The professional cycling thread

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In the dry, yes.

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Carnage.

Splits everywhere.

Great day for Nibbles as it stands. Bad day for Contador.

Good stage this

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Great stage for Astana, congrats to Lars Boom too.

Enjoyed that, hard stage for hard bds

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jesusbuiltmycar said:

Exciting stage but not sure why the cobbles are part of the grand tour. Not really the correct surface for road bikes. If it is supposed to be about all round bike skills perhaps they should pay a visit to the BMX track, velodrome and do some Mountain bike trials next year...

Fair point - road racing has NO tradition of using cobbled surfaces, at all!

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Matt_N said:

Vocal Minority said:

Fair point - road racing has NO tradition of using cobbled surfaces, at all!

Cobbled classics, what cobbled classics?

I thought it was a great stage.

This is the trouble with the internet - I am not sure whether you sarcasm is in agreement with mine, or whether my sarcasm wasn't clear!

Either way, I thought it was great.

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Chicken Chaser said:

Do we reckon Nibali is riding clean? I have a bad feeling...

It seems to be a rite of passage for the maillot jaune these days.

Every year there is one group of fans (from one corner or another), who will say they leader is definitely doped.

The logic seems to be 'he's leading' therefore must be doped. Its a slightly odd logic as SOMEONE has to lead, but given the reputation of cycling and the fact many armchair fans want an opinion but don't want to think terribly hard about it (that isn't directed at you btw Chicken Chaser - just generally), the leader tends to get it.

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I agree, but I am not (and as a rule don't - when PED are the topic of conversation at least) passing comment on specific riders - just making an observation.

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And Wiggins in 2012.

BMWBen - I am sure you have your valid reasons, just observing a trend is all!

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Highway Star said:

Contract with Sky terminated with immediate effect. Just on the BBC TdF live radio feed.

OKgo called it....


With regards to the 90s, I am not convinced by the level playing field arguments. I once read a quote (can't remember who said it) that in the 60s, 70s and 80s etc, there were steroids and amphetamines etc etc, but it didn't matter so much because the right guy still won. However, EPO changed all that as EPO could turn a donkey into a racehorse. - not word for word, but something like that.

Also as the whole process got industrialised in the 90s - it was about how good your program was.

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Sky contract was in the offing (they may have been talking a while), being on the scheme may have been a requirement. He decides to risk it and hope for the best.

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That man is just a bunch of watermelons and coconuts poured into a person shaped container.

Absolutely ridiculous shape.

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Obviously all advertising or marketing works to some extent - companies wouldn't spend £millons on it if it didn't.

However, sponsorship of a cycling team is one of the few incidences when I consciously (as opposed to sub-consciously) take note of the product as a direct result of advertising (don't necessarily spend my money - but it has actively put the product on to 'my radar' so to speak.

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Hard as you like!

In other news - Kirienka out front again.

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Again?

Dear oh dear...

• hang on, Andy or Frank? Because if Andy is on the source...good god, just how bad is his form?

Edited by Vocal Minority on Wednesday 23 July 15:16

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Well that's what he has said today...could be a negotiation tool as much as anything! He is a capricious so n so at the best of time.

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Indeed. Endurance racing is rather different from sprints in several sports it seems

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Ken Sington said:

Didn't someone win the F1 world championship once without ever winning a GP?

Not sure, I think Rosberg and Hawthorn only won one in their winning seasons though.

Have to say the green jersey issue doesn't bother me.

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But what about stages like the Sheffield finish? Or stage 2 of last years tour? He can still be in contention at the finish when the likes of Kittel are losing ten minutes.

Surely he deserves credit for this? It places as big a part in it as the 5th/6th/7ths he picks up in intermediate sprints, if not more.

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Yep really great race from the girls this morning. Emma Pooley did a great turn at the front

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Interesting to note in his last TdF column on the BBC he said a Top 10 position might be possible if he was a protected rider, but admits Sky aren't in it for Top 10.

In other news - This is curious.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-28637575

I know the Italians have a habit of having big enquiries into everything up to and including dying of old age - but allegedly the family have evidence that Marco Pantani was murdered, and it is strong enough for the Police to at least re-open the case.

Curiouser and curiouser....

slightly more detailed: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycli...

Edited by Vocal Minority on Monday 4th August 16:07