Tour de France Contenders Face Final Tests! | The Gruppetto

The last of the Tour de France warm-up races are over, who have been the top performers, and who has work to do? Olympic Champion Dani Rowe joins Rob Hatch to chat final prep, the Olympics and more. Kate Mason also joins to share all from a massive weekend of Mountain Biking at the UCI World Cup in Val di Sole.

0:00 Intro
0:34 Tour de Suisse recap
4:58 Tour of Belgium recap
6:16 Tour of Slovenia recap
8:06 Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées recap
9:15 Dani Rowe on The Gruppetto
17:25 Racing at the London 2012 Olympics
19:23 An announcement 👀
20:25 Leading Tour de France contenders
24:07 Will Mark Cavendish break the Tour de France record?
26:02 MTB World Cup round up with Kate Mason

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[Music] well just two weeks to go foundations have been laid in chapter two of the tour to France warm-up races who’s going to be amongst the pantheon of riders though maybe having done the jot tour Double T Pacha hasn’t been racing this month but we’ve seen his Rials and this week his teammates as well it’s a packed gretto this week we have Danny row we have Kate Mason we’ve got mountain biking as well as tour to fr Olympics loads coming up so let’s get straight to it as I said loads are racing this week as many as four different stage races to cover so let’s get to it and head to Switzerland Farmer’s son Eve lart had the first to leaders jersey and he’d hold on to it for a second day as Brian Kar harvested the biggest victory of his Road career 24 hours later tones got the better of Stevie Williams in Buon and Alberto beol was the new leader stage four would be a day full of action drama and poignant emotion first of all race leader bettiol suffered some nasty abrasions Before the Race went up the gotab bass bahin Victoria’s ttin TR was away with a lead of over 2 minutes and he was looking good when Adam Yates attacked from the pelan of GC favorites nobody was initially able to go with him Skil mosa Bernal and alido were in the chasing group despite Yates looking brilliant and putting time into his rivals on the way to taking the yellow Jersey TR remains strong enough to emerge with the stage the first win of his career on the bike after an extremely difficult couple of years off it remember the Norwegian returned last season after having been diagnosed with cancer this mountain had also played an important role in the late genome only win at his home tour so how fitting it should be a year on from his tragic death that a member of his own team should ride for Gino and win for Gino Thursday saw Another Day Another Mountain Stage but a bad start for EF education easy post both beol and Olympic champion Richard kapaz were both unfit to start the Riders present took on three mountains with a summit finish at k in Italian speaking Switzerland seeing Yates extend his lead with a stage win this time his teammate Almeida finished second day six was shortened by the weather not just once but twice the end result was a 42 kilm stage yes just 42 km with a Mountaintop finish a rarity in professional cycling not a time trial this one I promise despite the interrupted route normal racing service continu continued as UA Emirates reversed their onew from the day before this time Jo Al MAA took the individual success Adam Yates played wingman although the British Rider remained in the overall lead more Deja V the weekend a third day in a row with UAE Emirates and their terrible tum at it again this time on a loop stage around UCI HQ in egler and ending up on high at neighboring V that a popular destination in recent years in Swiss racing not just at the too swis but also at the too H rols are reversed here it was yates’s turn to win the stage Al MAA finishing alongside him everyone was racing for themselves and against the clock on the eighth and final stage scale moza had set the fastest time in the time trial and had edged out baral for the final place on the GC Podium but with 31 seconds between them before the Moun TT test could ala overhaul his own teammate Yates for the overall win he certainly gave it a good go up at the time checks on the way up the hill but not by enough the Portuguese won the stage by 8 seconds in the end Yates holding on for the GC Victory what an incredible last four days of the race for UAE team Emirates four successive wins four onew finishes in a row utter domination as Adam Yates put his early season injury issues to the back of everyone’s mind and added another onewe stage race to his very impressive collection Z wmea finished at 22 seconds with Matia skelm moza at just over 3 minutes today Pacha holded up high at altitude and prepping would have been purring in his lair his own domestics teaching the competitional lesson two weeks before the start of the tour to France there was plenty more racing elsewhere this week with one of the oldest stage races in the world the Belgium Tour beginning with the time trial s varen Shaw was fastest and he took the first leader Jersey from another strong field hoping to build to the tour to France Tim mea’s 45th career win was his first ever bit of success at his own national tour businesslike stuff in Koka H putting away Olaf Koy and yasper Philips now Philips had only rid a single stage race this season to this point a well-deserved break after his superb Classics campaign and Training Camps have been the order of the day since finishing second to his teammate Fonda Paul in the hu vadro he was back to winning ways on stage three taking