Also the first yellow jersey for Ecuador

I like your optimistic view, however, I see how records are broken and races are faster than ever. Some teams improve drastically their performance from one year to the next and for others is just the opposite.

There are no positive doping tests on popular sports (football,...), so it seems that cycling has taken the same approach towards that improves its public image.

Anyway, this is all speculation, of course.

I continue to watch it without thinking too much about it.

What a exciting resolution of the stage. Both, for the stage and for the GC.

But it was just a 2km climb, so no conclusions can be drawn from here, except for the ambition of the riders. Next step the very long climb of the Galibier, I wonder if it will be hard enough.

Tomorrow a flat stage, I want to see an sprint, but I dislike how the peloton allows 3-4 low profile riders to go without competition .

It could have been, but they lost it.

The winer is on the break. Will any of the GC contenders attack on the last climb?

I expected more fight for the break. The peloton let them go, and it is good for the leader also because the best riders on the GC are 15 minutes behind.

I still hope that it could have a thrilling finale.

Very good stage.

I like this stages for starting the Tour, a lot of riders are aware that it is not for them and is less likely to see accidents in the peloton.

Now I'm in serious doubt about the pack's chances. The DSM duo is doing very good, if they manage to keep their gap on this climb, they maybe arrive with enough time to the finish.

Now, after some kilometers with UAE in front Visma has taken the lead. Will this mean that Vingegaard is in a good shape? Or they are playing mind games to soften Pogacar?

Is embarrassing to see a professional rider like this. He should have retired years ago.

He had two blank years in 2019 and 2020, until the magic from Lefevre made him win 4 stages in the Tour. It was so weird that it wasn't selected for the next Tour.

It has been a god start, with a competitive breakaway .

But the win is still on the peloton. It will be a good fight.

As far as I would like to see Rigloc on the tip spot in Paris, I believe that Jonas is the only alternative to Pogacar. But we'll have to wait at least until Galibier to assess his recovery, and even if he performs well, it would not mean that he can compete all the tour.

I don't see Evenepoel as an actual GC contender, he won a not very contended Vuelta, but he has not proven good enough in other races, specially on the greatest mountains.

I have some confidence on Roglic, I would say that he is a bit below Jonas and Tadej, but he is very competitive and he knows his abilities very well. This year he has focused on the tour and it seems that he is ready.

Also, I like C Rodriguez and Jorgenson, but I think that they stull need another steep up to be able to win the Tour. Anyway, you never know what Visma can do.

For the rest, there are some solid top-10 contenders.

But in the end everything will depend on the recovery of Pogacar from the efforts he made at the Giro and the form of Vingegaard.

Let's hope to be an entertaining race.

It is the best option, he has been a year without competing, and age is a factor too.

I don't think that he needs another top10, and traditionally, mountain stage hunters tend to finish quite high on the classification.

But he rides for Movistar, a team that values GC over anything else, and doesn't like to take risks.

I'm impressed by the season Vos is doing.

After the last two seasons I thought that age had finally caught her, but it doesn't seem so. Good for her.

And today's stage suits her too.

I'm afraid of another win for Pogacar without rivals.

But, a race competed like Amstel would be very nice. But I'm not very optimistic.

Watching it now, I don't know what happened, maybe the weather, but UAE and INEOS are completely out.

We'll know the outcome in a few minutes.

It's not that I don't like sprints It's just races like this that have no interest except that last climb.

The last solo victories we've seen this year are not better either, I want to see a bit of competition and alternatives. Last stage of the Itzulia was nice.

It's not the best race as it is reduced always the last climb's sprint.

Just to say a name, I believe that Hirschi could win, he has won the race in the past and knowing the tempo of the climb is definitely important. And he was very strong on the climbs last Sunday.

Of course pidock is strong too, Teuns won too, but I don't see him so strong.

Let's see.

It had it's moments, I didn't expect Mathiu attacking in that sector, I thought he would do in the next. I believe that he take them by surprise and then he was too strong and Pedersen did not have any help.

There where not more actual contenders than Mads.

But the last 60Km or so were just wait until the finish.

Impressive the new visma boys. They produce raiders too easy.

Next, the Ardennes with different race profiles. Will Van der Poel be strong enough to be a rival in LBL? I don't see other contenders for Pogacar.

Glad to see Roglic back. I was a bit worried about his performance after leaving Visma. Paris-nice didnt help much, but I believed that he wasn't on his peak.

Also surprised by the "bad" performance of Evenepoel. I don't know where will he be able to gain time to competitors like Roglic or Vinegaard.

Otherwise, a strong UAE with Vine, Ayuso, McNulty and del Toro.

Depending on how the race goes, sometimes the unexpected can happen on these roads, maybe a hidden one can surprise the rest.

Let's see along the week.