For the third straight stage, speeds were through the roof, though not as unbelievable as in yesterday's stage. But today's final kilometer on the gravel was breathtaking. Lennard Kämna was biking for stage-win glory. Nope, he cracked inside 100 m and finished fourth. Jonas Vingegaard blasted his way past Tadej Pogačar and Kämna. Nope, he couldn't hold off the explosion from Pogačar in the final 5 m on the 24% grade and finished second. Tadej Pogačar is simply better than his competition.
Elite riders came in under four hours today, which is incredibly fast. Our prediction was once again too slow.
- Stage 7: 3h 58' 40" (actual), 4h 11' 24" (prediction), 12' 44" slow (5.34% error)
Though much better than yesterday's prediction, I still don't like having over 3% error. Pogačar and his fellow cyclists are simply outperforming what I've seen in recent years. It's amazing to see what human beings are capable of on a bicycle! Check out Pogačar's winning average speed.
- Stage 7: 12.31 m/s (44.32 kph or 27.54 mph)
He was more than 2 kph faster than my model cyclist. For a kid who's not yet turned 24 years of age, the rest of the field has to wonder how long Pogačar will dominate cycling.
Tomorrow's 186.3-km (115.8-mi) medium-mountain Stage 8 commences in the French commune of Dole and finishes to the southeast in the Swiss city of Lausanne, which sits on the north side of Lake Geneva. Our prediction is given below.
- Stage 8: 4h 11' 22" (prediction)
More grueling stages follow tomorrow's stage. Will cyclists hold back a little or will speeds continue to be sky high? It will be fun to see what happens!
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