[jyl]

The strength of MVP was a sight, but even more so his cunning.

He finished stage 1 with a time exactly 8 seconds behind Alaphillipe. Today, he burned his legs attacking on the first climb of the Mur, was caught soon after, the commentators then wrote him off, but he’d saved enough legs to attack and win on the second climb up the Mur. He had figured out that he needed both the max 8 second time bonus from the first climb AND to distance Alaphillipe on the second climb to close the time gap and take the yellow jersey. At the end of stage 2, he led Alaphillipe by 8 seconds on both the stage and the race.

Without the time bonus, MVP would not be in yellow - he couldn’t hope to distance Alaphillipe by the potentially needed 16 seconds on the stage (if Ala had taken the time bonus) just by storming up the second climb. Without burning Alaphillipe’s legs on the first climb in order to drop him on the second climb, MVP would not be in yellow - he needed Alaphillipe to not only lose, but to be gapped (rather than finish in the same group as MVP).

Amazing, to hatch such a daunting plan and to have such authority over the best bike riders in the world, all fresh just two days into the Tour.

I think that while most riders have matches to burn, MVP has a lighter.