another Sprint day with ven scha still in the overall lead the hills of wallonia arrived and saw Alex Adam Buu’s first win in almost 2 years before a menu of laps around Brussels was de V by med his second success over philipson during the course of the week Norwegian former World under 23 time trial Champion ven scha demonstrated his Readiness for a lap of France by holding on to the overall lead the biggest GC prize of his career to date the tour of Slovenia was celebrating its 30th birthday the opening day in one of cycling several small Nations that pack a large punch ended up in a bunch Sprint fight won by Dylan kruna Phil barous hit back the following day in another battle of the sprinters stage three went the way of joavan alotti the Italian returning after a twoe break following the jeto to take his first bit of personal success in just under two years that solo victory in Nova gitza saw him take the GC lead a mountain top finish was next up and payo Bill b showed his prep was finally paying off after a stop start few weeks with illness alotti was just a few seconds behind however holding on to the leader Jersey going into the final day to no mesed up would a 12C lead be good enough however bill baau is always a threat and bonus seconds are often a big part of the action in Slovenia over the course of the 156 km deciding stage the Bas Rider managed to snatch three and the Italian leader W both finishing in the main Bunch as Ben Healey showed off his Irish national champions Jersey a week before it’s up for grabs once more the EF Education First Riders first win of the season coming just at the right time a fortnite before his expected tour debut joavan aliotti’s 10c win in the GC over peo bilau was the most important of the 25y old’s three overall wins to date young Julio pelar continue to impress in third whilst veteran Dominico pivo was a superb fourth his best GC effort of what is his last competitive year there was yet more Italian success as Victoria guini won the opening stage of the tour femina interational the three-day race in the south of France had its opening stage finish in Lord no divine intervention needed for the home team FD swis as their star took her second win of the Season faster Riders might have been saying a prayer or two after the stage however as day two was scheduled to be ridden up the slopes of the mighty K dois the squad from just over the Border in the Spanish bus country was the strongest uswa oasa a 26-year-old from the labor Al cucha team took a memorable first career win she backed that up by adding the overall GC prize a day later with the final stage won by Australian Josie Talbert of Team kis just over half a minute the margin of the overall victory for oasa with Valentina cavala in second and the Winner’s teammate yurani Blanco taking the third spot on the podium there was also Women’s World Tour action at the too s that race is still ongoing so we review it in next week’s gretto I promis two big guests this week on the gretto so let’s get to our first chat it’s with our very own Danny row well I’m delighted to be joined by Danny Ro Danny I know you’ve been really busy recently let’s get straight to because I was a really interested spectator in the return of the women’s tour you were there you saw it how did it go down because it before the pandemic and before we had to sadly say goodbye to it this was one of the biggest races in the world yeah it was and British racing is always so good the whole pelaton love coming to the UK to race the Crowds Are Always brilliant it’s always a really well organized race and shapo to British cycling really because obviously um weet spot had financial difficulty we didn’t see an addition in 2023 and Rod ellingworth the race director and British likein put this race together in about 10 weeks and it was a fantastic race four days of brilliant racing something for everyone and yeah a worthy winner in the end with our world champion Lo keki well the new organization sounds good we know that Rod ellingworth has a wealth of experience lovely to see him back in the sport and back doing what he does best being our own races um we had a great winner as you said in lot of keki not always we get to see her Racing for GC so that was something different in terms of where the race is going I mean I guess maybe I’m being a bit greedy already but are we going to see it get bigger yet I think so I mean they secured Lloyds Bank which is a huge sponsor for the race and they’ve committed for the next five years I believe which is fantastic and means that the race can just grow year on year they’ve also got some other really great headline sponsors and I think now under British cycling they hold that Legacy and they really want to inspire the Next Generation they got together with all the local schools and especially on Thursday and Friday it was so great to see all the school children out on the side of the road screaming as the women Race by and the women really got involved as well throwing their bottles to the side of the road and we saw so many amazing images after the race where L keki herself gave so much of her time to the youngsters and you never know they might be the next world champions and if we can Inspire young children racing that’s exactly what we want to do Lizzie digan as well said herself that you know these some of these children and some of these people watching on the side of the road might have ever seen a never seen a professional bike race before and that’s what British cycling and British racing do really well so I think it