Pro Cycling Discussion 2019

I'll just leave this here:
Andy-Hampsten-Passo-di-Gavia-Giro-d-Italia-1988.jpg
One More Solo said:
https://www.bmj.com/content/316/7127/244;)
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Pffft!

I found this more interesting: https://twitter.com/alexdowsett/status/1156667366052454401

Or that Pritchard from Dirty Sanchez just completed 10 Ironman's on the bounce: https://www.facebook.com/DirtyVeganTV/posts/462755134521489

Dylan Thuens is out for a little while, missing san sebastian. According to Road.cc he needed 15 stitches in his face after a 'minor home accident' with a 'lawn tractor'.!?
 
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Roady said:
Pffft!
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More to it than that I’m sure but you’ve now had Kwiatkowski, Kennaugh and Roche all come out about their potential mental health difficulties. All rode or ride for Sky. Maybe it’s that the UK press doesn’t report all the other non UK riders suffering the same problems, but does on the face of it suggest there could be an issue there with how the team is run. After all the BC athlete welfare issues would it be a real surprise? Results>*
 
I'll agree, but I think saying it's a Sky/BC thing is a little harsh.

I'd say it's a problem across all professional sport. Just maybe cyclists maybe more susceptible/fragile as so much of their life requires control, even as far down to sleep patterns and nutrition over such long/continuous periods.

I'd also say in the UK we're probably more exposed and aware of mental health problems than other nations, not that they're significantly higher in the UK than anywhere else. But awareness can only be a good thing!
 
One More Solo said:
More to it than that I’m sure but you’ve now had Kwiatkowski, Kennaugh and Roche all come out about their potential mental health difficulties. All rode or ride for Sky. Maybe it’s that the UK press doesn’t report all the other non UK riders suffering the same problems, but does on the face of it suggest there could be an issue there with how the team is run. After all the BC athlete welfare issues would it be a real surprise? Results>*
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Kittle comes to mind having left K-A in what (in my limited reading at least) seems to be similar circumstances.

Given the budgets of Sky/Ineos, I can understand there is a lot of pressure to be delivering results and that can lead to burn out. Not really hugely different to jobs though - sales people (for instance) that are hugely successful but eventually burn out.
 
#Chri5# said:
Kittle comes to mind having left K-A in what (in my limited reading at least) seems to be similar circumstances.

Given the budgets of Sky/Ineos, I can understand there is a lot of pressure to be delivering results and that can lead to burn out. Not really hugely different to jobs though - sales people (for instance) that are hugely successful but eventually burn out.
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I’d forgotten Kittel, good shout. I guess it is no different to any other job like you say, just hard not to feel guilty that some of the riders are clearly being put through the mill in order to race for our entertainment.
 
The San Sebastián races (women’s and men’s) both had great finishes. I liked seeing the women’s race on the same finish, an appetiser for what was to come and you anticipate it more for the men’s then.

By contrast the women’s London race, what a snooze fest. Can’t believe such a boring course and race has the biggest prize pool for women’s racing. As for the DQ, the camera didn’t actually show the full incident but I can’t help but feel that this is poor judgement from the commissaries... it certainly wouldn’t be the first time.

Here is the best video, overhead shot 2 mins in shows it perfectly:

Wild is almost an entire bike length ahead, moves over 1-2 bike widths to the left, totally predictable, it’s wide enough to go 10-12 riders wide on the road! ALE rider has been following her wheel for a little while has room to the left but fixates ahead, front wheel overlaps a tiny bit on Wilds wheel and ALE rider goes down. ALE rider didn’t look like they were going to contest for the win, could have moved over and avoided it imo. Much much worse has happened in men’s races.

In fact just 3 seconds before there is a shoulder barge from the two riders sitting second wheel trying to get the best slipstream and one flicks left in front of Wild but as there is no wheel overlap it’s not an issue.

https://video.eurosport.co.uk/cycli...ndon-women-finish-line_vid1226465/video.shtml
 
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Difficult one, as she was DQed for deviation but it was clear she had to move to the left to go round the rider in front of her, she couldn’t just stick to her line as she wouldn't have been able to contest the sprint otherwise. Her move did take out the wheel of Hoskins (?) causing the crash though as Hoskins had overlapped her wheel before she made the move. On balance I think the DQ was probably fair
 
Berger said:
Which “lane” are any of the sprinters using here?! ;) only the bora goes fairly straight!
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I think the rule is about direction change rather than how straight they are sprinting?

Those videos you've posted show riders not sprinting in a straight line but all of them only change direction once. The girl who was DQ'd moves right first and it looks like she's trying to get on the wheel of the riders on her right then changes her mind and pulls out left to pass the rider in front.
 
Where does the sprint start and the leadout end.... can be confusing or difficult to call.

It’s a tough one but if the result had only been one rider going down or clipping out instead of a mass pile up I don’t think there would have been a DQ.
 
Berger said:
It’s a tough one but if the result had only been one rider going down or clipping out instead of a mass pile up I don’t think there would have been a DQ.
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If Wild just caused Hoskings to crash I think it would have been deemed an irregular sprint and she wouldn't have won, she might not have been DQed but I think she would have been relegated. Viviani was relegated in the Giro and no one crashed, just a bump and unclipped Matteo Moschetti if I recall.

In other news, very sad to hear such a young (22yrs old) and up and coming rider Bjorn Lambrecht pass away after crashing in the Tour of Poland yesterday :(
 
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#Chri5# said:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/cycling/49220633

If you watch about 4 or 5 seconds in - the left Drops rider (white jersey, yellow bike) gets a wheel / bike in the face :eek:
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Ouch yeah! That's gonna leave a bruise. Some of the faceplants on the right side look brutal too. At least a couple are straight over the bars without a chance! :o

DQ was correct, she deviated from her line again after already changing direction once, totally at fault for causing that huge crash. Other rider (Hoskins?) sat up, maybe even braked and still couldn't avoid clipping the wheel. What a chopper.

Utterly horrible/shocking news about Lambrecht. I've not been following the ToP just utterly horrible to hear of another young Belgian promising star taken too soon, especially in the circumstances. According to CT it was during heavy rain on a straight part of the course, he deviated off the road (unknown reason - 'moment of hestitation') and hit a concrete structure. :o :(
 
The state of the bunch yesterday when De Gendt magically appears 5 bike lengths up the road.
Every DS in every car behind near having panic attacks.
 
Bear said:
Crazy to think this was supposed to be a sprint stage and it blew the peleton to bits with no sprinters there to contest the run in. Not sure who writes these road books, I bet they were laughing
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Vuelta always springs these sorts of things up. Going to be a great race, and although the commentators are talking about it being settled early I think the podium won't be decided until the day before Madrid with some stings in the tail and no doubt some yoyoing of positions as we go through the weeks.
 
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