The Bicycle Racing Thread 2014

[The Boy]

Race organisers said the descent from STelvio would be neutralised. Some riders either don't know or don't care, others do. Going to be fun for the organisers to sort that one out potentially.

Edit: RCS now tweeting that it was "wrong information" about neutralisation. Uran looks to be about two minutes behind Quintana atm, presumably due to taking it easy on the descent

edit edit: Now the talk is that Nairo is *behind* Uran :s

 

[hash tag]

Froome/Wiggo...http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...radley-Wigginss-Tour-de-France-ambitions.html

My copy of accidental death has just arrived, can't wait.

 

[The Boy]

My copy of accidental death has just arrived, can't wait.

Saw that at pictures the other day. Was ok.

 

[rubbershoes]

Great ride by Quintana today

I doubt Uran can get back to him in the few days left

 

[The Boy]

Predictions for the next three weeks, then?

I've backed Arredondo (151.00), Evans (11.00) and Uran (16.00) e/w for the overall. I've also got Arredondo (7.50) and Geniez (9.00) to finish in the top-10, Evans to podium @ 3.00 and a comedy bet on AG2R to win the team classification @ 41.00.

So now that things are looking clear.

Arredondo was a write off after the crash on the way to Montecassino. Might still get paid assuming Evans or Uran can hold onto a podium spot. Geniez is looking like he might well finish 11th, which will be annoying as fuck.

AG2R are 35 minute clear at the top of the team classification

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Bernie Eisel you fricking pranny.

On Stage 16, the Gavia, the Stelvio:-

"I'd don't think we've achieved anything by racing today," he said.

"At the end of the day the stage became like ancient Rome or like modern Hunger Games. I'm actually surprised that winner of the stage doesn't have to fight with tigers. It was just a show for television, for the fans, like in ancient Rome. I think it's sick. I got up there OK and we're not afraid of fighting in a race and giving everything but when it's just about seeing people in the snow, it's stupid."

"It was probably cool 20 years ago. We all like to live in the modern world with a new TV but they all want to talk about how cool the old times were. Now they can see us warming on the side of the road in HD."

"Every rider can decide how much to risk their life. But it seems strange to me that a team is willing to risk the investments they make in their riders and especially in their team leaders. If a rider crashes out because of the bad conditions, that could they're out for half of the season or even the whole year. I don't think it's worth the risk."

Don't ride then. Why does everybody remember Hampsten and Bruikink's amazing rides from the '88 Giro? Because they were epic rides in inhuman conditions, people still talk about them. 'Its just a show for television'...gee the penny drops, yes of course it frickin is, yes I want to see your suffering, I want to see you cold but most of all I want to see you overcome it you fool.

I actually feel sorry for the organisers - its May, the mountain are marginal at this time of year, they had to call it. So there were a few bedwetters who didn't get the script change and were expecting to trot out the same shit different day. Good riddance. Eisel you can pack anytime you want but understand the road goes up, the road goes down and its the same gig for everybody.

 

[hash tag]

I remember camping near Val D'Isere one year for the start of a TDF stage. Woke up on the morning to find everywhere covered in a blanket of snow. The first half of the stage was cancelled because of the conditions. Instead the stage started about 50 miles away....it not just for TV, its also about hundreds maybe thousands of fans at the side of the road.

 

[sleaterkinney]

Really interesting TT tomorrow, still all to play for in the Giro

 

[The Boy]

Really interesting TT tomorrow, still all to play for in the Giro

Pozzovivo @ 12.00 looks good e/w value to me. Unfortunately Bet365 are win only but fuck it.

 

[The Boy]

Round 6 of Pearl Izumi in Edinburgh today. Watched the women's race from top of Victoria Street but didn't bother hanging about for the men. Got a few shoddy pics on my new phone too. Amusingly, the women from the GB team cycled home from race along my regular commute. They beat the bus.

edit: balls. Most of those pics are side on. I'll fix them later, but meantime you can just crane yer heids.

 

[The Boy]

Btw, how does one suggest rule changes to the UCI? I'd like them to insist that if riders are going to go swapping between TT and road bikes that they not be pushed off by their mechanic after the change. For some reason it gets on my wick far more than it should.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

you could start here:-

https://twitter.com/BrianCooksonUCI

 

[The Boy]

Unfortunately I don't twat. Though I may have to take up the habit to express my dismay at Kenny Dehaes being sent home for being OOT today - he had two broken chains.

 

[The Boy]

A lot of fans behaving like utter dicks yesterday. In particular the guy who ruined Bongiorno's race and deprived the rest of us of a fair fight. We need more summary violence to be carried out against these dicks to discourage that sort of behaviour.

 

[DownwardDog]

A lot of fans behaving like utter dicks yesterday. In particular the guy who ruined Bongiorno's race and deprived the rest of us of a fair fight. We need more summary violence to be carried out against these dicks to discourage that sort of behaviour.

Michael Rogers is trying. By my reckoning he punched two spectators and screamed FUCK OFF into the face of a third!

 

[The Boy]

Michael Rogers is trying. By my reckoning he punched two spectators and screamed FUCK OFF into the face of a third!

Rolland also dished out at least one slap, although he was immediately unstaged by Wout Poels snatching the same spectator's glasses and flinging them in a field.

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Some highly entertaining stages, but a bit of a sub par Giro all in all.

In other news more wins today for first year pros Alexis Gougeard and Sam Bennett. Gougeard soloed home at the Boucles de l'Aulne (1.1), for his second win. Bennett easily won the sprint in the final stage of the Bayern Rundfahrt (2.hc), which brings his season's tally to three.

