I Belong To Glasgow: Pro Cycling 2023

[longeared]

ffs

[Sits]

Good win by Zana close to home, and some GC action.

Probably enough about Pinot’s heartbreak from the GCN commentary team now.

[Sits]

Could it be that the Dolomites look even better than a year ago? It was a hgh bar but wow.

[longeared]

Careful now, you'll have the Dolomite Police after you.

Watching the opening stage of Ride London Classique, which has telly coverage this year give them a clap. Fair to say the scenery is a bit different to Italy, lots of verdant fields and narrow farm lanes in Essex on a bright and clear early summer's day. A group clipped off the front with about 25k left and have been holding a 30 second or so lead for a while. Most of the big names in the race are in this group - Kool, Copponi, Dygert, Deignan.

[longeared]

DSM controlled the final couple of k, Georgi brought Kool to the front and began the lead out, then when she faded Kool jumped on Copponi's wheel and came round comfortably for the win. Trek rider got third, not sure if that was Deignan or Lauretta Hanson.

[ad hoc]

Ffs

Once we get to the sharp end of the stage another fucking storm and the signal's gone again

[ad hoc]

OK I'm back and find myself hoping Bahrain can catch and pass Israel. Feels all a bit dirty

[ad hoc]

It's quite confusing having a rider called Gee near the front of the race two days in a row because Romanian commentators also refer to Thomas as "G" (Contador does this too, so it must be an established thing)

[Ray de Galles]

It's thrown me at times too. Though, as an aside, almost everyone refers to Geraint as G - at least occasionally.

I always suspect it's because they bizarrely struggle with pronouncing his forename.

That said, he's adopted the nickname himself.

[Ray de Galles]

I didn't like that last 100m for Geraint, it leaves me very nervy for tomorrow,

[ad hoc]

Just watched Contador's recon of tomorrow's time trial stage. Holy fuck

[longeared]

I'm particularly grateful that Kirby isn't on this race (full stop) as he'd make some remarks about Gee and G and then labour it into a tortuous analogy about horses. That said it does get right on my wick when media types refer to Thomas as G - it sounds way too matey.

Almeida is not going to get that time back tomorrow so it fundamentally becomes a two horse race now. It's quite long, about 40 minutes, the first third flat and then the rest uphill on what looks like a ramp test. On the face of it you'd say that is favourable towards Rog, he's won Vueltas in the past and they regularly feature these silly sort of climbs. I can't ever really remember Thomas doing climbs like this in a race, though that's not to say he can't manage it. The big negative for Rog is that he has a very mixed record in late Grand Tour TTs - he famously blew it on the Planche in the 2020 Tour, but he flopped similarly in Biarritz a couple of years prior.

[ursus arctos]

Here is that profile

[San Bernardhinault]

Jesus. So that's more than 7km at an average above 12%, and it's tapering at the end. You have a tiny warm up and then mash it straight uphill. That's just rotten. At least nobody gets any team to help them out and break their competitors.

[Sits]

I’m guessing bike and helmet changes at the bottom of the climb?

[ursus arctos]

Thomas' DS says definitely yes

Roglic's says that they have yet to decide

[Sits]

I didn't like that last 100m for Geraint, it leaves me very nervy for tomorrow,

I feel (hope) the two of them are very closely matched. I think Rog really had to strain to get that last effort out, and he wore a very pained expression after the finish. Either way, I’m just glad that Thomas didn’t only follow but took the fight to the others.

[delicatemoth]

Christ I'm in a bad mood. Feel like a mug for being invested in this sport that treats people like me with such contempt. Anyway, my wishlist today is race-ending crashes for all British riders and Jens Voigt permanently losing his voice. Go on mountain, fuck 'em up.

[ursus arctos]

This coverage is maddening.

They showed the first two thirds of the field, but have been prattling on for the last 45 minutes

[Billy Casper]

Adam Blythe gets on my nerves more than Bigjens. Robbie McEwen is really good though.

Anyone else feeling really nervous?

[ursus arctos]

I do admire their embrace of regional accents

Even Hatch is allowing himself to sound more Lancastrian on occasion

I have absolutely no idea what is going to happen today

[ursus arctos]

Much of today's stage is on the wonderful Cicliovia Alpe Adria, which goes from Salzburg to Grado (a lovely beach town on the Adriatic between Venice and Trieste, near Duino)

Highly recommended

https://www.alpe-adria-radweg.at/en/

[longeared]

Entertainingly leisurely bike and helmet change from Thomas (being careful on those twitchy Pinarello frames no doubt)

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

This stage is just bonkers. I wouldn't drive up that road.

[delicatemoth]

OK, my mood has settled and I repeal my badminding from earlier. I've run my errands and am watching two hours behind. Just seen Pronskiy finish, I've enjoyed his efforts this Giro but the commentators have sadly failed to observe that "Pronskiy's beat" on any of the occasions he's been dropped from the break.