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Possibly linked to this, I'd like to see a single bike tour. No specialist TT bikes, no specialist climbing bikes. Ride the bike you start with to the finish.
I think this is what they are making the women do on La Course
Possibly linked to this, I'd like to see a single bike tour. No specialist TT bikes, no specialist climbing bikes. Ride the bike you start with to the finish.
Make it like real cycling. Carry your own spares and food (stopping at shops is allowable but no "raids"), do own navigation, no stashing rain jackets in team cars.
What else?
Make it like real cycling. Carry your own spares and food (stopping at shops is allowable but no "raids"), do own navigation, no stashing rain jackets in team
Maybe carry all their own spare gear, and a bivi, and on the same bike, carrying spot trackers, make it go from Belgium through many countries to the edge of Europe?
Oh, been done. And it'd be terrible telly - can you imagine OurDavid talking rubbish about tactics all day?
I think this is what they are making the women do on La Course
Is it not just that they have to use road rather than tt bikes on the pursuit stage (ie no tri bars)? Or are they not allowed deep section wheels if they didn't use them on the climb?
Is it not just that they have to use road rather than tt bikes on the pursuit stage (ie no tri bars)? Or are they not allowed deep section wheels if they didn't use them on the climb?
The race rules state they have to use a bike that meets mass start racing regulations. I guess that prevents tri bars and TT specific frames but not aero frames/wheels etc
What else?
Jumpers for goalposts. Hmmm. Yes. Isn't it? Wasn't it?
Is it not just that they have to use road rather than tt bikes on the pursuit stage
How is this going to work? I heard that they get the time gaps from the Izoard stage at the start. I'd expect you'll just get riders forming into small groups rather than a proper pursuit race, unless they ban drafting in some way. Tactics will be all over the place.
That's my understanding. They go off with the deficit from yesterday and first over the line wins. The riders can form a bunch if they want. But obviously it's only 22Km, so if you wait for the group that start up to 2 minutes after AVV (7 of them), then everyone in that group is going to have to work to pull her back. Not forgetting that it isn't a breakaway chancer up the road after 200k, it's the strongest rider from yesterday who's starting fresh.
[quote=mrblobby ]Tactics will be all over the place.
I think that's the whole point. It may be a bit of a damp squib (especially given the gap AVV has), but it could be interesting. Those further back have no real choice but to work in groups to try and catch AVV.
it's the strongest rider from yesterday who's starting fresh.
Strongest climber on a flat course 🙂
Reading some of these comments of a boring race makes me wonder if they are watching the race unfold or if it's the editing of the highlights are marring their view.
Been one of the best tours for action in a while both combative and tactical.
Although the nights I've had to watch the highlights it's looked fairly benign
Even if it doesn't really work out I reckon it's worth it just to try something different, and if it's really bad hopefully they'll change it again next time. Certainly made for an interesting end of the Hammer Series (different again obvs)
That's what my strava looks like.mikewsmith - Memberoh and this just popped up in a feed
https://www.strava.com/activities/1093149410
Quite a ride, no HR data though
...When I accidentally leave it on for the car ride home
[quote=mrblobby ]Strongest climber on a flat course
She's also the Dutch TT champ, and won the TT in the Giro
Ah yes, that is a good point 🙂 I think she's won it the past few years, and it's not like there isn't much competition for the Dutch TT title!
The race rules state they have to use a bike that meets mass start racing regulations. I guess that prevents tri bars and TT specific frames but not aero frames/wheels etc
amusing that Prudhomme slated Velon's Hammer Series only to then rip it off. He did joke about how many UCI exemptions Hammer had to get, dunno if one of those was for their 'chase' to be done on TT bikes contrary to mass-start rules?
Although the nights I've had to watch the highlights it's looked fairly benign
This for me. Watching the whole race live there's loads of action, developments and nuance that get missed in the highlights (which I'm sure is the same for many sports).
How is this going to work?
I think the point of it is to find out. No one really knows, it's experimental. It could be a great or it could be a mess.
IMO Even with the narrow leads it's been the most tedious tour in 27 years of watching/following
Barguil, Uran and also Landa have been my favourite riders this year. The commissaires are probably at the bottom of my list 🙂
I don't think it has been the best race in terms of choice of stages, although the last few have been a lot better.
I think this is what they are making the women do on La Course
With the whole two stages (less than 100km total) that the women are allowed to ride?
IMO Even with the narrow leads it's been the most tedious tour in 27 years of watching/following
Difficult to know how you'd sort that out. You could either see the narrow time gaps as being a cause of tension, intrigue and suspense. Or you could say that it's resulted in some really negative defensive riding. Typically you'd have a big TT in the middle of the race (like in this year's Giro) to split the stronger TT guys from the climbers and set things up for the big mountains and get the climbers attacking. Problem is you've got Froome who'd smash a long TT and then defend comfortably against the pure climbers.
She's also the Dutch TT champ, and won the TT in the Giro
In addition to that, who is going to want to smash it to catch up with Deignan, and then help one of the top sprinters to the line?
Typically you'd have a big TT in the middle of the race (like in this year's Giro) to split the stronger TT guys from the climbers and set things up for the big mountains and get the climbers attacking. Problem is you've got Froome who'd smash a long TT and then defend comfortably against the pure climbers.
It was punch counter punch in the Giro, le tour has just had the life slowly strangled out of it, Sky are the Jose Mourinho of world cycling and you have to say the Giro got fun once sky were no longer in the gc race.