that are doing

The job so what Phils there complaining about is ultimately the UCI ASO whatever race it was are giving out car stickers so you’ve got the car stickers for it in each race and you get a number of stickers so in each I don’t know how many teams credited Vehicles belonging

To your team credit vehicles that means you’re allowed to drive on the course you’re allowed to stop at certain points with a sticker on your car in extreme weather heat protocol you get to the point where you need more fluid on board you need more drinks everyone can

Provide more drinks more fluid what Phil was saying is they give out so many stickers to all the team let’s say 10 each six each that not each team has got that amount of cars that is um it helps them perform but if in that race

Situation I think for the the UCI ASO they need to say right how many cars has everyone got just go and ask the general manager whoever it is quick email around the teams let us know if you want to give out stickers but we don’t want to

Give teams an extra Advantage if you’re looking on the day an advantage of being cool keeping the Riders you know keeping them fresh for more safety than anything heat protocol I think that should be fair enough across all boards but it comes into them performance but is

Phil’s not complain about salary cap and he’s not complain about how much budget the teams have all got because ultimately the budget is going to training camps they going into extra equipment this that and the other yes it makes a difference but the biggest difference in cycling as it’s always

Been is riding your bike training as hard as you can be you might not have this heat protocol stuff but if you ride your bike enough and train harder than anyone else you’re going to be a lot better so the heat protocol everything like that what Phil was talking about I

Think they should you know just check how many teams who have what to make it as Fair as he can the rest of it yeah okay salar’s come into it not being able to go to training camps he might not be able to afford it the team then the

Rider might not be able to afford it because the salary is on but that’s the goal right to get better and also there I I think the question of fairness life’s not fair Elite Sport isn’t fair I wanted to be an elite athlete as a kid I

Wasn’t good enough is that unfair no it’s just the card I was dealt I’m not compl about it a lot I do and I’m still very competitive but you know what I mean like I’m never going to be a basketballer I wasn’t born with a height that’s not unfairness it’s just the

Lottery of life as well obviously this is slightly different but I think I’m very fair minded and I teach my kids to be very fair-minded but I think we assume a natural order of fairness in the world where it doesn’t exist I think that’s the thing like they’ve they’ve kept theate in this

Situation they’ve kep the amount of cars you can have on a normal day but then theyve taken the cap off to make it fair for everyone they’ve given the same amount of cars for everyone and then they’ve just lifted the cap so it’s like here’s one rule oh there’s another rule

Coming so we’re not going to make any rules on it so it doesn’t make sense in a kind of way and I think that’s why Phil’s saying it’s unfair which I I do agree with the cap of number of cars in the first place cap him another time for

How many you can have in but the the rest of it God Almighty throw money at this sport because it deserves it I was saying as well V Malisa bik we have to congratulate them for the way they’ve spent the money UA as well the results they’ve achieved and the reason I

Mentioned Vima Lisa bik there is because Mato jensson is probably the best example is the guy that was very vocal about it last year at Ma star and and I think he afterwards felt a little bad about having been so honest because his old team got a lot of stick when you

Know perhaps they just didn’t have the resources to do the same thing this is the thing right and again like you said life’s not fair you just got to get on with it and get that investment jensson got on with it at Ma star he got himself

A top 10 in pin he went to the team a deal with the team that’s yeah and he they got him he got himself at P this year into the Winner’s position after having been sent to tened to to mon all expenses paid they looked after him whereas last year he was doing

His own training camps and things like that so that is the best example of spending that money properly and yeah thanks for getting in touch Phil contrary to that though Valverde how long was he on the top of his game for in moar a team with that lower budget he

Was still able to perform like that I think it’s just times have changed with Trading everything like that obviously but just because you’re in a lower budget team if you go into a bigger budget team it’s not it’s not magic it’s just different it’s just more investment

Into more money spent but Valverde you know he didn’t he went on his own training camps all that like Jorgenson did but he just got on with riding his bike and worked what worked for him yeah but and again alerson they’re they’re a classic example a few years ago they

Were a minnow in the pelaton you know there were the also RS and then mature starts to win and we’re all saying well it’s the mature winning machine and it’s not it’s spread all the way across the team and they’ve got nowhere near the budget that the top guys do and yet

They’re beating the very best in the world with their number two option today right let’s move on to the very best in the world because all this year there’s been the talk of the big four going to the Tour of France how are they getting on we’ve had Remco evapo starting like a

House on fire winning in figa the F he then won in the algar he was pretty good in pahin you’d have to say maybe the team could have been a little better and there’s also the the the team time Tri with the weather affected stuff that affected the race as well Primo RIT

Didn’t ride until pinis top 10 but no better than that which is a strange result for Primo wor he had in years in a one week straight stage R yeah yonas vgo went to Grand Camino and you know he W the entire Camino himself I think didn’t he he won

