Strade Bianche Saturday March 3rd,

TheBlaaMan

Strade Bianche is on this weekend, no thread up yet? This is often a great race, in part because of the scenery that the route covers. Recent winners include Kwiatkowski (x2) Cancellara, Gilbert and Stybar and it sees Sagan enter the fray for the Classics season. One day, this will be the sixth Monument....maybe.

It has been snowing in Tuscany in recent days and rain is due tomorrow and again on race day, so this could turn the race into a real survival of the hardest and strongest.

There is also a womens race, and that is often a great race too.
The Women's race starts at 10:05am and finishes at approx 2:15pm while
Men's race starts at 11:35am and finishes at around 4:30pm

Live video from 1:30pm, so hopefully we will get to see coverage of the finale of womens race
The coverage on Eurosport looks a bit confusing. Live ES2 for 90 minutes from 1pm - the womens finish? then coverage from 4-5 on ES1 with hour long replays later that evening. So, it looks as if the coverage will be rather poor.

GVA and Sagan will inevitably be tagged as favourites and Kwiato might be good enough for a third title after a decent start to the year, Interesting too to see that Tom Dumoilin is slated to start.

TheBlaaMan

Race Profile, gravel sections in grey


YouTube teaser - I'm unable to embed this in a way that it will load..
https://youtu.be/MhIWNvZpaAc

koutoubia

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfxr-Fzhdcp/?taken-by=pierobaffi

If it runs it will really be an interesting race!

Yeah odd timings on eurosport, 12:15 to 13:00 then 13:00 to 14:30 on ES2

Raw feed on the player 12:50 - 15:20

This is usually a cracking race. 184km with 60km odd over dirt roads , combine that with the scene koutoubia linked to above could be hell on a bike if it goes ahead.

Full start list here http://www.cyclingfever.com/editie.html?detp=view&_ap=startlijst&editie_idd=MjgzNTU= loads of big names but to me Kwiatkowski and Valverde have looked to be in the best shape at this point in the season but means nothing if faced with those conditions

MPFGLB

Valverde may win....just saying

TheBlaaMan

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah odd timings on eurosport, 12:15 to 13:00 then 13:00 ....

This slot is not marked as a live broadcast, so I wonder if it is a preview or a replay of 2017

Melodeon

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

This slot is not marked as a live broadcast, so I wonder if it is a preview or a replay of 2017

According to the EPG on my Sky box, the 12:15-1:00pm item is "The 2017 Strade Bianche..." and the Live coverage of 2018 is 1:00-2:30pm.

Taxuser1

Kwiatkowski has had measure of Sagan overall in really tough classic races if you look back and is a better bet early season again. Seems to have measure of GVA from last year as well. They woukd seem the trio to feature. Think Kwia had back issues in 2016 and wasnt great on the penultimate climb when Sagan attacked with Stybar. Valverde couldnt repeat his 3rd on his first attempt and was put in his place in same 2016 race. Kwia is a big bet for me this weekend. Wout Van Aert for a podium possibly.

Kwiatkowski looked great in the final of the Algarve. I'd not spotted Wout Van Aert in the start list. He looked good on the road last weekend. A young lad I'd like to see more of on the road, his CX skills might be called on if the conditions are bad on Saturday.

EDIT: I see Valverde has been ill since coming back from Abu Dhabi but is ok to race, not sure what effect that has had on him.

marvin80

Deleted User wrote: »

EDIT: I see Valverde has been ill since coming back from Abu Dhabi but is ok to race, not sure what effect that has had on him.

Once he's on the right antibiotics he'll be grand

DKmac

Sonny Colbrelli has been going pretty well in his first 3 races.

8valve

looking forward to it...cabin fever is at an all time high here with the snow!

Stage one of Paris Nice on sunday too....the telly is mine for the weekend...lol

Forcast for rain and mud tomorrow on course. Some likening it to the 2010 Giro stage.

Taxuser1

Went with Moscon in end. 20/1 ew

Taxuser1

Taxuser1 wrote: »

Went with Moscon in end. 20/1 ew

Not a rider I want to see win ever after his antics at Tour of Romandie last year and how sky handled that ****.

SwissToni

With the conditions being predicted to be very muddy I wonder how many disc brakes we will see, makes more sense running them for this than in Far East races at the start of the year where we usually see them just for teams to keep the manufactures happy.

