Pro-cycling thread

My feeding strategy from my armchair is on point.

It's a tricky one to get right - I've ended up eating far too much during this year's grand tour stages.

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More pros than you’d think but not as many world tour as they’ve had recently. A lot of US pros are entering these gravel races as the domestic road scene is fading.

Not sure how proud Howes will be. But I heard Lachlan Morton say in an interview that he hasn’t done an interval in two years, so the lifestyle may be preferable to some.

JV is...

What if you're pulling 400W on the turbo while posting, then is it all right?

It didn't seem like the stage was ridden that hard.

Exactly. Skip some meals, reach to the last hill, no gas in the tank, too late.
Or too much celebrating, who knows.

Huge crash out of absolutely nowhere on a completely straight road. Bardet losing a lot of skin from his back, Nieve from his forehead, chin and elbow, and a Bora-Hansgrohe rider looking like he's broken a collarbone.

I couldn't quite see which rider was the Allez Oma-Opi that caused it but it came out of nowhere.

I feel like Bike Exchange have never watched a sprint finish ... their "train" is non-existent, and Michaels seems to be counted out 100m or more from each stage. It is embarrassing, for him and the team.

Matthews isn't the fastest sprinter out of many bunches - would it matter if he had a train? Philipsen and Jakobsen clearly have a bigger punch in the high speed sprints, probably some others too if you look at the last couple of days. Stannard and Mezgec were up there so I reckon Matthews just didn't have the legs.

I think Matthews excels more in the stages where the really fast sprinters have been dropped on preceding climbs, which he can get over.

He’s in the select bunch of people who aren’t quite strong enough in a field sprint, but too strong to be let into a breakaway (or collaborated with).
But always in contention in a long stage with a sprinty finish, with podiums in World Champs, classics, monuments.

I think he will be doing what he can in each sprint, but probably doesn’t warrant a full sprint train.
Caleb Ewan did alright with a decent Orica sprint train.

Ashton Lambie has just done a sub-four minute individual pursuit:

https://cyclingtips.com/2021/08/ashton-lambie-breaks-four-minute-pursuit-barrier/

64/15... That's a hell of gear.

There’s gotta be at least another second hiding in that huge lumberjack moustache.

Cracking photo that. Love the AG2R rider who looks like he's just waiting on a start line.

Carlton Kirby just went on a tirade about dolphins in captivity (as the helicopter showed a water park).

Totally justifiable but also peak Partridge.

With enough exposure, one can become a Kirby fan.

This is so much fun! My apartment was in the helicopter shots of the cathedral and now they're on roads I ride all the time out to Cullera. Last time I was there we saw dolphins in the water around the lighthouse. Never seen so many familiar roads during a race on the telly before.

Also never been up the "Montaña de Cullera" before but I might give it a go on Sunday.

Matthews isn't the fastest sprinter out of many bunches

Michael Matthews should get the year long green jersey

Pesky VCL kids on form today. That Ethan wins first stage of Tour of Norway, Tommy G 3rd on stage at l'Avenir.

What a finish in today's stage. I never thought Magnus Cort would hold on and I loved how much Carlton Kirby was willing him on as well. I think he's gone up to 90:10 in the infuriating:endearing scale for me today.

Mare for Carthy today, falling out of the back and then eventually losing 2:50 just on the climb.

"Stockholm syndrome is an emotional response. It happens to some abuse and hostage victims when they have positive feelings toward an abuser or captor."

Hugh Carthy abandons the Vuelta

That's a shame, but not surprising after yesterday.