The Cycling Lounge

[Dolwphin]

Contador would have attacked ....

The CG-contenders didn't even try to challenge TJV.

I miss Contador, very boring stage.

[Onderhond]

So yeah ... wind. Way more effective than mountains

[Dolwphin]

Astana really sucks at tactics. They saved Roglic. Awesome stage though.

[Onderhond]

Astana really sucks at tactics. They saved Roglic.

While I understand the disappointment, their tactics seem sound to me?
They want to have a shot at the podium, if they hadn't led the chase their chances for a podium would have been greatly diminished.

[Armoreska]

Word is, it's the fastest stage >200km ever and with that profile

Riders arrived in 7 groups with 27 in group 1
Just 13 riders in group 2/peloton not counting a few of those who peeled off and got time loss
Roglic's teammates dangerously nowhere to be seen with 2 in the 19 minute group. One mechanical and it's over.
Group 3 was already 16 minutes down
Edet and Pernsteiner lost 23 minutes (group 5) and crashed out of top 10
Knox is now 8th on GC after being as low as 28th 10 stages earlier
Last group arrived 33 minutes down

Quintana is killing those breakaways. One more to win the Vuelta? That'd be one for the ages.

[Dolwphin]

Astana really sucks at tactics. They saved .

While I understand the disappointment, their tactics seem sound to me?
They want to have a shot at the podium, if they hadn't led the chase their chances for a podium would have been greatly diminished.

Roglic was completely isolated. Yet, Astana put 0 % pressure on him to help with the chase. #4 took all the responsibility while top 3 just had to "chill".

[Onderhond]

While it would've been a master move to separate half the Astana team together with López from Roglic, that doesn't sound like a very likely scenario, especially looking at the profile of today's stage. Unless they tried that earlier, when the break was suddenly jumping from a 4 to 6 minutes gap, sadly no live footage of that part of the race.

[Armoreska]

These are the days for Lone breakaway heroic victories

[Armoreska]

3 mountain victories...that's a repeat of Joaquim's 2012 where he also got 3rd in GC

James Knox missed out on the top 10 by 20 seconds after losing 11 minutes today...
9 10 ▲1 SOLER Marc Movistar Team 22:27
10 11 ▲1 NIEVE Mikel Mitchelton-Scott 22:34
11 9 ▼2 KNOX James Deceuninck - Quick Step 22:55

[Straka]

Two insane days at the world chiampionships. Best forget about yesterday and remember todays insane 100+km solo to victory by Van Vleuten.

[Cippenham]

Chris Froome back in training, considering his injuries, that is impressive

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/late ... ium-438910

[Chilton]

Two insane days at the world chiampionships. Best forget about yesterday and remember todays insane 100+km solo to victory by Van Vleuten.

Floods on the circuit during the U23 time trial
Chloe Dygert relegates everyone in the women's time trial
Remco Evenepoel youngest rider ever to medal in an elite WC
U23 World Champion loses his title 15(!) minutes after the race
Van Vleuten finishes a monstrous solo ride

Most interesting WC in years, hopefully tomorrow will be as interesting. 285km in harsh conditions, I'm looking at the Belgians

[Dolwphin]

My prediction:

1. Matteo Trentin
2. Michael Matthews
3. Alejandro Valverde
4. Julian Alaphilippe
5. Zdenek Stybar
6. Philippe Gilbert
7. Peter Sagan
8. Niki Terpstra
9. Mathieu van der Poel
10. Marc Soler

Probably very wrong though!

[Armoreska]

had no idea Gilbert has worked this much
only riders in this race:


Crashed today

[Armoreska]

85 riders left with 67km to go.
Remco, Gilbert, Mohoric, Roglic and Valverde have abandoned, among many others

[Armoreska]

74 riders with 54km to go
Sagan and MVDP riding together 20 positions back
Constantly towards the front seem to be Lampaert (working tho), Naesen (working), GVA, Albasini, Trentin, Colbrelli, Deg
Majka, Quintana, Geraint also abandoned

[Armoreska]

Pedersen, Kung, Teunissen and Moscon on the attack with 41 to go.
44 riders in the first two groups.
Matthews, Yates, Hodeg, Soler got dropped

Italy have the manpower and Moscon on the break!

[Armoreska]

39 left with 28 to go
Italy has Moscon and Trentin in the break
MVDP there as well.
Belgium with the star squad, France and Sagan are missing out.

[Teproc]

Seems like the Tour of Great Britain all over again, with MVDP > Trentin > everyone else.

