Pro Cycling Discussion 2019

Bear said:
Awesome racing today, Pinot getting back into contention with a couple of fantastic days. Wonder if he’s gone too deep and will crack next week. GC is so close, sets up a fantastic last week.
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Hope not but fear that could happen. Going to be a good final week, so close 2 to 6!
 
I wonder what Ineos do now?
Go hard and attack on the climbs may get rid of Alaphillipe but Pinot looks like he'll take time if they do that.
Ride tempo on the front to stop Pinot attacking but then they probably won't drop Alaphillipe.

Maybe it's not a decision they get to make anyway? They don't seem to have the team there on the final climbs like they have done in the past.
 
touch said:
I wonder what Ineos do now?
Go hard and attack on the climbs may get rid of Alaphillipe but Pinot looks like he'll take time if they do that.
Ride tempo on the front to stop Pinot attacking but then they probably won't drop Alaphillipe.

Maybe it's not a decision they get to make anyway? They don't seem to have the team there on the final climbs like they have done in the past.
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I reckon based upon what I've seen of Ineos that they've really massively focussed on those last 3 days and Kwiat, Poels, Castroviejo will be peaking for those days. The velon vid of Kwiat with Luke Rowe up the final climb from yesterday looked like they were fairly positive and just saving themselves massively. I can't see how Kwiat has fallen that much, considering he looked fairly strong earlier in the year. Poels has slowly gathered form and looked quite comfy yesterday up that final climb. They've not been controlling the Peloton as they have in previous years, and I suspect that is by design, realising it's not the best way to win with the smaller team and the way the route is this year, so letting others do the hard work until the later days.

But until those 3 days happen it's all talk for now :D I really hope Pinot can challenge but in the end I want G to win it as a Brit, and I still envisage him having a Pinot day where he has suffered from his efforts so far. Going to be fascinating to watch next Thurs,Fri and Saturday that's for sure.
 
SoliD said:
The velon vid of Kwiat with Luke Rowe up the final climb from yesterday looked like they were fairly positive and just saving themselves massively. I can't see how Kwiat has fallen that much, considering he looked fairly strong earlier in the year.
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Yeah, I noticed that Kwiat has been obviously missing. I thought that, if they were resting him, after a bit of a scare on the Tourmalet of G losing some time they'd not risk that again and make sure he's well supported. Maybe they are just very confident?
FdJ have been working hard - especially Gaudu. I can't see him being able to keep that up for another week and Alaphillipe has no team to help on the climbs so maybe Ineos know that they can do a lot of damage with a full team in the final days when the others don't have the support.
 
Bit of illness going round. Poels has had the poops and for all we know perhaps GT.

They both look to be recovered a bit.

I expect to see Ala drop away as he fatigues, perhaps Pinot too and Ineos pull ahead with GT and Bernal.

I’d say GT, Pinot, Bernal on the Podium, Buchanan in 4th Landa 5th.
 
Er Luke Rowe and Tony Martin expelled for clashing wheels and having a little tete a tete, very very odd decision. Nacer Bouhanni has punched people and not been kicked out in the past.
 
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Ridiculous decision. Highly convenient that they both happen to be support riders for the two closest rivals to the Frenchman in yellow.
 
md85 said:
Ridiculous decision. Highly convenient that they both happen to be support riders for the two closest rivals to the Frenchman in yellow.
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To be fair, I read the head commissaire was Italian but I do get your point as the French are not too subtle about their bias sometimes. Like a couple of years ago when Thomas de Gent was slogging his guts out in the break away virtually every day but didn't get the combativity award. Think he racked up the most miles in the break away ever in the tour or something like that
 
They've already shown their colours with the TV moto's helping Pinot and Ala in an earlier stage.

Why the hell Rowe was chucked is beyond me. He didn't try to ride a competitor into fans. How can you be kicked out for actually doing a great job to avoid something bad and then not react hot headed to it? He should be commended for what he done and what we saw on screen. Not thrown out!

They also shook hands, crossed the line and then had pics together on social media showing it was all good. Again, something that should be commended and encouraged in such a situation as it shows sportsmanship in great light. But no, **** all over that by booting them out. Totally ridiculous decision but we are well used to those in cycling.

There is no consistency what so ever in this sport. Sagan caused more "damage" with words about the CPA the other day than Martin/Rowe did yesterday.
 
I did see a later clip where he sort of grabs Martin quite soon after, but it's ridiculous, especially after the way they settled down and rode together shook hands etc. That sort of stuff happens every single day. They should have been reprimanded but dqed is a ridiculous judgement.
 
xdcx said:
They've already shown their colours with the TV moto's helping Pinot and Ala in an earlier stage.

Why the hell Rowe was chucked is beyond me. He didn't try to ride a competitor into fans. How can you be kicked out for actually doing a great job to avoid something bad and then not react hot headed to it? He should be commended for what he done and what we saw on screen. Not thrown out!

They also shook hands, crossed the line and then had pics together on social media showing it was all good. Again, something that should be commended and encouraged in such a situation as it shows sportsmanship in great light. But no, **** all over that by booting them out. Totally ridiculous decision but we are well used to those in cycling.

There is no consistency what so ever in this sport. Sagan caused more "damage" with words about the CPA the other day than Martin/Rowe did yesterday.
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Lopez (IIRC) punched a spectator during the Giro and didn't even get fined from memory - just zero consistency.
 
I feel the decision is a bit extreme.

Even in amateur racing you get nonsense.

I'm only new to it and see elbows and pushing, people dive bombing into corners causing havoc.
 
You can see the damage that could have been done today had Ineos or Jumbo-Visma had that extra rider each to power down some more pace earlier on the climb, Thomas dropped Alaphilippe a bit too close to the peak which gave him the recovery chance on the descent. Good to see Bernal gain some time though, I'm a fan.
 
Think it was worth the try and showed that Alaphillipe could be dropping some big time over the next two days. Quite telling that G told Egan to go, suspect the yellow jersey will be changing hands tomorrow, to who that is the unknown! :D
 
Drollic said:
According to Bardets upload, he did 1 hour 11 minutes at or above 535 Watts today, then nearly 50 minutes at 428-535 :D
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That’s a typo or lie then.

Do you mean 435, which is still high but in the realms of possibility.

Bardet is 65kg, nobodies doing much more than 6w/kg on big climbs.
 
Berger said:
That’s a typo or lie then.

Do you mean 435, which is still high but in the realms of possibility.

Bardet is 65kg, nobodies doing much more than 6w/kg on big climbs.
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Estimated, thought it was off a power meter or with ftp input. Lazy. Griepel did 30 mins just under, over or briefly way above 6w/kg off his power meter.
 
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