Pro Cycling Discussion 2019

Soldato
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I broke "just" my femur quite a few years ago and the rehab from that was tough on it's own. I remember being in the gym at the start and not even being able to complete a pedal full rotation on a static bike. Obviously Froome is going to have every option for recovery which will help but it's going to be a long, tough road.

I expect it does give G solo TdF team leader status with Bernal as the wonderkid side-kick.
 
Soldato
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It is utter turd isn't it? I am not even watching the highlights in the evenings because I have absolutely no care for it..... 3rd week will be different like but still!
Not sure about you guys, but I found the Giro incredibly boring. I only had time to watch the highlights but the GC hopefuls just seemed to mark each other with only a couple of them putting in attacks - most of it for nothing. No huge gaps, no really decisive stages and most of the overall standings decided by crashes/mechanicals.

A couple of stages where great in their own right, great to see the same pro conti riders and others making the breaks and really putting on a show for points, even sneaking a couple of great wins. But the overall leaders where all seemingly off their game/playing too much tactics/only responding not attacking. Landa, Lopez and Nibbles where the only ones who really stood out as exciting to watch. Yates was as boring to watch as Quintana. Even Roglic in the 3rd week seemed placid.

Carapaz was a deserved winner, equally they all underestimated him several times/stages. I can't recall anyone attacking him directly?

Best/memorable moments of the Giro - spectators cap flying off as Lopez swats him. Beautiful and what a swipe to send a cap that far! Shame there's no footage of the actual collision. Landa climbing stood in the drops, laying the watts down and just riding anyyone and everyone off his wheel. Multiple times. Pure class!

Seems to be quite a bit of doping related news coming up all over again recently :(
Linky?

Wind by the sound of it but still seems like a terrible mistake for a pro rider to be making!
A hand off the bars to wipe a nose, during a warm up/recon ride at the bottom of a descent not actually racing, is a terrible mistake? Not like you don't see anyone taking their hands off during actual races... ;)

My feelings on Froome are well known but this is terribly sad news. Wishing him a speedy and full recovery, a total freak accident.
Yeah, rubbish luck. Crash^froome strikes again! But this time without actually being in a race... :o

He'll recover, he's proven time and again that you can't write him off. Might even seen him at the Vuelta!?

Have Ineos updated their lineup for the Tour yet? Only rumours so far that Moscon will come in. Bernal and G where set to ride anyway and part of me hopes Bernal will become co-leader. Another part of me wants Pavel Sivakov to come in instead of Moscon but they can't have 3 co-leaders can they?! :D

TDG still one of the best follows on *******: https://twitter.com/DeGendtThomas/status/1131492122920718336 https://twitter.com/DeGendtThomas/status/1133129747666493445
 
Soldato
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Most of it has dropped off but most notable is Jarlinson Pantano testing positive for EPO, Manzana Postobon wrapping the team up due to having two team members testing positive, the blood doping scandal in Austria potentially implicating Slovenian riders and the head guy at Bahrain Merida, Stefan Denifl and Georg Priedler confessed to blood doping and associated with the Austrian case etc.
 
Soldato
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/48612884

Chris Froome's season over (Broken leg in a huge crash by the sounds of it) and you've got to think maybe his career at the very top level will be hard to come back from a big injury at his age. Tour de france there for Thomas if he is in the form?

Having broken my hip 6 months ago in a riding accident I can safety say its a long hard recovery, even for a pro cyclist like Froome. Add the other injuries to the mix & I would be surprised if we see him challenging for wins again.
 
Soldato
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A hand off the bars to wipe a nose, during a warm up/recon ride at the bottom of a descent not actually racing, is a terrible mistake? Not like you don't see anyone taking their hands off during actual races... ;)
Read to me like he took both hands off to blow his nose and it clearly was a major mistake as he crashed into a house.
 
Soldato
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Either way! Great win for WvA yesterday! To take some big scalps was impressive, as was Adam Yates' time to get the yellow.

I see Movistar and Quintana have spent absolutely nothing once again on tunnel testing to save him as much time as possible in TT's and so unless he outclimbs everybody significantly he won't be beating anyone this Tour.
 
Soldato
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Either way! Great win for WvA yesterday! To take some big scalps was impressive, as was Adam Yates' time to get the yellow.

I see Movistar and Quintana have spent absolutely nothing once again on tunnel testing to save him as much time as possible in TT's and so unless he outclimbs everybody significantly he won't be beating anyone this Tour.

I don't think Movistar are that stupid so I can only conclude Quintana is.
 
Soldato
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Read to me like he took both hands off to blow his nose and it clearly was a major mistake as he crashed into a house.
Everywhere I'm reading now is saying 'took his hands hands off' (indicating both), but yesterday I'm sure I saw an article (with a Brailford or Poels quote) which indicated it was only a single hand. Here is the Brailford quote mentioned but it was a different article I read yesterday. Riding between houses and a gust of sidewind took his front wheel, he lost control and hit a 'low wall' then a house (or something).

Either way! Great win for WvA yesterday! To take some big scalps was impressive, as was Adam Yates' time to get the yellow.

I see Movistar and Quintana have spent absolutely nothing once again on tunnel testing to save him as much time as possible in TT's and so unless he outclimbs everybody significantly he won't be beating anyone this Tour.
Really impressive, don't think we'd seen anything from him TT results wise before? Can't even recall seeing him ride one... Although Brian Smith (?) did explain it well 'an hour at threshold for a TT is similar to a rider coming from CX riding at and above threshold for 45/50 minutes'. Still superb for Jumbo-Visma. He's turning into quite a rounded rider now, rather than just a classics specialist.
Especially with today's sprint win!

TLDR; Froome wins 5th GT with broken femur.

