Pro-cycling thread

You might be right. The gravé strings them out, avoiding bunch crashes.

The lack of road furniture also helps

At the beginning of the broadcast Dan Lloyd said there were rumours Remco had wanted to come out and recon this stage but QS didn’t want to spend the money and spare a mechanic etc. Maybe he was reminding the team car of this

Would reconning have helped?

At one point his rear wheel was so all over the place I thought he’d flatted so he might have benefitted from some practice on that surface

I guess my point was more that riding gravel one time doesn't look like it would have saved him today.

He's only been racing a bike since 2017 so I don't think we should be surprised that he has some weaknesses in his bike handling skills. Froome was the same early in his career and, whilst he still is an ungainly rider, he's clearly improved to the point now where he can drop people on descents and ride away from them on gravel passes. I can imagine Evenepoel doing the same as he matures.

Unless it’s missing sleep I can’t see how recon wouldn’t have helped.

DQS never seem to really nail grand tours.

he’d now (strike through) could

Still can't believe he was considered a favourite.

2nd place finish in last year's. How do you pick favourites?

Commentary said he's been sick.

Its not a GC team

It’s not a good GC team perhaps but that was surely their ambition until today? They held the leaders jersey quite well last year.

Reading this before watching the races is rookie move.

A race over I read here.

I can imagine Evenepoel doing the same as he matures.

If only Belgian fans hadn't killed and eaten him after the 2021 Giro...

He's also rumoured to be very unhappy with his team and is out of contract at the end of the year.

I've not heard that. But then, I don't really give a hot shit about most of what happens outside of races.

He was successful with his team though so it seems odd you'd have a strop but perhaps there was pressure that worked one year but was too much over again? Who knows? Could be all horseshit too.

I think DSM are well known for being obsessed with the minor details and monitor riders training, diet and lifestyle more than most of the other teams. Some riders find that very restrictive and controlling and, from the rumour mill, it's gone up a level this year and a lot of DSM's riders are unhappy about it.

Really happy to see Buchmann gaining some time. Helps with my fantasy team as well..

Is Wiggins trolling us?

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(Checkout the name of the organisation).

Incredibly, he isn’t.

respect the hustle

Remco says it was just a “jour sans” on his Instagram.

That’s French for a “bad bag”

I’m kidding!

There’s that story of Michael Matthew’s not doing his homework and being left out of omloop and kuurne Brussels kuurne as a result.

"I liked it a lot. I enjoyed myself on the gravel," Bernal said.

Enjoying it vs being stressed and scared out of your mind on the gravel, huge advantage.