Pro-cycling thread

Looks like the race director's car crashed everybody by slowing down

https://twitter.com/AbuDhabiSC/status/966235645235679232

The impact was on the same shoulder he broke last year. Hopefully he’s withdrawn as a precaution.

^ he's had his fair share of bad luck hasn't he. Time for a proper season.

He’s the Elise Christie of the pro peloton. He’d have gone past Merckx’s stage win record if he hadn’t been injured from crashing so much. Silly sausage.

only a couple of sleeps 'til Saturday... I have no idea who's on point already. CX world champ Wout van Aert's in team Veranda's Willems for his first serious classics race this season.

weather's going to be sunny but damn cold, wind direction the opposite of the usual SW.

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If we’re lucky, it might pip Abu Dhabi for excitement. 170km at 39kph across pan flat terrain. The lone escapee has been caught and they’re now doing about 35kph at a guess.

EDIT: they’ve just shown James Knox’s data and he’s DRILLING it along at the front at 34kph doing 270w.

The camera just panned away to a solar farm. Dismal racing.

Update on Cav - concussion and whiplash: http://africasteam.com/2018/02/21/abu-dhabi-tour-1-cavendish-crashes-out-on-stage-1/

Headwind from the top of the Bosberg then, will hamper lone escapees and favour a group.

and no showdown on the Kapelmuur then probably

Going to miss Boonen on the Taaienberg.

EDIT: they’ve just shown James Knox’s data and he’s DRILLING it along at the front at 34kph doing 270w.

I'm sure he's doing an excellent job of sticking to the day's training programme that the coaches have given him.

I don’t care. I absolutely DEMAND to be entertained at all times.

Question re Omloop: how far is the Kapelmuur from the finish?

I hadn’t seen Vanmarcke had gone to EF Education. I’d really like to see him get a big win. He’s had some terrible luck.

I don’t care. I absolutely DEMAND to be entertained at all times.

Watching the training rides in Abu Dhabi sounds like a recipe for disappointment then...

Is Belgian weather forecasting any better than British?

About 20 kms I think, then a fast downhill run to the foot of the Bosberg, making sure you aim your snot rockets at Bruyneel’s house as you pass.

Continental land mass so marginally easier to predict than a maritime island climate.

maritime island climate

Kids, he means 'wet all the fucking time'.

EF Education needs to sort their team name out. Absolute state of it.

Whoever was driving that car is so fucked; Cav is the official ambassador/ corporate shill for the whole race and the Abu Dhabi tourist board etc.

Unfortunate decision not to punctuate too. You hear kids saying "Eff education" all the time...

He was riding for them last season, albeit under the Cannondale-Drapac name.

Oh yes, that's the pro fit of Le Col kit that is

I’ve looked at his results from last year and it’s no wonder he flew a bit under the radar...

https://www.procyclingstats.com/mob/rider.php?id=140240&season=2017

I do vaguely remember seeing him under that stupid big helmet now I think about it.

He’s a bit of a latter day Peter Van Petegem, as the six weeks between Het Nieuwsblad and Paris-Roubaix are the only times we really see him at the front of races.

French blog jumping in on #betancurwatch

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