I've read some comments that, oh, ASO or the tour are the same thing as trying to Pogachar proof the route. We heard that every year after after a couple of tours.Oh, they're going to look at this.
They're designing it to be able to work against postal and against Armstrong.Listen, none of that shit matters.
And I used to always joke that, look, if they showed up and said, we're going to do 22 days of criteriums in and around Paris, well, you just got to figure out a way to win that a poker.You're not anti-proof.You're not.
No, he's going to figure it out.You would have to think.But. That conversation and that discussion is pointless.There's just no the best riders show up.They prepare for the route that they see.And it's the tour.
And 99 times out of 100, the best man wins.Well, good morning, everybody.Welcome back to the move podcast.We're talking about the 2025 Tour de France course reveal.
Now, for those that maybe don't know, the the the parent company of the tour is called ASO.They've owned the tour for ever, seemingly.But every October, they reveal the route around the next year's race.And there's always a lot of mystery around it.
And by the way, if you don't know, yes, I get because I get this question a lot. Does the course change every year?Yes, it absolutely changes every year.Very much so.And so in October, which we just had, they revealed a new route.
And it's a it's a it's obviously a big deal for the writers, the directors, the team's strategy.But it's also a big deal for the country.All right.People getting fans of cycling or little communities in and around France.
just knowing that the Tour de France is going to come through their town, which is a big damn deal.We're going to get into all that action.I am joined by Johan Brunel. Right over there.And where am I?I don't know.Where are you on Madrid?
In Madrid, Madrid, sunny Madrid right now.Good, good.And believe it or not, ladies and gentlemen, we are joined by George Hincapie.It looks like he's he's recovered from the hurricanes and he's down in his wine cellar.
So all is well.Good to be back.Good to be back.I missed you guys.And yeah, I'm excited to talk about the Tour de France.Lance, how many Tour de France presentations did you go to you and Johan?I know you didn't go to the first one, but
After that, I mean, no, I think we went to one, only one.
Oh no, no.Lance speak for yourself.I went to, well, I think I only went to one.We, we, we together, we went to one to the 2004, three, I think the 100 anniversary, you know, it was one of those things.
You just, you get done with the season.You kind of come home back to the States in August or September.And just to turn back around and go back to Paris.
Having said that, because I went to one right now, I don't know how many I did, but certainly those peak years, they always wanted us to come back and be there.I would say that's a regret.
I mean, it's crazy to not to go to not honor the event and go sit there.But, you know, as I sit here at 53 years old, I have a lot more thoughts about shit like that. But I only went to one.
And speaking about that, also, it didn't sound like too many of the favorites.It sounds like they've adopted our strategy of saying, hey, it's the offseason.I think I'm done thinking about cycling, talking about cycling, looking at cycling.
I'm going to sit out.You didn't have any of the GC favorites there, necessarily, from what I could tell.But good question, George. Little bit of business.Today's show brought to you by Zwift.So Zwift just released the Zwift Ride.
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Been loving all the ads they're running during football.You've been seeing this, George?I know you watch a lot of football, but I'm like shit. I had a lot of indoor kiddies.I mean, I had ads on football games.
Also, be sure to check out our rides or we do rides.Yeah, we do Wednesday and suffer Sunday.I'll be hopping on those sooner than later.As soon as the temperature here in Austin drops, I don't know, maybe below 90.I'm joining today, by the way.
Oh, you are good.We do it today, Wednesday.Yeah, today is Wednesday.Shoot. Also today brought to you by Roka.Rob and his crew based here in our hometown of Austin, Texas, have completely reinvented this space.
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Well, you know, and I talked about it on our Ironman coverage a couple of days ago.George, had you listened to that show?Clearly, you did not, because people have tracked this.You know, how blind is Lance getting?
I have leveled out at the 2.0s, so they're not getting thicker.And I partly don't want to go, I just feel like this is, you know what? We're getting off subject here.All right.Let's talk about Roka.
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That's Roka.com.Enter the code, The Move.Check out, that gets you 20% off. All right, let's talk about the tour to France.This is I have to I have to confess something.
You know, I get I too get sick of talking about cycling and thinking about cycling, and I didn't even know.I didn't even know they were you guys.We got on the group.
I got the group text yesterday and I was like, oh, I miss that, which is kind of nice.It's kind of nice because then I was I was really then I was interested and curious.I was like, well, I got to go check this out.
