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The Pro Cycling Thread (Part 2)


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Old 08-09-2013, 15:21
swingaleg
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Another 10 out of the Vuelta so far today..........1 did not start and 9 Abandons, including Tony Martin, Philippe Gilbert and Luke Rowe, the last remaining Brit

It looks tough going at the moment..........bit misty and cold and the roads look a bit patchy with damp and re-laid bits
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Old 09-09-2013, 20:12
cmq2
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If Uran had thrown his bike instead of looking across?? https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BTvbhKxIAAE7gWc.jpg

Barguel made it look like he was grinding to a halt as he was caught but then was talking alongside Uran on the run in.
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Old 09-09-2013, 20:23
grassmarket
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Yes, good little stage, plenty going on. Horner must be kicking himself for not attacking earlier. And Sky scraping around for stage wins.
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Old 09-09-2013, 22:08
afx237vi
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Barguel made it look like he was grinding to a halt as he was caught but then was talking alongside Uran on the run in.
I thought that was odd too... it was like "oh, Uran is coming, I'll just wait, get a bit of shelter in the last km, then beat him in the sprint". A bit cocky, but it worked!
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Old 10-09-2013, 09:14
grassmarket
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I thought that was odd too... it was like "oh, Uran is coming, I'll just wait, get a bit of shelter in the last km, then beat him in the sprint". A bit cocky, but it worked!
Chris Horner pulled that trick in the Vuelta a couple of times, looked like he was dying, let the other guy come past, then beat him to the line.
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Old 10-09-2013, 12:40
tealady
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Loving Obree's new attempt on the world speed record
Hope he can see where he's going!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24015622
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Old 10-09-2013, 16:55
grassmarket
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British team for the World Champs

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/24032227
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Old 10-09-2013, 16:59
MR. Macavity
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Not an expert, but enjoying watching, just wondering if the course is not really a Sprinters course then why is Cav in the team? Is it because he won in 2011?
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Old 10-09-2013, 19:14
grassmarket
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Not an expert, but enjoying watching, just wondering if the course is not really a Sprinters course then why is Cav in the team? Is it because he won in 2011?
I suppose they want to cover every possibility, even remote ones.
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Old 10-09-2013, 19:31
swingaleg
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Not an expert, but enjoying watching, just wondering if the course is not really a Sprinters course then why is Cav in the team? Is it because he won in 2011?
I think the reasoning would be that you never quite know how the race will pan out..........if there's a scenario in which a big bunch come to the finish together then Cav is a possible winner. The race finish looks flat ........Cav wouldn't have a chance if it was an uphill finish. Cav's usually OK getting over the smaller climbs along the course. He'll probably get dropped on the 7th or 8th passage of the circuit climb when the speed increases, but you never know.........

For example..........there might be a breakaway that no one wants to pull back too quickly or the teams might start arguing about who does the chasing and bluffing each other......if it ends up that the peloton are not going full pelt Cav could probably stay with them up the climbs

I suspect that the top half dozen sprinters will all be there, just in case

I wouldn't think there's much point picking Andy Fenn.....he's another sprinter but young and just getting going (he's in the same pro team as Cav)................I don't think there's much point picking a sprinter who's below the top level cos he probably won't win even it comes down to a bunch sprint
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Old 10-09-2013, 20:28
swingaleg
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Just noticed on a thread on DS Broadcasting that Eurosport and ITV have won contract extensions to show the Tour up to 2019

The deal includes other races as well.............4 additional races for ITV from 2016 including Paris-Roubaix and the Dauphine !

http://sport-onthebox.com/2013/09/09...e-france-deal/
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Old 10-09-2013, 23:15
afx237vi
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Tiernan-Locke, WTF? He's barely completed a race all year
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Old 11-09-2013, 12:39
MR. Macavity
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I think the reasoning would be that you never quite know how the race will pan out..........if there's a scenario in which a big bunch come to the finish together then Cav is a possible winner. The race finish looks flat ........Cav wouldn't have a chance if it was an uphill finish. Cav's usually OK getting over the smaller climbs along the course. He'll probably get dropped on the 7th or 8th passage of the circuit climb when the speed increases, but you never know.........

