Sprinters have had the slimmest of pickings at this year's Tour de France, with just three bunch sprints before the second rest day, the lowest amount before the final week's racing in 21 years.
Jasper Philipsen's (Alpecin-Deceuninck) win in Carcassonne at the end of stage 15 was their last bunch sprint, coming a whole two weeks after the previous one on Danish soil, in Sønderborg on stage three.
A parcours that favours punchy racing and one that was intended to entice the general classification's main players out as often as possible has been responsible for the frustration felt by the sprinters. Caleb Ewan bemoaned team tactics on stage 13 when only his Lotto-Soudal squad and Alpecin-Fenix wanted a group finish; the Australian was later fined by the race commissaires that day for drafting behind the Alpecin car after a crash.
Denne historien er fra July 21, 2022-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
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Denne historien er fra July 21, 2022-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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CLASSIC BIKE - JOHNNY BERRY
Johnny be good at making beautiful lightweight bikes
UK SCENE - WUNDERKIND HUDSON WINS YORKSHIRE CX
Newly crowned junior hill-climb champ shows his versatility by winning round seven on the mud
WATT WORKS FOR ME TADEJ POGAČAR
The man himself - subject of this special issue - explains the key performance changes behind his record-breaking year
11 WAYS TO POG-UP YOUR PLAN
Tadej Pocačar's performance is out of reach but you can adapt his training to raise your game. Chris Marshall-Bell consults the experts to find out how
Why do modern aero bikes look less aero?
Are today's aero bikes really faster, or is marketing just getting better? Joe Baker investigates...
REVIEW OF THE YEAR
An Olympic year is always special and the cycling season once again delivered a year of highs and lows, from Pogi's triple to Katie Archibald's pre-Olympic trip
MEET THE PARENTS
What made Tadej Pogačar the phenomenon he is today? Chris Marshall-Bell went to Slovenia to meet his mum and dad, Mirko and Marjeta
HALF MAN HALF GOAT
Tadej Pogačar may have had a phenomenal season, but has he done enough to cement his status as the greatest of all time? Chris Marshall-Bell weighs the arguments for and against
Lefevere cashes in his chips and leaves cycling management
The news that Patrick Lefevere will step down as Quick Step boss marks the end of an era, after 22 years in charge
Mathieu van der Poel weighs up skipping Tour de France
Dutchman hints at missing Tour in favour of mtb Worlds bid, reports Tom Thewlis from Dénia, Spain
