Pro-cycling thread

#Nogifts

Merckx looking like Elvis.

Elvis isn't dead!

RDV > Big Ted...

Bettini one is still my favourite

https://youtu.be/_yBjY0rH9s0

What did I just watch?

Good turn out at the tour of Andalucia: http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-a-andalucia-ruta-ciclista-del-sol-2017/start-list/

Where's Betancur?

At the all you can eat buffet probably.

And this is why Hugh Carthy is in my (all-British) fantasy cycling team. Kid's got FOCUS.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/hugh-carthy-an-underdog-free-from-distractions/

Yeah he's serious huh. I think it can than his mentors over the years. They've built him well.

Shame he's had to go to Slipstream though. They make Sky look like the masters when it comes to developing young talent.

^this^

I don't know who there is at Garmin for a young rider to look up to these days. They'll win nothing again this year. Best Carthy can hope for is chance to put himself in the shop window and plenty of experience.

Remember when Vaughters was bigging up Rolland as the second coming now they'd given him a powermeter and a bikefit

Riders going off the radar and doing their own thing in out of the way places away from their peers isn't always a good thing

Forgot Phinney was there too. With him, Vanmarcke and Van Barle, they should be able to make a mark on the classics.

I think the article is written in a way which makes it sound like he's totally off-radar, whereas it sounds like he's actually living in a cycling-mad city where his old team were based, with his (now former) team mates, just not in Girona.

Also, I'm not sure it came across in the article, but he doesn't live in Girona, even though lots of people do.

Someone was telling me about another young British cyclist who lives in Athens, which is actually nothing to do with his team or his fellow riders, he just likes Athens. Which is also not Girona.

London in the Women's Tour:

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-to-host-world-s-leading-women-cyclists-in-top-road-race-a3467266.html

Mundo Ciclistico ‏@mundociclistico 22 hours ago
Carlos Betancur no estará en campeonatos nacionales #colombia, viaja el 25 a Europa e inicia temporada con #StradeBianche

He's such a rascal.

This,
I'm going to go out on a limb and say Cannondale will bag a classic this year.

At the moment they'd take a win in a shitty small race.

I think you are really going out on a limb; Vanmarcke, Phinney and Van Baarle, have a total of 20 wins in 20 seasons of racing between them, i.e. they average a win per season as a trio.

Damn your scientific analysis of the odds. Granted it's a tall order but I'm still going for a win.

No Boonen (after RBX?) and Cancellera might help their odds.

phinney's knee tho

He's done amazingly well to get back to this level after a horrific injury like that. I'm full of respect for him because of that, but he was never a prolific winner before the injury was he?

How many races did Cannondale win last season? As a team they seem to be chock full of quirky riders - Dombrowski, Uran, Talansky et al - who have the odd good day but most of the time are anonymous. Adding Vanmarcke and Phinney to that mix doesn't inspire confidence.