Been an odd race, I watched an hour between 14:00-15:00 our time, seems a day ago. Pace seems to have been at 40km througout, which will take its toll when it ramps up to 50+ on the last lap. If the break holds, I'd fancy Viviani. Presume Sagan, Van Avermaet and Degenkolb are still there. Cheering for Stannard.
Originally Posted by Cissy Fairfax: “Swift top Briton in 22nd. Disappointing for Yates.”
When they were not in the original selection, the Yates said they were not disappointed because the course did not suit them. As AY was given little time to prepare then it's not that an unexpected outcome.
The women's race was definitely the more enthralling of the two WCs. The explosive last 4km of the men's race did not make up for the general lack of tension of those preceding laps.
Rewatching, Sagan took it on the descent from the second cobbled climb. He dropped onto his crossbar freewheeling while recovering. The vital three seconds were banked at that point before he struggled on his extreme limit on the final rise towards the finish line. In the previous lap, the escapees spent time recovering, allowing the catch. That was the point Viviani retched up from over-exertion?
Only one more world tour event to come.........Lombardy next weekend
That Tour of Beijing appears to have been scrapped or demoted
Eurosport have a few more races scheduled over the next couple of weeks.....October events......this schedule was published months ago so might be subject to change
1 Milano - Torino
4 Giro d'Lombardia
4 Tour de Eurometropole
6 Binche-Chimay-Binche
11 Paris-Tours
TBC Saitama Criterium