La Flamme Rouge **off topic discussion**

secman

Seth Brundle wrote: »

"Be careful what you wish for" as they say - you could find yourself getting trashed by people some years older than you :P

I get a KOM this time last year without realising that there was a segment even there. It was taken off me a few days later but its so boring that I don't care about it (it's in a housing estate within my 2km).
Generally I would compare my times against those I follow. If I improve then great, if not then no harm.

Ah sure I know that, there's a few tasty 65 to 74 year olds that i was glad when they turned 65 to get them out of my group
But there's also a few good guys who i know coming into the 55 to 64 ...swings and roundabouts...all good craic though...so long as you don't let it get into your head...know a few lads that it happened to and they went private mode

CramCycle

In the dying days of the restricted distance rides, KOMs were all that kept me ticking over. Loads around my area taken by lads in local clubs. As I would find out, most of them are such good riders, they hadn't went full gas, so every time I took one, they would nab it back a day or two later. I do regret one where the wind was with me but I went full gas at the start and practically blew up about 500m from the finish. I looked down and I thought it said I was behind so i stopped to recover. I only realised when I looked later I was 19seconds ahead and if I just rolled in I would have had it. One that I am just waiting for the right day to go back at it.

iwillhtfu

The KOMs are usually all taken up by group rides these days particularly the long ones. It's really only the hill climbs and short sprints that are worth chasing. In saying that I'm not even remotely arsed about them and try to avoid looking for them as it's slightly annoying when ya lose it and get that little message, then the back and forth begins.

Weepsie

magicbastarder wrote: »

just pick an inconsequential back road that no-one will have tried hard on and put the hammer down on it. it's basically how i got my KOMs.
there's one road where i have the KOM in one direction and am 87th in the opposite direction. and that's down to swords using it in that direction on one of their race circuits.

That was my KoM first!!

Eamonnator

iwillhtfu wrote: »

The KOMs are usually all taken up by group rides these days particularly the long ones. It's really only the hill climbs and short sprints that are worth chasing. In saying that I'm not even remotely arsed about them and try to avoid looking for them as it's slightly annoying when ya lose it and get that little message, then the back and forth begins.

A few years ago, one of my Sunday Group was chasing a K.O.M. on one of the roads up to Bellewstown. He was 2nd fastest on it for a while. Then the Rás went up it, he tumbled from 2nd to 57th in the space of a minute.

Fighting Tao

Too many using electric bikes, motorbikes, and even cars to get KOM’s. It’s nowhere near a level playing field any more. Strava don’t seem to care when obvious cheating is going on either.

I usually don't pay any attention to that stuff but when I went for the vaccine I did check a few of the segments when I got home and Thomas de Gendt and Iljo Keisse still have a few 1's and 2's from when the Giro was here 7 years ago along sections of the R132.

Reality_Check1

The handful of KOMs I have I will defend with my life

magicbastarder

Weepsie wrote: »

That was my KoM first!!

IIRC correctly, it was mine, then WA took it, then i took it back, then you took it, then i took it back.

i think this is like brazil keeping the jules rimet trophy. i won it three times, it's mine now forever. if someone takes it from me, it will be a hollow victory for them.

fat bloke

Jersey on over bib shorts and pockets filled - there exists not a more potent laxative

dahat

fat bloke wrote: »

Jersey on over bib shorts and pockets filled - there exists not a more potent laxative

Add newly applied chamois cream to to that.

CramCycle

Darkglasses wrote: »

KOMs feel like a bit of a dead activity after this many years of Strava though, the times on any even slightly popular climb are basically unobtainable to anyone except very good racers. Different 8/9 years ago when a pleb like me could pick up the odd one here and there

Actually there is one near your part of the world I have been trying to take for a few years, had a good run before Covid and got to within 3 seconds from the KOM. Alas now, I think it was one of those things where a lot would have to go right to even come close now as there is a hairpin on it. Something to do on my holidays only it is such an effort, you get one go and that is it for the day.

ARX

fat bloke wrote: »

Jersey on over bib shorts and pockets filled - there exists not a more potent laxative

I know you're bursting to tell us the details.

Lachlan Morton is a full stage ahead of the tour.
https://www2.followmychallenge.com/live/thealttour/?46.465436,3.301162,5.59

cletus

I didn't want to derail the TdF stage thread, so I'll as my question here.

Watching the breakaway in today's stage, both cyclists were away from the peloton for a long time, only to be caught in the last 3ish km.

