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STW Grand Tour cycle racing thread 2025 [CONTAINS SPOILERS]

 gray
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https://neverstraysfar.com/


 
Posted : 04/08/2025 12:23 pm
 DrJ
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I just listened to an interview with Demi Vollering in which the journo asked if she should lose weight to compete with PFP. Back to the 50's !!


 
Posted : 04/08/2025 1:33 pm
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Unfortunately there are people still living with a fifties mentality in all corners of society - Government, sport governance, industry and media….


 
Posted : 04/08/2025 1:41 pm
 vww
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Thoroughly enjoyed TdFF. Only saw highlights and text updates but was great how close it was deep into the race. Shame the women have already had the Vuelta, and that the Giro was on during the men's Tour. Not sure what's left ib the women's calendar this year. Great to see some new riders making waves. A bit gutted for Kerbaol having it all fall apart on the last stage. EF have the best YouTube vids so I always cheer for them!


 
Posted : 04/08/2025 1:46 pm
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Posted by: onewheelgood

but a superb finish by PFP. 

She did a stunning ride.

There's been a fair bit of criticism for Ineos that they didn't use her as the basis for setting up their own Women's Team. Seems a tad short-sighted letting her go and then only 8 months later she wins the TdFF for Visma!


 
Posted : 04/08/2025 2:00 pm
susepic, AD and Bunnyhop reacted
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Stage 1 of Tour of Poland. Kwiat is back from injury! Not quite a GT but a race with a very long history (from 1928)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_de_Pologne


 
Posted : 04/08/2025 2:37 pm
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PFP mentions the weight issue in this article


 
Posted : 04/08/2025 6:36 pm
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Posted by: crazy-legs

There's been a fair bit of criticism for Ineos that they didn't use her as the basis for setting up their own Women's Team. Seems a tad short-sighted letting her go and then only 8 months later she wins the TdFF for Visma!

Stunning rides from PFP on stages 8 & 9, enjoyed that more than the mens tour (despite only watching on text and highlights) 

I don't remember the boys getting grief for their unusual body morphology, Vingago is carrying almost zero fat....

Ineos have totally lost their way haven't they. Jim thing has too much other stuff going on to focus, and now they're dealing w the rumors from 2012 (again) with their soigneur. Jim thing has let down football, sailing and cycling, and needs to get himself out of sport generally


 
Posted : 04/08/2025 10:57 pm
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I don't remember the boys getting grief for their unusual body morphology, Vingago is carrying almost zero fat....

Indeed.

Jim thing has let down football, sailing and cycling, and needs to get himself out of sport generally

Along with car manufacture.


 
Posted : 05/08/2025 12:33 pm
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Just seen that Remco is off to RedBull Bora HansGrohe - strange choice - I wonder how that will work out w Primoz.......


 
Posted : 05/08/2025 5:14 pm
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I thought Roglic looked like his heart wasn't really in it at the Tour, and I wondered if he might retire after this season. You heard it here first 😉 


 
Posted : 05/08/2025 6:58 pm
 DrJ
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Posted by: susepic

Just seen that Remco is off to RedBull Bora HansGrohe - strange choice - I wonder how that will work out w Primoz.......

Not to mention Lipowitz. 


 
Posted : 05/08/2025 8:04 pm
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Posted by: susepic

Just seen that Remco is off to RedBull Bora HansGrohe - strange choice - I wonder how that will work out w Primoz.

I think Primož is out of contract at RBBH at the end of this season. He's still really popular in Slovienia (lots of people prefer him to Pog) so he could probably slot right into a public-facing career there, otherwise he could be a useful super domestique or wildcard-enhancer for a lower tier team.

As for Remco at RBBH, that now means that they have the two most aerodynamic people on the planet as they have Dan Bigham in their back office. Personally I think that both men are so aerodynamic that they'll just slide past each other without interacting like a pair of neutrinos.


 
Posted : 06/08/2025 12:03 am
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 nbt
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The fat lady hasn't quite sung yet for ITV Cycling, they're covering the Men's Tour Of Britain 

 

https://www.itv.com/presscentre/media-releases/itv-broadcast-lloyds-tour-britain-men-live-september?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR4v-x_nh_F4ns8SPjSmFUdKPJS28CLyl37VdsXBzEIUX3ISHzx4s2bUPGDLwg_aem_KJBfebLCiH2nBTD-k0xq5w

 

Starts in 10 data or so

 

Sooner than that though, la vuelta starts next weekend...


 
Posted : 16/08/2025 12:49 am
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Velogames is now up for the vuelta.  Eyes down*

*(it's OK, G has retired and Rog's not racing 😉 )


 
Posted : 20/08/2025 4:56 pm
 beej
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I'm in!


 
Posted : 20/08/2025 5:16 pm
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Also in, must remember to review the team;) Good Luck all:)


 
Posted : 20/08/2025 9:06 pm
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Posted by: scaredypants

*(it's OK, G has retired and Rog's not racing 😉 )

 

Only from Grand tours. Geraint is racing in the Tour of Britain. 

Edit - I'm in.

 


 
Posted : 21/08/2025 9:13 pm
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Posted by: Bunnyhop

Only from Grand tours. Geraint is racing in the Tour of Britain

Yeah, I think he might have 2 more races to go but no GT as you say


 
Posted : 21/08/2025 10:42 pm
Bunnyhop reacted
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Tricky team this one. Apart from the GC.

So my 'discount' for discovery has ended so I've cancelled 

How are people watching by other means? Happy to pay some money, just not _that_ much. 