Uh, look, uh, we'll break down all the thoughts, but I, I liked the course overall, Johan.I mean, I know you, you, you get way more granular on these things, but I like it.Can I just say one thing before we get into it?
And I'm just going to get this out of the way.Cause we got this question a lot way back in the day.I've read some comments that, Oh, ASO or the tour are the same thing as trying to Pogacar proof the route.
We heard that every year after, after a couple of tours, they would say, Oh, they're going to look at this.They're designing it to be able to work against postal and against Armstrong.Listen, none of that shit matters.
And we, I used to always joke that, look, if they showed up and said, we're going to do 22 days of criteriums in and around Paris.Well, you just got to figure out a way to win that a poker chair.You're not anti-proof.
You're not, no, he's going to figure it out.You would have to think, but. That conversation and that discussion is pointless.There's just no the best riders show up.They prepare for the route that they see.And it's the tour.
And ninety nine times out of 100, the best man wins.Yeah, I mean, time was never.
It's you know, it's well, first of all, it's 100 percent French tour, so no other countries.That's been a while.I think it's the first time in the last five or six years that they don't go to another country.
And I think what was different to other editions or the last few editions is that it's back to the traditional Tour de France.Like the first part is like riding into it, you know, let's say flat-ish stages, no mountain stages.
And the first mountain stage is only in stage 12.That's really late.So that's back to the old days. And I agree, you know, there's always a big discussion of, okay, it's good for this guy.It's good for this.It doesn't matter.
Strongest guy with the strongest teams win the Tour de France without bad luck.And this is going to be the same thing again.Um, I think it's, it's, it's quite a mountainous.
There's about the same amount of vertical meters as this year, like in 52, 53,000 meters, which is very similar to this year.Um, This year, the difference is that one of the time trials is a mountain time trial.That's going to be interesting to see.
So you can say it's a time trial and it's a mountain stage at the same time.But other than that, I think I like it.I like the way it's designed.
Yeah, also it's a big change from the last, the previous two year starts where we had first stages of 3000 meters plus of climbing.
So what happens there is a lot of GC battles going on in the first stage already and a lot safer because there's some guys that are just starting those first stages going, I just need to make it to the finish line.
The difference this year is it's going to be a mass sprint, super chaotic, Northern France.We all know how small and technical the roads are.I mean, anytime you race,
near the Belgian border, there's going to be a lot of chaos and it's going to be, uh, super stressful for these teams.So there's going to be a big battle, big, huge battles for position safety.
Um, I think a lot of the teams are gonna, uh, have to really think hardly on who they bring to the tour to keep their GC guys safe because of this first week of the tour de France.So in that sense, it's a lot different than the last two years.
And I think very exciting as well.
And they but they have also sprinkled in some days where you you'll be going.You said the first uphill finish of the first big mountain finishes on, you know, 12 days in.
I think they've done a nice job sprinkling in some of these days where you have to pay attention.And this isn't a tour that you can, quote unquote, ride into.
I mean, these are days where if you get caught out or if you're not ready, you're going to lose time.They're very difficult. Um, which I, I love doing that.
Um, and you know, to your point, Georgia, but these early stages, you know, at that part of the world, even though it is July, whether it can still be an issue, the wind certainly can be an issue when definitely the wind very windy.
Uh, I mean, we've had the, I remember the days we started up there.In fact, George, you know, the whole story of I remember that day where the no chain story came from that day with weather was terrible.It's like, yeah, we sure it's July.
You just never know.I mean, it's kind of end of the earth.Up there.
Yeah, I mean, this in twenty twenty twenty four, there was no north of France at all. And next year's Tour de France is going to be very heavily in the north and in the Latvia.I agree, George.
It's going to have an influence on who the teams select for their teams to support their leaders.I think you need to have really strong eyes.
I mean, anyways, Visma and UAE and Sudao, to name the teams of the three favorites for the tour, they have their homework done and they have the necessary guys to support their leaders.
Yeah.But do you take a look at it?Like, would you take a look at it and be like, well, maybe we bring one or two less climbers because the first real mountain stages until stage 12.
And we have to get through, we all know how chaotic the first week of the tour de France is.
So I think in a lot of ways, some of these teams are going to have to put a lot of emphasis on, you know, the classic guys to get these GC guys, uh, to the finish line safely.That's going to be a huge factor in this first week of the tour.