can grow I think we can have more days of racing um before it was a six day race this year it was only a 4-day race but again it offered up something for everyone The Roots were brilliant I believe Andy hores was the route director so he did a brilliant job there and the the weather sha brightly until that last day didn’t it and that was pretty brutal but again it just gives us Spectators a real spectacle doesn’t it so yeah I’d love to see it go from strength to strength and I don’t think there’s any reason why not with the infrastructure that we’ve now got in place and the way that they did it with so little time again only 10 weeks to put all that together was really impressive where do you think it’s going to sit within the rest of the race because the Canada’s changed quite a lot hasn’t it since we last had the women’s tour of Britain of course you’ve now got the sort of Legacy Grand Tour races that are very long races and have SED up some tremendous racing in the last year the jro’s carried on in amongst that where do you think the tour of Britain can fit then I know it’s I think this is a great problem to have I think personally women’s Racing’s never been in a better position than it is now and you mentioned these grand Tours which are developing year upon year um and it’s just been announced that there’s going to be additional days in the toal France fam aex wift in 2025 which is big news for women cycling but I do think there is a place for um the Lloyd’s Bank tour of Britain women and I think it sort of lies that after that sort of Classics campaign season almost in the lead into our grand Tours of the season if you compare it to the men’s races you know maybe something like the doet that kind of warm-up race for the tour that’s where this sort of race could lie and I think it really will hold value in that sort of place in the calendar um we’ve just also had that really unfortunate news that ride London won’t be happening next year because the UCI changed the date and the uh London city can’t accommodate with that date so unfortunately that won’t be happening which again it’s a huge blow for British racing because it was another spectacle wasn’t it Lena vas taking that hatrick and some really great racing along the way and and again a legacy from London 2012 um and a race that’s very personal to my heart of course after the London Olympics and something that again I know that the Riders love racing it’s so iconic to be able to race especially on that final day on the mou yeah alongside Buckingham Palace to be able to do that it’s almost a once in a-lifetime opportunity we heard from Lizzie digan actually after the race and she was talking about how she spoke to her teammate she’s become a big leader and Captain within that team and she said to the girls you know really try and take this in it’s you know it’s hard to do when you’re in the thick of a bike race but really try and embrace this because you know when does anyone ever get the opportunity to race you know through These Streets of London where normally we have thousands and thousands of of tourists um to to see these sites so it’s a pretty special uh occasion and race so real shame um for the calendar to lose that one what do you think happened there because I mean how can you have such a a big breakdown in communication do we know where the problem arose from which side might have committed the error because surely it was a good event for the UCI they would have enjoyed it as you mentioned brilliant crowds something that British ration always brings anyway and and it seemed to be popular with the Riders yeah I think so too yeah I’m not actually sure to be totally honest with you I think it was a case of the UCI put in the calendar together and then maybe there was just no place um where it lies currently and with ride London it’s a huge spectacle isn’t it it’s not just that one um ride London professional bike race it’s a huge Festival of cycling where thousands of people come together and have the opportunity to be able to enjoy bike riding whether that’s in the 100 mile sportif for the closed roads family ride that happens the morning of the bike race so I think it was just a case of those dates not matching up unfortunately well you mentioned London 2012 there did I see the other day on Instagram that you paid a bit of an unexpected visit to a certain gold colored post box it wasn’t unexpected I’m um currently staying down at my parents house in Southampton in hul where I’m from and we actually got um ask where we wanted that post box to be so the city that I’m from but hble is a little village on the outskirts of Southampton and that’s where you know my real heart lies so I chose for the post box to to be painted then it’s a lovely little village and cobbled streets and really picturesque and when I’m here I’ve got a running route that I that I do it’s only around 5 kilometers and it passes that gold post box and I thought oh I just take a little video because it always puts a smile on my face when I run past and then I realized how long ago it was and I couldn’t believe it you know it’s just absolutely flown past um um but yeah I mean amazing memories and that was just something that was obviously unexpected but a really nice touch I believe from um you know the the Olympics and and the British team to do that for the the gold medalist because originally it was only going to be for a year and they were going to paint the the PO post boxes back red but they decided to to leave them um forever I hope uh so yeah it’s it’s lovely to see cash