The professional cycling thread

[Randy Winkman]

Some good film of Paris-Roubaix on Quest last night. (Perhaps it was on other channels but I just have freeview.)

Shame about the spectator crash though. Looked painful.

And some good pronunciation of "Paris-Roubaix".

[Gweeds]

Safe to say Lampaert wasn’t impressed. That was a hard landing on cobbles. Nasty. Lewis Askey also finished looking like he’d been through it.

Hell of a ride from Van Baarle. He’s had a great last 9 months and Ineos did a very solid job yesterday. It’s been a really poor Spring classics campaign for Quickstep though.

[ALawson]

Just watched the last 50km on Quest, unbelievable speed and good to see Ineos finally get a result on PR; great start for them in the spring classics.

[Katzenjammer]

Amazing average speed. Don’t know how similar the courses are each year but to beat some of the outstanding fast times of Mapei-GB, Cancellara, Van Avermaet etc is incredible.

Edited by Katzenjammer on Monday 18th April 20:34

[mooseracer]

ALawson said:

Just watched the last 50km on Quest, unbelievable speed and good to see Ineos finally get a result on PR; great start for them in the spring classics.

Edited - made my usual mistake of thinking Amstel Gold was a monument

Edited by mooseracer on Tuesday 19th April 08:28

[LM240]

Gweeds said:

Safe to say Lampaert wasn’t impressed. That was a hard landing on cobbles. Nasty. Lewis Askey also finished looking like he’d been through it.

Hell of a ride from Van Baarle. He’s had a great last 9 months and Ineos did a very solid job yesterday. It’s been a really poor Spring classics campaign for Quickstep though.

The average speed and power figures are mind blowing from Van Baarle. I can’t comprehend how it is achieved over that ground.

Dunno what’s happened to Quickstep this year. Tough to maintain their recent form all the time I guess. Hopefully Cavendish can notch up some stage wins this year (TdF fingers crossed).

[Mastodon2]

Hopefully Quickstep's torrid start to the year will convince Lefevre to select Cavendish for the TDF in order to get some stage wins under their belt and get a little closer to their yearly average wins.

I'm part way through watching Paris-Roubaix on GCN, I already know the results and I've seen the highlights, but this is a truly fantastic race.

[lauda]

Mastodon2 said:

Hopefully Quickstep's torrid start to the year will convince Lefevre to select Cavendish for the TDF in order to get some stage wins under their belt and get a little closer to their yearly average wins.

I'm part way through watching Paris-Roubaix on GCN, I already know the results and I've seen the highlights, but this is a truly fantastic race.

I don’t think it’s the performance of the sprinters that’s the problem. Jakobsen has had a strong start to the season. My head says that Cav won’t be at the Tour.

[LM240]

I have to admit, I thought Evenepoel might not be rider that the hype was suggesting. However, I’ll eat my helmet and accept that was very impressive today on L-B-L.

Perhaps one day races still the strong point rather than grand tour potential??

[ferrisbueller]

JA sounds bad.

[ALawson]

ferrisbueller said:

JA sounds bad.

https://twitter.com/benjinaesen/status/1518280164521779200?s=21&t=sT01mMlcGd3OyZt8lTP3Dw

[LM240]

ferrisbueller said:

JA sounds bad.

Yeah, nasty injuries. Hopefully he will fully recover, but I fear we may have seen peak JA now. That’s certainly it for this season I would suspect.

[Gweeds]

LM240 said:

I have to admit, I thought Evenepoel might not be rider that the hype was suggesting. However, I’ll eat my helmet and accept that was very impressive today on L-B-L.

Perhaps one day races still the strong point rather than grand tour potential??

That was some attack.

His ‘weakness’ seems to be the high mountains (and he hates gravel) so it could be that genuine GC ambitions in the 3 week tours are less likely (much like JA). He’s ridiculously aero though. I think he’s down to ride the Giro?

[lauda]

Sounds like Cav will be riding the Giro which makes an appearance at the Tour far less likely.

https://apple.news/AxIq831ooRs2qF8Dt_wyZoA

[DeejRC]

Nothing on the Giro? Nothing on the Missile being fired?

[Gargamel]

I was super impressed with Yates yesterday, really hard to gauge the pace for an 11k TT. I mean, I guess it’s balls out all the way, but even so, so of the averages 49 Kmh on your own. Deep respect.


Pretty sure Cav will be on the start line of the TDF too many good headlines for Quickstep if he takes another stage.

[craigthecoupe]

watching here! fantastic sprint for cav. quite a long range effort, so thrilled he pulled it off. hoping he gets his chance at the tour. who else in quickstep would be ripe for the spot?

[lauda]

craigthecoupe said:

watching here! fantastic sprint for cav. quite a long range effort, so thrilled he pulled it off. hoping he gets his chance at the tour. who else in quickstep would be ripe for the spot?

Fabio Jakobsen. Who has arguably had a better start to the season than Cavendish. I know I sound like a broken record, but I honestly don’t see Cav being at the Tour unless Jakobsen is injured.

Although I would be very happy to be proved wrong on that point.

[Gweeds]

If Cav completes the Giro then no TDF. My guess is they pull him halfway through (as Ewan is) as backup for the tour if FJ is ill or off form.

[Digger]

Superb today - if he gets a couple more wins & pulled early, surely that means he is destined for the TDF? Let’s not get carried away .