Geraint Thomas won the Bayern Rundfahrt GC, which he also did three years ago. It is really time for him to start winning more often. I hadn't realised his sparse his palmares are on the road, for a guy with his talent level. He did pretty well on the cobbles this year, but at Sky he is basically a work horse, which seems a waste.

 

[The Boy]

Some highly entertaining stages, but a bit of a sub par Giro all in all.

In other news more wins today for first year pros Alexis Gougeard and Sam Bennett. Gougeard soloed home at the Boucles de l'Aulne (1.1), for his second win. Bennett easily won the sprint in the final stage of the Bayern Runfahrt (2.hc), which brings his season's tally to three.

Geraint Thomas won the Bayern Rundfahrt GC, which he also did three years ago.

Was just coming here to mention that Bennett got a nice win today. Seems Gougeard is off to the Dauphiné too.

Incidentally, I take it that's the last we'll see of Evans in GTs?

 

[Nigel Irritable]

Was just coming here to mention that Bennett got a nice win today. Seems Gougeard is off to the Dauphiné too.

Yes. I like that Bennett gets openly annoyed when he comes, say, fourth, when other first year pros would be thinking fourth's pretty good. Instead he'll be apologising on twitter to his teammates for fucking up the sprint. More than any other type of rider, sprinter's need that kind of slightly arrogant self belief.

I also like the cut of Gougeard's jib - although I can't for the life of me work out what kind of rider he is going to be. He has just turned 21 a few weeks ago, he has been a pro a few months and he has already won two one day races, both of them clear on his own. Okay, the field at many of the French Cup races can be a bit sparse in quality, but that's still very impressive. I suppose it's often hard to tell what a talented kid will specialise at in the end. Is he a hilly guy? In any case he's clearly a great find for Ag2r, a team that has gone from signing random nobodies for WT points to being probably the canniest transfer bloodhounds in cycling in two years.

 

[The Boy]

Yes. I like that Bennett gets openly annoyed when he comes, say, fourth, when other first year pros would be thinking fourth's pretty good. Instead he'll be apologising on twitter to his teammates for fucking up the sprint. More than any other type of rider, sprinter's need that kind of slightly arrogant self belief.

I also like the cut of Gougeard's jib - although I can't for the life of me work out what kind of rider he is going to be. He has just turned 21 a few weeks ago, he has been a pro a few months and he has already won two one day races, both of them clear on his own. Okay, the field at many of the French Cup races can be a bit sparse in quality, but that's still very impressive. I suppose it's often hard to tell what a talented kid will specialise at in the end. Is he a hilly guy? In any case he's clearly a great find for Ag2r, a team that has gone from signing random nobodies for WT points to being probably the canniest transfer bloodhounds in cycling in two years.

Agreed on Bennet. Seems a good egg.

As for Gougeard, I honestly have no idea. As you say it's hard to tell at that age, but he won the prologue at Avenir (ahead of Lasse Norman Hansen) last year and was third behind the Yates twins on stage five to Morzine.

 

[The Boy]

I see Wiggins has been dropped from the Dauphiné squad to make way for Henao. A sign that he won't be going to the Tour?

 

[The Boy]

I've seen comments from Bouhanni Cofidis as a potential new home. As much as I can get the thinking behind such a move, can't help thinking it would be the last we see of him as a top sprinter.


eta: for a given value of "top sprinter". There's still obviously a gap between the big three and everyone else. Or should that be big two?

 

[hash tag]

Oh dear, it's seems like Sir Brad has thrown his toys out of his pram

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...-Tour-de-France-and-could-leave-Team-Sky.html

BTW. enjoyed accidental death; it brought back many happy memories. Certainly worth a look.
Not serious cycling but based on cyclings hardest ever race is Tim Moores Gironimo which is a light and amusing read with a touch of cycling trivia thrown in.

 

[The Boy]

Oh dear, it's seems like Sir Brad has thrown his toys out of his pram

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ot...-Tour-de-France-and-could-leave-Team-Sky.html
.

tbh, the best thing about this has been David Millar winding his sister up on twatter.

 

[DownwardDog]

Where next for Sir Bradley and his middle aged lesbian's haircut? Back to Garmin?

 

[The Boy]

no chance they would have him even if they had the cash, IMO.

 

[Dan U]

lots of talk of going to Orica

 

[The Boy]

I suppose the thing is how much time he'll want to spend on the boards.

If he's expecting a Grand Tour winner's salary for a part time job there probably aren't many teams who will bite. If he's happy taking a wage cut in exchange for spending half the year on the track then I imagine loads of teams will want a piece of him.

Going to greenedge as master to the Yates twins apprentices could well be the way ahead.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

He will get signed by Saxo Bank. The jedi ghost of Tom Simpson will appear and tell him to ride his melted welly of a Pinarello to the Oligarch system. There he will be schooled by Jedi master Oleg Tinkoff in how to be 'more pro' in less than 140 charachters and of course without use of Bjarne's well known path to the dark side via patented 60% technology. He will rise to become winner of events like the tour of Britain, the 'London-Surrey Classic' (not to be confused with the superior London Classic) and of course the infamous Crystal Palace crits (April to September tuesday evenings in the park - joggers and dog walkers please obey the marshalls).

Or he will sign for Katusha.

 

[The Boy]

I say he goes back to Cofidis and spends nine tenths of the year on the track and three Weeks in the summer riding in doomed 200km solo breaks through the French countryside.