Three weeks inside the Jayco AlUla bubble with Vaz. These are John’s own words, filed from the road, gathered in one place.
Before the start
I’m getting excited as I pack my bags in readiness for my flight to Europe tomorrow. My right hand man and good friend Vaz Juchima and I will be imbedded with Team Jayco AlUla and giving you regular updates each day.
I can already feel the electricity in the air. This Tour has the ingredients for something unforgettable and I am heading straight into the centre of it for The Detour. I will be embedded with Team Jayco–AlUla for the entire three weeks. I will be in the buses, the hotel corridors, the warm up zones, the recovery rooms and the places where riders try to hide from cameras. You will see the real Tour from inside the machine and you will get it every single day.
I will be everywhere I should not be. I will ask questions nobody else will ask. I will stir the pot in ways that will probably get me told off by at least three team directors before we reach the Pyrenees.
The Aussies in the bunch
Michael Matthews has amazingly recovered from two broken wrists in a horror training crash in March. Michael will be stage hunting for sure and will also be a chance for stint in the Maillot Jaune early on. Luke Plapp is in good form and also a big chance for stage success especially in the last half of the Tour. Kel OBrien riding his debut Tour and Luke Durbridge riding his final season, will both be crucial in the team time trial prologue on Saturday.
Week one, from the roadside
The general story of the Tour so far has been the heat — it’s been affecting a lot of the riders.
Pogačar has really solidified his favouritism, because he just looks so much stronger.
They let the break go, which was good. The break was very strong… Fantastic for Michael. But I’m sure that he just couldn’t hold on to the finish. It was a great opportunity for him.
A fighter’s farewell
Real shame for Kel O’Brien. A crash on stage 2 really knocked him around, and he couldn’t sleep well… He just couldn’t make the time cut. It was a shame — because when he got dropped, he was on his own, and he still nearly made it.
The show behind the show
To me, one of the really interesting parts of the whole race is the family — which is the team support. How well they work to keep the show on the road.
Read the full pieces: Iffy is back on tour, Ten Aussies on the Barcelona start line and From the roadside. The clips are on Instagram at @detourpoddy.
