The professional cycling thread

[Driveline Shunt]

Don1 said:

It just grates, that's all. I actually really appreciate the correct pronunciation of names, it's the way he hits the Gan.... -.... (takes a breath) - Na. That and his very questionable man bulge about 'The Shark' who has done the square root of feck all for quite a few years.

I'd prefer the ITV team, that's all.

Loved your description, it grates with many people! He says Ganna the same way my gran said banana to me when I was five.. Can't see past Roglic for the red jersey, just hoping it's more of a competition than this year's Tour. I do need to get with the times & download podcasts, be good to get some insight from the ever brilliant ITV team.

[Johnny]

Fantastic win for Jakobsen today, in what was a pretty full on final few km!

[snotrag]

WORLD. CHAMPION.

Evie Richards absolutely destroyed the field today in Val Di Sole. More than a minute gap. Stunning. So, so happy for this result.







https://www.bbc.com/sport/cycling/58367683

Race available in Red Bull TV, great watch.

[ArnageWRC]

Yeah, absolutely!! No matter the result she always has a massive smile on her face, and just loves racing her bike. Her enthusiasm is so infectious....

[anonymous-user]

Tour of Britain starts tomorrow. Good field, some big names looking to get final form ahead of the Worlds on the 26th and there will be some good racing given the punchy parcours. Can’t skive off work to see it this year so I’ll be following it on ITV4 who are showing it live (and highlights)

Full details here…
https://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/stages/
https://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/race/teams/

[Johnny]

Yup, can’t wait!

[Highway Star]

pablo said:

Tour of Britain starts tomorrow. Good field, some big names looking to get final form ahead of the Worlds on the 26th and there will be some good racing given the punchy parcours. Can’t skive off work to see it this year so I’ll be following it on ITV4 who are showing it live (and highlights)

Full details here…
https://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/stages/
https://www.tourofbritain.co.uk/race/teams/

Thanks very much for sharing this, looking at the links I've realised that next Saturday's stage starts in my wife's hometown (well, the town nearest to the village she grew up in) in Scotland and by chance I'm going to be up there dropping my mother in law home - so I will definitely go down and see Cav, Van Aert and Alaphilippe on Hawick High Street and get a lorne sausage roll whilst I'm at it! The ToB came through her home village in the Borders in 2013 and we happened to be up there then to see it, so this is a huge coincidence!

[Randy Winkman]

I'm really looking forward to watching the highlights tonight at my parents house. We all love the west-country and have great memories of family holidays there in the 1970s. The only problem for me is explaining who Pippa York is to my father (who has alzheimers). I think Pippa is great by the way and am really pleased to see her giving expert views.

[Johnny]

Cracking ToB strange today. Loved it.

[Randy Winkman]

Johnny said:

Cracking ToB strange today. Loved it.

Yup. There are certainly some odd folk down in the west-country.

[Johnny]

Ahahaha. Valid typo right there!

[Mastodon2]

I'm just now catching up on the Vuelta, a great grand tour with some good action and amusing moments. It surprises me quite how much I've grown to enjoy Carlton Kirby's whimsical approach to commentary, although it is useful to have the likes of Sean Kelly and Brian Smith to call the action and tether Carlton to the task at hand. I wish Rob Hatch got more air time and Dan Lloyd, though they often only use him to fill lunch breaks, does a great job too.

Stage 20 with Angel Lopez doing a flounce was amusing. Spitting his dummy out because he lost his podium spot, unsporting in the extreme and just another example of why Movistar are like a joke act in the peloton. I hope they were filming this for another series of their documentary as it will make great viewing. I recall Lopez criticising Movistar in the past for doing "typically stupid" things, I wonder if the irony is lost on him.

[louiebaby]

Randy Winkman said:

Johnny said:

Cracking ToB strange today. Loved it.

Yup. There are certainly some odd folk down in the west-country.

(I mean you're not wrong, but still!)

[lauda]

Did anyone watch the extended highlights of stage 2 on GCN yesterday? Went from 1.5km to go straight to the finishing classification.

Then later showed some slo mo of the winner crossing the line, so it wasn’t like the cameras/coverage failed.

[thegreenhell]

lauda said:

Did anyone watch the extended highlights of stage 2 on GCN yesterday? Went from 1.5km to go straight to the finishing classification.

Then later showed some slo mo of the winner crossing the line, so it wasn’t like the cameras/coverage failed.

I watched it live on ITV4, but I watched the Vuelta highlights on Quest, which I think were provided by GCN, and the editing varied between poor and abysmal. ITV coverage is light years ahead.

[MagicHat]

Fancy going to see some of the last stage of the tour of Britain. Undecided on trying to catch them going up/down the climb at Cairn'o'mount or just to get them at stage finish. Any thoughts on what may be best?

[lauda]

thegreenhell said:

lauda said:

Did anyone watch the extended highlights of stage 2 on GCN yesterday? Went from 1.5km to go straight to the finishing classification.

Then later showed some slo mo of the winner crossing the line, so it wasn’t like the cameras/coverage failed.

I watched it live on ITV4, but I watched the Vuelta highlights on Quest, which I think were provided by GCN, and the editing varied between poor and abysmal. ITV coverage is light years ahead.

Thanks - I'll go with the ITV coverage tonight then I think.

[snobetter]

ITV also do right from the start (so managed to see myself at the first KOM yesterday, which I enjoyed more than a man of my age should...).

[johnpsanderson]

MagicHat said:

Fancy going to see some of the last stage of the tour of Britain. Undecided on trying to catch them going up/down the climb at Cairn'o'mount or just to get them at stage finish. Any thoughts on what may be best?

My experience of watching pro bike racing in person is that on the flat or a descent, they flash by and that’s it, you barely get chance to see who’s there. On an up hill you get marginally longer to actually see who’s in front of you, and if the race will be strung out by that point then you get a few minutes. The build up, with the publicity caravan (not sure if ToB) coming through etc and the overall atmosphere, is most of the fun I would say!

It must be good on some kind of alpine climb, where you can get a vantage point and actually see the race come up a valley and see the riders approaching from a few km away, but I’m yet to experience that and don’t suppose watching in the UK will be like that at all?

I expect the finish line will be packed, and that you’d be unlikely to see the actual finish happen but you at least may catch close glimpse of the riders after the finish round the team bus, etc.

I’d say, if you’ve never done it before either are an experience worth having but road cycling is definitely a sport that is made much more watchable by the TV camera!

[egor110]

I think the starts the best .

Get there early and you get the build up , you get all the riders warming up on the rollers outside there team buses etc .