Yeah, because especially, I mean, a part of the difficulty of the stage is I think the stress factor is going to be important, you know, and you can preserve your leader from the stress by putting an extra two really big guys next to him.
That's going to be a big factor. But I do think though that, um, you know, it's, it's always going to be the mountains that decide.
Um, and I think that in this year's tour, we have a few, a few, uh, mountain stages that, that I like, um, hold, I come is back after a long time.Yeah.
Yeah.We like that.Um, so by the way, similar to 2000, that was the first uphill finish.So a bit of a replica there.
Yeah.And terrible weather by the way, terrible weather.
Yeah. Yeah.Um, and then, you know, the day after, uh, the time, the uphill time trial in, uh, in, uh, and, uh, and then the after a super bunny era.
So, um, that's, I mean, that, that client, I think it's 30 something years ago that this client was, uh, in the tour.
Um, I think Greg Lamont took the yellow Jersey off, uh, Bernard, you know, if I'm not mistaken, if I'm not mistaken, it's two of eight, uh, 86.
Wow.And it's hard to come to where it lands, crash at the bottom or not.No.Which one was that one?It was already done.It was already done.OK.It's close.Isn't that close?Close by, though, at least.Yeah, they're close by.Yeah.Yeah.
It's just a different turn on the way.
But I thought for some reason it was in the same valley.
I was talking about crash.I didn't crash.
And then, uh, interesting thing also, uh, the volunteer is back.
That's been a while.Thank you.I mean, I just, I just, I, we've talked about this.I think the tour, I think every, every edition has to have one of these iconic, whether it's Alpe d'Huez or Bontu or it just, it's been a minute.
When is the last time the tour to France did mom want to.
Well, it's not so long ago, Walt Van Aert won, but it was not finished.It's been four or five years.The Van too twice, but there was not a mountain to finish.So this is different.This is going to be a really, it's flat.And then just one mountain.
So.Talk about that, Johan.I think in 2009, we did a similar stage where it was flat.I mean, there's, there's, let's be, let's be real.There's no dead flats in that area.
I mean, there's a lot of two, three K climbs rolling up and down, very windy as well.I know the last time that I wrote it,
2009, I believe we arrived at the bottom of Mount Ventoux with like 30 guys because of the wind and the echelons and the unexpected stuff that can happen before the climb.People are thinking, oh, it's a flat stage leading up to the Ventoux.
That's all that matters.Not necessarily because if there's if there's lots of winds, small roads, we've seen it before.
There could be a lot of, you know, splits in the Peloton before the Ventoux, which would make it very tough for a lot of these climbers and extreme heat and extreme heat.Correct.Yeah.Can be very hot.
Yeah.One thing I've seen also, I mean, not that it matters because I think that Pogacar is a different writer, but there are a few parts that Pogacar has been in trouble in the past.For example, the Bond.Vingegaard was better there than
And then I think I think he actually dropped him and then he came back in the in the downhill.And then also the the very difficult called the Lowe's, where he had the Pogacar had this.He lost eight minutes.He had a complete crisis.
That's not going to happen anymore, I think.
But we're doing we're doing the other side of called the Lowe's or they're doing the other side.Correct.As opposed to when Pogacar cracked, I believe. Yeah, which I, which I did that side of this summer and it's, I mean, extremely hard.
It's, uh, I think one of the longest climbs, um, you can do in the Alps is 26 kilometers long, 6.5% average.Not only that, but before the climb, I think you had like a seven K climb just leading up to that area.Um, we've never done it.
We've only climbed up to Courchevel, but those, The climb that goes beyond Courchevel, I can tell you it's very, very steep.There's some 14% sections wide open.I was super impressed with how hard that climb was.Yeah.
So we have three stages in the Pyrenees, two in the Alps.That's it. Uh, the central massif this year is a bit, um, I mean, not that important, only two stages in the middle of France.
Um, and what I, what I've seen guys, I don't know if you, uh, I mean, but as a cyclist, uh, and as a team manager and as a staff member, when you see this map, Um, I think, uh, I'm calling it the tour to transfer.Uh, if you look at the map.
Uh, you see all these stages and you see all these little tiny lines.Those are all transfers.Yeah.Um, there's a lot of those, a lot of those that really are.
I've just pulled the map up y'all on there.There's, uh, yeah.I mean, there's at least 10.Yeah.Not a lot, which is a complete nightmare for, for riders.Certainly the riders, but especially the staff just getting, Ooh,
I don't know how many of these, maybe the last one that they take the TGV, but most of these are drives like, yeah, that we have a lot of folks.
