Road Cycling
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I rode the sportive last weekend; only 145km rather than the 260km odd. Similar conditions. It was quite unpleasant. If I hadn’t driven 4.5 hours to get there I prob would’ve flagged it. It basically hosed down for the full week after I did it.
George’s girlfriend was interviewed on tv yesterday during the race. She’s an artist who now has a lucrative line in painting pros shoes. They look outstanding!
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George Bennett: I’ve essentially had three ribs removed
Jumbo-Visma rider undergoes surgery to cure slipping rib syndrome
George has had his operation - sounds pretty drastic so I hope it works for him.
Also confirmation the Tom Dumoulin has joined TJV - so George needs the operation to work if he's to get a chance to compete to win elite races.
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Just settling in to watch today's stage in the Tour Downunder - and doing a bit of background reading and found this (below)...which is good news.
I'd guess George will have a bit of a second string support team, but still pretty cool for him.
George Bennett ready to take on Porte and Dennis on decisive Tour Down Under uphill finishes
'I don't put as much emphasis on it as the Australian guys do but I can still be good on 20-hour weeks'
Jumbo-Visma have confirmed that Bennett will lead the Dutch WorldTour team in the Giro d'Italia as Tom Dumoulin, Primož Roglič and Steven Kruijswijk focus on challenging Team Ineos at the Tour de France. Bennett also has his eye on the hilly Tokyo Olympic road race and so knows he has to carefully build his early-season form so he can be at his best in May and then again in early July.
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Can we get the thread title changed here? Road Cycling?
George was interviewed on The Project last night where they made out it was his choice to not ride the TdF in favour of the Olympics. He went to correct them but went with the flow.
Regarding his op, he says he is still having problems but the docs at NZ Cycling say it will take some time to settle down.
That may explain his lack of kick on the final climb up Willunga Hill the other day, or maybe it was just too early in the season for him?
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https://cyclingtips.com/2019/12/finally-a-tour-de-france-roster-to-rival-ineos/
Interesting that TJV has already named its team for the TdF. Going all in for the Yellow Jersey - with Roglic and Dumoulin team leaders, Kruiswijk in an initial support role (he's to be team leader at the Vuelta), Tony Martin and Wout Van Aart to provide power on the flat and Gesink, Kuss and de Plus the climbing support.
I guess the discussions around who would do what would have been complex, but I don't think George will be too disappointed with his lot. He was apparently very big on riding at the Olympics and it's too close to the TdF for that to work.
Sounds like they'll send a split team to the Giro - George riding for the GC and Groenwagen trying for the sprints.
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Just reading an article on the National Road Race Championships and a bit disappointingly for George, he got pipped by Shane Archibald in the Road Race and by Hamish Bond in the Time Trial. Would have been cool to have seen him racing in the Giro with an NZ National Champions jersey. Run down by a determined chase....
Only being beaten by 15 seconds by Hamish maybe bodes better for TTs this year.
Looking at other interesting performances - assuming they rode exactly the same course (and I imagine they would have), Finn Fisher-Black recorded a time in the U23s that would have given him 3rd in the Elite TT and also came 10th in the Road Race. That's handy, because he's also on contract with Jumbo-Visma.
https://elite-road-nationals.cyclingnewzealand.nz/resultspage
And Finn's sister won the women's road race - she's contracted to Bigla-Katusha.
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@Chris-B hard to read too much into the TT result. Bondy only did a months training for it. But pancake flat course suited bondy. Lucky he didn't sell his bike hes been trying to get rid of it for a while!
Loved the pic of him at 93kegs standing next to george.. not often us more "athletic cyclists" get to beat midgets.. no sympathy for us on the hills!
Stoked for the mullet too - been on the outer.. bad crash then team he was folded. Now on one of worlds best team and wearing the fern! -
@WillieTheWaiter said in Road Cycling:
@Chris-B hard to read too much into the TT result. Bondy only did a months training for it. But pancake flat course suited bondy. Lucky he didn't sell his bike hes been trying to get rid of it for a while!
Loved the pic of him at 93kegs standing next to george.. not often us more "athletic cyclists" get to beat midgets.. no sympathy for us on the hills!
Stoked for the mullet too - been on the outer.. bad crash then team he was folded. Now on one of worlds best team and wearing the fern!Out of curiosity (having lived in the race area) I looked up the course and wouldn’t describe it as pancake flat. I can see why George did what he did though. The climbs aren’t huge (it looks like once up Te Miro, Waterworks, Scotsman’s loop then twice over French Pass) but enough to leave the sprinters work to do to catch up. The final 6 laps around Cambridge are dead flat though and lazy planning by organisers. Maybe they got the race they wanted but it was slanted to the chasers.
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@WillieTheWaiter Yeah - I was wondering how much training Hamish had done - because he's supposedly preparing for rowing at the Olympics. But also promising that George beat everyone else.
@Crucial - I think Willie is talking about the TT course. This guy has written the story of how things unfolded.
http://www.roadcycling.co.nz/shane-archbold-claims-emotional-national-championship/
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@Crucial said in Road Cycling:
@WillieTheWaiter said in Road Cycling:
@Chris-B hard to read too much into the TT result. Bondy only did a months training for it. But pancake flat course suited bondy. Lucky he didn't sell his bike hes been trying to get rid of it for a while!
Loved the pic of him at 93kegs standing next to george.. not often us more "athletic cyclists" get to beat midgets.. no sympathy for us on the hills!
Stoked for the mullet too - been on the outer.. bad crash then team he was folded. Now on one of worlds best team and wearing the fern!Out of curiosity (having lived in the race area) I looked up the course and wouldn’t describe it as pancake flat. I can see why George did what he did though. The climbs aren’t huge (it looks like once up Te Miro, Waterworks, Scotsman’s loop then twice over French Pass) but enough to leave the sprinters work to do to catch up. The final 6 laps around Cambridge are dead flat though and lazy planning by organisers. Maybe they got the race they wanted but it was slanted to the chasers.
Yeh as chris said was talking about tt. You're right that course not flat.. spent a lot of time riding around there as a young fulla. Did a race over French pass a few years back.. bout a 20 year gap from last time I'd ridden it.. thought hmm not as bad as I remember.. diff was riding a carbon bike with 39-25 gears rather than the steel boat anchor with lowest gear of 42-19!!
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Shocking news today about Nico Portal, Director Sportif at Team Ineos. Dead at 40. I always thought he was one of the good guys; well respected and well liked.
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George Bennett had a great result today in the Volta a Burgos. Finished 2nd in the mountain top finish stage 2, behind the wunderkind Evenepoel. Beat a whole bunch of well known GC guys ( Mikel Landa, Yates, Valverde, Chaves, Carapaz.)
He’s clearly coming into form which bodes well for him and Jumbo Visma in the Tour de France.
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Shit that’s nasty. Groenewegen totally smashed him into the fence, the speed makes it look like a car crash
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@Machpants Ohh, that looked like a nasty yard sale on the finish line.
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@Machpants said in Road Cycling:
Shit that’s nasty. Groenewegen totally smashed him into the fence, the speed makes it look like a car crash
Fuck me. Criminal charges possible???
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Most people may have missed it but Dion Smith came 6th in Milan San Remo on Sunday.. massive result, and would have to be the best ever result by a kiwi in a monument
