Pro-cycling thread

It's not hard enough to jettison proper GC contenders, especially with a head wind. It's only when you turn off the main road and do the Galibier proper that it gets harder, plus then the altitude begins to be a factor.

Did Evenepoel fuck up a corner or have a mechanical? One minute he was alone behind Vingegaard, then suddenly he was off the back of the Rodriguez/Roglic group. I was in a meeting so only half watching.

The UCI have told DG not to wear his Scicon plague doctor beak. https://road.cc/content/news/uci-order-groenewegen-remove-bizarre-aero-beak-309185

Didn't we also have some goggles with wings beneath the eyes recently? What were they called?

eta Here they are. The Kask Aero Pro visor.

Next steps are surgery and a breeding program to make heads more aero. No doubt AI can point the way.

Just looked like he was a bit cautious on the hairpins.

oh, i thought his descent was on Briancon/Lautaret side #TIL

If you recall a few years ago he was arguing with his ds in strada bianchi about why he was getting dropped on every decent.

What was Girmay's profile until now? Was he always meant to chase sprint points?

Only way you can trust SRAM to not drop your chain innit.

He's a sprinter who can get over something more challenging than a road bridge. Chasing sprint points rather comes with the job description.

Yes, that’s why I said only the last bit of climbing would matter

There’s a good profile piece on him in Cycling Podcast from yesterday whereby he has always set himself against the stereotype East African physique and wanted to be a sprinter rather then a climber.

Dicey tactics.

Do pros ever use a standard 53 1x chainring?

I am going to predict, as I did last year, that Vingegaard is not going to win the Tour and hope I am wrong again.

The Tour desperately needs some Cian Uijtdebroeks.

So Pog took the Strava KOM on the Galibier by over two minutes on the previous best time set by Pinot in 2019. And a 'recovering' Jonas was only seconds behind.

Gonna predict Jonas will ride himself well into fitness by the time they get to the Pyrenees and he'll smoke Pog.

so how come jonas was all alone in that group? poor fucker surrounded by the uae guys

(inb4 sportwashing)

I'd like to believe but Pogacar will have to drop off a lot and Vingegaard improve a lot and before Pogacar has the chance to take any more time. He attacked less than a kilometer from the top today and, more unexpectedly, gained a lot on the downhill. Vingegaard has generally been the slightly better descender. But it's only day 4 and it's a long way to Rome.

He said in interviews he struggled early on in the descent. Wobbly road surface reminding him of his crash in Basque country + melting ice water. So he took it easy.

Seems like it turned out OK in the end placing 2nd, but he will probably be put under pressure in the future on descends.

The upper section of the Galibier has a really shit road surface and the hairpins are steep, the opposite to the Alpe. I've only ever climbed it, but know the descent would be seriously scary. Beyond Plan Lachat there are much longer straights and the surface improves, this is where Evenepoel got back on and Pogacar extended his lead. I wouldn't be surprised if their times over this sector were similar.

Should we send help??

They both uploaded to Strava and indeed their times for the last stretch of the descent are the same. Of the others only Ayuso uploaded too and he was 5s slower on that stretch, so not really a difference.

Quick, somebody post the Mollema video.

I feel seen (unlike half the riders in their weird kits)

I'm getting my collarbones shortened...

(and some lipo while I'm there)

Hippy soap?