Road Cycling
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@chris-b I just realised that the new UCI rules are in place regarding riding in a supertuck. I wonder how many will get caught on this downhill stretch.
30 secs for 1st offence.
2 minutes for 2nd time you are caught
3 strike is DQMy stage pick is Mollema.
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@crucial Ha - looked at Mollema as well.
He fits my profile, but I thought maybe Nibali will want to keep him close at hand for support.
(You could say the same for Yates and Nieve - but, I figured they let Chris Juul-Jensen have a crack).
I just stumbled across the supertuck ruling a couple of days ago. I'm thinking everyone will know about it, so you'd be a bit thick to get caught!
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Desperately disappointing to see George crack again so early.
This was his big chance and he will not get another I would imagine to lead the team.
I had hoped he would at least stay in amongst it to the final week as it was going to be nice to follow a kiwi deep into a grand tour.
Be nice if he can take a chance at a stage later on. Presumably on a warmer day as it appears the wet and cold are kryptonite to him
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@davesofthunder said in Road Cycling:
Desperately disappointing to see George crack again so early.
This was his big chance and he will not get another I would imagine to lead the team.
I had hoped he would at least stay in amongst it to the final week as it was going to be nice to follow a kiwi deep into a grand tour.
Be nice if he can take a chance at a stage later on. Presumably on a warmer day as it appears the wet and cold are kryptonite to him
Yeah - hugely disappointing.
Something not right, because he was falling off the back on the lower slopes of the final climb when Ganna was still making the pace.
I guess having a little bit of body fat is a good thing in the cold!
Good punt on Mollema, Crucial. If he hadn't had to do so much work to get in the break he might well have won.
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@davesofthunder I just wonder if he has some underlying condition. He’s been top 10 in Grand Tours before, as a domestique. He’s not had to do any real work yet in this race, and he’s cracked twice. He’s shown glimpses of form already this year; he must be desperately disappointed.
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@scribe I suppose all will be revealed. I don't think these two were even classified as mountain stages.
I guess if he got cold enough to be moderately hypothermic a couple of days ago, then riding a grand tour and another icy day probably not the best way to recover.
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@chris-b said in Road Cycling:
@scribe I suppose all will be revealed. I don't think these two were even classified as mountain stages.
I guess if he got cold enough to be moderately hypothermic a couple of days ago, then riding a grand tour and another icy day probably not the best way to recover.
Cat 2 climbs. I think the stage was rated 4 star. But yes, nothing compared to next week's real mountain stages.
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did you see that team car just smash in to the back of that bloke?
I haven't seen that before, but i can't believe it doesn't happen more often
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@mariner4life said in Road Cycling:
did you see that team car just smash in to the back of that bloke?
I haven't seen that before, but i can't believe it doesn't happen more often
When we watched the Paris-Roubaix a rider coming back to the pack had a team car in front of him slam the brakes on. He went through their back window.
Those guys drive like maniacs. -
@mariner4life said in Road Cycling:
did you see that team car just smash in to the back of that bloke?
I haven't seen that before, but i can't believe it doesn't happen more often
Driver was too busy handing something to the car beside him. Their team should take a time hit, might make them a bit less blasé
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George got in the break last night - and showed a bit more form than previously, though still not looking hugely impressive.
A group of 17 including George and Bouwman from TJV. Quite a few other strong riders - Mollema, LL Sanchez, Storer, Bouchard and a few others.
Seemed to me that George actually did more work on the front than Bouwman, which might explain what unfolded.
George made the first selection - four of them got away and then were joined by several others. That was his best bit and he looked pretty competitive - maybe 25kms from home.
Carr and Bouchard then got away late on that penultimate hill and they had 7-8 other guys chasing them across a big flat with a tail wind. That group split - with Mollema, Storer and Bouwman getting away and that was the end of George.
In the end Bouchard got clear for a long solo ride on the final hill. Bouwman broke away from his group and caught him on the final gravel section - but, it all came to a heart-breaking nothing - because Bernal led a withering burst from the GC riders who swamped them 500 metres from home.
Horrendous crash for Mohoric - don't watch if you're squeamish. It's a good thing he was wearing a helmet and not one of those little caps they wore in the 1970s.
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@chris-b said in Road Cycling:
George got in the break last night - and showed a bit more form than previously, though still not looking hugely impressive.
A group of 17 including George and Bouwman from TJV. Quite a few other strong riders - Mollema, LL Sanchez, Storer, Bouchard and a few others.
Seemed to me that George actually did more work on the front than Bouwman, which might explain what unfolded.
George made the first selection - four of them got away and then were joined by several others. That was his best bit and he looked pretty competitive - maybe 25kms from home.
man George is so utter shite this tour that he's gone from 'contract downgrade' to 'no contract renewal'.. this stage was a good insight to how shit he's going.. makes the break with a domestique.. then can't even hold the wheel of his team mate - who'd obviously been given the all clear to keep going cause you certainly don't leave the team leader behind without hte all clear from the rider and the team car.
No insights as yet to why he's so bad - certainly has done all the work been in alttitude training camps for ages and was talking the good talk ahead of the race. He's got a podcast dropping tonight might get some insights but normally it's just random banter.
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George has done some pretty decent service for TJV, so I'm not sure they'd sack him for this. And seems he's already got his offer on the table.
But, it's pretty hard to see him getting another shot as team leader - and there was a decent opening there, with Kruiswijk getting pretty old and Dumoulin looking like his heart might not really be in it anymore.
Let's hope for a better second half!
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Interesting stage last night that shook out the GC standings and the cream really starting to rise.
Bernal starting to look at least half a class above the rest. Did some of his own dirty work to shake Evenepoel off on a gravel section (George the guy who helped him) - and then able to easily pull away from the rest of the GC riders to catch Buchman and pull him to the finish.
George's teammate Foss had a great day - looked really strong and finished in the small group chasing Bernal with Yates and Caruso.
George had a couple of good cameos - firstly in a two man break with Foss, which came to naught - and then helping Bernal to distance Remco. He's now working for Foss who is up to 9th in the GC.
Looking like Bernal's race to lose - though Vlasov is still within final TT range - 45 seconds down. Then Caruso, Carthy, Yates, Buchman, Ciccone, Evenepoel (2.22 down), Foss (2.49), Martinez (3.15). Hard to see a winner beyond these guys - and Bernal will need to crack to let anyone else in.
Evenepoel a big loser on the day - though Dan Martin and Davide Formolo probably bigger losers, because their chances evaporated - 7+ minutes down.
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@crucial Yeah - anything can happen.
Soler, Di Marchi and Mader all already abandoned today - first two due to crashes.
But, George is in the break again and looks like the peloton is giving them more latitude than the other day. 5 minutes ahead now.
Looking at who else is in the break.....if George has found some form........ it's winnable for him.
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@chris-b ... but not if he spends his time having verbal fisticuffs with Brambilla! Anyone know if they have previous beef?
In his post stage interview he just seemed a bit lost and unsure of what his role is now his GC hopes have evaporated.
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