Pro-cycling thread

worth noting just how far back cav is in the sprint. wonder if he will finish up next year

Naesen riding in on one leg.

we'll miss a couple of big names in the classics I fear

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Good to see Wanty Group taking over CCC WT license. Not quite a memorable 2 years for the polish team.

Curious to see what happens to NTT license

I think I knew that but- you are right- missed indeed.

Lotto-Soudal having a huge clearout with 9 riders not getting renewed, including Adam Hansen and Jon Dibben.

Belgian media are reporting that the affected riders were informed by letter, which seems a bit callous.

Jon Dibben

I forgot he existed

Harsh. But fair.

In other news, @Brave, sorry, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio is joining SD Worx (the new sponsors for Boels-Dolman) on a two year deal.

They are going to be ridiculously strong in hilly/mountainous races.

NL stages of BinckBankTour cancelled because Covid :-(

I guess this also means no Amstel Gold Race in a week and a half. Shit.

I watched it twice and couldn’t even spot him

I seem to recall Adam Hansen in an interview saying he knew his career was close to the end.

Amazing save from the Astana rider who is one of the first to go up and over his bars!

I don’t get why the Israel guy who caused the crash doesn’t get a suspension now? It’s clearly rider error not ‘racing incident’. If you don’t overlap wheels that crash doesn’t happen.
It’s like in rugby- if you want to be a bit safer you suspend guys for high/ wreck less tackles and soon everyone tones it down a bit. If he got suspended maybe guys would take more care?
Seems off to me that commissaries penalise taking bottles in wrong place, measure sock length, but rarely get involved in crashes. This one was so clear cut for me

Ag2R guy was looking back over his shoulder so wasn't paying attention. Racing incident

Edit: he's not the one who changed his line?

It's been that long I've forgotten everything

Yes. Lolz. I must be missing something cuz that made no sense to me :D

The higher you go in the sport of pedalling the fewer potential winners there are at any one time (regardless of terrain or distance).

Still ... the sometimes-seven-hour epics are awesome imho.

I don’t get why the Israel guy who caused the crash doesn’t get a suspension now?

Because he didn't do anything wrong? He was riding in a straight line and got his front wheel taken out by the rider (Sunweb?) veering to the left. Once you're off the bike and skidding along the tarmac on your arse, there's not a whole lot of options available to you.

Looks like the organisers are hoping to find alternative routes for the stages tomorrow and on Friday.

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this covid lark is a shiter

Adam Hansen

Noooooo

Adam Hansen will go to Israel Academy. Calling it.

Rider error is a racing incident. It's not like he punched someone causing them to fall or threw a bottle at another rider. Or are you immune to fatigue, concentration lapses at full gas, dropping your head when the effort is high, bike handling errors, looking the wrong way when someone yells your name, forgetting the course layout somewhere during 200k route, sweating in your own eyes until you can barely see, grabbing a drink and hitting a pothole, speeding, over-braking, punctures, slipping pedals, breaking chains, you get the point.

Hope they succeed. Crazy thing is, NL govt is advising us not to travel to Belgium unless 'necessary'.

Anyway, Flêche today, without Valverde. And the ladies' race finishes shortly after noon.