Pro-cycling thread

The other thing with the Tour, is in terms of the actual toll on the body, most riders reckon it's the easiest. With the amount of easy transition days that are pancake flat (as opposed to a Giro/Vuelta one with 2000m of climbing still) as well as the increased structure around it, it actually makes it pretty ideal for a first GT if you can cut the mustard.

Tiesj Benoot did his first GT there last year at 23 and finished 20th. And we would all agree that Bernal is a better GC prospect.

Domestique deluxe for Thomas/Froome/maybe even Kwiatkowski.... would make a lot of sense

Tour chat. Yay. Bring it on.

Settling down every evening to watch the highlights show with Mrs Mashton is something I cherish. It's the only time she intersects with the world of cycling and I love it. Luckily, she does too.

Ditto, although my GF gets into all the GTs. I was working abroad for most of this year’s giro and my Gf was pissed that there wasn’t a decent highlights show on any of the major channels for her to watch in my absence.

Isn't there a separate 2018 TdF thread?..

I'd rather Bernal was developed properly and not burned out in his first Tour when he's still very young.. You never know, he might be up for it, but it's a risk, as he's still so young. I do wonder if Tao's down to ride the Tour.

I doubt it.

Sky are very conservative when it comes to team selection for their main objectives. With the cobbled stage, a Team Time Trial and a complicated opening ten days this year, I think they'll go for an experienced line up with their usual mix of climbers and strong rouleurs, something like this;

Froome
Thomas
Kwiatkowski
Poels
Moscon
Henao or Elissonde
Knees or Rowe
Van Baarle

The other thing with the Tour, is in terms of the actual toll on the body, most riders reckon it's the easiest.

Really? That's the complete opposite to everything I've ever read or heard. The Tour is considered harder than the others because of the prestige, the strength in depth of the field and the high value of stage wins. Even on the so called easy days, the battle for position is intense and teams are working hard to protect their leaders.

You recon they'll ask Poels to do a third one in a row, even given his injury earlier this year?

Yes. He’s their best mountain domestique, he can slim the lead group down to the top five and they haven’t got anyone else who can do that deep into the third week.

I wonder if he’ll go try win himself soon. Perhaps not.

Didn’t go so well for Koenig yet. Actually just checked his results, a long string of dns and dnf. What’s was wrong with him last year?

Ah a long running knee injury, sucks for him.

1st stage of the Criterium de Dauphiné today.
Prologue/time trial yesterday, around Valence. Highlights here

Geraint Thomas losing it on a corner

And yes, I'm posting because it's where I live... ;)
(Note the the lovely arial shots over the Chateau de Crussol at the end of the clip)

You live in Chateau de Crussol?

complete opposite

what I heard from most pros describing their first TdF while having ridden other GT's: they go a lot faster in the Tour, so while the terrain may look easier, the racing is harder. For GC guys it may be a bit easier, as there are a lot of 'sprint stages'

8 in a team will change how much work a team will have to do too.

Is this the first year of 8-person teams or didthey have it in 2017?

First year. 9 in a team last year.

It certainly had an impact on the craziness of the Giro, and some of the capitulations and lack of support for GC contenders at the sharp end of the hard days.

Rowe for sure. Has made a good recovery and will sit on the front at the early stages of each stage pretty well.

Of all the teams I think Movistar are going to have issues. Basically 5 doms and 3 GC riders shall we place bets as to when it all falls apart?

This is more what I mean I think @andyp

With an easier route, there's less chance of absolutely exploding and hurting yourself physically, Pinot put himself in hospital during the Giro, and I can think of more riders "exploding" in the Vuelta and Giro than the Tour.

If he is in a domestique deluxe role too, he won't be needed on the flat days and can role in 20 minutes behind the peloton if needed with much less exertion. In the Vuelta say, it's still a tough day in the saddle just to get to the finish line.

Maybe the easiest way to look at is last years GT's:
Giro x36 DNF
Tour x31 DNF
Vuelta x40 DNF

Maybe the easiest way to look at is last years GT's:
Giro x36 DNF
Tour x31 DNF
Vuelta x40 DNF

How many DNF the Giro this year?

Fair enough.... only 27, on what was pretty much agreed to be a much tougher Giro.

Maybe not the best metric to use then, but I maintain, the Tour is generally the best introduction for a young pro, and with this years leaked route I'd say it'd still be the best for Bernal

Its kind of like the Quickstep 'wolf pack' though I don't think it will work so well with GC riders. Its great for winning stages, but not for defending a GC lead.

For example, if Quintana has a bad day and loses 2 minutes, does he work as a super-domestique for Landa, or does he seek to bring that time back? Its time that he could take back with full team support, but not if Landa wants to keep his lead!

I'd say it'd still be the best for Bernal

I barely watch "le cyclo" when compared to others on here, but, what has Bernal been in?
Is he doing well because:
he's mazeballs
he's racing people who are training
he's racing duffers

I can remember Yates and Pinot coming in and doing well on their first tours, but they still finished miles down didn't they?
And they're at buccaneering teams when compared to Sky. Sky have to win. A bit like Real Madrid. Their expectations are podiums for the other two tours, win the tour, EVERY YEAR.
It's too much expectation to throw a new guy in on that.
He may be bossing ToC and or other things. But it's not the tour.

I suppose it gives them strategic options by forcing other teams to cover more than one rider but that's presuming they all stay within touching distance of the podium, but don't know how that offsets the political pain in the balls of who exactly gets to be cock of the walk. Landa obviously feels he's due a shot, but Nairo has come out and said he's defacto leader and then there's Valverde who still hangs around like he's one IV away from doing an Evans... seems better to be in Sky's position of having one anointed leader with options in case of injury or something.