Pro-cycling thread

Here's the full attack, he first joins a half-hearted attack by someone else and then attacks on his own at about 7:57 in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReMVKbLMsVI

I love it when someone wins like that.

Lovely stuff.

Look like HARD racing.

I suppose even the doziest team will have taken notice now and he won't be allowed to do this again too often. :)

They couldn't stop him. The peloton was lined out chasing. He's just a monster.

Proper track skill. :)

I just mean that they'll probably watch him more closely if he's at the front in a race situation like this. It's easy to forget, of course, or not realise that it's him until it's too late.

@Oliver Schick he is know for pottering around at the back of the peloton for most of the race then popping up at the end. None of this keeping safe at the front crap.

If you're not riding for a good GC position, and Cummings rarely does these days, then you don't need to stay up front with the aim of keeping out of trouble. But it's very different if you're riding for the GC.

Maybe the only way to stop him doing that over and over is to block him, but considering the number of favourites per stage, it would be difficult to block all the right people without someone else chancing it.

Are DD invited to Le Tour?

Yeah I got you.

What I was saying, is they had been racing really hard, with multiple attacks going. When Steve finally went, he attacked so hard that they were not able to shut him down. And he used his massive engine to just keep going. The peloton was lined out chasing, but they weren't strong enough to bring him back. Watch someone or not. If they're stronger you can't do anything. It looks simple on TV to shut it down, but when everyone is totally on the limit from racing hard, that's when you can get away.

They're a sponsor, so I suspect so.

Yes, all World Tour teams ride the Tour. For this season at least.

True, true, I don't disagree. It's obviously a good sign that opportunities like that can be taken. There's nothing more boring than a totally controlling bunch. In this situation, he didn't attack too hard at first, though; I think another rider became his pilot fish and springboard for the attack, and in the early stages I imagine someone might still have got on his wheel. Once he was fully committed, it was too late.

The peloton was lined out chasing, but they weren't strong enough to bring him back. Watch someone or not. If they're stronger you can't do anything. It looks simple on TV to shut it down, but when everyone is totally on the limit from racing hard, that's when you can get away.

I do this on my commute every day.

Looks like he enjoyed the racing more than the podium guff.

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Why did Sky let him go again?

Probably his choice to go when contract up.
Not all about the money. Winning>money (for most).

Sky race to win the GC in pretty much every stage race they ride. For an opportunistic racer like Cummings, that severely curtails what he can do. He didn't like the role of protecting a GC rider. At DD they don't have many, if any, GC riders.

Just managed to catch up with Flanders having predictably been drafted into a long weekend of work at the last minute and having my live watching ambitions thwarted.

Chapeau Peto! Boonenesque to hold that speed and advantage all the way to the line. All very sporting from Cancellara too. Wootwoot. Hoping Roubaix offers up more of the same.

^^ ^^^ Good points

He's won the same number of stages as Cavendish YTD...

Luke Rowe: 8th
Ian Stannard: 36th

Best results at PR. Interesting really. Luke rowe really is very good.
I so want Stannard to win.

Given the number of tier 1 cobbled classics riders out of contract at the end of the year, it would be remiss of Sky not to sign one. It would galvanise that part of the team.

Yes, shame G isn't interested in the classics.

Lost my love for him.

Think G stated that Flanders is going to be one he keeps coming back to as he really wants to win it.