Pro-cycling thread

Yeah, it's more elegant than my hill face.

He looks like a cross between Will and Neil from the Inbetweeners

Regarding the annual Giro road surface discussion...

@andyp and @sumo are both right. The roads get a bit greasy if it hasn't rained for a bit. But also they lay roads in a way totally unlike ours and use less grit in the top layer. Those smooth (and fast) surfaces aren't very nice in the wet.

Was it Kenny ellisonde drifting the corners with 19 to go?

Contador - wily.

Two days in a row with no problems long climbs and he's still shown Aru that he's the boss.

Astana.

5 men at the front in the closing kilometers, Kangert getting sent up the road to try for the win.

It's all gone a bit Gewiss...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3rZphEtzSM

The German Gewissheit translating as certainty.

Alex Geniez I think. Ellisonde looks like a racing cyclist, but is half their size.

Yesterday's stage was finished before the fastest predicted time window for TV. Again.

I agree, its both.

We get epic dust build-up up here over Winter. When theres no flowing water, and cars are tearing around With metal studded tyres. Yet they do use shit loads of grit, and always include loads of drainage.

So in spring theres a load of grey powderised tarmac suspended in the surface water. Which isnt running off, because parts of the drainage system will still be frozen or full of snow. Apart from making a horrible mess of Your bike. Its fecking slippery

In autumm the the wet roads are super clean, and you can ride as if they're dry. Which kinda sets you up for a fall come the following spring.

I went around a corner sideways last race (to be fair is was bloody snowing). If I hadnt of been dropped by the main Group. My sideways antics would have taken half the riders out.

CSB etc.

this weekend will be hell for the riders in the Giro - long ITT on Saturday and the first real mountains with uphill finish on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Stef Clement who went down hard yesterday was one minute late for the doping control, because of injury treatment and obstructions on the way after the finish. He is worried he might face a ban if the jury is as short-sighted as they have proven to be so far.

long ITT

Long you say? Does anyone know how long it is?

Don't be silly, no one can know this. It's so long you can't even see the end of it.

@fizzy.bleach
The TT is 54km

It's an unknown distance TT. Riders start at 2 minute intervals and their distance is chosen by random. Aru will do 3 kms, Porte and Contador 175 kms.

Aru's TT will be a descent off the Stelvio, Porte will have to ride up Zoncolan.

There's a running race called the piece of string relay which is basically this, although everyone races the same distance. Could be anything between 10k and 30 miles or something but you don't know until you get to the finish.

Could be anything between 10k and 30 miles or something

lol... I don't think it's ever been less than 100miles :-) You just keep on running various loops till the organiser taps you on the shoulder and hands over a medal.

I think the forum's own @kl applied to race but didn't get in.

http://www.centurionrunning.com/piece-of-string-2014/

I know a guy who finished it from my club. He is nails. Didn't realise it was so, so long!

Something I hadn't thought of, until seeing someone else comment on it on inrng, is that Contador may know he's going to struggle on a TT bike with his shoulder. Adds another motivation to the late attack two days ago and the bonus seconds grab yesterday.

Also, remember how last week Astana were untouchable super humans? Oof. https://twitter.com/giroditalia/status/601406910441660416

It's so wet in Italy today that quite a few of the riders seem to be using Ass-Savers?!

which will save no one's ass when it's raining

They might stop some of the dirt from getting in the "creases"

Contador down in the bunch crash at the 3.2 km to go mark...