I love how 3 is still at 90% all these people out there trying to roll a 1/10 to see how this goes down.

Just my 2 cents, but I think people are a little overconfident about 3. Obviously, UAE has the strongest team, but what's the point of putting someone on the front every day to do all the work for the remaining 16 stages and wear them out? Why defending the jersey just for the sake of defending it?

I'd rather let the team recover, focus on getting del Toro on the podium (or another good Top5 spot), and save their energy instead of riding the front every day for almost no reward. A breakaway gaining 15 minutes isn't anything out of the ordinary by TdF standards.

Would like to hear counter arguments 🙃

@Lion I don't have any yes shares on three, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

It seems to me that the UAE team should just do absolutely nothing on most stages to come. Protect the leader, save energy for important stages. Keep the team morale high. Keep everyone happy. If there is an opportunity to win a stage, go ahead and win the stage. Otherwise, let the other teams fight it out.

That said, it's not just about the 15 minutes required. UAE team have already let a breakaway win by more than 10 minutes so there's no reason they wouldn't do it again. But at this point, the other teams have started to develop an ordering for GC riders themselves. Some team that thinks they're on track for 8/9/10 is not going to like the idea of letting some dude on 15 minutes get back into GC. Then we get those long protracted breakaway battles until everyone gives up and UAE wins the stage anyway because there's only 50 km left.

I just cannot believe how few teams want to go in the breakaway on certain days. There should be 15 teams trying to get into the breakaway on every single stage even sprint stages, because 15 teams are going to leave this event with no wins

@Eliza lol, you're soooooooooooo right

@Eliza As the main overconfident holder of 3 YES, that about sums it up. I think the best chance of >3 happening is UAE having another sleepy day on stage 9 and someone who’s not a serious threat to top 10 the GC, such as Vacek, Quinn, Debruyne, Castrillo, etc. getting a ton of time again.

I'll found the Official Bahrain Victorius Hater Club

@Lion buy No on 3 if you have guts.

@Eliza What is the opposite of having guts?

Might be tricky to get to 5 now, but anything can happen. Just need to give up about 15 minutes to a breakaway, twice.

@Eliza I'm not even sure we get to 4, but there is lots of time left

@Eliza Remco puts on a fake mustache and Groucho glasses and goes in the break

No one here believing in Sean Quinn?

Someone make the case for any number higher than 4. Go.

@Eliza Traeen is bad on Tourmalet and loses the jersey to Quinn, then EF can’t control the break on stage 9 and someone new grabs it then.

Do I think that will actually happen? Hell no

@Eliza Vingegaard crashes into Pogacar, both have to leave the race. The race is suddenly wide open and there is total chaos everyday-> 11 different cyclist wearing the jersey, and the winner of the Tour is a cyclist that got lucky in a breakaway

Why is no one begging me to add "1"?!!?

@Eliza I beg you to add 7 🙃

@Lion Respect the jersey.

@Eliza In the last two decades, there has been one Tour with only 2 different riders wearing the jersey, one with 7 different riders, and one with 8 different riders. So statistically speaking, 7 is just as valid as 2. Considering we're only at stage 4 and we've already had 3 different riders wear the jersey, reaching 7 is a realistic possibility.

So, with all due respect, the only one not respecting the jersey here is you, Sir.

@Lion I will add 7 the moment they finish the update to multiple choice markets that @EvanDaniel was working on.