Bicycle Racing Thread 2013

[Nigel Irritable]

Not one bit . He rode a decent enough race all things considered though, and is coming along nicely this season too.

Yes, he has been. It was almost sweet how he went after Gabrovski repeatedly, as if he believed the laws of physics applied.

On the subject of Sky coverage, has anyone seen it? Feedback etc? I imagine it's just gonna be the same international feed that Eurosport use but with better graphics or something?

I saw a bit of the Romandie prologue. I didn't notice much different.

 

[Ponyutd]

Just call him a drug cheat ffs.
Sayar destroying everyone in the race. Uphill, charging on the big ring increasing his speed on the steepest part of the course..........not possible is it?

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Watching that made my sandwich taste a bit funny in my mouth.

 

[Ponyutd]

 

[The Boy]

Not seen the stage, but he only put 18 seconds into Yoann Bagot. Was it as really as bad as it sounds?

 

[Nigel Irritable]

It wasn't the same kind of flagrant piss-take as last year, no. But it was still a relative nobody on a dodgy team dropping everyone.

I see that the Tour wild cards have been decided in the dullest possible way, with the three French contenders taking the reduced number of places. It's impossible to argue against Europcar, who are basically WT level, but Cofidis and Sojasun really offer fuck all. Cofidis have been dogshit all year, while Sojasun have a third rate squad. The messing about with Katusha just made the WT system suck even more, as the ASO don't want to risk killing a major French team by excluding them, so there are basically no spots available for ProConti teams from anywhere else.

 

[The Boy]

Cofidis have been dogshit for years, though they seem to be doing all right by their piss-weak standards. Plus they have Taaramae and Coppel so would be very disappointing for them if they couldn't bring at least something to the table come the summer.

Sojasun are pretty bobbins tbh, but the only other alternative I can see are IAM. Anyone else is either equally poor or already have/will have an invite to one of the other GTs, so the decision makes sense when you consider ASOs chauvanism.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Taaramae and Coppel are two riders people have been expecting to bring something to the table for years, with little enough to show for it. Although this is really just me moaning as the ASO would never dream of excluding Cofidis.

As far as better options than Sojasun goes, it's actually harder to nominate a ProConti team that would field a worse team. Even if you exclude Vini Fantini, Androni, Bardiani, Colombia and Caja Rural because they're all going to other GTs, you still have MTN Qhubeka, Champion Systems, Net App, IAM, UHC, etc. Any of them would probably offer more. For that matter, CCC Polsat or one of the Belgian Classics outfits would at least provide some novelty. And if they really, really, really have to have five French teams, even though only three of them are any good, they could at least do something funny like putting Bretagne in. It's not like they''re much shitter.

(Now that I've whinged like this, Sojasun will probably win two stages).

 

[The Boy]

(Now that I've whinged like this, Sojasun will probably win two stages).

Hivert and Simon are decent enough stage hunters in the grand scheme of things. I can't really find it in me to get suitably upset about their inclusion at the expense of any of the other teams you list with the possible exception of IAM. Actually, my choice would be Caja Rural, but they're guaranteed to go to La Vuelta and I like the love to be shared around.

Though in another year I actually think one of the Belgian classics squads would be an interesting addition.

(And now that I've defended them again, the entire squad will have climbed off before the second rest day...)

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

You know the world has shifted significantly when you go into sainsburys and they have a glossy Giro d'Italia guide for £5.99. The cycling fans is spoilt for coverage these days.

 

[The Boy]

You know the world has shifted significantly when you go into sainsburys and they have a glossy Giro d'Italia guide for £5.99. The cycling fans is spoilt for coverage these days.

A totally different world to 20, 10 or even 5 years ago. I remember one year in the mid-90s having to watch the final week of the Tour in the UK. Compared to the extensive pre-stage coverage, several hours of live cycling plus the the post-stage interviews, Velo Club etc I'd been enjoying in France it just wasn't the same.

 

[Ted Striker]

As a Nu-(Wiggo era) cycling fanatic, discovering the 'world' of pro cycling - and how under-reported it was - was pretty crazy. Almost like England were banned in some previous Heysel scenario.

The team tactics/ettiquette/culture of the pro teams are still a whopping blind spot to many people though.

 

[The Boy]

Does everything at Sky have to be such a fucking soap opera?

edit: Although amusingly, today's shenanigans do mean that Wiggins' price has dropped pretty sharply on Betfair so I might just lay him and guarantee myself a small profit (backed him at 25.00 some time ago).

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Does everything at Sky have to be such a fucking soap opera?

edit: Although amusingly, today's shenanigans do mean that Wiggins' price has dropped pretty sharply on Betfair so I might just lay him and guarantee myself a small profit (backed him at 25.00 some time ago).

Personally I think its mind games on Froome's TDF challengers - Wiggins as false contender. Giro / tour double my arse.

 

[The Boy]

Personally I think its mind games on Froome's TDF challengers - Wiggins as false contender. Giro / tour double my arse.

Don't buy that for one second, tbh. Apart from anything else, there seems to be genuine bad blood between the two.

Then again, it seems that Wiggins *has* just changed PR

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

not disputing the bad blood but the idea that Sir Wiggins can do a GT double are ridiculous, he will be in no positon to attempt a 'coup de Hinault' unless for some reason he crashes out of the giro in the first week.

 

[The Boy]

I know it's only a "shit, small race" but Demare looking very strong at 4 Days of Dunkirk. Third tier sprinters that he's up against, but they can't even seem to hold his wheel once he opens his sprint.

