All roads lead to Aigle: Pro Cycling 2020

[ursus arctos]

The consensus seems to be that the bidon was one of several shaken lose from their cages as the peloton went over a covered culvert at speed.

[longeared]

Right, watched it now. It's nice that the sport is becoming more popular in the UK but I'd rather that the news didn't broadcast that Thomas had lost 12 minutes when I'm trying not to find out the result. Yates losing that time is more of a surprise, especially given the form he showed in Tirreno. Probably a good thing for him that he's got that new Mitchelton contract signed already. Early opportunity to identify who the strongest riders are in this race though, so come on Nibali, come on everyone but Fuglsang.

Liked Caicedo's position on the bike where he was sat in such a way I thought he might take a bite out of his handlebars. Served the team and the increasingly tiresome Vaughters right though that he missed out on pink after that publicity stunt over getting fined over the new jerseys. Interestingly I notice they haven't yet announced any new signings for next season.

[ad hoc]

Interestingly I notice they haven't yet announced any new signings for next season.

EF are part of my professional world (the company not the cycling team) and the whole industry has been massively badly hit by Covid. I'd hazard a guess that they may well be needing a new sponsor next year

[The Red Max]

No surprise - Thomas is out of the Giro.

https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1313418727489040386

[longeared]

Fractured pelvis is usually 6-8 weeks out, so that's his season over as well.

[Ray de Galles]

Of course, Geraint rode the entire 2013 Tour in support of Froome with a fractured pelvis after a crash on the opening day. No sense at all in doing it again, mind.

[Janik]

Awful sounding crash today, caused by a helicopter(!), has left one rider with a broken back! Jesus...

[Ray de Galles]

I saw the aftermath of that an wondered what on earth had gone on :

Italy's Luca Wackermann was taken to hospital after a helicopter "flying too low" caused a crash near the end of stage four of the Giro d'Italia.

Vini Zabu-KTM's Wackermann and Etienne van Empel both fell in the incident.

Dutch rider Van Empel was able to get back up but his teammate was less fortunate.

"Wackermann was sent to the hospital, he was barely conscious," team boss Andrea Citracca told Italian TV station RAI2.

"The helicopter was flying too low, the movement of the air blew up the barriers. It is not clear if he has broken his pelvis. The barriers were not tied properly."

Vini Zabu-KTM later confirmed that Wackermann had abandoned the race with a broken nose and has a suspected broken back, along with multiple cuts and bruises.

[longeared]

Same thing happened in a race in China a few years back - helicopter flew too low, blew the barriers down and a Lotto rider got taken out of the race. I don't know enough about helicopter design to know if this is coincedence, but the copters on Italian races generally always seem very noisy.

[longeared]

Alaphilippe wins Brabantse Pijl, though nearly managed a repeat of Sunday by raising his arms too early and MVdP almost caught him on the bike throw - the eventual winning margin was less than half a wheel.

[Ray de Galles]

Perhaps a silly question, having heard a lot of references to taller than average riders in commentary on the grad tours in recent weeks, who is the tallest rider to have had a significantly successful career?

[ursus arctos]

Wiggins is 6'3" (190.cm) Froome is 6'1"(186 cm).

Time trial specialists are often taller than the average rider

[Ray de Galles]

Astonishing finish from Demare. After looking out of it with a couple of hundred metres left he appeared from nowhere and cruised over the line.

[Ray de Galles]

Wiggins is 6'3" (190.cm) Froome is 6'1"(186 cm).

Time trial specialists are often taller than the.a stage rider

Ah, interesting. Who would have been the tallest TT specialist?

[ursus arctos]

Probably Wiggins. Tony Martin and Cancellara are both 6'1"

Connor Dunne is 204 cm (6'8+), but was rather freakish in that respect.

Climbing specialists (particularly Colombians) are often 5'9" or less. Quintana is 5'6"

[Ray de Galles]

Christ, 6' 8"! I'd not heard of him, thanks.

[ursus arctos]

Former Irish National Champion and Grand Tour rider for Aqua Blue, recently retired to join GCN as a commentator.

He and Larry Warbasse did the "No Go Tour" after Aqua Blue collapsed, which was really interesting
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/l...m-folds-406564

[Ray de Galles]

Yes, I looked him up. I liked the bit where he turned his back garden in to a velodrome during lockdown too :

[Ray de Galles]

Paris-Roubaix is off :

https://twitter.com/paris_roubaix/status/1314490793210515456?s=21

[longeared]

Paris - Roubaix has been cancelled, not really a surprise that. There'd been some talk in the week of trying to run it with no spectators but that would have been challenging amidst the network of farm tracks. Only six months to the next edition so hopefully things will be in a position to hold the race by then. Means that the classics will end a few days earlier than planned with De Panne - women's race on Tuesday week, men on Wednesday.

(Edit; beaten to it by Ray)

[ursus arctos]

They could actually run three days of De Panne now

[Ray de Galles]

An absolutely untroubled finish from Demare again, nobody really anywhere near challenging him.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Yates is out of the Giro after testing positive. For Covid-19, not anything Armstrongy. Hope he's okay.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Manfredonia looks like the sort of place I could happily spend a week on holiday. (Checks if you can still fly Liverpool to Bari)

[ursus arctos]

The Gargano Peninsula is really quite lovely, and not very touristed