 
Posted : 22/08/2025 9:09 am
 nbt
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As a reminder

 

https://www.velogames.com/

 

STW league code is 170623027. If you've previously joined that league, your league membership should last all season for all races so if you enter a team in the Vuelta, you should be in this race

 

and check your riders, I'd got Ethan Hayter but he's non-starter so I need to change him


 
Posted : 22/08/2025 9:15 am
AD reacted
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So my 'discount' for discovery has ended so I've cancelled 

Mine ends in a few days so no Vuelta for me. Mind you I'll be in Spain for a few days so might find a suitable bar. However I shall be sad to miss Il Lombardia and then the cross season.


 
Posted : 22/08/2025 10:31 am
 beej
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Posted by: llama

Tricky team this one. Apart from the GC.

So my 'discount' for discovery has ended so I've cancelled 

How are people watching by other means? Happy to pay some money, just not _that_ much. 

VPN (NordVPN worked out about £1.50 per month), connect to Australia. Create an account with SBS OnDemand. They have full live coverage plus highlights.

I used to be a Discovery Plus subscriber too, and still would be if they offered a reasonable price for the minority sport like they did previously. But I have no interest in football, rugby, motorsport etc.


 
Posted : 22/08/2025 10:35 am
 nbt
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For those who don't watch by other means, TNT will be broadcasting their daily highlights show at 7pm on Quest which is free to air, albeit SD


 
Posted : 22/08/2025 10:46 am
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Yes I saw the highlights would be on Quest and TNT, but there are always a few stages where the highlights don't cut it.

Does SBS do the classics as well?

 


 
Posted : 22/08/2025 12:28 pm
 nbt
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Damiano Caruso has withdrawn, fractured hand. Replaced by Finlay Pickering


 
Posted : 22/08/2025 3:32 pm
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Posted by: llama

Does SBS do the classics as well?

Yep. They've become my go to via VPN now. 


 
Posted : 22/08/2025 4:27 pm
 nbt
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Velogames entries closet at noon in the UK


 
Posted : 23/08/2025 9:30 am
 beej
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Derek Gee to Ineos story is interesting... given he's got a contract til 2028. Would be a good move for them, I reckon.

And if you had him in your Vuelta team, he's been dropped by IPT.


 
Posted : 23/08/2025 11:24 am
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A lucky pick of Vinokurov made for a surprising 1st place in the Velogames league after stage 1. It’s only downhill from here…


 
Posted : 23/08/2025 10:48 pm
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 beej
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I took picked Vino, hoping he's as doped up as his Dad. Didn't pick a true sprinter though so languishing in mid table obscurity at the moment.


 
Posted : 24/08/2025 8:09 am
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Bit of a flat cruise to a spicy clim on the menu today. I see Tom Pidcock* was looking feisty yesterday and got in the top 10. Will be interesting to see if he tries something today or if Visma just carpet bomb the whole race 

 

*autocorrect tried to call him Tim piscock. Heheh. Piss.


 
Posted : 24/08/2025 9:06 am
 nbt
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Posted by: beej

Didn't pick a true sprinter though

I picked two (Pedersen and Stewart) and neither really featured!


 
Posted : 24/08/2025 9:12 am
 beej
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I've got Pedersen but I don't count him! Surprised he wasn't at least top 10 though.


 
Posted : 24/08/2025 10:48 am
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If you already have a VPN, the Spanish tv coverage (RTVE) is pretty good. I pick up a bit of Spanish from the commentary, but to be honest I'd rather have none than listen to most english speaking commentaries, who seem to blather on endlessly without having to take a breath!

I'd hoped S4C would cover La Vuelta, but they aren't as far as I can tell.


 
Posted : 24/08/2025 10:54 am
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Posted by: beej

I've got Pedersen but I don't count him! Surprised he wasn't at least top 10 though.

I had him for my Escape Collecive pick (you pick one rider a day and get points for them). He might as well have done that finale via a zoom call.

 


 
Posted : 24/08/2025 10:56 am
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Do we really need to see minutes of footage, where an injured rider is (having his dislocation sorted) getting medical treatment. I won't mention name (no spoilers).


 
Posted : 24/08/2025 4:00 pm
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Do we really need to see minutes of footage, where an injured rider is (having his dislocation sorted) getting medical treatment. I won't mention his name (no spoilers).


 
Posted : 24/08/2025 4:01 pm
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It's not as if he was bleeding to death. Lars van der Har is regularly to be seen in CX popping his loose shoulder back in with help from the top tube of his bike then sprinting back onto the lead group.


 
Posted : 24/08/2025 8:12 pm
 AD
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Just watched the highlights and then checked the fantasy league - think I'll screenshot the table for posterity 😂


 
Posted : 24/08/2025 11:32 pm
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What a great finish. Totally unexpected.


 
Posted : 25/08/2025 7:50 pm
 beej
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Seems like he's a popular winner too. He did rob me of a 1/2/3 in Velogames, had to settle for 2/3/4


 
Posted : 25/08/2025 8:04 pm
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I've only just found out that the 'Jumbo' team bikes were stolen from the van. This sounds familiar, But you don't expect it from a top world pro team.


 
Posted : 26/08/2025 8:47 am
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There seem to have been quite a few thefts during races recently. I think the teams need to up their security game.


 
Posted : 26/08/2025 11:22 am
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Don't know the details of the theft but even big budget teams can stay in Travelodge type places on the edge of industrial estates, sometimes for a couple or three nights if the stages are close together. It might be a pro job targetting the bikes but also must be quite tempting for local scrotes to slip in from the surrounding woods and have a go, not sure what they're going to do with a whole fleet of bikes apart from sell them back to the team 😎


 
Posted : 27/08/2025 9:27 am
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