:D :D :D

His position is truly horrible, even Pinots is better and his team has 7 buttons and an apple to it's name.
Made me laugh! :D

Really feel like Quintana is a spent force. He has moments of attacking excellence but they're few and far between now. Like once a year. The rest of the time he spends his time marking others and doing absolutely nothing. Too many teams waste valuable time/energy watching/preparing for him when they should be watching better more impulsive and decisive riders like Landa/Carapaz.

He really should be relegated to domestique duties and lose his lofty leadership position. Movistar should make him work for his position when they have riders like Valverde, Landa, Carapaz, Amador, Oliviera and Roelandts. All are capable of winning if protected as much as Quintana is as they've got such a strong roster. Even riders like Anacona, Lluis Mas and Sutterlin are more exciting to watch and strong enough for stage wins. Quintana doesn't even seem to do that any longer in UCI races.

Shame TD is still suffering from his knee injury but was good to his him 'mistakenly' get in a break - even not at his peak and getting in a break by mistake he still seemed the strongest! :D

Anyone love the colours of the Cervelo's theyre riding? I know the team colours suck as they're now very similar to Ineos, but in their own right they are great and the bikes look superb!

The boring looking Shimano wheels really let it down though, as we're used to seeing them with Enve wheels before... Also, in that picture doesn't it look a really small frame for him? I know racers generally ride smaller frames than they should, but hadn't realised that also was on TT bikes. You'd think a tall rider like him the more stretched out the more aero.
 
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Soldato
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Quintana doing nothing yet again.

That weather today was grim! Wonder how much it affected the race today. Good rides from. Fuglsang and poels to gain time and for the win respectively. Hopefully tomorrow will be entertaining for the last stage.
 
Soldato
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Maybe Movistar are the problem not Nairo.

His only WT team for his career.... maybe a change would do him good as whatever they are doing hasn’t been working for him the last few years.

Let’s not forget he does have two GTs to his name.

He beat Froome and Contador in the 2016 Vuelta (after all three rode the tour, I think that one was when Contador had an awful crash and abandoned early on).

Who else (apart from Quintana)in the peloton has more than one, Froome and Nibali.

TD has one Giro.
Aru has one Vuelta?
Carapaz one Giro.
Yates one Vuelta.
And Valverde (but he doesn’t really count as so long ago!).
 
Soldato
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Geraint Thomas has crashed out of the tour de suisse and taken to hospital. Bit of a nightmare year so far for Ineos, the TDF will be potentially a far more open race if Thomas wont make it. Egan Bernal could be sole leader which could be interesting as he seems to have a far more attacking instinct
 
Soldato
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Soldato
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That weather today was grim! Wonder how much it affected the race today. Good rides from. Fuglsang and poels to gain time and for the win respectively. Hopefully tomorrow will be entertaining for the last stage.
Proper grim! Have seen occasional races in conditions like that, but then to hear of all the retirements the day after was a stark reminder on how human they really are... Was quite a shock to me how so many dropped out, especially when you consider that was the final stage!

Gutted for Yates to lose Yellow and then out the race the next day. Brutal! Great wins by Poels & van Baarle.

Maybe Movistar are the problem not Nairo.

His only WT team for his career.... maybe a change would do him good as whatever they are doing hasn’t been working for him the last few years.
Totally agree, earlier in his career he was more like Chavez - a real racer. Exciting to watch. Like a mini Nibali. Now he just sits and watches 95% the time. Boring! It's almost as if the Team Principals are doing all of his tactics for him, he sits and waits to be told what to do - like he has no emotion. A puppet.

Geraint Thomas has crashed out of the tour de suisse and taken to hospital. Bit of a nightmare year so far for Ineos, the TDF will be potentially a far more open race if Thomas wont make it. Egan Bernal could be sole leader which could be interesting as he seems to have a far more attacking instinct
Ineos opposition will be out for blood as they know without Froome riding and Thomas possibly not on top form there will be many more opportunities. But lets be honest, even if G doesn't ride Ineos will still have one of the strongest teams supporting Bernal. Including Tao GH as a super domestique! Part of me wants to see some huge results from him alongside Bernal. We kinda expect it from Bernal, he's been hyped up so much, while also proving the hype was all valid, but would be amazing to get another Brit as one of their key Protected GT riders in future. Youngsters bossing the oldest GT! :D
 
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Soldato
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Yup, totally agree. Some good commentary about it on the Eurosport nats race - although I got sick of the rubbish dodgy footage/spotty coverage last night on catchup. Is there a highlights show on anywhere? Couldn't see anything listed on BBC/ITV like other years?

https://road.cc/content/news/263146...out-team-dimension-datas-tour-de-france-squad - boo Cav not in the Tour. Although hardly surprising, he's really had a pants couple of seasons with the virus hasn't he. Cummings is in though, hopefully see something special from him!

What about Barguil winning French nats though, that was quite a surprise!
 
Soldato
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Yup, totally agree. Some good commentary about it on the Eurosport nats race - although I got sick of the rubbish dodgy footage/spotty coverage last night on catchup. Is there a highlights show on anywhere? Couldn't see anything listed on BBC/ITV like other years?

Would be nice but I'm doubting it. The footage was shocking. Streamed by 4G on what seemed like camera phones from two motorbikes in a 3G area. Really choppy, the commentators did a good job regardless but in the final few miles we even had laggy footage so the audio was 10s ahead... we heard who won before the footage even showed them on the finish straight.

Would have been nice to see some proper footage of Swift's chase to Stannard. Only caught the glimpse of him flying by.

The time trial was similarly poor footage. A finish line webcam with a commentator standing next to it. Quick flash of the riders as they whizz by at the end.
 
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