If you're looking at the map, it's, it's, it's the sort of the thin line between you'll see them on there.
Yeah.So obviously that's, uh, that's hard on the, on the body, you know, and on, on the, on the staff, especially, um, but I think it's quite balanced.You know, there's a, I think there's a bit of everything.
Um, personally, what, what would you guys have wanted to see different?If you can choose one thing or add one thing to this course, what would you guys have wanted to see different?
Look, we, we, we talk about this all the time and I, and I especially, um, hammer on this. Uh, I, I, I don't understand why they don't do it.Um, but I, I, I love the team time trial.Oh man.
He took my, he took mine.
At some point, the team time trial has to come back.It's look, I mean, we're all sitting here, all man and each other.Like it's beautiful to watch.Uh, the favorites love it.I think it, you talk about team structure and who you bring to a tour.
I mean that you will completely change your lineup. and roster based on a team time trial.Like it is, especially if you're going back to our generation, they were long and the time losses could potentially be real.Like you had to think about that.
And if you were a bad team, or if your team was just not great at the team time trial, you were just knowing that you were going to lose time.Whereas we were looking at this like, Oh, this is free time.Like, this is just time.
Somebody just said, okay, guys, you got two minutes.Like, cause it counts for at least in our day counted for individual classification. But I just I think it's such a beautiful event.I think it's it's it really highlights technology.
It truly highlights the strength of a team, the way they work together, their strategy in and around the way team time trials can be run.We may never see it again, frankly.They might not ever bring it back.
But, you know, let's start the campaign right here on the move.
I like it.I agree.I like the route, Johan and Lance.It's cool that it's all in France.I like that it starts in Northern France, super technical.
I like that the first stage is 99.9% going to be a big sprint, which will make the guy who wins a sprinter will be in the yellow jersey, which I haven't seen that in a few years.I do miss the team time trial.
In fact, we had our cohort, Victor Hugo Pena down here in Greenville. Uh, where we made history with Victor, we helped him get me the first Columbian ever to be in the yellow Jersey.
And he actually told a story, which is typical Johan, you know, uh, Johan comes in the room the night before the team time trial, 2003.I remember actually had a really good day that day.It was the first time in our history.
I think of time trials, Lance was actually telling him, asking me to slow down.I don't know if you remember that Lance, but Victor ended up getting the yellow Jersey, but the night before Johan walked in his room and
typical Johan just wants to feel out his riders, make sure that focus, you know, you know, you can be the first Colombian ever to be in the yellow Jersey tomorrow.
And you probably will be here's Victor telling the story, just like a full inside panic attack.Johan staring him in the face.Okay.Okay.We'll see.We'll see.
But yeah, I mean, you, you called it, you knew it was coming and you know, what a special week to participate that with Victor.And I know we all, we all remember that quite fondly.
Let's do a little bit of business before, cause I want to go back to the sprint stages.Cause I have a question here.Cause I saw some reports that, that I just, uh, I need your Intel on George.Uh, today's show also brought to you by Ketone IQ.
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All right, back to, just a quick question on the Sprint thing, I know, George, I know you were just with Cav.Did he leave it out?Am I making this up or did he leave out?He sort of teased out the possibility that he might do another tour.Did I?
Please tell me I just read that.I read it also.And when I was I was with him the last two weeks, he was here for my Fondo.We went to an event out in Vegas and we went to Disney World as well.And there was no indication that he wanted to continue.
Racing next year, he's got a lot going on.I mean, he's he's all over the place and excited about his future.So not that I am aware of.He said, I believe the quote, what was the quote?
Never say never.You might we might recruit you to call the bat line there.
We also saw that Rigo was going to become a professional soccer player.So I think, you know, a lot of things are said and just taken either out of content or taken a lot more serious than they tend to be. Hmm.
Well, this was a quote from Mark Cavendish.The only reason I'm talking about this is because it was it was his actual quote, which I had no indication from him that he would want to come back.
So his wife, she if she read that somebody is out in a in a in a pup tent in the backyard right now.
He's on his way to Singapore actually for the criterion, so.He's still.I mean, his last race, right?Ever.Is it Singapore or Japan this weekend?I'm confused, but he's going all over the place.
Japan has finished already.I think it was Singapore.
