Roglic's Revenge: Pro Cycling 2021

[longeared]

Alaphilippe gets mugged on the line in Liege by a Slovenian for a second consecutive season, though at least he didn't weave all over the place or stick his arms in the air this time.

[Sits]

And a great support job by Anna van der Breggen helps her young teammate Demi Vollering to the women’s race ahead of AVV. To say Vollering was pleased would be an understatement.

[ursus arctos]

Very sobering piece

https://twitter.com/Cyclingnewsfeed/status/1388146681976434688

[Sits]

Sad and sobering.

[delicatemoth]

So, yesterday delivered the entertaining sight of Geraint Thomas falling over in sight of the line, but this ITT should offer enough for him to take the GC lead.

[Ray de Galles]

G made light of it after someone on Twitter mocked this up :

[INSTA]https://www.instagram.com/p/COV3ZcWjDqe/?igshid=wppyhz0rztas [/INSTA]

[Ray de Galles]

Did that Instagram tag work above?

Both times I've had time to sit down and watch Romandy it's been a time trial which is a little bit annoying.

[Levin]

[INSTA]https://www.instagram.com/p/COV3ZcWjDqe/[/INSTA]


[ig]COV3ZcWjDqe[/ig]

Ray de Galles no, the tag didn't work.

[longeared]

The always entertaining Dans La Musette did the original.

https://twitter.com/DansLaMusette/status/1388508843311837185

Not been following the race at all save for a periodic look at the results sheet. Would have been the Tour de Yorkshire this weekend, so good to see the weather for it has been rubbish as usual.

[Sits]

Assuming the Grand Tours don’t get their own thread, who do we fancy for the Giro? Simon Yates looks good.

[longeared]

It's the Giro so fuck knows really, but I like the look of Joao Almeida, he's improved since last year and got a strong team to back him up. Evenepoel is notionally leader there but that seems a brave (distracting?) call for someone who hasn't raced a Grand Tour before and hasn't even started a race since heavily crashing out of Lombardia last August.

[Levin]

Is the Giro on UK TV?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

It's live on Eurosport if you get that and somewhat randomly also on S4C, which I think is on freeview somewhere up between the Fishing channel and QVC. I don't know if on the latter the commentary will be in Welsh?

[longeared]

There's free to air highlights on Quest at 7pm every night, although no-one seems to be publicising it.

[Sits]

We’re fortunate here; if SBS are to be believed they have every stage live.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

I've finally worked out who Sean Kelly's nasal and oddly monotonal voice reminds me of. It's the lead alien out of Galaxy Quest.

[delicatemoth]

I love watching Ganna TT.

[Ray de Galles]

It's live on Eurosport if you get that and somewhat randomly also on S4C, which I think is on freeview somewhere up between the Fishing channel and QVC. I don't know if on the latter the commentary will be in Welsh?

S4C have had coverage of the Tour de France and Spring Classics since 2014 and added live Giro coverage in 2019, not quite sure that's any more "random" than other national broadcasters covering those races.

Of course the commentary is in Welsh, the whole channel is.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Ray deG I meant "random"in the sense that S4C are covering this one but neither Channel 4 nor ITV4 seem to be. Good on them!

[longeared]

Enjoyed the peloton sprinting for the wrong banner at the first intermediate sprint.

[ursus arctos]

Merlier is having quite the season for a Pro Conti rider

[Sits]

And how abut that? A breakaway makes it. First GT win for Van der Hoorn and Wanty.

I’m tending to head off to bed while the breaks are still well up the road. Last night the eight were about five minutes ahead and the last thing I googled was “how often do breakaways win?” and learned a lot about the amount of drag that’s saved inside the peloton. I had no idea how much it was, I thought it was maybe a few percent saved. As it turns out some of them are practically coasting.

[Sits]

A lot of problems with the live feed here. Not sure if that’s a global thing.

[longeared]

It was absolutely pissing it down earlier which I assume is making broadcasting it challenging.

Enjoyed van der Hoorn hanging on yesterday, also knew when to drop Pellaud (who wasted too much energy earlier on) and go to the finish. Impressed with Lars van der Berg in the break, I know this race is not a priority for Groupama FDJ but that was a strong ride for a rider in their debut season as a pro.

[San Bernardhinault]

I’m tending to head off to bed while the breaks are still well up the road. Last night the eight were about five minutes ahead and the last thing I googled was “how often do breakaways win?” and learned a lot about the amount of drag that’s saved inside the peloton. I had no idea how much it was, I thought it was maybe a few percent saved. As it turns out some of them are practically coasting.

That is incredible, although believable as someone who knows the difference between being first, second and fifth in a pace-line.

I think wind resistance is also an exponential increase with speed because you have a surface area of cyclist pushing a volume of air. Which is why the difference between 10 and 15mph feels like much less than the difference between 20 and 25mph. So hiding in the peloton at low speeds is neither here nor there, but hiding in it when it's moving fast offers incredible benefits.