Cycle racing : 2021, we're back in the road world again. Spoilers a plenty

[weeksy]

The Tour of UAE started yesterday with a crushing victory for Van Der Poel, taking this season where he left off last year, along with dominating the Cyclocross world championships, he sprinted away for victory leaving all for dead in stage 1 of the tour of UAE today.

He's some talent that boy and great to see... He could have panicked at any stage yesterday, but didn't and romped away.

Great stuff. It's live on Eurosport today too

[formula400]

got it on now, when I started watching they were climbing with 10.5km to go, there beasting up there trying to catch the leader (Alexey) who is 1 minute in front

[weeksy]

It's heart breaking when the guys go for the breaks and are dragged back before the line. I can't even imagine how tough that must be for them. I have to say i thought Yates would make a bit more of a go for it on the final climb.

The exciting one for me though is Sat and Sunday with Belgian 1 day spring classics.

[formula400]

I’ve never really watched cycle racing, so I know almost nothing, he had a 1 minute 6 second lead, then with 700/600 meters to go his legs were absolutely destroyed, he was done, he looked so strong at first. It’s Amazing how the peloton works.

Looking forward to understanding a bit more

[weeksy]

That boy Van Der Poel really really is astounding.

Romped away in the final 500m of the Strade Bianchi.

[hawker]

Paris Nice should be entertaining with Teo Geoghan Hart representing us Brits!?
My own racing starts in May with my club's local 18 miles hilly event near Horncastle and Revesby here in Lincolnshire. No very hilly but it undulates a lot. My lifetime best is 39-00 , many, many years ago, but now as a para-cyclist nowadays, my best ha s been 57-38in 2018, beating my 2017 result by 11 minutes! I was absolutely delighted with that improvement!!

Cheers everybody!

[weeksy]

How's the training going for you up to now?

[weeksy]

Wow.... watching the PAris Nice and the Tirreno Adricatico today, watching Wout Van Aert destroy Caleb Ewan in the sprint ! That's... well.... WOW.

That boy really really shouldn't be beating the best sprinters in the planet.... but he did. !

[weeksy]

Another awesome one with wout van aert against can Der Poel.

MVdP doing the business again! Epic.

[Bigyin]

Caught some of the Tirreno Adriatico yesterday and good to see G doing well and in amongst the GC rankings and looking comfortable on the bike

[weeksy]

Caught some of the Tirreno Adriatico yesterday and good to see G doing well and in amongst the GC rankings and looking comfortable on the bike

Deffo good to see yes. The only thing i don't like is their sole focus is the big Tours. So they barely exist outside of the big ones and everything is centered upon the one big event.

Riders like Roglic, Sagan, MVdP, WVA etc you see them month in month out in other events, even if it's not every one, every day... but the INEOS boys who'll be in for the Tours, barely register at other times. INEOS have made a little pact within the team to be more attacking in the last 12 months and it has indeed shown a bit, but they're still often not an exciting team to see.

[weeksy]

Well, that was an interesting weekend.

Seeing Primoz Roglic fall apart, well, shocking.... Burst the Paris Nice wide open ! Bora with Max Schachmann winning the overall after the crash and disaster from Roglic... wow.

THen watching MVdP destroy the Tirenno, but then maybe not..... but then yes, just about !!!! LOL.

[Bigyin]

Tour De Catalunya looks like Ineos are having a go at attacking every stage and not just riding the GC as they normally do...... Full on attack and with a first stage win for Adam Yates for the new team, G finishing 4th and Ineos now also holding 3 of the top 4 in GC with Richie Porte playing back up to Yates today as Carapaz did the super domestic role.

Impressive team riding but as its a Spanish race its going to be about climbs so i would bank they still dont want to play at sprints

[weeksy]

Tour De Catalunya looks like Ineos are having a go at attacking every stage and not just riding the GC as they normally do...... Full on attack and with a first stage win for Adam Yates for the new team, G finishing 4th and Ineos now also holding 3 of the top 4 in GC with Richie Porte playing back up to Yates today as Carapaz did the super domestic role.

Impressive team riding but as its a Spanish race its going to be about climbs so i would bank they still dont want to play at sprints

Ineos have a heck of a team there for this race, very impressive. Yates flew up the last climb...

[weeksy]

Wow, they're now P1, P2 and P3.

[Bigyin]

Ineos have a heck of a team there for this race, very impressive. Yates flew up the last climb...

Dare i say its a try out for the Vuelta within the squad as their firepower blows out of the water every other team who have a couple of top names in each squad i recognise whereas Ineos i know all 7 of their riders and what they bring to the party. Whilst they didnt win the stage that Chavez took they controlled it even after Carapaz had the fault, dropped off then back to the front as a domestique to serve G and A Yates despite being a Giro grand tour winner himself


ps , i am going by TV coverage here on Eurosport and not referencing G's twitter and FB feed i follow

[Bigyin]

And again Ineos are looking like they did a few years ago in complete control of the day with the full team at the front of the peleton right till the last 20KM, never mind also holding the top 3 in GC.

My fave part of the coverage today was the descent at about 14Km from the end where one of the Movistar lads out in front was clocking 97 kph and passing the camera bike on a sweeping road with bends ...thats 60 mph on bends, barely pedalling, sat on the frame rail with chest on the bars wearing lycra and sunglasses

[weeksy]

Oh they're daft bugger alright when it comes to descending

The major entertainment today for me was watching the E3 HArelbeck, which in another year, another world, i'd have been there to see live with Crust today, so tinged with saddness, but DAMN what an epic race that was. I won't post any spoilers just in case, but was brilliant to watch.

[Bigyin]

And a 1,2,3 finish for Ineos at the Tour de Catalunya .... bit of a marker sent out to the other teams for the coming season.

However Ineos again show its all about the GC and the final victory and not the stage wins unless it suits them on the day on a mountain. They dont have a single recognized sprinter in the team and rely on the principle that there are more hills and corners than straights in tour racing

[weeksy]

Yeah, they did say they'd concentrate on other things than just Tour racing this year and they have tried with Piddcock and Kwia in the Milan San Remo for example, along with a few other races, but even watching Gent Wevelgem today they only had Dylan Van Barle who looked anything like trying really. The rest, were anonymous.

Speaking of which, a masterclass by Jumbo Visma and Wout Van Aert today in the G-WV. Disappointing from QuickStep for a change, they were not at the races today.

It really did make me miss the fact we never got to ride there. We've got an option for late Aug this year or indeed next March... So I do see me and Crust going there to play without doubt.