He's doing one in Japan also.It's organized by ASO, right?Yeah, yeah.He's doing one in Japan as well.So I don't know if that's this weekend or. What?So he's got some events left, but he's been enjoying life.That's good.Yeah.
Wow.Anything else stand out with the other Johan, have you seen any?I'm always curious as they because the route is it really is a surprise.And I'm thinking of all of those years like we didn't know there are there are sort of Internet sleuths.
that kind of figure out where the route is going because they get ahead of it.They figure out where blocks of hotel rooms have been secured and so they can cobble it together.But the route is a surprise.The announcement is a surprise.
And so there's always these comments after.Have you seen where of sort of these big, you know, Tade, Jonas, Remco, Primoz, have they commented or given any feedback on what they think of the route?
No, not really.The only thing that surprised me, but this was before the Tour de France announcement already, is that we're talking about the podium of this year, right?So Bogacar, Wingergaard and Remco.
And, uh, I would say normally Primoz is part of the four.We said that before, before he has kind of hinted that he may not do the Tour de France next year.
He said, you know, I'll, I'll try to raise everywhere where Pogacar doesn't start, which, you know, I mean, I mean, I don't think it's, I think it's a smart move.
I mean, if, if, if your team is happy winning bike races that are not in France or not the Tour de France. and you just witnessed the season that Taddei Pogacar had, and you're getting towards the end of your career, he has to be getting towards.
I mean, his age doesn't lie.And you're saying, look, this is if they're cool, if I win a Giro or a Vuelta or whatever else, well, you would.You just avoid the guy.
Because what we saw this year was, well, we've said it, arguably the greatest season of all time.
Yeah, we hope that, um, we don't witness any of those horrific crashes that we had in 2024.
We hope that all these guys show up to the Twitter friends with perfect prep preparation and, uh, you know, not, not dealing with these extreme injuries that we saw last year.Hope for a lot less of that.
And then, you know, the question is, you know, what we've seen this year in the Tour de France, the question is, what if Vingegaard has the ideal season?Was that going to be different to his level?
How is that difference between both of them are going to be smaller? Then another thing I've seen is that, I mean, usually Wingergaard doesn't say much, not about the route, not about his program.
I have seen that Bogacar is going to focus on classics in the beginning of the season and then do the Dolphins. Um, don't fit into the front.
So, um, no, when you say, hold on, when you say classics, are we talking about another tour of Flanders or is there even a period of Bay?
No, we're talking about Milan, San Remo to the Flanders, to the Flanders.Yeah.Nobody do bad, but Flanders.Yeah.
Yeah, good for him.I mean, good for cycling.No, it is.It is.I mean, you're Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel and Pedersen, and like, oh, shit, this kid's going to come to our Flanders and roll up on us and just show us how the game is played.
Like, yeah, it's good for cycling.
But most importantly, so no Giro for him.And he has hinted that he may consider the Vuelta.
Um, I probably, I mean, I think that probably in his mind, that's, that's the ground to where he wants to take off as soon as possible to be able to say, okay, I've won all three.I think he's capable of doing it.
It's not, you know, um, the question is how is it possible to combine to the France and Vuelta and then the world championships in Rwanda, which are the hardest of the last 25 years, I think.Um, but anyway, that's, uh,
Tough to discuss later, I guess.Yeah.But, you know, we're sitting here and if you look at the podium of this year, I personally, I don't know what you guys think.I personally can't think of anybody else who can approach the podium.
No, it's going to be a minute.I think we will say that we will be sitting here one year from now saying the very same thing. Now, I'm not that Pogacar came out of nowhere, but he but he he rose quicker than than some would have imagined.
You could see that, but.Somebody's got to rise fast and far to catch up to these three.Yeah.
Yeah.I think, you know, I mean the, the, the, the guy who's closest is Primoz, but I don't think he's really, I mean, he, I think he can do third.Second would probably be a stretch.
If you look at this year's Tour de France, you know, do you guys remember who was Ford in the Tour de France?
Don't ask his question.That's not fair.Yeah.I can't remember.Who was it? Joe Almeida.Joe Almeida, that's right.That was on the tip of my tongue, by the way.
19 minutes down.So Joe Almeida working for Pogacar, 19 minutes down was Ford.So there's a huge gap between the first three and the rest.
I think the thing that that was sticks with me from last year's tours is I think people overall thought, well, of course, the Vanguard, of course, he can't win.
Or, of course, he just it was too far to come back from the injuries that he sustained in this awful crash in the spring.All that's true.