your mind back if you can then have a think London 12 you’re approaching the Olympic Games there’s what one month a little bit more to go now where was the mindset what were the athletes going the track or rooll whatever sport what’s going through their heads right now I mean it’s a huge selection time for the Olympics and going back to the tour of Britain women the racing that we saw from the British team was really really strong especially Anna Henderson who was on her second comeback of the Season let’s not forget after two collarbone breaks and she finished second on General classification in commentary we were talking about how it was quite a hard dynamic because they came together as a British team so they were racing as the Great Britain national team but also in the back of their minds would have been this selection of course for for the road race and some Riders obviously opt in for the track Elena Barker I’m talking about here um so there’s that kind of slight feeling in the back of your mind where of course you’re going to be racing as a team but you also want to show that you’re in great shape to be selected for the for the Olympic so it’s a really hard time actually because you’re trying to be in the best possible shape you can be but also still building to that form that you want to you know have that Pinnacle form on the date of whatever race it is that you’re are targeting and then these nerves are building you’re trying to do everything right on and off the bike um for us in London 2012 it was a little bit of a different Dynamic I was going for the team Pursuit so we didn’t even get told who was riding the first round until a week before so it’s always in the back of your mind you’re being scrutinized in every single training session that you’re doing you’re looking to see how you’ve done compared to the other girls but also trying to ride as the best team you can which is quite a strange Dynamic um and of course for us it was a home Olympic so everything was riding on it it was such a huge opportunity for us at once in a lifetime opportunity and it’s going to be the same for the French athletes this year in in Paris um but yeah a wonderful time as as well so yeah I mean great memories and something that I’m never ever going to forget but nerve-wracking for sure and the lead up well I’m glad you mentioned France because I believe you’ve got a little bit of news for us yes I am going to be joining the Breakaway and the commentary team for the men’s to of France and I cannot wait I feel so so lucky to have this opportunity in the biggest bike race let’s not um beat around the bush it is the biggest stage isn’t for for cycling and yeah I’m going to be part of the best team in the business and I can’t wait I’m really really excited and what a race we’re GNA have on our hands I’ve been meticulously looking at the stages and it looks absolutely brutal actually read a an interview from Mark cendes who said it’s the toughest toor of France route that he’s ever seen which yeah I mean I can’t wait to get stuck in already well it’s going to be absolutely brilliant as you say those first few days in Italy um what else are we looking forward to the G Battle of course we’ve seen that W for art has put on Instagram and stra I think this week a little message for everybody what was it something like the kiler bees are coming out of hibernation so the training must be going well for him and yonas Vore there’s Kristoff laort Mato Jorgenson sepkus Tish bot they’ve all been joined and working with each other now at altitude and well uat memores they’ve done their talking on the road haven’t they we saw T poacha at the J Italian this week it’s been the Adam Yates and Jo Al Madea show at the tour the S if the domestics are going that well then everyone else has got to be a bit worried haven’t they yeah I think so I mean I feel like we’re gonna have a race of these two teams that you mentioned the performance of jiaa and Adam Yates in the to of Swiss has I think really opened the eyes to to everyone and T Pacho said that Adam Yates is going to be his right-and man at the tour and if I was part of any other team I think I’d be pretty worried about that kind of Trio now with our maer as well and how they’re going to be racing um it’s going to be a spectacle isn’t it but yeah those killer bees are going to be back which says to us that maybe yonas finger girl will be on the start line which of course we are all really hoping to see and I believe that if he is that means he’s you know 100% ready he’s going to be so up for this there’s gonna there’s a lot of talk isn’t there as to you know what’s his form going to be like after coming back from that terrible crash in in the bass country earlier this season but I think the character that he is and you know listening to what his coach has been saying if he’s on that start line he is going to be ready and things are obviously going well there are are altitude training now of course and they’ll be coming down from from altitude to soon to fine-tune that form uh but like you say it’s going to be a really really great race what do we think about rogl anable because we saw them in action at the Dolphin here they seem to be at slightly different stages but again even AO looked great with in the time child and we saw him riding rather maturely I thought looking after himself as much as he could in the mountains with rogl he looked like he was back and then we saw that little bit of weakness on the last day it’s intriguing isn’t it it is it’s really intriguing because they’ll be