Strade Bianche 2021 (....there will be spoilers)

TheBlaaMan

Oh, the arguments rage over whether this race should be the 6th monument - maybe in 30-40 years time; it is still a highlight of the spring even if there are more stellar races to come in the next month.

This year it is back to the more traditional date after the very hot 2020 edition in August last. Weather forecasts from earlier this week hinted at a bit of rain and the potential for a wet race, but it looks as if it will stay dry.

The last hours of the Women's race is on GCN+/ES at 11:30 before the men's race coverage commences - and covers the last three hours........Hmmm. On that topic of fairness, there is a GoFundMe in place to allow a decent prizefund for the womens race after the shocking disparity of the Omloop prize fund last week ( Anna van der Breggen got €930 for winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad... while men's winner Ballerini bags €16,000) and it has already raised €20k . That said, the riders would prefer better TV coverage than higher prize money but they really go hand in hand, surely? Lizzie Deignan is out of the race, and while van Vleuten and van der Breggan will be favourites, it would be great to see Kasia Niewiadoma, Elisa Longo Borghini or Marianne Vos win this year,

The mens race should be tightly fought among the usual favourites - but there is no Peter Sagan this year - with van Aert, van der Poel, Allaphillipe all highly fancied though the list of contenders is very long, and includes Pogacar, van Avermaet, Bettiol and more besides.

Bike racing in Tuscany in spring. Hard to beat...........

odyssey06

Any Irish racing~?

I'd love to Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig pull off a big win but I think Niewiadoma is really due a win at this race having been on the podium 4 times in the last 5 editions.

For the men I'm going to say I'd like to see Bardet get off to a good start with the new team and maybe take his first win outside of France. He has a second at this race I think a couple of years ago.

Melodeon

Men's and Women's roadbooks should be attached.
GCN+ is listing a full Live Show 11.10-16.15, which appears to be coverage of both races straight through.
As well as each one separately, of course.

TheBlaaMan

Deleted User wrote: »

I'd love to Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig pull off a big win but I think Niewiadoma is really due a win at this race having been on the podium 4 times in the last 5 editions.

For the men I'm going to say I'd like to see Bardet get off to a good start with the new team and maybe take his first win outside of France. He has a second at this race I think a couple of years ago.

If Uttrup Ludwig wins - which would be really great ! - you'll hear her from here

Melodeon

odyssey06 wrote: »

Any Irish racing~?

The only Irish rider I can see is Nico as a Reserve for DSM:
https://www.strade-bianche.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Iscritti_Strade_Bianche.pdf

20km to go in the womens race.

Vos is looking great today and giving AVV zero turns

retalivity

Has this started on the gcn app? not working for me

Race coverage not due until 12:50 if gcn are live now it's just Dan Lloyd doing the prerace thingy.

Daroxtar

The women's race was very good. Great tactical racing from Chantal Vandenbroeck-Blaak.
That scenery is doing nothing for my 5km cabin fever

Weepsie

That's a sportive I'd love to do.

Lovely sunny dusty italian roads.

De Bhál

What a group now at the front of the race

velo.2010

De Bhál wrote: »

What a group now at the front of the race

Yeah, only including Van Aert, Van der Poel, Alaphilippe, Pogacar, Bernal and Pidcock!

dastardly00

Absolute disaster for Quinn Simmons

ednwireland

Weepsie wrote: »

That's a sportive I'd love to do.

Lovely sunny dusty italian roads.

or wet chalky slurry

De Bhál

dastardly00 wrote: »

Absolute disaster for Quinn Simmons

Got back on unrealistically fast there to chasing group. Assume he was welded to the back of that mechanics car that took an age to get the wheel on.

ednwireland

Simmons having a bad day

Lumen

ednwireland wrote: »

Simmons having a bad day

👍🏿

Daroxtar

Jesus, that was some dig. MVP is just a beast

martingriff

I hate to be the cyclists in front of a motor bike in the chalky roads due to the dust they kick up

dastardly00

MvdP definitely looks the strongest. It'd be some laugh if Bernal won

Daroxtar

Daroxtar wrote: »

Jesus, that was some dig. MVP is just a beast

And again. He put a 5 seconds gap into JA in just about 5 seconds. Phenomenal

Richard Hillman

That type of power acceleration is not human. VDP must have put out about 2000watts

mewso

Unreal stuff. Good to see Bernal properly fit again. Shoud be an interesting Giro but what about Van Aert, MVdP and Alaphillipe battling it out in the Tour. Some summer ahead. Hurry up with vaccines. You'd miss the crowds.

dastardly00

That was a very enjoyable race. Strade Bianchi is such a great race

velo.2010

Some savage performance there from MVDP. Nothing Alaphilippe could do, but he has the form for the season ahead. Bernal looking back to his best and a good shout for the Giro. Van Aert needed racing from the looks of it. Pogacar is probably pleased with where he is for this time of year. Pidcock needs more experience and miles on the road. Gogl has decent bits of form over the past few years but hasn't quite strung it together yet. Good again here and we'll see if he can back it up in the races to come.

Fuglsang, Valverde and others showing their age and lack of power against this newer generation of riders. Roglic back this week, so we'll get an opportunity to see where he is at.

velo.2010

velo.2010 wrote: »

Fuglsang, Valverde and others showing their age and lack of power against this newer generation of riders.

Alaphilipe was the oldest in that lead group at 28.

What happened to Van Avermaet? He started going backwards a few minutes after attacking

GvA came in 6 minutes after the finish with Bardet and Mollema. Looked like he blow up or had a puncture after he attacked.

Daroxtar

I think in years gone by the vast majority of younger riders were training to ride as support for the older more established guys. They'd be focused specifically on doing a job for them. Last year because they had no races for months they could focus entirely on just getting into top shape and the reality of it is that the young guns are fitter and stronger and have ridiculously good recovery, same as virtually any other sport. You might be a bit cuter on the bike than a junior but it won't matter when he's a mile up the road.

In the long term, who knows how they'll perform or if they'll burn out much earlier than the grizzled hard men we're used to seeing but one way or another, I think covid has created a monumental change in the cycling landscape

Daroxtar

https://twitter.com/DeGendtThomas/status/1368223473466830848?s=20