With route maps and new teams kits starting to come out I thought it a good time to get this going
Blimey all the talk about the nasty climb in Valencia today and this climb in the Saudi is a beast.
Some of the lads there wouldn't normally be up there at the front for a climb so we'd never get to see them swinging all over the road like that. Brilliant to see the Tractor having a go too and racing which we don't get to see to often.
Well that was worth the wait. What a finish in Valencia.
I wonder will we hear Remco whinge about the gravel?
A nice little story in the middle of an awful one
He ended up losing more time on the last bit of road rather than the gravel, just didnt have the legs
The lads mentioned his gearing compared to the others as a possibility but I'm with you yeah legs were gone. Mine would have been 8km down the road :D
He might actually be human after all.
Apologies if it's already been mentioned, but what's Sam's early season race schedule looking like?
According to PCS UAE Tour, Paris-Nice, Milan-Sanremo, Dwars door Vlaanderen and the nothing more announced until TdF
I would imagine there will be some Belgian 1 days or the odd French race added to that at some stage.
Races in Oman and Turkey being shown on YouTube this week.
10km to go in Turkey, ITV commentary team calling it.
There are some mad looking tt bars on the bike this year.
Chaos in Provence. 50km winds, frantic peleton.
Splits, a crash and echelons !!!!!
EDIT: 45km crosswind there according to the graphic.
Entertaining finish thanks to Bodnar having a go.
Ganna should have kept going there imo.
Yeah it worked out in the end for them though. Some engine on Ganna. Carapaz was completely wasted trying to stay on his wheel.
Listening to interviews I think he is coming to realize that he can do a lot more than win TT races. If he adds a bit more climbing to his skills he could be the next Richie Porte in the 1 week tours.
Ben Healy down to start today in Murcia. First race with EF
Carapaz out of the Tour de Provence after testing positive for covid.
Thought the whole team would have to go, as they are close contacts?
Interesting stuff at the Superprestige Gavere CX today. live drone footage during the race!
I gather from the commentators that it's the first time it's ever been used. I'd imagine the safety protocols involved are hugely complex and comprehensive.
It makes for terrific viewing, giving us a live rider's-eye-view in real time.
Irish Nationals in Limerick had drone footage but I don't know if it was used for live or just highlights.
The drone footage used in the race was from head high pretty much and tailing the riders. Had to be on a preset route, the pilot would only have the screen for visibility of it and with spectators only a meter or two away? It seemed to stop and lift up at exactly the same point each lap.
Not sure how it would react to a rider getting close to it or trying to pass?
I've a family member who would be a registered pilot of them, must ask them out it next I see them. I'm sure they would be pretty shocked seeing that and would likely say theres no way that would be within the rules here.
Just caught up with Provence and Ganna goes and podiums a punchy stage. I agree he has more to offer. Could be a good classics/cobble man if he put his mind to it. Nothing stopping him going down the Evenepoel route and winning races by just time trialing away. Much as I dislike Ineos they are the team that should bring out his full potential. Although Eddie Dunbar might disagree with me.
Yeah Eddie rode his best so far in support of Carapaz and Moscon. Closest he he came to a win was in the Tour of Britain pouncing on GvA but not making it.
Ganna won't be winning anything today, anyway. DQ on the Tour de la Provence today for an illegal bike change. Schoolboy error by INEOS.
Ganna DQ’d today for an illegal bike change.
Ganna is a beast, see the first stage, he was like a one-man echelon, riding people off the back of his wheel. He has 20kg and 20cm on JA, and more on the likes of Quintana, but the sheer power he puts out means he can nearly keep up with them on the steep stuff like today. Reminds me of Rohan Dennis dropping everyone towing the peloton through the mountains in the Giro a few years ago - just TT to the numbers, disregard the gradient.
If he needs to switch bikes for a climb on the finish, then it isn't a great look for Pinarello's marketing strategy on those 10k+ disc bikes. My Giant TCR with Ultegra weighs 7.5kg, so hard to imagine that they can't get the Pinarello down to 6.8kg and you'd still need to change to rim brakes
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