So why make such a breakaway? It must use a lot of energy, just the two of them working away, only to be reeled in so close to the finish.

Did they both have an actual expectation of taking the stage today? Or was their some their thing happening that I don't know/understand.

Please bear in mind, I know very little about racing

lennymc

cletus wrote: »

I didn't want to derail the TdF stage thread, so I'll as my question here.

Watching the breakaway in today's stage, both cyclists were away from the peloton for a long time, only to be caught in the last 3ish km.

So why make such a breakaway? It must use a lot of energy, just the two of them working away, only to be reeled in so close to the finish.

Did they both have an actual expectation of taking the stage today? Or was their some their thing happening that I don't know/understand.

Please bear in mind, I know very little about racing

"Nine times out of 10, the long break fails," said Jens Voigt, a veteran competing in his 16th Tour at the age of 41. "It can be bitter or it can be glorious. But you have got to try it 10 times to make it work once."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/cycling/23303269

Sometimes the break can stay away, and you can get a win. Other times, smaller teams will look to get airtime for their sponsors, or a rider might want to lead the peloton through his home town. Other more tactical reasons might be to support your team leader later on in a stage -where you go up the road and support your leader when they catch up with you.

Also, some people are just mad and really like it, like Thomas De Gendt.

fat bloke

dahat wrote: »

Add newly applied chamois cream to to that.

LOL. FFS. Exactly. I don't think I've ever applied it just the once! :rolleyes:

eeeee

Also means that if your teammate is in the break then you don't have to do any work to bring it back. Some riders maybe looking for exposure or contracts too.
And then Jens Voigt / Thomas de Gendt :pac:

loyatemu

there were a few successful breakaways at the Giro this year, including this glorious solo effort from Taco van der Hoorn

https://www.eurosport.co.uk/cycling/giro-d-italia/2021/giro-ditalia-2021-highlights-taco-van-der-hoorn-stuns-peloton-on-stage-3_vid1473525/video.shtml

magicbastarder

https://twitter.com/tomflood1/status/1410243312037109763

silverharp

I dont follow cycling as a sport so in that context, is there ever much discussion about changing race rules to avoid collisions because the riders are too bunched up? like limiting drafting for example?

loyatemu

silverharp wrote: »

I dont follow cycling as a sport so in that context, is there ever much discussion about changing race rules to avoid collisions because the riders are too bunched up? like limiting drafting for example?

riding in a bunch is pretty much the key feature of road cycle races. Unless you just ran every stage as a time-trial which would be pretty boring.

seamus

silverharp wrote: »

I dont follow cycling as a sport so in that context, is there ever much discussion about changing race rules to avoid collisions because the riders are too bunched up? like limiting drafting for example?

I'll admit straight up that I don't have a rashers what the "rules" of professional races are, but there are rules in place to avoid riders presenting a danger to eachother and to prevent organisers from inadvertently creating pinch points or tripping hazards in the route.

Ultimately like any racing sport, there will always be a certain element of danger, and limits to how safe you can make it without materially changing the nature of the race.

tomasrojo

Interesting that the drivers fully expected the police to arrest the human bollards when they arrived, though the human bollards were just replacing a broken rising bollard that used to stop the illegal driving manoeuvre.

https://twitter.com/CoHSATOxon/status/1395625375019962369

Weepsie

What we have here are Continental Fur Seasons

Weepsie

Lost opportunity to make a dynameow pun

Eamonnator

tomasrojo wrote: »

Interesting that the drivers fully expected the police to arrest the human bollards when they arrived, though the human bollards were just replacing a broken rising bollard that used to stop the illegal driving manoeuvre.

https://twitter.com/CoHSATOxon/status/1395625375019962369

I wonder what would have happened if the protesters had just put a few cones on the road.

cletus

Eamonnator wrote: »

I wonder what would have happened if the protesters had just put a few cones on the road.

They'd be moved. We used to put bollards at the entrance to our school at weekends, people would just move them to come down and park

magicbastarder

https://twitter.com/AccessForAll7/status/1411014966002520067

note; dermot lacey denies saying this.
also note; aodhan o'riordan admitted on twitter during the week he had dermot lacey blocked. ivana bacik seems to be a keen cyclist so hopefully this is just a councillor putting words in her mouth.

tomasrojo

magicbastarder wrote: »

note; dermot lacey denies saying this.
also note; aodhan o'riordan admitted on twitter during the week he had dermot lacey blocked.

I wonder whether Lacey called A O'R a liar. He must have called everyone in Ireland on Twitter a liar by now.