Pro-cycling thread

Therebwas a moment when TP, onmlap 5?, Got out of the saddle before the steps and did a stretch. I thought that looked a bit ominous.
WVA had his snot face at this point.
MVDP was looking rough.

MVDP owes WVA some money for pulling back TP.

I think they made more money by attemding then with their result

MVDP owes WVA some money for pulling back TP.

Not sure MVDP would have made it back otherwise

I’m sure the locals where he rides mtb all call him Pidders.. but then they are mostly from Otley which isn’t known for its large gene pool

You're from?

There was a bit at 5:12 when TP stayed in the saddle when everybody else was running and 10 seconds later he went from 7th to the front but the camera missed whatever it was he was doing.

All 3 of them were their best selves o think. And MVDP showed they've definitely lost the " head drop out the race" they used to be accused of having.

You're from?

Not where you're from.

He rode that uphill section that everyone else was running. If you could ride it, it was clearly quicker.

Any thoughts on weather Pidcock could have done better if he'd carpet bagged the race in 3rd and saved some for a 'full gas' final lap? Maybe he laid his cards on the table too early?

It's Weather Cock, for short.

They asked him the same question in the interview and he said he raced how he knows/likes, from the front. He would have not been that good following wheels, plus, he also said he should have been more ambitious/have made a couple of moves in the last lap

(from https://www.instagram.com/wielerflits/)

1 Attachment

I think they made more money by attemding then with their result

No start money in World Cups but a much bigger prize (and points) list than C1 races

Not sure MVDP would have made it back otherwise

Wout said as much in his interview.

Pic sums up a fascinating race. Great to see Pigeon step it up again. We were at that steep descent last year when he was pushing for the podium up until he snapped his seatpost!

Amazing to see MvdP go so deep. Also surprised to see the number of small mistakes he has made here and at Scheldecross last week. Wonder if it's lack of practice or that he's flustered. So used to seeing him flawless, Federer-style. Zip undone early in the race was an ominous sign - still lacking a couple of percent?

Really impressed by WvA. He's been a distant second/third over the past few years. That training camp did him some good. Rarely gapped on the tech sections where you'd expect him to lose out. Either he's been sharpening his skills or MvdP was spooked.

Interesting to see the ebb and flow of their rivalry over the years and how it has translated over to the road. Wout looked so much stronger at Gent-Wev. Arguably Flanders as well. That diesel engine of his appears to have been honed by Jumbo which allows him to hang tough in CX. Really surprised at his performances this season considering his ride at Dubendorf Worlds in Feb where you'd have expected his power to show.

So many ponderables. Penny for King Mat's thoughts...!

Wout said as much in his interview.

So maybe he walked over to pat MVDP on the shoulder whispering "you're welcome.."

Should be in the fail thread really;

https://twitter.com/jetsebol/status/1340956267876130817?s=12

Does anyone have a link to watch the race from Namur, I can only find a couple of short clips.

I think the UCI world cup races are a little harder to get race coverage compared to the other series as the rights must be better controlled. It's on Eurosport catch up but obvs you need the subscription.

It’s only £6 a month. Worth it

Eurosport catch up

As it happens I’ve been meaning to cancel my sub but I might have forgotten!

Edit: no access sadface

Ineos proving an easy target for environmental protestors in Belgium;

https://twitter.com/AnnickDeRidder/status/1340951013579255811?s=20

Wel definitely worth it for the organizers then. They must have had insane ratings compared to previous races.

Yeah I'd love to see how the TV viewings have fared this season.