#tdff

[yridenergyridenergy]

T.D.F.F. backup vocals

[rogloptimist]

you will burn and you will burn out; you will be healed and come back again // kasia niewiadoma

kasia would you accept this as a marriage proposal? (EDITED BECAUSE I’M STUPID AND FORGOT TO PUT IN A FEW IMAGES)

untitled - tumblr user @waitingforthesunrise // 'i lost the faith that i could still do it' - kasia niewiadoma conquers the 'mountain of emotions' for tour de france triumph - anne marije rook // pauliena rooijakkers and demi vollering - stage 8, tour de france femmes 2024 (gruber images) // kasia niewiadoma - stage 8, tour de france femmes 2024 (gruber images) // kasia niewiadoma and elisa longo borghini - tour of flanders 2024 (gruber images) // getting closer: kasia niewiadoma on remaining optimistic about her own victory after a promising flanders podium - rachel jary // kasia niewviadoma - strade bianche donne 2024 // kasia niewviadoma - stage 7, tour de france femmes 2023 (jojo harper nielsen) // kasia niewiadoma, elisa longo borghini and shirin van anrooij - tour of flanders 2024 // kasia niewiadoma - stage 7, tour de france femmes 2023 (jojo harper nielsen) // kasia niewiadoma - strade bianche donne 2024 // heartbroken katarzyna niewiadoma breaks down in tears after narrowly missing podium at strade bianche donne 2024 - kieran wood // kasia niewiadoma's results records - procyclingstats // kasia niewiadoma is cycling's latest example for why you should never give up - robyn davidson // kasia niewiadoma - la fleche wallonne feminine 2024 (getty images) // "i have failed many times... but i never stopped believing"-- emotional katarzyna niewiadoma finally gets much-deserved win at la fleche wallonne femmes - kieran wood // kasia niewiadoma - podium ceremony, la fleche wallonne feminine 2024 // kasia niewiadoma - uci gravel championships 2023 // kasia niewiadoma - stage 8, tour de france femmes 2024 (gruber images) // kasia niewiadoma wins closest four de france ever - andy mcgrath // stubbornness, soul, and spirit: kasia niewiadoma has earned the tour de france spotlight - rachel jary // kasia niewiadoma - stage 8, tour de france femmes 2024 (gruber images)

title is the brothers karamzov by fyodor dostoyevsky

[leslie-o-crieff]

C'est toujours aussi beau de voir un maillot à pois remporter une étape de montagne.

[alienorchids]

DIR EN GREY sticker sheet

[womensworldtour]

Tour de France Femmes begins Monday!

After the long pause from the 2024 Paris Olympics (which has been pretty great, tbh) we finally begin the Tour de France Femmes on Monday, August 12!

We're looking at eight stages, with the riders rolling out from Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where they will spend most of three days on 2.5 stages around Rotterdam. We say 2.5 stages, because Tuesday features two different stages, a short sprint stage and then an evening time trial. We don't know how we feel about these types of stages, but at least it will showcase different riders' talents.

Stage 4 on Wednesday will see the riders cross into Belgium and travel parts of the routes for Amstel Gold Race and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, including the famous hills like the Cauberg and the Cote de la Roche-aux-Faucons. And then finally, on Thursday, the Tour de France actually reaches France, and we will see increasingly mountainous stages that should determine the general classification, including finales on Le Grand-Bornand and the infamous Alp d'Huez.

As for GC, the odds-on favorite has to be defending TdFF champ Demi Vollering (SD Worx-Protime), who as we have said this year, is the best climber and stage-racer in the world right now. Cycling News has a great run-down for the other challengers, however, which we recommend.

It will be interesting to see how other strong teams like Canyon-SRAM and Lidl-Trek can put SD Worx under pressure. We've seen that in the Tour de Suisse and it can be done, but frankly, Vollering is so dominant right now that she might still win even if she's isolated on half the stages. She is just that good. Keep an eye on riders like Neve Bradbury (Canyon-SRAM) or Evita Muzic (FDJ-Suez) as possible spoilers, and definitely contenders for the podium.

We honestly don't know how the fight for the points jersey will go, and we're excited to see how that plays out across the stages. Defending green jersey wearer Marianne Vos (Visma Lease-a-Bike) will want to repeat, but she'll have some serious competition from Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), who is still the fastest pure sprinter in the world and has shown she can get over the hills remarkably well. We'd love to see Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) back to winning ways after being off the bike due to injury.

We are less optimistic about the competition for the polka-dot jersey, and think it will likely be swept up by the GC winner. But that isn't always the case, like in the Giro this year, and we'd love to see some breakaway action and a non-GC rider try to hold onto that jersey.

We also expect several teams to hunt stages and keep several of the stages entertaining. EF-Oatly-Cannondale has been on a rampage this year, scooping up stages in the Vuelta Feminina and the Giro d'Italia Women, and they have the firepower to do it again with Alison Jackson, Kim Cadzow, Clara Emond, or Kristen Faulkner. Another team to watch is AG Insurance-Soudal, which has options in Tour Down Under champ Sarah Gigante, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, and Giro mountains classification winner Justine Ghekiere.

And finally, we expect to be surprised! We'd love to see a new talent announce herself on the biggest stage of the season, that's part of what we love about bike racing. This year's course is less likely to be an SD Worx show like last year (5 out of 8 stages), particularly with Lotte Kopecky not on the start list, so we are looking forward to some surprise moves and performances that will keep the racing interesting all the way to the top of Alp d'Huez!

[goodobservationshirley]

shoutout to demi vollering who didn't win today but has a really cute dog and isn't it what really matters (x)

[oneminutefiftysixseconds]

PUCK PIETERSE THE RIDER THAT YOU ARE

[totchiiiiii]

[goodobservationshirley]

#i NEED to see inside the sdworx bus

now how do we get netflix to do unchained femmes

[marcelskittels]

KATARZYNA NIEWIADOMA ‹ Tour de France Femmes 2024 › 📸 by Jennifer Lindini

[pinkpogiclub]

Kasia Niewiadoma and Demi Vollering after Stage 8 of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes (📸 by Ashley Norris Gruber)

Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar after Stage 16 of the 2023 Tour de France (📸 by A.S.O. / Pauline Ballet)

[wouteke]

could we possibly play a bit? could we jest?

[leslie-o-crieff]

[indie-summer]

so what you're all telling me is that this was yesterday

and this was today?

[womensworldtour]

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, the reigning cyclo-cross champion, has announced that she's going to retire from mountain biking at the end of this season. She will stay in MTB through the Olympics in Paris, and then will turn her attention back to road racing and a return to the Women's World Tour, and will target the Tour de France Femmes next season.

Wait, you may say, does that mean that Ineos Grenadiers will expand to a women's team? We can only hope, but Ferrand-Prévot has been the sole female rider for Ineos since signing in 2023, and we think that needs to change!

[goodobservationshirley]

INSIDE TOUR DE FRANCE - EP 1