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Yes, Wout a race.
Happy that Wout won, also happy that it means Tadej is more likely to come back twice as determined next year!
Paris-Roubaix is the best cycling event in the calendar.
Cycling is the greatest sport on earth.
That was possibly the best P-R I've watched (since the mid 90s).
That means that yesterday's race was quite possibly the greatest sporting event ever!
(I enjoyed it, can you tell? 😀 )
Still thinking about that moment where Tadej looked back at Wout and he just gave a tiny shake of his head. Just the perfect amount of riding from Wout - enough to keep them both committed but also as little as he possibly could.
Fran Koch did an excellent job beating two former world champ team mates in the finale, but I’m kind of gutted that Vos didn’t get the win.
Just caught up with both P-R races on SBS (Australian) coverage. Damned good races! I bet PFP was pissed off doing all that work for Vos for no reason when she could probably have soloed off the front from a long way off.
And did we ever find out what MVDPs problem with Philipsons bike was?
And did we ever find out what MVDPs problem with Philipsons bike was?
Philipson was on Shimano prototype pedals which were not compatible with MVDP standard Shimano cleats. A questionable equipment decision for such a critical race.
Fran Koch did an excellent job beating two former world champ team mates in the finale, but I’m kind of gutted that Vos didn’t get the win.
Same, Vos is just a legend.
However I did see the full results today, British riders Zoe Backstedt and Pfeiffer Georgi were 12th and 14th respectively in a group only 2'20" back led in by Lorena Wiebes and Charlotte Kool.
And did we ever find out what MVDPs problem with Philipsons bike was?
Philipson was on Shimano prototype pedals which were not compatible with MVDP standard Shimano cleats. A questionable equipment decision for such a critical race.
Ooff! If only MVDP has just (immediately) taken Phillipsens front wheel instead...
Ooff! If only MVDP has just (immediately) taken Phillipsens front wheel instead..
How were they swapping wheels without tools? Are they back on old school quick release?
Wout post race - pure class.
In contrast, UAE are now whining and making excuses - “Visma should have waited for Pog”, “Pog sprinted with a flat”. Pathetic and not dignified for a team with a rider of Pog’s ability.
Philipson was on Shimano prototype pedals which were not compatible with MVDP standard Shimano cleats. A questionable equipment decision for such a critical race.
Hard to understand how that could happen in a professional organisation. Imagine if he’d had a through axle lever instead of fancy new pedals…
I bet PFP was pissed off doing all that work for Vos for no reason when she could probably have soloed off the front from a long way off
I read that PFP said she wasn't down to ride PR but asked to do so, just so she could support Vos as she knew Vos's father and was friends with the Vos family
How were they swapping wheels without tools? Are they back on old school quick release?
No they're all thru-axle but you can get ones with levers which are obviously far easier for a rider to undo while waiting for the service car (or to simply swap wheels with a teammate, no tools required).
They're less aero though (fractionally!) and potentially able to snag on other wheels or passing vegetation so some teams may have opted for the usual 6mm bolt.
The pedal thing, if true, is insane. One of the absolute basics is ensuring that all riders in the team are on the same pedal system.
Ironically, I had this Shimano Sponsored YouTube video pop into my feed the day before the race
I wonder whether he's swapped out those cleats already?
The pedal thing, if true, is insane. One of the absolute basics is ensuring that all riders in the team are on the same pedal system.
I wonder if the Visma team were all on Speedplay? I guess if Speedplay are now owned by Wahoo then it wouldn't be that strange to see an entire team kitted out with them...
Not exactly big air by any standards but shows how fast they're hitting the rough sections, no wonder there were so many punctures!
With the number of anticipated mechanicals and resultant bike changes, I'm surprised they don't go CX style with sports watches rather than handlebar mounted head units. I guess you are losing your powermeter either way but in the era of every metric painstakingly tracked, they seem very willing to abandon that data
With the number of anticipated mechanicals and resultant bike changes, I'm surprised they don't go CX style with sports watches rather than handlebar mounted head units. I guess you are losing your powermeter either way but in the era of every metric painstakingly tracked, they seem very willing to abandon that data
Picture of Wouts setup shows they had attached the lanyard to his GPS and looped it around the bars so it was tethered.
actually you're right - I went back and slo-mo'ed the highlights. It looks like both Tadej and Wout had head units at the finish. when I watched it first time I I couldn't see either of them. I'm blaming the crazy handlebars.
Although I did mean 'lose' as in give away the bike with it mounted on; rather than accidently drop it on the floor due to rough cobbles.
I am a massive MVDP fanboy but if he couldn't win I am glad it was Wout
I’m not a MVDP fan(*) but he was the first rider to congratulate Wout, so respect for that.
(* for no logical reason, I readily confess!!)
It's the turn of the Dutch & Belgian Classics next, Amstel Gold this weekend then Fleche Wallone and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Then the Giro at the start of May!
Not that I can watch any of it of course... That said, I may stump up for TNT for a couple of months for the Giro and Tour.
Not that I can watch any of it of course... That said, I may stump up for TNT for a couple of months for the Giro and Tour.
I heard that some people have great success with VPN and Australian SBS combo for watching cycling........
Not that I can watch any of it of course... That said, I may stump up for TNT for a couple of months for the Giro and Tour.
VPN into Australia and SBS is perfectly fine. They live stream a LOT of races and put good highlight packages together. The commentators aren't great though (every cliche used every 15 minutes!)
The commentators aren't great though (every cliche used every 15 minutes!)
I'm really going to miss ITV4 for the Tour. Ned and David were so good and a refreshing change from the cliche-ridden nonsense and the Sean Kelly-isms (yes, well, sir-taint-lee, dey will have to poosh on for de remaining noomber of killer-metres...)
I'd hesitate to get onto the Aussie coverage, don't they still use Phil Liggett?!
Years ago in a British National Road Race Championships, Liggett was commentating in the event field near the start finish. It was a ridiculously tough circuit and midway through, David Millar climbed off his bike and collapsed in a corner of the field near a little stream, clearly just wanting some time to himself. Phil clocked this from his commentary position and very excitedly announced over the loudspeaker that Millar had just retired from the race and was sitting over there ----> and if people wanted to go and get a selfie or an autograph with a legend of the sport, there he was.
You could see the look of total disgust on David's face - having thought he could get some peace and quiet, his presence (and the fact that he'd pulled out of the race) had just been announced to the world.
Phil Liggett hasn't been on commentating on any of the races I've watched. They are seem to be a roster of Aussies ex-pros
Matt Keenan and Matilda Raynolds apparently. I heard Mitch Docker on there last year.
End of the Spring classics then with L-B-L today. Amstel was fairly forgettable for me, missed watching FW but pleasantly surprised by Seixas winning. With Pog, Remco and Seixas riding today we might get a decent race.
Good to see Tom Pidcock bounce back from the injury so quickly too at the TotA.