Taxuser1

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Not a rider I want to see win ever after his antics at Tour of Romandie last year and how sky handled that ****.

Seems to have attitude. Saw a Welsh national rider switch another rider on a downhill section on purpose after words exchanged. Brought 50 riders down. Always disgusted me. A switch went off in his head. I wondered whether he ever regretted it.

Womens race on the player at 11:25


What teams have an option for the discs? I think the Cannondale and Specialised bikes have a disc option that I can recall seeing. So thats QuickStep and Bora and EF Drapac.

at1withmyself

I thought I read that trek will be using only disc bikes for 2018?

Anna van der Bregggen in a handy trio up the road in the womens race, not a lady you want to see disappear up the road in front of you.

Sky leading the front group in the mens , mudbath was the word used on cycling news.

The second group is 2:30 back already. No idea who is in which groups at the minute. The front group is 70 strong though.

dahat

Anywhere to view this till Europsport goes live?

dahat

dahat wrote: »

Anywhere to view this till Europsport goes live?

Went though the links on steephill none live as of 10 minutes ago.

dahat

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Went though the links on steephill none live as of 10 minutes ago.

Ah, pity.

Ill use Twitter feeds from the teams then.

dahat

dahat wrote: »

Ah, pity.

Ill use Twitter feeds from the teams then.

Cycling news saying weather is affecting race radio. So chaos and a break of 8 trying to get away now. BMC saying GvA is up there with team mates.

https://twitter.com/quickstepteam/status/969887130741854209

MPFGLB

hard to know whp anyone is wiht all the mud

Group of 10 was allowed to go just before Montalcino climb. FFS Eurosport should have at least got the raw stream up on the player

Oh it's nasty out there, Van Der Breggen just passed the camera with her back covered in hailstones.

fat bloke

Watching it now on the player. 17k to go. Motos are appallingly amateur.

Seems mad too to have the whole race set up, helicopter, bike cams etc, and to broadcast it, and yet not employ a commentator. Surely worth the extra few bob?

Looks like van der breggens to lose here. Riders are not pedalling that down hill section.

Bloody moto is going to get stuck if he keeps that messing up ffs.

Ah nuts looks like they've lost cameras out on the road.

dermabrasion

MPFGLB wrote: »

Valverde may win....just saying

I hope he doesn't. I find him way more repugnant than Jiffygate.

The look on her face during the last live shots on the road was unreal, totaly calm and relaxed. Like out for a leisurely spin relaxed. One hell of bike rider and the ones chasing were no slouches, serious talent there too.

neris

hope they have a few bottles of persil on the team buses

Moto being a nuisance again.

marvin80

Looks mental there today - some craic to take part in the sportive tomorrow

velo.2010

I can't think of another one day race that manages to have such a mix of top class GC riders and classics specialists. Some line up today!

dastardly00

Shíte... Didn't realise that this would finish so early today.

Less than 24 km to go

DDC1990

Ok im very confused. I watched Kwiatkowski win this an hour ago?

Or was that a replay of last year or something?

Edit: Yup. ****ing Eurosport confusing me.

neris

shut up carlton

marvin80

DDC1990 wrote: »

Ok im very confused. I watched Kwiatkowski win this an hour ago?

Or was that a replay of last year or something?

Yea he won it last year so probably a replay.

Ha yeah they showed the 2017 race earlier.

Come on Van Aert!!!!!!

marvin80

Deleted User wrote: »

Ha yeah they showed the 2017 race earlier.

Come on Van Aert!!!!!!

Hopefully him and Bardet hold the gap, like to see Van Aert win but Bardet's experience will probably be the difference.

retalivity

Id never have pegged bardet to be in the mix for this

marvin80

retalivity wrote: »

Id never have pegged bardet to be in the mix for this

Benoot closed the gap and gone off on his own now, 16 second gap or so

JK.BMC

'Staccato on the Sterrato!'

This is a great race

marvin80

Very enjoyable race

MPFGLB

Stongest man won....great ride by Benoot.....man for the future

CrowdedHouse

Missed this - VanAert seemed to stall on the last hill

https://twitter.com/kingstonwheeler/status/969968381028896768

Was wondering about the gap

marvin80

Don't remember the Eurosport cameras picking that up either