Pro-cycling thread

Fuck him, if he can't play for the team he should go ride for another.

Isreal Premier-Tech here we come...

I'm still waiting for @amey hot take on the rumoured Ineos-Movistar merger.

I thought it was Ineos Soudal Quickstep

Yeah getting bored of this 'gift' bollocks. In my mind Kuss became a protected rider after the TT so Roglic can chill out and enjoy his Giro win and multiple stages/get back to having beef with Jonas about the Tour next year.

6 leaders and Luke Rowe.

Not anymore:

https://www.rtbf.be/article/fusion-soudal-quick-step-et-ineos-grenadiers-on-fait-le-point-sur-la-rumeur-qui-agite-le-peloton-et-concerne-d-autres-equipes-11253691

I, for one, look forward to watching Jim Ratcliffe waste more of his money on Remco GC ambitions

Can Remco win the points competition?

If Groves is a DNF then yes

Over my dead body!

I will be crushed if Movistar merge with Ineos, broken.

They only have seven riders currently under contract for 2024, Ineos have fifteen.

Rog on TCP confirming he's not happy with team orders instructing him to ride for Kuss.

Just listened to this. It feels like a weird flex considering that - of the three - Rog has seemed relatively weaker compared to his normal/potential level of performance.

He's also a minute down in GC, so surely the real threat to Sepp is Vingo, who I absolutely believe is a stronger rider and could take it from him.

But (as he told Danish TV) he was never really into the whole 'the road will decide' strategy, and thinks Kuss should get it. I also think he sat up a little at the end yesterday to help widen the gap a little.

All this said the gap is so small that Kuss losing a bit of time will result in Vingo in red, so it's not a done deal.

Makes sense, was wondering about Juri Hollmann no contract the other day.

This will be the worst thing happening to cycling. Worse than Festina, worse than Lance, worse than Remco.

Movistar was finished when Diadora stopped making cycling shoes.

I thought the same. Looked to me like Jonas sat up to give a few seconds away.

The insanity of cycling summed up right there. Two bleeding blokes scraping themselves off the floor to hug and celebrate a team-mate winning.

In hindsight you can imagine Roglic's disquiet began when Vingegaard decided he'd ride the Vuelta, after (I imagine) Roglic had been told he'd be the leader for the Giro and the Vuelta. Once youve got two leaders, it's not so far to three

But worse than GCN ?

Rog is a weird flex

I'm not sure he's been weaker, he's just been hampered by his natural defensive style of riding. He's not going to attack with 7 kms to go on the Tourmalet, so it made sense to use Vingegaard as the foil on that day. Roglic's method of winning races is to gain time little and often rather than go for attacks further out.

But I can understand why he is unhappy, he was told to prepare specifically for this race as he'd be leading the team, then he's told that Vingegaard is riding and he has to share leadership, then Kuss gets an advantage and they both have to fall in behind him.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxQjbBIIR-j/?igshid=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA==

So cringe