Cycling thread

gonetomorrow said:
I find the sport itself incredibly dull and I'm always a bit suspicious of the drugs thing - like athletics.
But I love watching the Tour because it reminds me of hitch-hiking around France in the 70s going through all those sun-blasted little villages.
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I agree the Grand Tours (3 weeks races) are a bit hard to follow and often nothing much seems to be happening. Apart for the race for the stage win each day there are 4 or 5 other contests going on that are only finalised on the Champs Elysées. The whole thing becomes very tactical and technical on the way there.
Watch the spring classics one day races for action and attacking.
I think the drug thing suspicion exists for all professional sport, some sports try to tackle it head on and get bad publicity for doing so, other sports seem to ignore it.
TV does give a good impression of the French countryside and historic sites.
 

spectateur said:
I agree the Grand Tours (3 weeks races) are a bit hard to follow and often nothing much seems to be happening. Apart for the race for the stage win each day there are 4 or 5 other contests going on that are only finalised on the Champs Elysées. The whole thing becomes very tactical and technical on the way there.
Watch the spring classics one day races for action and attacking.
I think the drug thing suspicion exists for all professional sport, some sports try to tackle it head on and get bad publicity for doing so, other sports seem to ignore it.
TV does give a good impression of the French countryside and historic sites.
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If the organisers get it right, a grand tour should be one of the best sporting events full stop.

The tour has rarely mastered it in recent years, but if if and when they get a genuine contest it can be spot on.

Take the 2009 tour:
- Cav winning 6 stages and losing green through a technicality
- Wiggins coming from nowhere to nearly get top 3 (and ultimately getting there)
- HTC blowing the field apart during criss winds
- Contador and Schleck taking the yellow contest all the way

It's only because the Sky train and Sagan have dominated two of the main jerseys for most of this decade that the Tour has been dull. Part of me actually wants Ineos to [Poor language removed] up this year to make it interesting, but Thomas looked ominous yesterday.
 
lichfieldblue said:
If the organisers get it right, a grand tour should be one of the best sporting events full stop.

The tour has rarely mastered it in recent years, but if if and when they get a genuine contest it can be spot on.

Take the 2009 tour:
- Cav winning 6 stages and losing green through a technicality
- Wiggins coming from nowhere to nearly get top 3 (and ultimately getting there)
- HTC blowing the field apart during criss winds
- Contador and Schleck taking the yellow contest all the way

It's only because the Sky train and Sagan have dominated two of the main jerseys for most of this decade that the Tour has been dull. Part of me actually wants Ineos to [Poor language removed] up this year to make it interesting, but Thomas looked ominous yesterday.
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The best GT of recent years was the 2010 Giro. It had everything really, from the strada bianchi stage, the freakish mass breakaway, a mountain time trial, steep beasts like the Mortirolo and Zoncolan, epic climbs like the Gavia and Grappa, and the GC race changing hands throughout.
 

Thank God for Dr Gent, Alaphillipe and Pinot. What a stage today.

Lots of similar terrain over the next week to keep things interesting.

Same questions as were discussed a few weeks ago: could Pinot or Alaphilippe as in it. I still think unlikely but if they can get over the Pyrenees in the group it'll make for a cracking race.
 
Wow, that's gone and done it. Surely that's the GC done and dusted for a large number of riders? Even among those who weren't affected, Quintana is 1min down, and will lose time on the TT. Hard to see Adam Yates out climbing both Thomas and Bernal. Game over.
 
Bruce Wayne said:
Wow, that's gone and done it. Surely that's the GC done and dusted for a large number of riders? Even among those who weren't affected, Quintana is 1min down, and will lose time on the TT. Hard to see Adam Yates out climbing both Thomas and Bernal. Game over.
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Enjoyed the stage but while watching it was tinged with frustration at knowing it's the end of the Tour this year. 2 weeks of Ineos controlling the race to death. Ho hum...
 
WvA steps up -
lichfieldblue said:
Enjoyed the stage but while watching it was tinged with frustration at knowing it's the end of the Tour this year. 2 weeks of Ineos controlling the race to death. Ho hum...
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Was there ever any other outcome? Pinot has flair but nowhere near the palmares to get properly in the mix for a grand tour. I guess the only question was whether Thomas was in condition, which seems to have been conclusively answered.
Perhaps Alaphilippe can hang in there and at least make it interesting.

WvA today - he will wreck the classics over the next few years. Perhaps even get into the GC, although he seems to be more of a power rider so perhaps the big mountains will be too much.
 

lichfieldblue said:
Enjoyed the stage but while watching it was tinged with frustration at knowing it's the end of the Tour this year. 2 weeks of Ineos controlling the race to death. Ho hum...
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To be fair, it sounds like most of the teams had identified the exact spot the race would blow up, but EF failed to execute correctly, and were blown out the back when Quickstep took it on. With the likes of Rowe, Moscon, Kwia, van Baarle and Castroviejo Ineos also have some fire power on the flat.
 
Looks like a quiet one today - rolling terrain for a sprint finish. The rest day can affect people differently, some pros talk about feeling very flat immediately after it, but prob won't see any upsets. Into the Pyrenees tomorrow.
 
Spent today with the EF Education First team. A lovely bunch. Also managed to get a selfie with Michael Rasmussen, which was nice. No one was talking to him, which was a bit odd. Persona non grata perhaps.
 

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