BikeExchange are down one DS, Gene Bates has been ejected from the race and Matt White fined 2000chf for hitting Pieter Serry

https://mobile.twitter.com/inrng/status/1392904077948948482

Stage 7: Notaresco > Termoli 182.4km

a few bumps….

Looks like more mayhem when they get into town.

Stage 6 Results
1 MÄDER, Gino (TBV) 4:17:52
2 BERNAL, Egan (IGD) + 12
3 MARTIN, Daniel (ISN)
4 EVENEPOEL, Remco (DQT)
5 CICCONE, Giulio (TFS) + 14
6 CARUSO, Damiano (TBV) + 25
7 MARTINEZ, Daniel (IGD)
8 SOLER, Marc (MOV) + 27
9 CARTHY, Hugh (EFN) + 29
10 VLASOV, Aleksandr (APT)
11 YATES, Simon (BEX)
12 VALTER, Attila (GFC)

General Classification after Stage 6
1 VALTER, Attila (GFC) 22:17:06
2 EVENEPOEL, Remco (DQT) + 11
3 BERNAL, Egan (IGD) + 16
4 VLASOV, Aleksandr (APT) + 24
5 VERVAEKE, Louis (AFC) + 25
6 CARTHY, Hugh (EFN) + 38
7 CARUSO, Damiano (TBV) + 39
8 CICCONE, Giulio (TFS) + 41
9 MARTIN, Daniel (ISN) + 47
10 YATES, Simon (BEX) + 49

Any news about sanctions on the “race” car that was also involved in the crash but not the actual hitting of the rider?

Any news about sanctions on the “race” car that was also involved in the crash but not the actual hitting of the rider?

Can’t imagine they’ll be sanctioned they weren’t doing anything wrong as far as I could see. Nothing on inrng which is usually quite good on this sort of thing either (Stealth edit)

I’d assume they were looking at a screen/radio/something but he did stop rather quickly before the contact.

BikeExchange are down one DS, Gene Bates has been ejected from the race and Matt White fined 2000chf for hitting Pieter Serry

What a mess, Fine for the DS, but he’s not removed, no fine for the driver, he gets removed…All because of something the UCI decided to change.

The ds is in charge so gets the fine but the driver is driving so gets the boot, seems ok to me. At the end of the day the bloke hanging out the door to the uci car wasn’t the driver. if the driver had been paying attention, as you’d hope he would being in the middle of a bike race, he could’ve stopped regardless but he wasn’t and didn’t and that inattention is not really the UCI’s fault

All because of something the UCI decided to change.

Nothing to do with that, just lack of attention, simple as that. Riders have been handing things into cars and collecting things from cars for years, getting mechanical adjustments, two paracetamol, whatever.

You can argue that there was no need to get the coat back at that point, or that dropping a coat or a bidon isn’t littering if the support car then picks it up but in no way did it cause the incident. I can see that getting the coat back early on in the stage where it might rain again and you might need to give back to the rider might justify the exchange but there were 11km to go.

I’m confused by the options for live watching. There seem to be 2 different channels, Eurosport and GCN that’ll ask me for £8 a month for the privilege, both with their own different apps, branding etc but I’m also reading that they’re the same company.

I’ve caught up on the highlights finally so want to watch the rest live, could someone just tell me which channel I need please?

(I am aware of, and would rather avoid, the free-to-air Welsh language option.)

GCN only do cycling and do the whole race ad-free. They also do a LOT of other races.

Eurosport take the GCN coverage / commentary. Broadcast verson runs ad-breaks, not sure about the online version. The may not offer as many races, but may offer coverage of other sports.

GCN do an annual pass for £40 (though a lot of us picked it up half price back in Feb – and they ran a half price subs offer last year too so there may be another one at the end of the season / beginning of the next)

Watching that vid, It’s strange that the teams go to the expense and effort to save a couple of watts in the drive train only for the rider to blow 30 odd riding most of the stage with an ill fitting rain jacket flapping in the wind.

I’ve never understood that either. Surely pretty massive ‘marginal gains’ can be achived by having a super aero jacket that is designed to be put on and off easily i.e with magnets rather than a zip etc. Those shots from lasts years Giro spring to mind as well.

i.e with magnets rather than a zip etc.

they would still ride with it undone, billowing out like a parachute.

I’ve plumped for GCN and love the zero adverts thing. Also, it just works, if you know what I mean.

Missed out on the 20 quid offer but will happily pony up for the 40 quid when this month runs out.