you know a meticulous plan as to the build of their form and let’s not forget we’re not just talking about the first week of the tour it is brutal it can’t be won in the first week it could be lost in the first week so you have to come into it with with great form of course but there will still be that build through you know three weeks of racing so even though it’s what two weeks away it’s actually five weeks till that last week of the tour where it all matters so I think that would have been you know planned of course by these teams rogl yeah we did see a little bit of weakness didn’t we in that final stage and it came down to eight seconds in the end so it was very very close but again I think he will build through the tour and that’s what he shown as his strength in the past a aole as well yeah I mean I don’t think personally that he will win the Tor of France I’m going to put myself on the line there um but again I think you know he’s going to be fighting for a Podium spot um especially with these Team Dynamics of um vimma Lisa bike and UAE team Emirates as well they’re just a force to be reckoned with and when you’ve got Riders within the team that could be contenders in their own right as domestics I think you know that’s going to be really hard to to contend with well not even a pull on the podium for you will we be seeing Mark Cavendish on the podium as a stage winner one more time though I would love to see him on you know Crossing that Finish Line first on one of the stages you know he’s going for Eddie ms’s record isn’t he 35 stage wins I believe up the top of my head um it’s that’s why he um didn’t retire last year isn’t it you know he’s stopped his retirement he’s carried on and the tour is everything he’s had a good season so far he has had a couple of wins um and you know the team will be around him and that will be their full uh Focus coming into the tour so you know personally as as a British um fan a huge fan of Mark Cavendish I I would love to see it’s going to be hard we’ve got so many good sprinters haven’t we um Yas for Phillipson M mad pedison um Tim milia you know it’s going to be really hotly contested on those Sprint stages that we’ve got throughout the tour um but I would love to see Mark cish take the win I mean I think it would be very very powerful as well for him to you know then end his career what a High um for for Mark Cavendish to to finish on winning another stage of of the Tour of France well Sir Mark Cavendish as it this week as well congratulations see that Sir Mark cendes we’re gonna have to make sure we uh keep referring him as uh Mark cendes aren’t we which um we’ll take a little bit of getting used to but yeah truly deserved well Danny thanks very much for your company we cannot wait to have you with us in the commentary box and of course on the Breakaway that’s something for all of you viewers to look forward to all of the expertise coming up in what is it now two weeks less than two weeks to go until the tour to France by the time you’re watching this next week on the Greta I’ll be running through all of that tremendous route that Danny was talking about so make sure you’re in now for now thanks Danny we’ll see you in a couple of weeks absolutely fascinating stuff from Danny row there great to hear the stories about the post box and everything the Olympics coming up of course great memories for her but first of all you’ll be hearing her and seeing her on the Breakaway and of course on our commentary coverage of the Tour of France loads more cycling on and mountain biking is a big discipline that we’ve had live few on Eurosport and Discovery Plus in the last year and a half or so again with those games coming up in Paris I thought it would be a good time to catch up with Kate Mason who’s presenting it for us well it’s the morning after the weekend before and it’s been a big weekend in mountain biking something about which I know very little so thankfully Kate Mason is along to help me Kate welcome to the gretto oh thank you so much this is so cool Rob can’t believe I’m getting to mix it with with the Rob hatch fans we feel the same about you lot to be honest we feel the same about you lot it’s the second year for you I know last year we spoke in the winter at the champions league and you said you’d really enjoy coming into mountain biking last year please tell me it’s not been like the difficult second album or anything like that you’ve had a good time haven’t you no I think this is the this is the oh I can’t think of an example of the the better second album but it be like morning glory after Definitely Maybe maybe yeah but that’s controvers in itself I guess you know I don’t know if we want the people to start on us about that but yes it’s some equivalent of that uh because the second year has been a lot like we there’s a lot of kind of boring technical stuff that means that the second year has been a lot easier in terms of the broadcast quality things like me being able to hear all the people who are in the gallery in London so we’re we’re remote we’re on site everywhere talking to so that we can be in amongst the action and talk to the Riders um but the the people who are kind of making the doing all the hard work rob you know what I’m on about they’re in they in the gallery there in London so there’s been lots of technical stuff that’s made that a lot easier this year and then just in terms of you know what it’s like you know you’re getting to know people just personally and professionally for the first year so now it’s you’re part we’re part of the community I