What was it like?
Some very loose, punchy climbs towards the end. It's easy to sneer at sportives but riding the same closed roads as the pros and also seeing the race is a fantastic weekend. I'd ride Strade Bianche again in a heartbeat (not so sure about Paris-Roubaix!). Book everything early and do it.
I think I'd like to tootle around for a few days and take in the sights and gastronomy.
Two great races, it really is time the broadcasters stepped up to expanding coverage of the women's races.
Wow, just watched on replay. That was some sprint by Alaphilippe, never mind VdPoel. Monster - I hope they release the power files, you know, just to see if I could have had him up there
I've ridden L'Eroica a few times - different start / finish but takes in a lot of the same roads and the TV coverage doesn't really show how rolling the countryside is, the punchy climbs and the state of the road surface in places - stutter bumps, eroded channels, soft 'toothpaste' surfaces and big drifts of gravel on bends. Riding it on a classic steel bike with downtube shifters, woeful brakes, toeclips and straps was all part of the 'fun' - Mte Sainte Marie on 42 x 21 lowest gear too. Worth it just for the beautiful scenery.
I've also ridden Paris-Roubaix and Flanders full-courses a few times - they are tougher plus they're 30% further. Paris-Roubaix by far the toughest due to the brutality of the pave - just trying to ride sectors at full gas.
The pointy-end of RvV Cyclo is 'interesting' as it's the unofficial Flemish club championships reaching 40kph+, down main roads, cycle paths and across the stones until it hits the first of the serious sectors and the group just explodes.
First time I've ever managed to watch it. Superb.
You can check out some of the Strade Bianche Strava segements, this is van Vleuten's ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/4900577444
It's got the Tolfe and Pinzuto climbs towards the end (she's QOM).
Relieved MvDP's bars survived the onslaught! What a kick!
He's a monster isn't he. Awesome performance
Second place for Cav today, got a bit blocked just as Maliere launched otherwise may have been closer...
Yes really good finish by Cav.
When the cameras switched to the head on shot you could pick Cavendish out immediately, hunched down over the bars. Such a familiar sight and great to see it again.
Would be lovely if he could pick up one last win this season. Could have been today if he hadn't got a bit boxed in.
it was pleasing to see him finish in the front group @ Samyn though he didn't figure in the sprint he wouldn't have been there this time last year. Whether he can make the roster for any "big" races given the sprinting talent in DST and smaller teams (Bennett winning the opener @ Paris Nice for example) is another matter.
it was pleasing to see him finish in the front group @ Samyn though
Ex pupil of mine crashed and broke his collar bone 😟😟😟
I don't think he can best the likes of Bennett currently, but he clearly knows that too and is ok with it, hence racing the other stuff.
What I really enjoyed and I think he'll enjoy I'd that he was right in it, a couple of times recently we saw him come into the final 700m and, well, nothing. But today he bailed it, went hard, beat just about everyone.
That'll do his confidence the world of good too.
Bennett in Paris nice, well, he did what he does, he's a bloody quick lad for sure.
Richie Porte crashed out of Paris Nice 😟
Cheers for the spoiler, was looking forward to watching that.
Maybe avoid threads discussing road racing then.
Maybe avoid threads discussing road racing then.
Paris-Nice is neither a spring classic nor a one day race. Not unreasonable to expect to open a thread with that title and not discover the winner of a stage race that day...
Anyway I'm off to kick a cat.
Was a shit stage anyway!!
Nevermind.
Here's a cracking pic of the machine that is Van Der Poel.
[img] 
[/img]
power numbers are out
[url= https://i.ibb.co/gZTjJ4v/Screenshot-2021-03-08-at-12-39-33.pn g" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/gZTjJ4v/Screenshot-2021-03-08-at-12-39-33.pn g"/> [/img][/url]
im not sure he' win a Tues night stw zwift race.
A bit of analysis of MVdP's numbers
Tirreno Adriatico content
.
.
.
.I realise not a classic nor one dayer
.
.
.
.
.
Anyone watching? It's been superb. One of the commentators caught it yesterday, these guys love to race.
Wow what a finish! Thought Pagocar was going to catch him! Unbelievable
Can we keep stage race spoilers off here please?
it's been fabulous, I liked the factoid before yesterdays result if a race started with AP, MVP and WVA then nobody else stood a chance, it's now AP, MVP, WVA and TP anyone else forget it. 😀
Would it be worthwhile changing the thread title?
theres going to one almighty show down on the poggio in a weeks time.
Paris Nice just exploded too.
Anyone planning to watch Milan San-Remo tomorrow?
Not sure what time to start watching? Does anyone know if there's a "good" time to tune in?
Without doubt, although if we're out jumping i'll be watching it on delay..
There's racing today too 🙂 Although i'm assuming none of the big players are out.
I have left tomorrow free. GCN starts with a preview show at 8am!
There’s racing today too 🙂 Although i’m assuming none of the big players are out.
Cavendish is racing again. He did quite well at Grote Prijs Jean-Pierre Monsere, though fell on the cobbles with 6k to go at Nokere Koerse this week
Will get a quick ride in first in the morning and then watch later. MSR is the only classic that I'm only interested in for the last hour or so. Unless you like the lovely Italian scenery of course
I normally start watching when they reach the Passio Turchino but I see its omitted this year. The first half is like a audax for the peleton with the exception of a dozen or so escapees from Bardiani and the like. The sight of the riders passing the glass houses tumbling down to the Ligurian Sea is one of the best things about spring. Can't wait.
Nothing much happens at MSR until they hit the hills near the end, and it almost always comes back together at the bottom of the Poggio. I’ll probably follow the racetracker online and then switch on for the last 50km.
On the race preview on GCN Dan Lloyd made the prediction that the first four or five hours would be a club ride with a largish breakaway of domestiques to get exposure for their sponsors with everyone coming together before the Cipressa and the last hour being the favourites slugging it out over that and the Poggio ...
Like every other year.
Alaphilippe for the win, reckon he kept his powder sufficiently dry during Tirreno.
I think the main question is whether MvdP is brave enough to attack on the Cipressa. Alaphillipe will have to go on the Poggio as he'll lose out in a sprint to the CX twins. All the sprinter's teams will be hunting any break down. MvdP wins if he's recovered from that 50km breakaway win in Tirreno. He went very deep there and the cold will have inhibited his recovery too. WvA has the better team and that makes a difference on such a long race. So many variables. It's a race that never fails to deliver.
Cavendish is racing again. He did quite well at Grote Prijs Jean-Pierre Monsere, though fell on the cobbles with 6k to go at Nokere Koerse this week
Yeah he did well in the Nokere and is generally doing really well overall considering his form of previous years, it's the highlight of the year up to now for me.
Although watching MVdP has to be up in that too.
lovely weather for todays race.
fun descent.
just switched on (gcn+) and there's some confusion about why it's all split up - anyone know ?
half the peleton has gone AWOL ?