 

[The Boy]

Demare like a boss again today, and his leadout held on for second place.

If anyone can be bothered with a fantasy cycling team for the Giro, I've started a league on road.cc. League id 76797.

 

[The Boy]

Vuelta wildcards announced today as well. No real surprises with Caja Rural, Cofidis and NetApp-Endura.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Fucking Cofidis again!

Any last minute Giro predictions? I'm just hoping the Skyborgs can't strangle the race entirely.

 

[The Boy]

Fucking Cofidis again!

Any last minute Giro predictions? I'm just hoping the Skyborgs can't strangle the race entirely.

Major sponsor at la vuelta, so always gonna get an invite*. Plus they won the KoM jersey four years running 2008-2011 (although that was Moncoutiè who is obviously now retired.)

Giro predictions are:

Anything that doesn't involve Sky throttling the race = good. Although I imagine they will be in full-on SkyBorg shape.
Santambroggio will Top10.
Everyone will be so concerned with Wiggins and Nibbles that nobody will notice Hesjedal until it's too late.
Betancur or Kelderman for young riders classification. Betancur can climb, but Wilco has a far better TT.
Bouhanni will get at least one stage win.
Points jersey will be won by not-a-sprinter.
Surprise package: possibly Jeanneson or somebody like Niemiec.
Combativity award: Pirazzi.

*I'd actually totally forgotten about that when we talking about the TdF invites, so they should have been in the already-have-an-invite-to-a-GT pile. Shame for IAM Cycling really.

 

[where to]

Shame for IAM Cycling really.

Fuck them, swiss cunts.

 

[where to]

My long shot for giro: Santambrogio for podium.

 

[Ponyutd]

Rai sport is brilliant. Choice of motorbike (2), helicopter, or the normal shot.

 

[The Boy]

Rai sport is brilliant. Choice of motorbike (2), helicopter, or the normal shot.

Lucky you. I've only just managed to see the final couple of km on a choppy stream. Impressive sprint from Cavendish after some poor train work from OPQS. Canondale looked after Viviani well and Bouhanni was, imo best of the non-Cavendish sprinters, riding on his wheel fairly comfortably. Though I'll have to have another look at whatever shenanigans he was getting up to. Didn't notice much, but Eisel has called him out on his behaviour in the sprint.

If FdJ are going to keep two strong sprinters they are going to have to build a decent train or two - following Cav's wheel only works as a tactic if your sprinter is strong enough to then come past him, which isn't going to happen. And if OPQS don't want to piss their main man off then they had better sort out a half-decent train for him - best sprinter ever or not, he needs it.

TTT tomorrow, so I'm off to the Northern Quarter street party instead. Astana may pay for Kessiakof taking a tumble today, though I don't foresee any massive time gaps.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Lucky you. I've only just managed to see the final couple of km on a choppy stream. Impressive sprint from Cavendish after some poor train work from OPQS.

Apparently Steegmans had his gears freeze, so Cavendish was sitting behind him waiting for him to speed up, while he upped and upped his cadence completely ineffectually for a while before just telling Cavendish to go for it.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Here's Cav swearing and then asking if the interview was live:

http://nos.nl/video/503283-cavendish-na-zege-fuck-is-dit-live.html

A few years ago, I used to find Cavendish's arrogance annoying. But I don't any more at all. He's earned the right to assume that he's the fastest, and to talk about things with that as the unspoken assumption. He always thanks his team effusively when they've helped him, but he also says so when they've botched it and left him to his own devices. OPQS really need to sort out a regular lead out for him. Someone who is both fast and good at positioning. There are persistent rumours that Renshaw will join OPQS next year though, which would be perfect. Renshaw had his go at winning for himself and just doesn't have the top end speed to go with his uncanny positional sense. He's a born lead out.

 

[The Boy]

Renshaw had his go at winning for himself and just doesn't have the top end speed to go with his uncanny positional sense. He's a born lead out.

Such a natural lead out that he spent half of last year leading out his opposition.

 

[The Boy]

Apparently Steegmans had his gears freeze, so Cavendish was sitting behind him waiting for him to speed up, while he upped and upped his cadence completely ineffectually for a while before just telling Cavendish to go for it.

Was reading that also. With the riders they have they shouldn't really be in a position that he only has one guy with him at the finale though. I had assumed that with the classics out of the way they might have started sorting it out by now.

 

[Ted Striker]

Here's Cav swearing and then asking if the interview was live:

http://nos.nl/video/503283-cavendish-na-zege-fuck-is-dit-live.html

A few years ago, I used to find Cavendish's arrogance annoying. But I don't any more at all. He's earned the right to assume that he's the fastest, and to talk about things with that as the unspoken assumption. He always thanks his team effusively when they've helped him, but he also says so when they've botched it and left him to his own devices. OPQS really need to sort out a regular lead out for him. Someone who is both fast and good at positioning. There are persistent rumours that Renshaw will join OPQS next year though, which would be perfect. Renshaw had his go at winning for himself and just doesn't have the top end speed to go with his uncanny positional sense. He's a born lead out.

I think he's probably my favourite sports interviewee. Soon he'll change, but after the whole "do you know anything about cycling" bit I'll always listen out for him.

One thing I don't get...All this talk of winning the points - isn't that like a golfer saying they've got the lowest round in a matchplay? Just seems odd that he goes for that. Why not just try and win the tour? As I understand it he's a bit of a special ops sprint finisher - does he just trundle through some stages just to save his poke for the finales that matter?