Pro-cycling thread

Ride to the shops for more beer

If you didn't get enough beer the first time round, you're doing it wrong.

Didn’t he bonk in the wet famously?

Paint was not for WC.
Paint was for Tour yellow and white jerseys, Giro pink, and a few others.
Colnago with same paint can be special ordered.

Officially there is some bronze because
"Two important medals in Pogačar's career: third place at the Olympic Games in Tokyo (2021) and at the UCI World Championships in Glasgow (2023)." But if I bought one now, the lack of gold would seem a bit remiss. The reference to the Glasgow 3rd place seems a bit irrelevant. Surely Colnago will want to do something to commemorate yesterday's epic?

https://www.colnago.com/en-gb/products/v4rs-tadej

Not owning a cargo bike IS doing it wrong.

Ooh er missus

He had a few early road career bonks, but who hasn’t!

His Terreno solo breakaway win in the wet “because I was cold” was brilliant.

As if any of your bikes aren't de facto cargo bikes.

1. tdf GC
   
2. Giro GC
   
3. Vuelta GC
   
4. World Championship road race
   
5. = MSR, RVV, PR, LBL, Lombardia
   
6. TDF stage win
   
7. = Giro stage, Vuelta stage, any other classic
   Olympic road race = irrelevant novelty event
   
   

Atmo

Winning a bunch of one day monuments is obviously going to make you a greater rider than someone who has won one Vuelta or Giro, though. Gilbert > Chris Horner.

On the other hand, if you have only won one off the list this pretty much holds true. Hesjedal > Zaugg. I wait andyps counter examples.

Typical American, wants instant rather than delayed gratification.

Vuelta as third is top lols.

The only people who care about winning the Vuelta fall into two camps:

1. Riders who've won the Giro and the Tour and want to complete the set (so Bernal and Pogacar currently).
   
2. GC riders who've either never won another GT, or know they can never win the Tour, cf Roglic.
   
3. Spanish riders
   

Has Amey hacked your account?

Vuelta is always the most entertaining though.

GC riders who've either never won another GT, or know they can never win the Tour, cf Roglic

Also Kelly.

Last ten years or so.

One time vuelta winners (no other GCs) Horner, Aru, Yates

One time one day monument or world champs winners: Pedersen, Rui Costa, Jasper Phillipsen, Mohoric, Stuyven, Demarre, Ciolek, Van Baarle, Colbrelli, Hayman, Van Summeren, Asgreen, Bettiol, Jungels, Poels, Iglinskiy, Mollema, Pinot, Chavez

I guess the Vuelta winners don't really stand above the one-time one-day winners.

The only people who care about winning the Vuelta ..

.. are the ones who will defend Rog as a GC racer .. not a real race.

Very entertaining though because of the Spanish (Kern pharma, Caja rural, Movistar)

There ought to be a category for riders who begrudgingly enter the Vuelta because they missed the Tour through injury/illness. Not that I can think of any.

and the ones with grand delusions of a GC rider

Jack Haig
JuanPe
Odd Eiking (lol)
Carapaz

anyone says Mas will get knifed

MSR is seven hours.
Takes 20 mins to go up and down the Poggio.
Therefore MSR is guaranteed 96% boring nothingness. The last 4% can be great sure, but as an entire race it's terrible, I'm sorry but the numbers don't lie.

Pog's ride was huge and will always be recognised as such, but how about Tratnik? It looked enormous to me, one for the ages. To my untutored eye it seemed a bigger effort than Mvdp and Remco could manage. What do the experts think?

Carapaz

He has won a GT, and should've won others (got done over by Movistar in the 2020 Vuelta for a start).

The preceding 280 kilometres are preparation for that final 20 mins of edge of the seat excitement.

The list of winners shows that the cream rises to the top 99% of the time.

I will never back down on this!!!!1!

You all know my list is the definitive one and you can stick your pro races where the gears don't click.