All three main stages apart from the the neutralized prologue which didn’t really count uh don’t say that to the winner of course didn’t count for the general classification and who else we’ve got ah yes T pogacha who has raced twice one once and ended up on the podium once as

Well um how are they all getting on Tad’s doing all right let’s let’s put it like that he’s doing all right I think if we’re looking at the grand Tours tour to France I’m not getting overly excited about Tad going for the overall I’ll think he’ll go for it but I think Tad

Will go in just to win win win not really lose his time he’ll just fight to lose time is because of the jro before that he’s doing or is that just going to be I think I think that as well but also the the way that he’s been the last

Couple of years that step to yonas is still quite a big step and it’s not a big step which is unachievable but it’s a step back where he has to take his foot off the gas a lot in terms of the way that he rides the way that he

Adjusts himself to the bike so I think jro full gas try and win it you’ve got two out of the three grand Tours there and I think when he goes to the tour he’ll put himself in a position to to go for the overall Victory but I just think

If he loses a bit of time he’s not going to be upset about it cuz he’ll just go every Mountain days every chance he get win win win win win but also with that for me that brings in is he going for the overall is he not going for the

Overall because you can’t let him out your SES and that draws Remco out that draws prus out hard for him to lose time as well exactly until even well until unless he drops completely away and then you look at the rest of the team with Alid with other people riding as well um

So mly strong team that they’re planning to send and I do wonder about the pressure that will come from the sponsors because it’s all very well to win Strat bian with an 80 kilometer solo nothing compares to winning the tour to France and I think really in terms of

Bang for buck you want your lad winning the Tour of France for the third time and finally bettering your Nas fero and getting the better of Vis Malisa bike again I just think no matter what else happens for them that has got to be the most important objective I’d say yes but

At the same time if Tad wins the jro massive tick and a tick for the sponsors if he comes to the toour of France and just says look I’m going to see how it goes I want to be up there but I’m going to try and win as many stages I can

Let’s say that that guy could get five stages stages maybe don’t you think that would have to be his objective from the beginning no no he can’t wi at all that way CU that’s what no no no no to go for stages and give up the GC right from the

Very very beginning and say actually this is going to be my strategy because the problem is if he goes for for the GC from the start you’ve already run out of half of the tour to France’s options of winning a stage for example if you look

At last year and he was well beaten in the end but we’re looking at well into week two I mean when did he drop out of contention in the third week third week and so by then you do you’ve got to race that far to know whether or not you’re

Going to win the trade of France when you know you’re not going to and by some margin you don’t have very many chances left to win a stage so it’s a that’s a really risky gamble I think he’ll just try stage stage is to try and win as

Many as he can along the way and if he sees the opportunity I don’t think he’ll drop back to lose time I just think he’ll get to that point where he’s classic tad just attacking it all hungrily yeah but I think last year he

Tried to calm it down a lot I’ve heard I forgot who I heard it from last oh I know I heard it from not the name Checker I don’t know if they want me to say that or not but he was saying in the tour a couple of years last year there

Was a lot of arguing and you could hear it verbally between Tad Rafa in the team about what they should do should they go on the attack not go on on the road and other teams could hear it and if you hear that you’re like they are not

Settled whatsoever so I think Tad by the sounds of it he wants to race like a looney he wants to race like we see Tad now just going for it all the time and that’s what I’m excited about him going to the Tour of France for and with him

Racing like that as you I can see the time cut approaching for us here in the gretto so if we’re going to make loads of time let’s be quick got team car coming he’s the expert at calculating time C Rob thank you very much see it

The big numbers on the board there were approaching the even the P Ro glitch fer go very quick from you all vinga go for the win for the tour yeah vinga go for the win I think R glitch for second partly because of what we’re saying and

And the jro is going to be one if all things been equal I think T will win the jro and that will take so much out of him I think it would be abnormal to be able to be in contention for the two to Frans so I think yunas Primos

And I don’t know if Remco will finish I think y ask pre um y as Remco Primus dnf really go to the Welter again and Tad maybe third someone else I’m not too sure but yeah I think Remco and Yas will be the top two for me wow well thank you

Adam BL thank you all shoi when are we going to next year on The Breakaway tour of flers the the what was that tour the flers what was that the tour of flers I think that’s but classic season is approaching then classic season is approaching before them we’ve got the edri haral

Becker on Friday we’re commentating on that aren’t we we’re commentating on that together check your schedules around the world for when that is on of course you can follow our Euros sport cycling account on social media that will tell you all the details of where

And when you need to watch K Wes after that dander then donov ofer that’s the next Breakaway and of course we’ll be back next week in the G pedor these two will probably be off winning stages so somebody else will be joining me for now

Though from me thanks a lot at life like share subscribe we’ll see you next time beautiful man lovely that was really One Clap