Pro-cycling thread

No Tour for Gilbert this year. Quickstep seem to be all in for Viviani and Alaphillipe. Mas' GC ambitions seem a bit of an after-thought. You do not go to Quickstep if you want to win Grand Tours.

Hence why Mas is Movistar bound.

Moscon is reprieved to fight out the tour again.

Women's national TT champs today, what an incredible win by Van Vleuten. Diminishes the competition, flies almost 2 kph faster than Van Dijk.

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Hence why Mas is Movistar bound.

You do not go to Movistar if you want to win Grand Tours...

But seriously look at Martin and Uran before him, Quickstep is such a bad fit for GC contenders.

It wasn't just one comment on Twitter. They've said it elsewhere and it is heavily implied if you read between the lines in the letter.

Either way until the UCI say why they've done it people are going to presume bad intent.

Why just France though? HWB have also beaten Team GB, no? They must have been more pissed off than any other foreign national federation.
And if you're taking the "Old Guard controlling the UCI" angle (as they have indeed proved with the CPA election), surely it would be France and Italy?

But yeah the UCI can do one. And the FFC should maybe start supporting their riders too.

The UCI have commented on it, I will go and have a look for it. Their statement reads that they have done it to boost track cycling. By eliminating half the World Cup competitions annually and making it impossible for riders outside of the national set-ups to take part at the highest levels.

Apparently it reduces the fiscal burdens on the national federations by reducing the number of World Cups. Also by moving the competitions to the summer it makes it easier for professional teams to release their riders to ride the track apparently, although I struggle to follow that logic. I have seen no real justification for eliminating trade teams.

Carapaz disagrees.

Well it was tongue-in-cheek! They did get it right in the Giro, their 'trident' in the Tour not so much.

Any surprises?

Any surprises?

That Wout Poels rides under the flag of Limberg rather than Holland (like Van Baarle).

I googled it - was a thing in Holland - https://www.chapeaumagazine.com/nl/headlines/2019/01/vlagvertoon-zondagblog-van-sander-kleikers/

Moscon fairly anonymous this season about from his conspiracy theory invoking withdrawals.

Already keeping Bernal and Thomas as far away as possible in the photo.

On the same basis as Aardvark (yet to be famous SA climber/sprinter) would be kept away from Zberg. Thomas gets the '1', let's see who gets the backing. Whatever, Skyneous are going to be short by one domestique.

25/1 on Valverde to come on the podium of TDF seems like fairly good odds, right?

Where? I need to put some money on that, just out of hope. One can dream.

He has always struggled on climbs higher than 2000 metres. Plus he’s too old now. Find a better value bet.

As much chance as being on the podium as TVG and Porte I reckon.

Betfair.

I too have hope...

That late Vuelta stage when Valverde croaked was one of the highlights of last season.

British road race champs is live on youtube but signal is a bit patchy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1f-JwsL0sSg

Its an improvement from 1 man and his dog on the finish line last year!

no km to go maker, barley video

christ

almost worse than nothing