Team Monday wander off-piste, arrive nowhere in particular

No jerseys were on the line today, and it showed. Iain, racing for Team Monday, peeled off the usual roads entirely for a short breakaway transfer that will not trouble the classification one bit — a stage that exists purely for the pleasure of getting somewhere in a roundabout way. At 2.33 km in 12:31, it was hardly an epic, but it was a slow one, coming in at 11.2 km/h, the second-slowest leg of the whole Tour so far.

There was no real fight in it, and no real segment to dwell on either — the numbers here are more of a curiosity than a contest, a gentle plod rather than a grand tour set-piece. Heart rate ticked along at a relaxed 124 bpm, suggesting a rider entirely unbothered by the absence of stakes. Team Monday’s directeur sportif, reached only via meaningful silence from the team car, offered no comment, which is roughly what one would expect from an off-route jaunt like this.

Conditions were kind, at least: clear skies, 13.4°C, with a gentle 7 km/h breeze sitting behind or across the rider rather than in his face. It made for a pleasant enough outing, even if the modest speed suggests Iain was in no rush to get wherever this particular ride was going. No bridges, no bus lanes, no cobbles today — just a quiet excursion away from the Tour’s usual theatre.

Because this stage does not count, the general classification stands exactly as it was. Team Wednesday still lead the Tour outright at 26.2 km/h from a single blistering leg, with Team Friday holding second at 23.75 km/h, Team Tuesday third at 22.95 km/h, and Team Thursday fourth at 22.65 km/h. Team Monday’s little wander changes nothing at the top, but it does add one more oddity to a Tour that is increasingly full of them.