Pro-cycling thread

bernal 5/2 favourite. crikey.

can you enter on the day? presume it's a couple of quid extra but i'll see how i feel the night before

Grigio, or noir?

Sad that Tom Dumoulin is out of The Tour. The race is poorer for his absence.

only people outside of Ineos that saw it were British

Is Dan Martin a joke to you/them?

no-one looking in great form

Other than Pinot, Fugglesang, Landa, Poels?

Don’t forget Tejay! ....

The hope of a nation.

Given the back loading of the route, you don't want to be pinging now.

That never worked for Ulrich

Not won a GT yet....

But yes, the absence of proven GT winners through injury and the lack of dominant form by the likes of Thomas and Quintana opens up the race to those riders. Nibali looked strong in the Giro, but then he rode the Giro. It is telling that the defending champion's chances aren't being talked up much and instead Bernal is installed as favourite.

Bernal won Paris Nice, which is a better result than Geraint Thomas has managed so far, and given Bernal's hype for the Giro deferred now to the Tour after his collarbone break, no wonder he's being talked up.

Will be interesting to see how he races the last few days of Tour de Suisse.

Oh he deserves the hype no doubt. Its more the absence of any hype around Thomas, which is understandable given his lack of results this year, but also because he still doesn't feel like a natural GT racer/winner, to me anyway.

He will probably smash from the start now I have said that.

Given Sky/Ineos have won six of the last seven editions of the Tour, their chosen leader is likely to be the favourite and they will ride the race in a way that maximises that leader's chances of winning. They are almost unique in that they can still have at least one domestique left in the front group when it's reduced down to the GC contenders.

Last year Thomas was the strongest rider in the race, backed up by the strongest team. If he is in the same shape then the outcome is likely to be the same, but with Bernal much closer on GC than last year. If Bernal is stronger they might switch strategy, but I think they'll try and keep Thomas (or Poels) in contention for as long as possible in case Bernal falters late on. He is only 22 after all.

Why would he be a joke to me?

Dan Martin is mainly Irish via dual citizenship and competing for the Irish national team

Given all the leaders we are missing, Valverde and Dan Martin look very interesting e/w options for the Tour at 100/1.

He was born and raised in Birmingham though, as his accent confirms. (Not that that doesn’t make him Irish of course).

Back to the racing, another ex HH track league alumni, Fred Wright, wins today’s stage of the u23 Giro.

He doesn't yet have a thread, right?

Two of my favourite cyclists but neither have a chance I'm afraid. I hope Dan Martin can get a stage win, I like his attacking style, I think Valverde although coming into form will be in full service of Quintana.

I'm backing Fuglsang with Nicholas Roche as the big surprise top 5.

Nicholas Roche as the big surprise top 5.

I lol’d.

Fuglsang? I'd be surprised if he gets a stage and the 'Best Eyebrows' jersey...

... Fred ... wow .... well done .... quite a week for the VCL lads ...

Thats probable why the uci want to change the winter track racing to the summer 🖕🏿