I’ve been in a Mavic neutral support car and the amount of multi-tasking that goes on in there was eye-opening. And that was in a car (in ’98) that didn’t have live TV in the front. It was a flat stage, so the driver was flipping through the race manual, looking up other stages, while driving with his knees.

I think Ian at Rouleur has a good point that DSs shouldn’t be driving and the drivers should only do driving too – https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/opinion-team-dss-should-be-directing-riders-not-driving-cars

The team car drivers should be more like the photo-moto riders. 100% on the job of getting the vehicle where it needs to be.

Thanks peeps, £40 dropped and GCN now on the chromecast. I will get some work done today, probably.

https://twitter.com/Pieter_Serry/status/1392927957619027971

The team car drivers should be more like the photo-moto riders. 100% on the job of getting the vehicle where it needs to be.

You’re not wrong Chipps. Drivers to just drive, including neutral service/wheel providers too.

peloton want a nice leisurely start to the day after yesterday, 3 straight off the front and the cigars are out.

I’m surprised that DS’s still drive especially in the likes of the Giro, I can understand the rule could be difficult to implement for smaller budget teams at lower ranked races etc but this should be the case for the top tier.

Evenepoel is looking very capable; and I’m impressed that Bernal is going so well and has got over his back issues it seems, let’s hope it doesn’t scupper him later in the race because GTs are interesting when there are multiple riders in contention.

Ok Ewan is a beast. Uphill, then following and passing Gaviria from that distance out, and finally holding everyone off. Really want to know his power numbers. What a lad.

James Knox is a machine of a domestic.

“Crosswinds Dan” – could he? Could he maybe…?

And Attila the young Hungarian dude – he’s got a hell of a future if he keeps that cool in the future.

💗 Giro d'Italia 2021 – Stage 7⃣

🇦🇺 @CalebEwan – @Lotto_Soudal
⏱️ 18 sec
📏 270 m
⚡️ 1010⚡️ Average power in watts

By @VelonCC #Giro pic.twitter.com/YWKkVdKufL

— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 14, 2021

I’m surprised that DS’s still drive

I kind of agree but… Both Gerry and Matt are DSs. Matt was on race radio (ie the one paying attention and mostly calling the shots). Gerry was driving. There was a mechanic in the back. There’s not really room for another body. You could be right that maybe the DSs should’ve been split across another car. I dunno. I think the Commissairs car was out of place personally. They should have been as aware of Serry coming back and shouldn’t have been engaging with the Team Bike Exchange car at that point. But that’s just my opinion.

@klunk Ta 👍

wattage bazooka

more grim weather forecast for tomorrow.

stage 8: Foggia > Guardia Sanframondi 171.4km

not as hard as it looks ?

Stage 7 Results
1 EWAN, Caleb (LTS) 4:42:12
2 CIMOLAI, Davide (ISN)
3 MERLIER, Tim (AFC)
4 MOSCHETTI, Matteo (TFS)
5 PASQUALON, Andrea (IWG)
6 GAVIRIA, Fernando (UAD)
7 GROENEWEGEN, Dylan (TJV)
8 KANTER, Max (DSM)
9 FIORELLI, Filippo (BCF)
10 MOLANO, Sebastian (UAD)

General Classification after Stage 7
1 VALTER, Attila (GFC) 26:59:18
2 EVENEPOEL, Remco (DQT) + 11
3 BERNAL, Egan (IGD) + 16
4 VLASOV, Aleksandr (APT) + 24
5 VERVAEKE, Louis (AFC) + 25
6 CARUSO, Damiano (TBV) + 39
7 CICCONE, Giulio (TFS) + 41
8 MARTIN, Daniel (ISN) + 47
9 YATES, Simon (BEX) + 49
10 FORMOLO, Davide (UAD) + 55

seems the forecast has eased

Bernal in the break, the break were not happy 🙂

jesus this is frantic stuff

I think Ian at Rouleur has a good point that DSs shouldn’t be driving and the drivers should only do driving too

I can’t believe it wasn’t made compulsory on the first day team cars were ever used, It’s so bloody obvious that it’s a bad idea to have drivers trying to do other things at anytime they are on the road let alone in the middle of a bike race. I’d go further and have the drivers employed by the race organiser and in total control of the car, they can take directions from the teams but not orders.

35k of frantic riding and still no break….

someone big is going to get off the front at this rate

Caleb oot.

funs over 🙁

spoke too soon

caleb oot

??

[edit, and as I hit send, GCN/Eurosport announce a crash in a tunnel]