I’m not sure Froome is ready to take a chance on not winning the next TdF by doing the Giro first. I have a suspicion the competition next year is going to stronger that this year too (providing the contenders can keep their bikes rubber side down).

That’s what I was expecting as well.

MASSIVE team GB presence at the pointy* end of the peloton

*rear 😕

(I know there’s a long way to go, and all, ..)

Wtf just happened!

Anyone reckon Sagan took a few laps out and rejoined when the cameras were off and noone was looking?

Rochelle is quite easy on the eye isn’t she..

And,

Sagan: Beast, as we all know but crafty this time around as well

Suit yourself. I think he’s improved that vastly this year (after a mixed and probably frustrating classics season)

The world champs seem to be made for him, increased random-ness, national teams can’t put together lead out trains like a conventional team would, and he’s just the master at freelancing onto the right wheels.

Cycling needs Sagan. He’s awesome 8)

But gutted for the French and Analphilippe, that was a proper, well set up move and it nearly worked. I’d still prefer to see a harder course than today, it was all a bit like an end of season MSR and we’ve already have one of those.

Still Sagan what can you say, three in a row, amazing effort.

Probably best not to google that 😉 Beaten by a stealth edit!

Enjoyed that. Swifty did better than I expected, given him dropping off on the climb. Would have liked a Kristoff win, but you can’t argue with Sagan’s class. He’s given up attacking as he’s always chased down so sit in for 260 km for the final sprint. Sounds like my new race strategy 😉 (well for 40 km anyway)

SOme of the riding in World Champs at times you sit and think “well, how else did you expect it to play out guys” , time and time again they either let a break go and then get miffed when others don’t work to close it down. Or indeed they do the opposite and all stay together and get stuffed by 3-4 people who can only ever win by sprinting…

I was waiting for more attacking like Alaphillipes attempt thinking that people would only ever have a chance if they attempted it, but very few did. You may as well finish 90th having had a pop and dying on your backside instead of 40th surely ?

Well yes, of course… but a large chunk of them must have an attack in them, they do it month after month, race after race in stage racing, in the classics etc… But at the worlds, they don’t seem to have a pop.

Most of those attacks are doomed to failure and are just to get the sponsors name on the screen. This isnt required at the worlds.

Which is why the strong punchy riders with no sprint needed to take a huge risk and go with a full gas glory or nothing attack with 5 or 6 laps to go. On such a short climb there was never any likelihood of making something stick in the last 3 laps when the pace was really on. There were only 4-5 teams with a realistic interest in a sprint.

Take Belgium as an example. Squad packed full of strong punchy riders, but never going to win a sprint. Stuyven wiped out in a crash with 2 to go, but why was he even still in the bunch? Perfect rider to have been sent out early. Vermote, spent 200km pulling on the front? For what? They had no sprinter. If he was going to be pulling, he could have been pulling the breakaway and making the sprinters teams chase.