The thing that I just shake my head at was he was performing at a higher level, even with the crash and with the injuries and the setback and the recovery. He still performed at the highest level of his career and got beat down.So then.I mean.
I don't know, you're going to do plenty of shows on this, Johan, for outcomes like the odds here are I mean, that's that's we know what those are.There's just no.
Well, there's always the situation also, guys, that, you know, you kind of have to prepare to be as good as you can, because, you know, it's three weeks and you never know what's going to happen.There's, you know, the first week is dangerous.
You know, if you, if you say, okay, well, I can't win.And then in week one, there's a massive crash and Pogacar crashes out.Right.You need to be ready, you know, to fill that gap. Yeah.
And let's, I mean, let's not forget that nobody wants to see that.
I know, but if that's how we're, we're setting it up so that, well, it could be exciting if somebody gets, you know, hurt through a crash.Well, that sucks too.Like you want a heavyweight.
fight with healthy fighters.You don't want, you don't want to see that happen.None of these guys are asking, but also let's not forget the sport just continues to evolve.
These guys every year are breaking their PRS or are seeing better than numbers than they ever have.So it's a question of, okay, did Pogacar improved that much.
So maybe he's plateaued, probably not, but perhaps if Indigo has got moved or room for improvement and he saw his best numbers this year.So he's still improving.Obviously Remco, we talked about him last year.
You guys were saying probably an outsider for the podium.I was kind of, you know, on his bandwagon saying that he would get a podium, but he's, he's in that spot now he's in the podium position spot.
So he's just gonna have a lot more confidence coming into next season and obviously going to be keep improving as well.And when he's, when he's good, There's not very many people in the world that can beat them.
So we'll see how much of these guys continue to improve.
And the other thing, I mean, we'll do a whole, we'll do a special show on transfers and really how 2025's shaping up.That also changes things.And I haven't followed that, Johan, you follow it better than anybody.
But we'll talk about that in the Trades and Transfers show soon to be happening.
One last thing, guys, I'm gonna make a prediction.We're gonna see a record broken, an old record. Um, especially because it's, you know, it's, it's just the Vaughn to, at that stage, the Vaughn to record is going to be broken.
Yeah.I think.Who has that record?
I think, I don't know if it's three or four, probably, uh, even Mayo.
I was, I was thinking you would say even Maya was uphill time trial.Was it, I think it was 2004. I don't know, but I'm with you that we're certainly going to see if we saw what they did to the times this year.
By the way, if you take a bike from what they would ride in 2025, just the bike in 2025 to 2004, you would think, of course, they're going to break that. You know, the Vaughn two is also weird.
I mean, you can have the conditions up top can be very, very windy.They're so prohibitive and so restricting, like it.But yes, on paper.
You would think somebody beats it by five minutes. not only the bike, but obviously you probably meant that, but tires, they choose their tires daily on different occasions.And they know exactly rolling resistance for certain pavements.
They, their, their clothing, their saving Watts everywhere they can nowadays, as opposed to where back in our day, it was not like that at all.
It's funny.I get, I said earlier in the show, I had somebody who was referenced a question that I get a lot.I was in and around, does the route change every year or is it always the same?
But one other question I get a ton of is, what's the hardest climb in France?And of course, everybody has a different answer to this. Uh, my answer is very consistent.
I think Mont Ventoux is the hardest climb in France, therefore in the Tour de France.Uh, that's just my answer.And, and the reason I give is because, well, it's obviously steep, it's long, but there are no switchbacks.
All of the climbs that we've talked about, the most famous one there is of course Alpe d'Huez with 21 switchbacks. You can manage a climb if you know you've got switchbacks where the gradient goes from 9 or 10% to 3 or 4% in the switchback.
It just gives you a little bit of relief.For those that have ever done Ventoux from the proper side, you will know.I mean, there is no relief.It is 10% the entire time.There's no switchbacks.
And so therefore, I think that makes it the hardest climb in all of France.
Yeah, it's, and it's, it's a special clients.
I always compare this to clients in one, you know, you have the first 10 kilometers, which are steep in the forest, and then you get to show that in art and you think, okay, this is now evens out a little bit, and then you have the wind and it's all open.
And it's, it's, uh, it's not 10% at the end, the last seven K, but it feels like 10%.It feels like you hit a wall, you know?So it's a very special client, unique client.
