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The Pro Cycling Thread (Part 2) |
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#6601 |
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Join Date: Apr 2013
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It will be the first time this century that three competitors have made the podium in 2 GTs within a season.
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#6602 |
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 9,442
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I am not too despondent at Quintana winning the Vuelta as it is good for the sport in general.
I think Froome is the only GC contender who is good at time trials and that, inadvertently, gives him a natural advantage. I think the only way he can lose grand tours nowadays is to have a bad day. Which takes some of the fun out of it. I would like to see time trails with no more than a minute to be gained out of them as I think the length of them really does favour the TT specialist and makes for an uneven contest. One to think about maybe. |
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#6603 |
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Leicester
Posts: 2,964
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The whole idea of a grand tour is to test all aspects, team time trials favour certain teams, so do we nulify them too?
After Wiggins won the tour de france they put less time trials in it the following year, so they already tweak things to disadvantage foreign riders, or is that just being cynical
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#6604 |
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 76,824
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You could say that mountain top finishes suit climbers so should we take them out too ?
I don't think every grand tour has to be 'fair' between riders with different specialisms as long as all get a crack every now and then within the historic norms of the courses Sprinters will never win a grand tour and everyone just accepts that.......there's no campaign to have a grand tour of perfectly flat stages with huge time bonuses at the stage finishes ! |
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#6605 |
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 9,442
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I understand your points but I hanker for a Grand Tour where the result is still up for grabs on the last day. We only got that this time as Froome had a bad day and that gave the time trial a bit of extra interest.
Wasn't Sean Kelly primarily a sprinter and he won a Grand Tour. A bit before my time but I think that was the case. The only one like that who could reasonably challenge for a Grand Tour could be Peter Sagan. He would still lose out to Froome on the TT even if he could stay with him in the mountains. |
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#6606 |
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 2,090
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Great video from the team car documenting how OBE stole third position on the podium by a narrow margin. Yates role was to disrupt the chase rather than drop Talansky on the final climb: https://youtu.be/uOQ2Dc9wIds?t=4m55s
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#6607 |
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 76,824
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Quote:
Wasn't Sean Kelly primarily a sprinter and he won a Grand Tour. A bit before my time but I think that was the case. The only one like that who could reasonably challenge for a Grand Tour could be Peter Sagan. He would still lose out to Froome on the TT even if he could stay with him in the mountains.
I expect he'd be more of a Sagan than a Cav ! But maybe a better climber than Sagan ? Just looking up I see that he's been leading the previous year's Vuelta until forced to quit near the end with injury so he was an OK grand tour rider. Also note that the year he won it there were 4 time trials in all.......
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#6608 |
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 8,674
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Quote:
Great video from the team car documenting how OBE stole third position on the podium by a narrow margin. Yates role was to disrupt the chase rather than drop Talansky on the final climb: https://youtu.be/uOQ2Dc9wIds?t=4m55s
Great teamwork. Damien Howson committing everything, with nothing left at the end. (The TV coverage of him was even better). As said, an excellent backstage pass. |
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#6609 |
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,043
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Another noteworthy stat - according to Cycling News, it will be the first time in 20 years that no Spaniard has earned a place on the Vuelta GC podium. (Apparently the 1996 podium was an all-Swiss affair!)
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#6610 |
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 841
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Quote:
I am not too despondent at Quintana winning the Vuelta as it is good for the sport in general.
I think Froome is the only GC contender who is good at time trials and that, inadvertently, gives him a natural advantage. I think the only way he can lose grand tours nowadays is to have a bad day. Which takes some of the fun out of it. I would like to see time trails with no more than a minute to be gained out of them as I think the length of them really does favour the TT specialist and makes for an uneven contest. One to think about maybe. |
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#6611 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 76,824
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Quote:
(Apparently the 1996 podium was an all-Swiss affair!)
Can't think who the 3rd one might have been Zulle was good.......I remember that he wore glasses and his eyesight must have been pretty poor as he had a reputation for crashing into things and falling off......
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#6612 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,043
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It was indeed those two, along with Laurent Dufaux.
