A big day for Tour de France

[Bernard]

Mont Ventoux.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jul/21/terrifying-mont-ventoux-ready-to-create-the-unexpected-again-in-tour-de-france

The Ventoux is a place where stuff happens on the Tour, very little of it good, beginning with Jean Malléjac’s near-death in 1955 and continuing with Tom Simpson’s dramatic demise in 1967. That event, which I investigated in my 2002 biography of Simpson, Put Me Back on My Bike, remains the mountain’s defining moment, lending a note of pilgrimage to every ascent to the desolate waste of wind- and frost-blasted limestone scree on its pointed summit. The generation that raced with Simpson has largely passed on – the death in April of Barry Hoban being a case in point – but the poignancy of his death and the tales around it lose nothing in the telling.

[Bernard]

I'm happy a Frenchman, Paret-Peintre, won this stage. France's first win in this race. It looks grueling!

[AndyD]

Isn't Le Tour fairly regarded as the worlds most gruelling sporting event?
Three weeks of punishing 150km daily racing against the fittest of rivals, and on the steepest mountain roads, and with individual time trials.

[jon-nyc]

Pog averages 26.2 mph on the stage. Insane.

[AndyD]

The downhill speeds are also insane considering the two half inch wide tyres they're balancing on round corners. One car speedo registered 53mph.

[Daniel.]

Did they get rid of the doping?

[CHAS]

@Daniel.
Doubt any sport is perfectly clean.
After the race the winning cyclists go directly to a tent where they are tested.
Would like to see the NFL do that.