And mentally, it that last call, the last third of the climb seems like it goes on forever because you can see the station at the top.I mean, the mountain is for those who haven't seen Bontemps, I mean, it's totally bald at the top.
You can see the station.I think it's a weather station. And you just kind of keep doing these turns.You're like, oh, it must be just right around the next turn.And it just it just goes and goes.It goes mentally.
It's a total mind fuck when you're when you're in that section where it's open.And then if you did throw in the wind, it's just.It's a beast.Yeah.All right, well. Cool.Thanks.Thank you for reminding me on that.That ASO released the route.
That was awesome.Any other things we will. But as I said, we're going to have the trades and transfer stuff.I believe we're going to do an up and comer show, which is, is I think Johan's favorite show of the year.
Cause this is even highlights also season highlights up and comers.Have you got some up and comers?It just, just, you don't, don't name any of them.Cause people got to wait for that.But if you got some people in mind.
Good.All right.Well, anything else? Till next time.
That's it.What are you going to do, George?You're going to go out and do, so you're going to go do a big, big ride today or no, I might go do an hour and a half.
My son, but nothing big.You have school.Doesn't he have school?
He's on, he's online school now.So, you know, that's when, you know, see, that's when you know, you're good.
That's when you know, hang on, that's when you know that they know that you're good.Like that, you're like, wait, you know, this, uh, geometry shit, like this kid's not ever going to use this.He's never going to use it.
Maybe we should do like a,
you know, um, geography class.So he just knows where the fuck he's going to go all over the world.Yeah.Yeah.
He's off to, uh, we should do a little, maybe a little, a little, uh, economics class.Cause he's going to make some paper where he's, he's off to the Olympic training center where we first met land.So I will never forget it.Why is he going there?
And by the way, it's, it's, it's almost November.What's yeah, it's just a try.It's a track camp, sort of like a, They just want to see how good these guys can run on the track.
So I'm actually currently building up his track, a track bike for him, which I know nothing about.So it's been interesting and I need to get it done before next week.So that's kind of been my project.
Excuse me.You're building this track.I'm not, I'm not, I'm not.I don't want to ride on any track.I definitely don't want to ride on any track with the track bike that you built up.Yeah, me neither.A hundred percent.No.
I saw a picture of him from the Fondo with his, I don't know, it was what's gross. Kids getting good looking.I mean, yeah, not only you're going to just go crush people on the bike, but if that fails.
Wow.Putting you to shame, bro.I know.I hear you.We missed you at the fund.Everybody was asking about you.
So, well, no, it's it's nice that you say that.I've just I've become more and more of a curmudgeon and kind of a hermit.I just can't. And, and by the way, look, then this is none of this will never change.
That's my daughter's birthdays or her birthdays.What am I trying to say here?It's her birthday weekend.Yeah.Um, and that's kind of, unless she changes her birthday, which I don't think she will.Um, it's always a problem.
Also was formula one here in Austin.So it's tough to do, but. I'm glad everybody got through safe and sound.Did I?I do have one more question.Did you change the route due to the storm?Did I?
I felt like we did loops.We did.
Jan was here before and he was explaining it to me.And I said, that doesn't sound like the normal route of the Fondo.They said, no, it's. It's 20 mile loops and it had to be because of storm damage, which is crazy.
We couldn't go up into the mountains.We actually did a big fundraiser, raised almost $750,000 already for the communities that we typically ride through because they were just destroyed.I mean, complete roads gone, houses destroyed.
But we did a 30K loop from the hotel, which is awesome.I actually really enjoyed it.It's a lot more social.You can stop. like every lab and wait for your friends or your friends can wait for you.You can say hi to the family.
I actually really enjoyed it.And I'm not sure I'll be able to go back to the original course just because of how much fun I thought the people had during doing it.
And silver lining.All right.Well, by the way, uh, and we should put that up or you're still raising.I mean, I'm assuming that you've raised, what'd you say?
750.Our goal is a million.So we still, we have an open link.It's a five Oh one C. So it goes directly to the foundation.Well, what's the link? Well, I get awesome.I can shoot it up and we'll put throw it on the show.I'll send it to Gabrielle.Yeah.
Let's whoever's doing it.However, all this stuff works, whoever edits it and we'll put the link maybe on this thing and then we should do it on our socials too.So people see, yeah, that'd be great.Thank you.Okay.All right, everybody.
Thanks for tuning in.I'll see you soon.Thank you.
