Giro D'Italia, who'll be wearing pink in the first grand tour?

[weeksy]

I think Bernal has this one romped based upon both him and the team currently. I can't see anyone getting close to INEOS at the moment, let alone close to Bernal. I think he's got slightly lucky here with the fact that Roglic, Pogacar etc are not here, but that doesn't mean he's got a weak Giro, there's still plenty of fast guys... but they're not quite the cream of the current crop.

[weeksy]

[chutzpah]

Trying to avoid a spoiler as it's fresh, although I'll assume if you're reading this you've already seen/heard

I'll hand it to him, that was an impressive one today.

[weeksy]

I take it as a given that on here if you've opened this thread you're ok seeing today's result. Impressive teamwork and a fine finish from Sagan. He's not quite as flamboyant as he once was, but top job today.

[chutzpah]

I don't disagree but at the same time it was pretty swift after the stage :-p I did have the wherewithal not to tag you in case you absentmindedly clicked it, then went for belts and braces just in case

A few years back I got a load of free Science In Sport stuff once after they emailed out....

"Congratulations to Team Sky and Chris Froome for taking yellow in the Tour de France"

...about two minutes after a key stage ended. This was to their general marketing mailing list, not some special "race results" mailing list.

I could avoid social media, news sites etc etc, but I couldn't avoid a push notification to my phone and there was a genuine "oh ffs!" moment as I looked at my phone when I was hoping to avoid the result until I got home from work.

They were good sports sending me quite a lot of stuff as an apology after my whinge back to their marketing team.

[chutzpah]

Confirms this

a) wasn't a bad shift
b) it wasn't through lack of strident opposition

[weeksy]

That's about the same as Ewan the other day

[Bigyin]

Confirms this

a) wasn't a bad shift
b) it wasn't through lack of strident opposition

45 mph on a push bike, on the flat

[weeksy]

it's impossible to even relate to isn't it... Sometimes they look like they're barely trying, but they're doing 60kph at the time !

[weeksy]

[chutzpah]

Confirms this

a) wasn't a bad shift
b) it wasn't through lack of strident opposition

45 mph on a push bike, on the flat

I've hit 30mph on a dead flat for a time.

But that is without doing 25mph+ for a few hours before, then having a ramp up to 30+ for a few km and then unleashing my deadly sprint....

Oh, and having done several similar rides over the last week.

You can see why in a grand tour they only have so many 'matches', and once they burned they're burned....

I remember a friend once telling me excitedly "that bike race is coming right by my house!" with a picture of the 1km to go barrier of a flat stage. "How much action am I going to see?"

My response? About a second or two

[lostboy]

When the TDF came over in 1994 we were fortunate enough to live inside the "loop" stage that started and finished in Portsmouth. We got on the bikes (VFR750 at the time) and picked all the strategic spots we wanted to ride to in order to see them pass - knowing we'd never have to cross the roads being used so could really get ahead. It was absolutely mental how quickly they covered the ground - we were obviously "cutting the corners" and were on motorbikes, able to pass any traffic, but even then we were still struggling to get our gear on, get to the next stop, get helmets off and cameras ready etc. before they were by us (as you say - in seconds!). Incredible experience.

Having ridden most of the roads they used that day (and a lot of stages in France) it always astounds me how they treat hills that us mortals view as a real effort with complete and utter contempt.

[chutzpah]

Having ridden most of the roads they used that day (and a lot of stages in France) it always astounds me how they treat hills that us mortals view as a real effort with complete and utter contempt.

Yes a few years back two of the big hills on my former commute was the midway point of a Tour of Britain stage.

I could go up the majority of the climb at 12/13mph if I was really going for it, but 9mph was 'comfortable'.

Andre Griepel went up it at 18mph according to Strava, and my overriding memory was the bunch chatting as they went past us all. At 12mph I wouldn't have been chatting to you

[lostboy]

And he's a sprinter!!

[weeksy]

And he's a sprinter!!

According to Magnus, Cav is right in the top few up box hill from a time they were messing about for GCN interview and not really trying full on.

[lostboy]

And he's a sprinter!!

According to Magnus, Cav is right in the top few up box hill from a time they were messing about for GCN interview and not really trying full on.

Cav is famous for telling pro-wannabes and Cat 1 "pro slayer" keyboard warriors that on any given stage of any given race they'd last about as long as the neutralised zone.

I've always been amused by the power meter devotees saying that "they'd be fine as a domestique. Well why aren't you there then?

[weeksy]

As I predicted, Remco has gone pop. Although I didn't think it'd be today I admit

[chutzpah]

He didn't look comfortable on that terrain for sure. And proper Movistar style team strife playing out on the roads between him and Jai.... Oh to be in the debrief....

[Bigyin]

Cav is famous for telling pro-wannabes and Cat 1 "pro slayer" keyboard warriors that on any given stage of any given race they'd last about as long as the neutralised zone.

I've always been amused by the power meter devotees saying that "they'd be fine as a domestique. Well why aren't you there then?

I see a local guy out in all weathers in full almost skin suit and often on a TT bike smashing out miles. Always waves to me when i am doing road miles on my MTB but passed me a few weeks ago on a long open road and put time into me effortlessly despite me trying my hardest just to keep him in sight for that mile as i knew it was pointless but played the "how long can i keep him in sight" and was blowing out my arse. Yes i am on a shagged MTB with off road tyres and he is on a carbon road bike on skinny but even he, as one of the local fast road cyclists, is a few divisions down from even a UK based pro team, never mind a UCI lower ranked team.

Superb riding from Bernal again today and most of the damage done without his domestiques to ride for him at the end

[weeksy]