[Teproc]

Seems like the Tour of Great Britain all over again, with MVDP > Trentin > everyone else.

... or not. Shocking.

[Armoreska]

yeah ouch, MVDP didn't make it. Trentin to win.

only 29 people in the peloton that's too far

last WC were way better than today

[Armoreska]

DENMARK
MAD PEDERSEN THE CHAMPION
outsprints-outlasts Trentin

Sagan messed it up - got clear 5th

[Teproc]

Wait, what just happened ?

[Armoreska]

Mads has 0 victories in the world cup.
1 world champs.
1 Danish road race champ
10 low caliber victories, some of them time trials and GC and mostly in Denmark & France

Valgren took 6th behind Sagan
Birdsong 12th
Italy have 3 in top 11

France only 23rd
Belgium 8th with GVA
Netherlands 20th with Terpstra
MVDP finished 41st (last)

[Straka]

He did have 2nd place in Tour of Flanders and these were "Flandrien" conditions, but indeed an unexpected victory here.

[Dolwphin]

My prediction:

1. Matteo Trentin
2. Michael Matthews
3. Alejandro Valverde
4. Julian Alaphilippe
5. Zdenek Stybar
6. Philippe Gilbert
7. Peter Sagan
8. Niki Terpstra
9. Mathieu van der Poel
10. Marc Soler

Probably very wrong though!

I thought Trentin was going to win ...

[Armoreska]

He did have 2nd place in Tour of Flanders and these were "Flandrien" conditions, but indeed an unexpected victory here.

Yes I watched that race. If it wasn't for Terpstra he would have won that one as well from a small break.

[Armoreska]

Rogla has finally won a one day race...as #1...his 34th win

[Armoreska]

well who'll stop him now

[Straka]

I guess they might as well crown Bernal the 2020 Tour winner already; it is one for the pure climbers.

[Armoreska]

Sagan will do the GIRO. And win overall, ofc

[Armoreska]

Ah, there's no Cali next year.

CYclocross
Missed it completely, so I went through teh history of their WC/WCH/UEC/Junior/U23 rivalry, including head to head record where both were top 3:
2011/2 MVDP 6*/6 WVA 0 2*-0 (quite a start for MVDP, rough from WVA)
2012/3 MVDP 8*/8 WVA 0/7 (yet they competed in different class)
2013/4 MVDP 4 WVA 3* 4-4* (both U23)
2014/5 MVDP 2* WVA 3 2*-3 (both BOTH U23 and elite - not much success in either)
2015/6 MVDP 4 WVA 2* 3-1 (elite only from here - MVDP inj?)
2016/7 MVDP 3 WVA 5* 4-1* (MVDP inj?)
2017/8 MVDP 8/11 WVA 3*/10 5-3*
2018/9 MVDP 8*/11 WVA 1/10 7*-0 (ouch)
2019/20 MVDP 1/1 WVA 0/0 (WVA inj)
(asterisk indicates champion)
Didn't realize the one-sidedness since WVA is up 3-2 on elite WCs! Also, how none of them are fussed about the overall, frequently missing competition and giving it away to others.
Overall 27-12
MVDP 44 wins
WVA 17 wins

PS I love to pronounce Joris Nieuwenhuis. Especially if h and s are silent.
Iserbyt is also cool!

Sagan was 2nd at Junior WCH. Roman Kreuziger's father Roman was junior champ in 1983!

MVDP would have beat Nino Schurter this year in MTB if he had started all races! He beat him 4-1 head to head.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_UCI_ ... _standings
Has there ever been a cyclist who destroys competition in 3/4 branches of cycling in the same year?

[Armoreska]

Hopefully not another joke
https://www.plantbasednews.org/culture/ ... e-changers

[Armoreska]

[Armoreska]

[Armoreska]

[Onderhond]

Watched it live yesterday, it was hilarious

[Armoreska]

I now watch live online chess, racing and cycling. I totally forgot that I had already watched cycling this way on Zwift. What else can be simulated? Walking and running on a treadmill?

[Onderhond]

The cool thing was that is was broadcasted with the commentators that always do the real-life race. These guys are local legends and just hearing their voices = cycling for many people, so the feels were all there.

[Straka]

Yes, the commentators made it fun. With lack of real racing I enjoyed it. Actually I was surprised about the position changes and group formations. I was expecting it to be more like a time trial with all riders going at it at the same time. The time trial specialists actually didn't deliver and Roche was a surprise.

Tour of Switzerland has announced a virtual version with 15 confirmed pro teams. It is scheduled to be 5 days with 3 riders each day and teams can change riders for each day.