Pro-cycling thread

Speaking of early season Porte, it looks like he's going to the Tour du Haut-Var this year, so hopefully I'll see him fighting against Pinot, Bardet and Quintana on the Mont Faron in a few weeks.

How much of this do they get and how much do their pimps get?

No. It's great value. Bike rental, kit, accommodation and a sag wagon. You know, like every other cycling tour does for under a grand. I guess there will be loads of people who will happily pay to hang out with Lance.

You forgot the full medical support...

Rohan Dennis channelling Froome Dawg

https://mobile.twitter.com/BasTietema/status/1220995064824061953

Matt Holmes winning ahead of Porte at TDU. I thought stepping up from conti to world tour might be a bit of a stretch for him but obviously not.

Have you seen the finish? He was in the break, but it wasn't as if he was the last man standing, instead the remnants of the break got caught by Porte, who then accelerated again shortly afterwards and Holmes went back across to him and still had enough left to surge past him for the win. Impressive stuff from someone in their first WT race.

Just seen it now. Impressive stuff.

Raced alongside his dad Roy in a 2/3/4 last year. He finished. I didn’t.

My fav world champion in this decade

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I forgot he was world champ.

Pretty cool to have a real underdog as champ.

He was last on GC, another victim of the curse of the rainbow jersey.

He pulled the break back pretty much on his own for Porte

Well at least he isn't confused about if the season has started.

Cant wait for the classics to kick off.

34 sleeps until Omloop, yay!

San Juan kicks off today, the only 7-stage race with a rest day I imagine. Is it going to be the big Remco show?

Must have been lots of watts because porte bested his own wilunga time by 3 seconds.

Matt Holmes wins one race and Antoine Vayer calls him out as a doper.

https://twitter.com/festinaboy/status/1221460054110502913?s=21

Such an amazing win from Holmes.

I had no doubt he would do well at the WT level when I heard he’d signed for LS, he’s such a strong, under rated rider. His performance at the ToB last year was astonishing (and the 2018 one TBF)..... he was clearly on a mission to show what he was capable of to other teams with the imminent death of Madison Genesis.

I met him a couple of times over the last two years through the work I was doing with the MG team.... he really is a super nice dude as well. Very humble, and also quite shy, so hope he is managing to cope with being in the spotlight!

The woman who killed Andreas Byskov Sarbo (Danish U19 national team rider) has been fined £150.
She ignored two officials, drove onto a closed course, ignored 1 kilometer of signs warning that it was a one way race course and hit him straight on. Said she didn't see the signs or the officials that tried to stop her... No prison sentence. Just a fucking £150 fine...
https://nyheder.tv2.dk/krimi/2020-01-20-kvinde-slipper-med-boede-paakoerte-og-draebte-18-aarig-cykelrytter-under-loeb

Bad crash at San Juan caused by a spectator leaning far enough into the road to hit a riders bars, taking down half the peloton.

More:
https://www.reddit.com/r/peloton/comments/eunplw/driver_who_killed_danish_junior_rider_andreas/

Some interesting comments from Katie Compton on Betsema in this interview;

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/denise-betsemas-six-month-ban-not-long-enough-says-former-us-cyclocross-champion-447762

Of course it's not long enough. It's a total horseshit decision. The UCI have basically said "fucking have at it, drug cheats, we won't stop you racing"

This is also interesting, although not from Katie Compton:

Compton was not the only rider to condemn Betsema’s ban on social media, but the consequent backlash has prevented many from going public.

One, who had initially agreed to talk to us changed her mind, saying the reaction from the public made her believe doping was “socially accepted” among some ’cross fans.

If the UCI had been clear about the case, this discussion would have ended already.

Oscar Sevilla in the lead in the San Juan TT