Pro Cycling 2020 **Giro d'Italia 2020 **

What a week of contrasting emotions for our cycling-mad nation. Evenepoel's two stunning victories and in between, the worst tragedy you can imagine. Hard to know how to feel. The future is bright but not as bright as at the start of the week.
 
Sivakov wins the overall not that I watched any of it. Just couldn't.

Glad a young rider with massive potential has won

A tragic week has finally ended.
 
Vuelta a España 2019 stages:
Date Route Length Type
1 Sa 24-8 Salinas de Torrevieja – Torrevieja 13.4 km TTT
2 Su 25-8 Benidorm – Calpe 199.6 km hills
3 Mo 26-8 Ibi – Alicante 188 km hills
4 Tu 27-8 Cullera – El Puig 175.5 km flat
5 We 28-8 L’Eliana – Javalambre Observatory 170.7 km summit finish
6 Th 29-8 Mora de Rubielos – Ares del Maestrat 198.9 km summit finish
7 Fr 30-8 Onda – Mas de la Costa 183.2 km summit finish
8 Sa 31-8 Valls – Igualada 166.9 km flat
9 Su 1-9 Andorra la Vella – Cortals d’Encamp 94.4 km mountains
Mo 2-9 Rest day
10 Tu 3-9 Jurançon – Pau 36.2 km ITT
11 We 4-9 Saint Palais – Urdax 180 km hills
12 Th 5-9 Navarra Circuit – Bilbao 171.4 km flat
13 Fr 6-9 Bilbao – Los Machucos 166.4 km mountains
14 Sa 7-9 San Vincente de la Barquera – Oviedo 188 km flat
15 Su 8-9 Tineo – Santuario del Acebo 154.4 km mountains
16 Mo 9-9 Pravia – Alto de la Cubilla 144.4 km mountains
Tu 10-9 Rest day
17 We 11-9 Aranda de Duero – Guadalajara 219.6 km flat
18 Th 12-9 Colmenar Viejo – Becerril de la Sierra 177.5 km mountains
19 Fr 13-9 Ávila – Toledo 165.2 km flat
20 Sa 14-9 Arenas de San Pedro – Plataforma de Gredos 190.4 km mountains
21 Su 15-9 Fuenlabrada – Madrid 106.6 km flat
 
This Vuelta has the potential to be an absolute cracker.

Carapaz, Kruijswick, Poels, Nieve, Fulgsang, Roglic, Quintana, Bennett, Sanchez, Valverde. Take your pick!

Going with Roglic, Carapaz and Fulgsang.

Hoping for Poels, Carapaz and Hart :D
 
Lovely win for Quintana. Needed to grow some balls after some sedate performances of late. Couldn't quite believe it when he surged ahead with 3km to go or so!
 
Happy for Roglic. Jumbo are really flying at the minute. Factor in Dumulin's arrival ,the future looks very rosy for the Dutch team. Exciting times.
 
Belgium and Germany controlling the peloton and leaving it way too late for an attack. Trentin must be kicking himself after that, considering Italy had two riders going into the final lap.

A war of attrition today, imagine if they went up buttercups, would have thrown the field further open.
 
I don't see what was so idiotic about Trentin's race. He put himself in a perfect position, did literally everything exactly right the whole race. It's not like he did too much work either, he just didn't have the power anymore when it mattered. In these conditions, strange things happen after 260 km. He got beat by a guy who was stronger at the end of the race, that's all. Van der Poel is a slightly different story, that looked like a serious error in judgement. Plenty of riders were suffering out there today but his collapse was remarkable.

As for the Belgian strategy, you can only say that was a complete failure. Not having a rider strong enough to join the decisive attack can be forgiven, but we should've had one of ours up front way before that point. What is the point of having a couple of big favourites in GvA and Gilbert and several dark horses like Lampaert, Naesen, Wellens and Evenepoel if they all wait, wait, wait and wait some more until, oh shit, it's too late? None of them did anything out of fear of losing their own, individual chance of becoming world champion. That's not a team. At least Evenepoel sacrificed his chances to help Gilbert, even if it didn't matter in the end.
 
I believe Van der Poel had never ridden that distance under race conditions, and the conditions were pretty horrendous to boot. Guy's still an absolute beast.
 
It’s really been a season of the changing of the guard with Carapaz, Bernal & Roglic winning the Grand Tours and Van de Poel, Evenepoel and Van Aerts bursting on the (road race) scene.
 
Stoked that it's "officially" back next Saturday, will be attending the start in Ghent and their passage at the Haaghoek as always. Haven't looked forward to a new season as much as this one in quite a while.

It'll be interesting to see who's already on top of their game and who'll want to peak a bit later in the season right now. Just hoping for a good race to immediately get into the mood.
 
Amir said:
Uae tour cancelled due to possible corona outbreak in hotel hosting the teams.
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This isn't looking good. Think opening weekend might go through but looks like Tirreno and San Remo are in serious doubt at the moment. Could even stretch out to the Giro ffs.
 
RobinLFC said:
This isn't looking good. Think opening weekend might go through but looks like Tirreno and San Remo are in serious doubt at the moment. Could even stretch out to the Giro ffs.
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RedFish said:
Nightmare. Strade Bianchi likely to be cancelled too.
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Just confirmed that all 3 Italian races are going ahead! The cycling fan in me is delighted, as I especially love Strade Bianche.
 
RedFish said:
Yes! Get in. With you on Srade Bianchi.
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Despite the earlier confirmation by RCS (who organise Strade, Tirreno and MSR), I'm hearing more and more noises that the Italian races will be canceled after all. Even some team doctors are saying they want those races canceled. I guess we'll see on Saturday but better expect the worst.
 
Ainu said:
Despite the earlier confirmation by RCS (who organise Strade, Tirreno and MSR), I'm hearing more and more noises that the Italian races will be canceled after all. Even some team doctors are saying they want those races canceled. I guess we'll see on Saturday but better expect the worst.
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:(
 
RobinLFC said:


:(
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Typical Vannieuwkerke, I haven't seen it confirmed anywhere but of course he's acting like he has all the facts on Twitter. Can't stand the guy. Nonetheless, it's looking very likely at this point, which is a shame. Strade Bianche isn't even in a particularly dangerous area, it's in Tuscany. They might as well cancel all races in France and Flanders as well by that logic.
 
Ainu said:
Typical Vannieuwkerke, I haven't seen it confirmed anywhere but of course he's acting like he has all the facts on Twitter. Can't stand the guy. Nonetheless, it's looking very likely at this point, which is a shame. Strade Bianche isn't even in a particularly dangerous area, it's in Tuscany. They might as well cancel all races in France and Flanders as well by that logic.
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It may be heading that way. Mitchelton-Scott have pulled out of all races for the next three weeks, Jumbo-Visma are also out of some of them, and doctors from 14 teams want to cancel Paris-Nice and the Italian races. Cycling season is going bye-bye.
 
Officially cancelled now, with many teams already withdrawn for the Tirreno and San Remo. Sucks.
 
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