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#6613 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 76,824
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Flicking between the Madrid race and London......but I do find these city circuits a bit boring.......I've put the football on.....
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#6614 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,043
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It's a red letter day for British cyclists as well.
Stephen Cummings finished in the bunch to secure overall victory in the ToB and the track para-cyclists won more medals in Rio. Whatsmore, downhill bikers Rachel Atherton and Danny Hart both won rainbow jerseys! The former has enjoyed the perfect season and the latter had an excellent one despite narrowly missing out on the World Cup title earlier. Oh, and Laurie Greenland (last year's world junior downhill champion) took silver behind Hart as well! ----- Jolien D'Hoore won the Madrid Challenge ahead of teammate Chloe Hosking and Caleb Ewan won the final stage of the ToB. Megan Guarnier is officially confirmed as the winner of the inaugural UCI Women's WorldTour, so it's three in a row (including the former World Cup) for Boels. |
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#6615 |
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Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 23,320
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But wait there's more...Montreal Grand Prix live on Eurosport now, with Matt Stevens, who did the Women's Race in Madrid this afternoon, and Brian Smith, who did the ToB. Anthony McCrossan, Rochelle Gilmour and Simon Brotherton are in Rio, so there's obviously a bit of a national cycling commentator shortage. Can Sagan do the French Canadian double after his amazing win in Quebec on Friday?
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#6616 |
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 30,269
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Well done to Nairo Quintana on winning the Vuelta a Espana
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#6617 |
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,043
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Quote:
Can Sagan do the French Canadian double after his amazing win in Quebec on Friday?
Spoiler
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#6618 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 23,320
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Quiet week in prospect now. Literally the only thing I can see is the Grand Prix de Wallonie one day race on Wednesday afternoon on Eurosport 1. Nothing at the weekend. There won't be any live coverage of the Paralympics road races either.
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#6619 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,043
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Here are the latest men's World Rankings for individuals and nations.
Cold hard stats and road cycling don't necessarily mix, though it is rather fitting that the top four in the individual rankings (as of yesterday) are champions of the WCh RR / Tour / Vuelta / Olympic RR. France, Belgium and Spain boast quintuple-digit figures in the nations rankings and it looks like Colombia,* GB* and Italy will follow in due course. Sagan almost single-handedly keeps Slovakia* in tenth place or thereabouts. [* Impressive when you consider these nations have relatively few WT riders to call upon.] |
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#6620 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Edinburgh
Posts: 23,320
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The Indoor Season kicks off on Saturday, with Round 1 of the Revolution Series from Manchester.
http://www.cyclingrevolution.com/new...on-series.html At this stage they are starting with mainly domestic teams, but still quite a lot of Olympic and World Champion medal winners in action. http://www.cyclingrevolution.com/the-series.html It broadens out in November with international competitions which also bring UCI points to qualify for the major World-level events. Doesn't seem to be any TV coverage yet. |
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#6621 |
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Leicester
Posts: 2,964
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Eurosport have coverage of the Eneco tour commencing Monday at 2pm, I think the last world tour event before the worlds.
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#6622 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,043
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Il Lombardia is the last WT race this year (1 October).
Here's the (currently provisional) Eneco Tour startlist. Many of the contenders for rainbow jerseys are expected to participate, including Cav (who hasn't done the Eneco Tour since 2007). ----- HSBC will apparently replace Sky as the headline sponsor of British Cycling from next year. |
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#6623 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: St Albans
Posts: 3,547
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Quote:
Il Lombardia is the last WT race this year (1 October).
Here's the (currently provisional) Eneco Tour startlist. Many of the contenders for rainbow jerseys are expected to participate, including Cav (who hasn't done the Eneco Tour since 2007). ----- HSBC will apparently replace Sky as the headline sponsor of British Cycling from next year. |
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#6624 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 2,090
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Wiggins asked to explain inconsistency between his autobiog and hacked TUE record:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/oth...abs-leaks.html |
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#6625 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 76,824
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Quote:
Wiggins asked about inconsistency between his autobiog and hacked TUE record:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/oth...abs-leaks.html if there are 'loopholes' why wouldn't you take advantage?........your assumption would be that everyone else is |
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