Pro-cycling thread

And there's Degenkolb in the mix as well. You would have thought take a few diesels to pull, or just Tony Martin, then use Degenkolb as the leadout for either one of the other two. I don't think you'd want all three in the team.

If it blows. The heat could be a big factor too.

ToB fun & games

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ-4mzrgyyh/

tit

Many giggles indeed.

Closest ever GC in Tour of Alberta? 1 measly second, wow...

Good to hear that Annemiek van Vleuten already seems to have overcome her Olympic injuries:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/lotto-belgium-tour-2016/prologue/results/

How she went from fracturing her spine in 3 places to winning a race in the space of one month boggles my mind. Amazing.

Betancur watch: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/betancur-to-return-to-racing-at-coppa-sabatini/

Coppa Flabatini - amirite?

GP de Québec - fun last few laps

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/poels-im-ready-to-lead-team-sky-in-a-grand-tour/

Having domestiques who would be leading other teams is a nice problem to have, I suppose, but which grand tour is Poels going to go for?

He generally likes cold conditions, considering Froome and Landa don't, and if I'm honest I don't think G is ever going to be a GT contender, all fingers point to the Giro.

If I was Davey B:
Poels and G do the Giro as "dual leaders", but everyone knows Poels has the better chance.
They are then still in form for the Tour, where they join Froome and Landa, Froome is big boss and Landa is just domestique.
Then Froome and Landa go to the Vuelta and do the two pronged attack thing, lots of sending Landa up the road in the mountains and letting Froome sit on, and if he gets away, hurragh, if he doesn't, Froome will take them in the TT

The ToB commentators are discussing the fact that Team Dimension Data are currently 18th in the UCI points rankings, and are in danger of being moved down from World Tour status.

How are these points being allocated, and how can the five TdF stage wins not have put them above at least one of the other teams? Seems baffling that after the year they've had, they could end up being demoted.

^And Fraile getting KOM in the Vuelta as well.

You get more points for coming 8th in the tour down under than you do for winning a Tour stage.
More details here http://inrng.com/2016/01/new-uci-rankings-system/

Didn't know nico was going to BMC.
Wonder if well see him winning some more races. Such a rider.

Blimey, Sky have signed a French rider, little Kenny Elissonde. Only the third one they've had, I think.

Some good news, Keagan Girdlestone, who rode for Dimension Data's U23 team, and was critically injured in a race in Italy in May, was released from hospital today.

One for @dubtap;

http://cyclingtips.com/2016/09/a-defiant-tejay-van-garderen-responds-to-critics-after-tour-vuelta-disappointments/

Sounds like some of the BMC management fucked up his programme and/or his training this year.

Not so much fucked up, just prioritised Richie, everyone knows if you want to perform for GC at the Tour, you don't do TdS for example

That and a lot of people say he's a whiny little so and so, argumentative, not liked in the bunch, generally bit of a prick

waa-waa I want to train in Vegas

"get in the fucking quitters car Tejay"

Is this Euro champs thing something new? Are any UK riders even taking part? I saw a start list with Irish riders but no English/Welsh/Scots

BC have sent junior and u23 teams. Sophie Wright got the bronze in the Junior Womens race this morning.

@taogeogheganhart is riding in the U23 race tomorrow.