For example..........there might be a breakaway that no one wants to pull back too quickly or the teams might start arguing about who does the chasing and bluffing each other......if it ends up that the peloton are not going full pelt Cav could probably stay with them up the climbs

I suspect that the top half dozen sprinters will all be there, just in case

I wouldn't think there's much point picking Andy Fenn.....he's another sprinter but young and just getting going (he's in the same pro team as Cav)................I don't think there's much point picking a sprinter who's below the top level cos he probably won't win even it comes down to a bunch sprint
Thanks for that swingaleg

Actually the strategy / tactics aspect of one of things about road cycling that I am finding really interesting but just don't know enough about teams, riders etc to take in all of what's going on sometimes.......... listening to Carlton Kirby's commentaries only gets me so far!
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Old 11-09-2013, 13:52
grassmarket
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Actually the strategy / tactics aspect of one of things about road cycling that I am finding really interesting but just don't know enough about teams, riders etc to take in all of what's going on sometimes.......... listening to Carlton Kirby's commentaries only gets me so far!
It's a pity Eurosport doesn't get Steven Roche on so often these days, he was the guy that laid it all out for me about 15 years back - unfortunately the peak of the doping era, but the principles were universal. I hope David Miller will get more commentary work, he can explain it all as well.
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Old 11-09-2013, 14:03
swingaleg
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I started watching during the Roche-Duffield years and between them they did a good job of explaining the tactics as the race unfolded

Sean is good if a little predictable...........he keeps saying the same thing but maybe that's because the same tactics keep being played out
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Old 11-09-2013, 14:33
grassmarket
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Sean is good if a little predictable...........he keeps saying the same thing but maybe that's because the same tactics keep being played out
Sean's too polite. Like Michael Johnson in athletics, Roche never hesitated to say when he thought someone had messed things up. He was always giving pelters to Richard Virenque
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Old 12-09-2013, 09:19
grassmarket
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Another Candadian event tonight, the Quebec Challenge Sprint. It's a different race format, short knock out races run in heats of 4, with the top 2 riders going through to the next round.
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Old 12-09-2013, 09:33
swingaleg
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Another Candadian event tonight, the Quebec Challenge Sprint. It's a different race format, short knock out races run in heats of 4, with the top 2 riders going through to the next round.
I remember this from last year..........it was quite good, made a change to see a different format

Track sprinting on the road !
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Old 12-09-2013, 12:47
tealady
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Interesting insight into Wiggins 2012 Tour win.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/24061236
I'm sure at the time it was played down as a slight misunderstanding.
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Old 12-09-2013, 15:36
Mark F
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Is there any great reason why there are a lot less "sprinters" stages in the Vuelta la espana than the Tour De France -

A deliberate plan to suit the climbers of whom a few are Spanish?
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Old 12-09-2013, 17:06
Mark F
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Horner now only 3 seconds behind Nibali..

Team Sky get their first win.
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Old 12-09-2013, 19:16
grassmarket
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Pretty epic stage by any standards. So delighted to see Kirienka getting the win, we've seen him doing so much work for Froome and Wiggins to break the others in the early stages of the climb, but always veering off just as the action starts.
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Old 12-09-2013, 21:06
swingaleg
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Carlton is doing the commentary from Quebec............although he's in Spain

or is he in the Paris studio ?.............
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Old 12-09-2013, 21:16
afx237vi
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Is there any great reason why there are a lot less "sprinters" stages in the Vuelta la espana than the Tour De France -

A deliberate plan to suit the climbers of whom a few are Spanish?
Geography too. Spain has mountains and hilltop villages spread over the country, while France has the Alps, Pyrenees, Vosges, Massif Central and then loads and loads of flat stuff.
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Old 13-09-2013, 09:38
MR. Macavity
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Pretty epic stage by any standards. So delighted to see Kirienka getting the win, we've seen him doing so much work for Froome and Wiggins to break the others in the early stages of the climb, but always veering off just as the action starts.
Great to watch.

Poor old Carlton....... he'd have had Horner ahead by about 5 minutes if he'd carried on with his mental arithmetic much longer!
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