think in the first year yeah there’ been a there’ have been a change from who was doing it previously and you know what people are like they’re a bit suspicious of change uh generally speaking especially in sports um so this year everyone everyone knows us everyone all the Riders are very friendly um and all the stuff just from my perspective about how the broadcast fits together is just it’s on it cycling people suspicious of change I’ve never heard that before I don’t know where you’re coming from okay anyway moving swiftly on before the comment section [Laughter] fills and what’s been going on this last few weeks cuz I know it’s a really busy time isn’t it cuz you’ve had qualification Olympics obviously coming up what is it now just over a month away now to the Olympic Games yeah yes yes so um I I guess most of the people who are watching the gretto would be well predominantly Rob hatch fans I expect like I am but also uh Road fans right so so just so you understand the kind of way that mountain bike fits together there’s effectively two uh World Cups going well there’s a whole load of different kinds of mountain bike action that we we show on Euros sport but the two that we like present with the full bells and whistles in the studio that I’m presenting are the cross country and the downhill so the downhill is you know people throwing themselves down mountains and that scares me to death looking incredible looking incredible yeah um and then the cross country is what you’ll see in the Olympics so cross country Olympic distance and then there’s a short version of that which we do on the Fridays um where it’s like a a shorter Loop people go faster it’s it’s all full gas and that’s basically it and then the cross country Olympics more like tactical um slightly more interesting courses usually so they’re two quite different sports to be honest um and this weekend we’ve just had a triple header so the the short track on the Friday the downhill on the Saturday and then the cross country Olympic on the Sunday so that the Sunday one is the one you’ll see at the Olympics so pretty much all of the Olympic spots have been decided there are some really good I mean from dis speaking dispassionately because obviously these people’s like hopes and dreams on the line here but there’s re been really good competition for a lot of the team so the Swiss men’s team was particularly Fierce the competition um because they’ve just the depth in their mountain bike uh Squad is just unbelievable um Nino shurter like the greatest mountain bike rider ever um is is one of their picks and then Matias fuckingo is the other guy who’s going to go but they’ve got all these other amazing people including this dude filipo Columbo who we know from from Road um who didn’t get picked and even though he’s like fought his whole way back that horrible injury that he had was it last year yeah and uh he’s done so well to get back and he didn’t make he didn’t make the team and then this weekend he finished up the field so it really feels like every time he’s starting he’s like uh excuse me I’m going to I’m going to pick here can I just say um and then in the downhill Rob oh it’s just the coolest so um in the women’s race Tanny Seagrave British Rider she won she has had there’s obviously a lot of injuries in downhill mountain viiking because they’re throwing themselves at high speeds down incredibly treacherous roots and Tanny Seagrave um she has been through a lot with injury she has she had a serious uh concussion which people are learning so much about concussion still and it seems as though this is something I’ve been reading about recently it seems to affect um women in a different way as with so many things that we’re learning about the moment it affects women in a different way to men but in the past there was the kind of I don’t know if this is too much detail but there was the like male default assumptions so people just assumed doctors would assume that oh if it happens this way for men it happens the same for women and that’s not true so uh yeah tiny seagra has been suffering with concussion she’s been gradually getting her way back and she hadn’t won a World Cup since well for four years and um and she won uh and just the scenes in the pits were yeah it was amazing and the bowl at the end just it’s a family team that she she rides with so her dad was there just like throwing champagne everywhere and celebrating and then yeah it was it was it was cute and uh and in the men’s Amry Pon and another guy who’s had he broke his back um and was out all of last season we had him actually on our coverage as a pundit so he’s a big friend of the show and he kep just with the most stunning rides like the the American guy who was in the hot seat all the way until piron made his final run um had put together this unbelievable ride it looked like he was going to win it everyone’s like where are you going to find more seconds here this is you know that was a brilliant ride and then down comes Pon 4 seconds up he it was unbelievably slick yeah and he came down and just we’re very lucky being in the bowl when everyone’s celebrating and you just get the emotion coming off of these these guys you know who he he Brak his back like he thought he might not ever be doing it again and there he is on top of the world so yeah that was very special actually on Saturday rob it was it was yeah you talk about the ball there at the bottom um you love football I’m a big football fan um can you liken it to a bit of a natural Stadium being down there you know the the the cheering