Pro Cycling Chit Chat

[unc.si.]

A fairly typical astonishing ride by Pog, attacking at 100k to break the race open then going solo from 50k.

Could have gone horribly wrong and he never had more than a minute but equally it never felt he’d get reeled back in.

Triple Crown done, will be interesting to see what he targets next year.

Could he complete the set of Monuments? Surely he’ll find a way to win MSR one day, but Paris Roubaix might be a stretch against the big classics specialists. You never know though..

[forestfan]

A fairly typical astonishing ride by Pog, attacking at 100k to break the race open then going solo from 50k.

Could have gone horribly wrong and he never had more than a minute but equally it never felt he’d get reeled back in.

Triple Crown done, will be interesting to see what he targets next year.

Could he complete the set of Monuments? Surely he’ll find a way to win MSR one day, but Paris Roubaix might be a stretch against the big classics specialists. You never know though..

Has to be Grand Slam (with Vuelta) next year…

Another young rider killed at a major road event though, if this was motorsport or even equestrian it would be getting a lot more coverage I think, and I fear it’s going to take a big name losing their life (which could easily have happened in Spain earlier this year) for something to be done about the situation.

[murf]

Phenomenal.

[unc.si.]

A fairly typical astonishing ride by Pog, attacking at 100k to break the race open then going solo from 50k.

Could have gone horribly wrong and he never had more than a minute but equally it never felt he’d get reeled back in.

Triple Crown done, will be interesting to see what he targets next year.

Could he complete the set of Monuments? Surely he’ll find a way to win MSR one day, but Paris Roubaix might be a stretch against the big classics specialists. You never know though..

Has to be Grand Slam (with Vuelta) next year…

Its possible. The WC course suited him this year so he was never going to risk it for the Vuelta (IMO) but if the WC course doesn't suit him then he may well attempt it.

although the Worlds are in Kigali next year, so its guaranteed to be a climber friendly race.

Actually I just looked and its 5,500m of elevation next year! I think its fair to say we're unlikely to see MVdP or WvA on the podium. More like Mas or Carapaz

[unc.si.]

Pog finishes off his season with his 4th Giro di Lombardia in a row. Yet another 50km solo attack.

so thats The Giro, TdF, World Champs, Lombardia and LBL in one season. Two GT's, two Monuments and the rainbow stripes. Plus Strade Bianche, Giro del'Emelia, Volta Catalunya and GP Montreal.

Triple crown plus 2 monuments and 25 wins overall in one year.

Probably the greatest season anyone has ever had in cycling (or at least anyone without an X in their name)

[unc.si.]

2025 TdF route looks interesting. Col de la Loze stage looks brutal, as does superbagnieres.
Big mountains, a mountain TT, sprinter in yellow on day 1, Ventoux, and back on the Champs.

Ventoux stage is a strange one. Apart from Ventoux itself there’s no other climbing. Wonder if someone will try an Eros Poli

[forestfan]

2025 TdF route looks interesting. Col de la Loze stage looks brutal, as does superbagnieres.
Big mountains, a mountain TT, sprinter in yellow on day 1, Ventoux, and back on the Champs.

Ventoux stage is a strange one. Apart from Ventoux itself there’s no other climbing. Wonder if someone will try an Eros Poli

Had to look that one up… anyway, if the crowds are out in force, the Froome technique is preferable

[unc.si.]

Yeah. One of the classic stages.
Was it Ventoux that Froome went into Biathlon mode I’d forgot that.

Hope to see a fit Vinge next year to give Pog a run for his money on the big climbs.
Lots of punchy stages. Pog could conceivably win a lot of stages, especially if MvdP doesn’t ride, as is rumoured

[murf]

Looks like you might be able to save money on sprinters in velogames.

[unc.si.]

Cav officially retired at the Singapore Crit.

Signed off with a win (end of season crits are just exhibitions though. Results are predetermined, ie it was agreed that he would win in advance. Nothing underhand, just tradition, like a testimonial match sort of thing).

Greatest sprinter of all time and in my eyes the greatest ever rider from the British Isles.

36 tdf stage wins, a rainbow jersey, multiple points jerseys and a monument win. Not a bad career. Really happy that he got given a second chance after all his epstein Barr troubles.

Chapeau Cav

[forestfan]

Yeah, one of our greatest sportspeople across the board… it’s hard to compare directly with, say, Wiggins, Froome and Thomas let alone the pure track sprinters like Hoy and Kenny, as such different disciplines (I guess in athletics parallels, the track sprinters are Usain Bolt, Cav’s Mo Farah and there’s no equivalent to the GC guys other than ultra-marathon/ironman type races!) but staying at the top for such a long time in a brutal discipline as road sprinting is remarkable. Most seem to have a couple of years of supremacy then fade. Aside from the crashes, it’s dragging yourself up huge mountains for weeks on end just to finish within the limit and have a chance to win more flatter stages. Looks like Pog, fitness permitting, will surpass his stage tally given more mountain stages are now won by the yellow jersey contenders, but surely no out-and-out sprinter will ever get close?

[forestfan]

The last two British domestic teams have closed, seemingly that’s five in the last few years. Ineos are apparently now the only British team in the top three tiers of the sport, and given mediocre performances and the Man Utd distraction surely they must be getting close to pulling the plug too? Looks like potentially the end of a relatively brief golden age for British road cycling anyway.

[murf]

The last two British domestic teams have closed, seemingly that’s five in the last few years. Ineos are apparently now the only British team in the top three tiers of the sport, and given mediocre performances and the Man Utd distraction surely they must be getting close to pulling the plug too? Looks like potentially the end of a relatively brief golden age for British road cycling anyway.

Outside the grand tours/olympics/ToB/world champs(anything else?), there is virtually no coverage in the uk, not even pro level one day races, so no idea how they attracted sponsors at lower levels. Big shame but....