Road Cycling
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@chris-b said in Road Cycling:
Flat stage overnight, but the big guns did more than just pedal along buried in the peloton.
Most notably, Almeida and Quintana ended up sprinting for time bonuses in an intermediate sprint. Almeida came third in the sprint - picked up a one second time bonus, which leap-frogged him into the overall lead.
After that, several riders tried their luck breaking away trying to win by avoiding the sprinters. Didn't work and eventually we got a sprint finish.
Long stage though. Energy expended could be a factor over the next two days. O'Conner has done a mountain by himself where he was breathing so hard it was scary followed by trying (and cracking) to hold his lead. Does he have more?
Everyone in the top ten is comfortable on hills so it will come down to what's left in the legs at the end. -
@crucial Getting O'Çonnor's breathing from a motorbike was impressive stuff. I'm thinking they must have been on an electric bike? I haven't seen/heard that before.
Actually, if I'm reading the stage profile right, last night's flat stage still had 2,760 metres of ascending - a well as being long - and more than on the last day, which is classed as "medium mountain".
Be nice to see George move into the Top 10 over the last two days, but that won't be a huge priority for UAE.
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@chris-b said in Road Cycling:
@crucial Getting O'Çonnor's breathing from a motorbike was impressive stuff. I'm thinking they must have been on an electric bike? I haven't seen/heard that before.
Actually, if I'm reading the stage profile right, last night's flat stage still had 2,760 metres of ascending - a well as being long - and more than on the last day, which is classed as "medium mountain".
Be nice to see George move into the Top 10 over the last two days, but that won't be a huge priority for UAE.
UAE ballsed things up today and Almedia lost the GC lead Higuita & Carapaz
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@gt12 Yeah - they surely did!!!
I was trying earlier to see exactly what happened, but like the guy in the video, NZ coverage only started with Carapaz and Higuita well up the road.
Apparently, Almeida wasn't having a good day regardless, because even though
Soler and Rui Costa were pacing the chase for him - he wasn't sitting in third wheel urging them on, but back near the back of the pack.Apparently when Platt, Carapaz and Higuita attacked the UAE boys were all well back in the bunch, so seems like he might have already been struggling a bit. However, he managed to hang in and less than a minute down so may have a chance to counterpunch tomorrow. Probably fucked it though.
Not sure what happened with George. He finished at the back of the Grupetto - 4th last. So whether he was chasing for UAE early on, rested to hunt a stage win tomorrow (my optimistic hope), sick or had no legs - haven't found out yet.
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@gt12 Yeah - I really enjoy it. Once you get to know the riders and have a few favourites, it's a lot of fun.
I'm a bit disturbed at how easily I've been able to give up my TJV allegiance and follow George to UAE. Maybe I'm getting the hang of pro sports!
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I believe George is straight into another race after this.
I assume UAE have training/racing plans mapped out for all their riders and maybe he was only meant to ride the first half of this.
Could be that once they screwed up he was told to save his legs for tomorrow but it’s not really a stage for him to shine either for himself or as support.
Stranger things have happened though -
@chris-b said in Road Cycling:
@higgins Might be the way of the somewhat distant future. The dominance some of the African countries have in distance running might carry over to road cycling if they start training numbers for it.
Looks like they may’ve crossed the start line. Girmay won Gent-Wevelgem today; one of the biggest one day classics in the world.
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Final day - did Sky show the first six days but not this one? Surely not?
Anyway, from youtube highlights it looked like lots of good racing. Higuita managed to cover everything, Carapaz and Almeida round out the podium. George finished 4+ minutes down on the day and nowhere on GC.
Meanwhile - I found this on Ayuso. I wondered where he'd sprung from. Looks like someone else we'll be seeing at the front with Pogacar and Remco for a few years....
'He thinks that his ceiling is to be better than Tadej': UAE-Team Emirates' wonderkid Juan Ayuso wows team and Tadej Pogačar during training camp
The Spaniard spent part of his childhood living in the United States
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George is supposed to be riding the Tour of the Basque country this week. He rode the ITT and Stage 2, lost quite a lot of time on Stage 2 and has apparently got bronchitis. Didn't start stage 3.
Jack Bauer is also riding it.
Roglic is the strong favourite, with other contenders including Alaphilippe, Evenpoel, Adam Yates, Vingegaard and Vlasov.
UAE sent an interesting team - wasn't clear who, if anyone, is/was the designated leader.
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@chris-b said in Road Cycling:
George is supposed to be riding the Tour of the Basque country this week. He rode the ITT and Stage 2, lost quite a lot of time on Stage 2 and has apparently got bronchitis. Didn't start stage 3.
Jack Bauer is also riding it.
Roglic is the strong favourite, with other contenders including Alaphilippe, Evenpoel, Adam Yates, Vingegaard and Vlasov.
UAE sent an interesting team - wasn't clear who, if anyone, is/was the designated leader.
Pog is playing around in Northern France trying to get a feel for the cobbles before the sections there in the TDF.
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George was down to ride the Amstel Gold Race, but not surprisingly didn't start. Finn Fisher Black did, but was a DNF - as were a big chunk of the field (mostly the domestiques).
Fleche Wallonne (20 April) and then L-B-L are next on the schedule for George, unless they decide on something else for him.
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No love for Patrick Bevin?
That was a great ride to win the second last stage.
Cancelling the last was annoying, but he would almost certainly have defended his lead. The men who were within reach both were less strong than him yesterday.
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@Chester-Draws came here to post on it - though I only saw a little bit of Stage 1 and Patty had tried a couple of escapes.
Great result!!!
Six New Zealanders in the race was good to see as well.
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Here's some decent footage of Paddy's win.
No commentary, but the decisive move is at 2.55, when his pace-maker peels away and he attacks (he's in the Blue and White Israel Start-up colours). The Argentine who's leading the GC can't go with him and the group whittles down to three and then Pat sprints away.
There's footage with commentary of the final km readily available on the internet.
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Bevin does it again. And at the Tour of Romandie; a race not to be sniffed at. Good day for NZ, with 3 riders in the top 7.
TOUR DE ROMANDIE 2022, STAGE THREE: VALBROYE TO VALBROYE (165.1KM)
- Patrick Bevin (NZl) Israel-Premier Tech, in 4-53-27
- Ethan Hayter (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers
- Rohan Dennis (Aus) Jumbo-Visma
- Dion Smith (Nzl) BikeExchange-Jayco
- Quinten Hermans (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux
- Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain-Victorious
- Finn Fisher-Black (Nzl) UAE Team Emirates
- Felix Grosßchartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe
- Nikias Arndt (Ger) DSM
- Mikkel Honoré (Den) Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, all at s.t.
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE THREE
- Rohan Dennis (Aus) Jumbo-Visma, in 12-28-06
- Patrick Bevin (NZl) Israel-Premier Tech, at 14s
- Felix Grosßchartner (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe,