the the Elation the I guess the sort of explosion of noise when you see one of these times beaten or somebody take the lead something like that yeah I mean downhill mountain bike fans are loud they are yeah they they bring there’s this thing about bringing chainsaws to all of the events so to make really loud basically just really loud noise and and ah it’s where where we’re doing it sometimes it’s almost impossible for me to hear what anybody so Tanny when she was doing her interview they come into the studio and she she we’re asking her questions and she’s sort of like yeah no I don’t really know what you’re saying I’m just gonna say A you I’m just going to say a few things um because it is just so loud and of course unlike football there’s not seats you’re just all kind of crowded around so it’s it’s yeah it’s it’s really um the the most fun most exciting crowds I’ve probably seen since we’ve been working on this were at Le last year um is just something very special about that that part of the world as related to mountain biking french guy uh wins the race and everybody just piled in um and there’s there’s flares there’s yeah you wouldn’t be allowed to do it in a football stadium we are more Larry than football fans but in a good way that that’s what I’m telling you brilliant all right then I must know where I’m going to tune in because what what’s coming up next on the road the Olympics of course we’ve got a bit on with the tour to France and what have you coming up but surely we can find a bit of time to Jo got what’s coming up oh just a small matter of uh of France yeah sure quite chilled um uh wait oh yeah what are we doing next weekend we’re in Crown Montana CR is how I’m going to be pronouncing it uh in Switzerland so Nino sh I’ve always already been telling you all about the Swiss that’s a big deal Nino sh this weekend he won his 36th World Cup which is mad that’s far more than anyone’s ever won um and so off we go to Switzerland see what he could do oh by the way I must tell you also about there’s this amazing girl in the woman in the women’s race in the cross country uh candy Lil Rob she’s a South African woman who has been riding mountain bikes for I mean well she’s 32 now and she’s a privateer she doesn’t have a big Factory team supping her and she made the podium for the first time we were just sitting there with with like yeah um Enrique avancini who’s a former Brazilian Rider who’s one of our pundits yeah we were just sitting there watching it just abs absolute Goosebumps cuz just to think of somebody going around the world you know you’re not making lots of money and you haven’t as a mountain bik you’re not you know you haven’t got the support of this you’ve got your husband and like your coach and that’s pretty much it and it’s it’s a long way to go to get like these are not places that are really convenient that you can rock up to you know on your on your Saturday off and just to see her do that at 32 and she’s you know she’s going to the Olympics she went to the 2012 Olympics Rob finished last she could be on the podium this time wouldn’t that be incredible yeah so it makes me feel like we should take up a an Olympic sport and see what we can do probably from this this side of the camera i’ said probably won’t do very well i’ I’d give you a bit more hope than me but that’s something to well we’ve got just over four years hey so let’s let’s get going come on right then just over just over sorry I was supposed to tell you what to do oh sorry I’ve I’ve ruined your ruined your link I was supposed to tell you don’t go on tell me tell me tell me please I was just going to say Discovery plus it’s all the same it’s all the same as how you watch all the stuff that you watch with you so yeah Discovery Plus app uh Euros sport all the normal places just look out for the UCI M Bike World Cup perfect well I’ll be there next week look forward to joining you then and I hope now that you’ve been on you’ve introduced yourself to us all you’ve told us a little bit about how it works I’m intrigued to learn more let’s up the audiences too promise me you’ll come back maybe in a month’s time or so I would love that rock anytime anytime I can join the fans of Rob hatch I’ll be there dear me all right we’ll leave it enough for there shall we thanks Kate well that is chapter two of the Big T of France buildup D and Dustin we’ve seen all of the favorites in action over the last month or so barring yonas vgo he’s the last question mark still there we’ll find out whether he’s racing in the next week or so and in the next week yes there’s even more cycling for you to watch again it’s National Championships time that special time of the year where we’ll see Riders from all over the world trying to see if they can wear their National jerseys for the next 12 months again we’ve got Great Britain Italy Spain and France check your schedules wherever you’re watching for that that will be on Euros Sport and Discovery plus plus there’s also live mountain bike action too we’re off to K Montana in Switzerland for that all on Euros Sport and Discovery plus Kate you’ve heard from will be alongside all of the team for that action and for us well we will be back in a week’s time with one final big gretto tour to France preview we’ll go through the route we’ll have some very special guests remember to join us and remember to give us a like share and subscribe comments Down Below in the bottom too from here from hion beautiful Northern Spain thanks for joining us we’ll see you next week as we continue to countdown to the to [Music]