Pro-cycling thread

Woods less so but still odd - he has a great future ahead of him.

He’s 32 next week.

Oh dear. Thought he was in his mid 20s.

He was a late starter after quitting middle distance.

I was surprised when I heard his age on the commentary.

Valgren would have been an amazing winner imo. His stinging attack was worthy of the rainbow stripes. If only he had kept momentum on the last hill or chasers had not been able to agree on chasing...

If my auntie had balls, she’d be my uncle.

I was hoping Micheal Woods would win.

Didn't need to be Canadiainanananananan for that.

Red Valve >>>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6fgPX3NjyA

One Pro have dropped plans for a ladies team because they can’t find a sponsor.

Looks bloody hard to get the economics of running a team to work.

You have to wonder what happens to Sky post-takeover of its main sponsor.

No pay this month for Aqua Blue riders. Now they have to request payment by forcing the UCI to invoke Aqua Blue’s bank guarantee.

Don’t know much about Delaney’s wealth elsewhere but he should have made sure they got paid.

He had promised them they were to be paid till the end of the year when it folded. Feels like this was how that was to happen but didn't tell anyone.

He didn’t want to get the money out of UCI himself, let the riders and staff do it for him! Bank guarantee is 25%, so one fourth - exactly what’s left of a year payment wise

I think he even said he'd pay for riders' salaries for next year if they couldn't find anything since it was so late and they all thought they were good for next year.

One thing is speaking to a podcast. Another is acting on it

His mate is clearly a proto-forumenger in that cap

Why am I not surprised by this?

I always thought Delaney was all mouth and no trousers, sadly for the riders, that's now confirmed.

Alejandro “El Imbatido / The Unbeaten” Valverde Belmonte grew up in a cycling family, and was given his first bike by his father – an amateur rider – at the age of six.

Aged eleven he placed second in his very first race, and two weeks after took his first victory. Valverde dominated the junior field in Spain, and won nearly every race, in which he participated, for the following five years. He was in fact so good that parents tried to convince him not to race certain event to allow other kids the opportunity to win.

Then he got into blood doping, denied and denied and denied when he got found out, tried to escape justice and was protected by his national federation (who have history when it comes to ensuring their star names get off scot free), only to have the UCI and WADA appeal to CAS and get him banned. When he returned he refused to accept he'd done anything wrong.

The sport would be in a far better place if it didn't welcome back cheats like Valverde with open arms.

Alejandro “El Imbatido / The Unbeaten” Valverde Belmonte grew up in a cycling family, and was given his first transfusion by his father – an amateur rider – at the age of six.

His sister was possible pregnant at the time though so that would explain it.

He was one half of a conjoined twin who'd also accidentally taken his mother's HRT pills and has naturally high hematocrit due to genetics I mean living at altitude I mean look! a flying pig!

It might be a bit easier to understand if he'd always been second best, and was desperate to make it.

So he was good anyway, eventually came across people as good, and decided to cheat. (And then lie, etc).

Hero.

I was thinking exactly the same thing. Makes me like him even less

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAkg4cwJp1Y

Exactly, I hate him even more than the Kaiser Chiefs

I don't hate any rider, but the hypocrisy by the same people claiming Sky are ruining cycling every July not saying the same about a 38 year old doper winning the Rainbow Stripes is sickening.

I know I am not going to enjoy watching him wear them for the next year.