Pro-cycling thread

the UCI should ban being english imo

So as a sprint team, we’re very involved from the start to make sure
the right riders in the day’s breakaway goes clear, small enough that
we can chase it down whilst making sure there’s no other sprinter team
members present there & then we block, we physically slow right down
to 20kph so anyone that tries to jump has a huge gap to bridge. And
when I say we block the road I mean there isn’t an inch for a rider to
squeeze past. Then normally the race leader will stop for a pee and
riders ‘should’ see that as a MARK (Cavendish) of respect that the
breakaway has gone.

It’s a fight here for the break, 50km yesterday, 30km today. (I’ve
attached the data) of constant attacking until the right group sticks
and we can block the road. • Today one particular rider was very keen
to be in the break. So keen he took matters into his own hands and did
something I’ve never seen. I won’t name names but this was a Worldtour
rider in a Worldtour team.

Whilst front row slowing things down. This particular rider decided to
shove me as hard as he could from behind with his hand so I would
lurch forwards out of the line so as to make a gap for himself to jump
through and go and join the breakaway. Apparently he’d tried this move
with one of the most well respected riders in the peloton earlier
also. I reacted fast and anchored on the brakes to keep him blocked,
then proceeded to tell him quite impolitely & in a raised voice that I
would make it my personal goal of the day to ensure that he would not
feature in the breakaway. Which I and the other victim to his antics
subsequently did, ruthlessly.

You maybe thinking he was just trying to race his best and it was
unfair to focus on ruining his ambitions for the day, but let me make
2 things clear, 1. What he did was dangerous & I’m sure there’s a uci
rule about physically pushing another rider & 2. It actually made
sense for him to be in the breakaway, had he asked if he could slip
through and join the break we’d have allowed it, 3 would become 4 up
the road, his ambitions were in the intermediate competitions & thus
inconsequential to the result of the day, but he resorted to
aggression & dangerous moves & sealed his own fate.

Alex Dowsett tweets about how sprinting teams literally block the road to impede riders from going in the break and complains that some rider try to go past the physical block imposed by sprinting teams. Tweet and instagram post has been deleted after harsh reception from fans.

I know pretty much every team blocks and makes sure the breakaway is acceptable to them so they can have an easier day but this makes him come across as a dick imo

He’s always been a bit of dick TBF.

Fans are fucking idiots generally. I don’t exclude myself.

He doesn’t come across as a dick to me?
Regulation within the peloton.

I remember reading stories about riders being pelted with bidons for dangerous behaviour. Of course, wouldn’t happen now, they’d all get disqualified for littering.

Alex Dowsett is a nice guy, that post seemed odd to me. Alex Richardson is an arsehole though, seeing him get DSQ made my day.

No it's not. You cant use the top tube as a replacement contact point for your arse, doesn't mean you cant use no contact point for your arse.

Never realised the stock-bro had actually made it as a pro in the end.

Dunno if buying your way into a team counts as making it

Just watched the Alex Richardson video above; not sure having the back of your hands acting as an air brake is an offical aero gain

Which is why it is extra funny. He's such an anal git who turned up to local races in non team-issue gear to save 1.8W and then he does this in the biggest race he's ever likley to ride!

Not a huge fan of unwritten rules.

He's such an anal git, that I'm pretty sure the position does save him some watts.
Not the only rider to have done it either. Here's Ganna:

And Luis Mas:

These were before the new regulations kicked in though, so Stockbro is the first to be DQed for it.

Article 1.3.008:

“The rider shall normally assume a sitting position on the bicycle. This position requires that the only points of support are the following: the feet on the pedals, the hands on the handlebars and the seat on the saddle.”

Maybe I’m missing something.

"Normally" strikes me as a big loophole.

I read "only" as saying other points of support cannot be used rather than saying they must all be used all the time.

So maybe there's a loophole for a speedskater-type arms-behind-the-back tuck?

It doesn't say you have to use all of them all of the time. Otherwise it'd be contrary to the rules to ride one-handed, which would make refuelling and hydrating a wee bit tricky.

I remebr when I was in a race where Alex got beaten, as did we all, by the doper, who rode 4 of us pulling fuckig big turns off his wheel. Lol.

The old guy who went from zero to hero over night. Rode for RPR.

32cm swept bars with 17cm stems to come to a peloton near you....

What’s the story with Richardson? I understand why some people don’t particularly admire his route into the sport but it does seem to be the case for domestic ‘pros’ that they have to self fund their careers for a certain amount of time because they get paid eff all.

Is he a bit of a whopper on top of that?

I personally enjoyed him winning solo at that race (Lincoln GP?) without a team a couple of years ago.

Edit: I know he lives in a big house and worked in finance but that increasingly seems to apply to half of this forum.

Yes, you’re right: “only” is the important word, which can be used against pinky paws as that position is still supported by forearms on the tops.

“Normally” is a the big subjective elephant in the rule.

What happened to Arlen? Did he stop racing after his breakout season (at the age of 45)?

Faded into oblivion when they started to dope test him.

He is a cigar influencer now: https://www.instagram.com/p/CFmpJJSlcmn/

These middle aged white men are so fucking predictable