Author Topic: Pro Cycling 2023 (Read 1462918 times)

The_Cutter · « **Reply #27280 on:** May 21, 2017, 02:29:09 pm »

Quote from: dave 5516 on May 21, 2017, 02:26:55 pm

Thanks for the updates, C.

It's been great to watch, whole day I have no idea what they are doing and why they are doing what they are doing.

EDIT: Now I have no idea why Movistar, Orica and Bahrain are allowing Sunweb to ride a slow tempo instead getting rid of them and isolating Dumoulin.

The_Cutter · « **Reply #27281 on:** May 21, 2017, 02:46:09 pm »

Rolland and LL Sanchez jump from the peloton and chase the front. There is now a short downhill before they hit the second climb.

If Movistar doesn't start drilling it right from the start of the climb then they officially exist just to spite me.

The_Cutter · « **Reply #27282 on:** May 21, 2017, 02:48:00 pm »

Quintana crashes in the descent!

EDIT: He's back on and the front group is slowing down to wait for him. No idea about the damage. I'm sorry, but Bahrain should race this. Looked like his own fault.

The_Cutter · « **Reply #27283 on:** May 21, 2017, 03:08:07 pm »

Nobody does nothin' in the main group. Break might actually win this!

EDIT: Crash for Sky (not Landa) and 2 Canondales (one of them was Formolo). This could've been bonkers if they raced this, but the Quintana crash seems to have neutralized this.

The_Cutter · « **Reply #27284 on:** May 21, 2017, 03:27:06 pm »

Kangert absolutely smashes a road sign thingy. He'll abandon, but doesn't look hurt too bad.

And I must flipping leave now.

redbyrdz · « **Reply #27285 on:** May 21, 2017, 07:08:05 pm »

No idea how long this'll stay up...last 45km: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_4z-dShfCA

The_Cutter · « **Reply #27286 on:** May 21, 2017, 07:14:24 pm »

Liverpool finish top 4 and this was one of the craziest GC stages I can remember. 'Tis a good Sunday!

Phew, watched the last 5km now! Congrats Jungels. Hopefully, Quintana is fine for the GC battle. I'd have been fine if they attacked the downhill, but they chose to wait for him.

That feed zone moment will remain forever one of my favorites. Three riders hitting the front and waving their hands, as if saying "stop it, you mad men, and let us at least grab our food bags!" Other riders just stroll past "f*ck that, there are no brakes on this train and food is for pussies".

Thank God it is only a broken elbow for Kangert that looked really really nasty.

The_Cutter · « **Reply #27287 on:** May 22, 2017, 06:33:05 pm »

Rest day today, but it's game time tomorrow.

Quote from: dave 5516 on May 20, 2017, 10:12:28 pm

Stage 16: Rovetta - Bormio. 227 km.

This is the day we've been waiting for. After 15 days of watching, riding we come to the...l'inizio della fine. This is the first of two Queen stages of this edition, this is the Alpine one. This is over 227 km with 5,400 metres of climbing.* The course runs first on a mild climb heading to Edolo and then climbs up the Mortirolo from Monno, only used once before, as far as I'm aware. The parcours takes a pass over the finish line in Bormio, climbs up the Passo dello Stelvio, this years Cima Coppi, and reaches Prato allo Stelvio and Glorenza, crosses the borders to Switzerland and then the Umbrail Pass leading back to Italy, just 3 km from the Stelvio summit, and running down to Bormio. As we see this is going to be a stiff day with two times up Stelvio with a descent of the 48 hairpins, coupled with...Mortirolo, which is one of the most feared and hardest climbs in Europe.

*I've had days with that amount and more of climbing...only once with that sort of mileage tho...and I ended up staying in the place we arrived....I had no more to give and there was no chance of me going back to the hotel we were staying in at Nice...and that was at my shitty pace too.

Pretty simple strategy for everybody. Don't allow any Sunweb rider in the break, so they can't help Dumoulin later in the stage. Get rid of most domestiques on the first climb, shred them all on the second and start testing his legs before the top of Stelvio. Hit him with all you've got on the last climb. If Major Tom shows no weakness here then other GC contenders would probably need to think of some creative long ranger attack to break him.

dave 5516 · « **Reply #27288 on:** May 23, 2017, 05:36:10 am »

And I expect Movistar to send riders up the road for the same reason. I'ts obvious who has the stronger team in the mountains....Amador, Anacona, De La Parte, Izagirre, Herrada, Rojas, Bennati,Sutherland up against Ten Dam, Preidler, Geschke, Haga, Stamsnijder, Lunke, Bauhaus. With that in mind...if they can't crack him today on Mortirolo and the twin ascent of Stelvio I think he wins the race. Stelvio is getting raced from the Swiss side, for the first time, the harder side. This is 13 k at 8.4%, along with the usual side which is over 21 km at 7%. that's horrific!!

Should be fun.

Forecast for the Stelvio is cold and possibly wet.

And there's not a cloud in the sky here...can't I stay in today, please....see y'all later.

dave 5516 · « **Reply #27289 on:** May 23, 2017, 01:13:31 pm »

I read an article/interview with MVDP in a Dutch paper yesterday that suggests he might race at Schaal Sels and Dwaars door het Hageland....I might have pissed myself with excitement, these are my two favourite and also the best races on the Europe Tour. It also has a break down of which team on the WT suits him best.

http://www.wielerflits.nl/nieuws/258894/mathieu-van-der-poel-ik-wil-me-richten-op-de-klassiekers.html

The_Cutter · « **Reply #27290 on:** May 23, 2017, 01:40:16 pm »

Quote from: dave 5516 on May 23, 2017, 05:36:10 am

And I expect Movistar to send riders up the road for the same reason. I'ts obvious who has the stronger team in the mountains....Amador, Anacona, De La Parte, Izagirre, Herrada, Rojas, Bennati,Sutherland up against Ten Dam, Preidler, Geschke, Haga, Stamsnijder, Lunke, Bauhaus. With that in mind...if they can't crack him today on Mortirolo and the twin ascent of Stelvio I think he wins the race. Stelvio is getting raced from the Swiss side, for the first time, the harder side. This is 13 k at 8.4%, along with the usual side which is over 21 km at 7%. that's horrific!

Movistar has three people in the break, what's the point though? For the short flat part and start of the climb? Three domestiques seems a bit of an overkill for that. Kruijswijk and Landa in the break, they could try to go for the win. Ten Dam in the break, otherwise Dumoulin is isolated in the main group.

The_Cutter · « **Reply #27291 on:** May 23, 2017, 02:02:33 pm »

I'm gonna use and edit this post to do spoiler commentary:

14:00:

Spoiler

Nothing happened on Stelvio. I'm starting to think that Movistar is again trolling me and they are not riding for Quintana, but want to move Amador 50'' up the GC.

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