Stage 19: Talavera de la Reina to Talavera de la Reina

Mads Pedersen wins his third stage victory on STage 19 — Pedersen win number 3 (credit: The Grauniad / Tim de Waele / Getty Images)

Big Green Sprinting Machine

Mads’ Trek-Segafredo teammates got it just about right today, announcing what they were about before the stage (which disheartened a lot of potential breakaway artists), allowed just a few to get out front and then kept them on a tight leash before an early catch and unbeatable lead-out! Perhaps predicatable tactics, but it’s great to see it done so well. Fred got close in 2nd (but not very close).

Team of the Day

Team Ciclominaccia achieved the top daily score (for the third time in the last six stages) through stage winner Mads Pedersen (his third sprint victory) and Raúl Garcia Pernia who popped up in 10th. Stephen was the only team to take a punt on the Spanish pro-cycling team Equipo Kern Pharma, by including two of their riders, and gets a handy 80 points on the stage for his investment.

“Please stand well clear of the edge of THIS PLATFORM: the train NOW approaching does not stop at this station!”

Stand back, Team Ciclominaccia is coming through! bottom of the mini-league in 12th on Stage 11: they have risen to 4th by Stage 19 on a seemingly unstoppable bid for the podium.

Chart of velopoints won for each team on each stage, following Stage 19 — The Pain in Spain are still *Cola de la Carrera* but *Ciclominaccia* have joined the *Purseguidors*

bad losers

I was dismayed to hear that Primož Roglič has put the blame on Fred Wright for the accident that put him out of the race. No Primož no. Calm down and look again when the adrenaline and painkillers have worn off: you were far into “the red” and plunged back into the line of riders. It was an unfortunate accident, but if there is any blame to be apportioned it was yours. The outburst is unbecoming of a great champion. You need to check, mate.

Speaking of which, is anyone following the world of chess this week? Because something strangely parallel has happened. In a prestigious tournament the World Champion Magnus Carlsen (strongest player of all time) lost to an up-and-coming 19-year-old Grandmaster Hans Niemann and then walked out of the tournament, provoking a storm of accusations that Niemann was somehow cheating. The outburst is unbecoming of a great champion. You need to checkmate.