2014 Pro-cycling season thread

I must have missed it.

Most sprinters are fairly decent short distance TTers. I think Cavendish won the Romandie prologue one year (although it was very, very short).

This year La Course will have podium boys and equal cash prize as men's stage. Also to be broadcast live in a bunch of places.....good stuff!

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/apr/29/tour-de-france-womens-race-podium-boys

Podium boys? Isn't that kind of missing the point?

If you can't beat them, join them.

Chauvinist ;)

Tour of Turkey - heavy rain caused a massive crash. Race neutralised until the roads dried up.

Greipel looked like he was abandoning but was just getting in the car during neutralisation.

#drama

Griepel had been an absolute work-horse up until now...

Watching Romandie highlights, a fun albeit a shortened stage. I can't fathom Sky's tactics: wh did the mass at 30k and drive the pace and burn up their doms? Froome was completely isolated at the end while Astana had five, AG2R four, Quickstep had four or five, Movistar, Europcar all had plenty of bodies at the end. Strange riding, given their general overall form.

Maybe they decided to test everyone else today to accumulate fatigue for the later, more crucial, stages?

I'm going to start a "Free Luke Rowe" campaign though. He rode most of the cobbled classics, Paris-Nice, even the Tour Down Under and here he is riding again and he's selected for California. Give the guy a break!

Commentators mentioned he has just had 5 days off the bike, does seem like he is on quite a busy schedule this year!

Maybe they decided to test everyone else today to accumulate fatigue for the later, more crucial, stages?

I'm going to start a "Free Luke Rowe" campaign though. He rode most of the cobbled classics, Paris-Nice, even the Tour Down Under and here he is riding again and he's selected for California. Give the guy a break!

Repped, on both counts. Sky so far seemed to have improved their tactics, but hit the stage racing again and they revert to type. Today it was a lesson in how not to ride. They can't dominate the peloton: other teams have learnt from them and are now savvy to their style and how to counter them, and are generally better than they have been. Plus Sky have a long injury and illness list, which would explain Rowe's schedule. They need to wait all back of the bus, and let other teams do the work, as they must have thought it a gift today. They let Sky catch the break, then attacked en masse as soon as they did.

Still they have Froome. Not Porte though, losing a minute twenty.

And how hairy is Uran Uran now? I wonder if it has an aero effect.

And Voekler is playing the luckless hero, would love to see an attack of his stick, perhaps he needs to work on his timing. No Carlton Kirby today, he would have been having kittens as soon as he attacked and awarded the win to him straight away.

The thing is though, if you sit in you're not getting much training. But hitting the front they can do some efforts and get some training in, as andy said.

These races are as much for training as racing really. Especially for teams like sky, who are aiming for their 3rd yellow. Nothing else matters.

I think you need to re-read what Andy said.

And Sky have frequently said they don't race to train. They weren't doing that because they were training.

Anyone bought the Nibali iPhone app yet?

No, thought not.

Maybe they decided to test everyone else today to accumulate fatigue for the later, more crucial, stages?

He said they were riding hard for training load for more important things later in the year.

And that's bollocks, if they did say that. They will and do go out riding before and after stages in smaller races.

Anyone bought the Nibali iPhone app yet?

No, thought not.

Drats. Knew I'd regret switching to Android.

What does it do?

He said they were riding hard for training load for more important things later in the year.

And that's bollocks, if they did say that. They will and do go out riding before and after stages in smaller races.

It was sarcasm, he was saying their tactics were designed to tire them out, to make even less effective on later, more important stages of Romandie.

Not racing to train is one of Sky's core philosophies, as I understand.

Anyway, it was crap tactics.

awesome bants

Thanks, I've been practising

Okay yes I see that now.

Wigwams 2014 look is cool. Beats sideburns, more modern.

Just finished watching A Year in Yellow. Lots of side burns action there. Was pretty great a couple years on actually. One part of a story which it doesn't know it's telling - and which isn't over yet.

http://road.cc/content/news/117652-video-greg-lemond-shows-how-quickly-change-inner-tube

HA FUCKING HA.

How to do it the clean way.

I'm not sure if I love Brad's 'Ian Watkins' fringe there.