I Belong To Glasgow: Pro Cycling 2023

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/fmk_roi/status/1617622620387803140?s=61&t=yBiUQKkrvMqvGLGKVF8TvA

[Levin]

These official UCI knitted goods are very nice. Even if they are unwearable with the bands.

I saw a Brompton with bands on yesterday. I did briefly wonder what the chances were that someone entitled to them would be cycling in London.

[longeared]

Peter Sagan is going to retire from road racing at the end of the season - he's going to carry on to the Paris Olympics next year to ride the mountain biking again, like he did in Rio. Three time world road champion, seven TdF green jerseys, loads of one day races all over the place including the time he bossed Roubaix and did an huge attack to win Flanders. A great entertainer in doing it, along with his dry answers to questions (although a lot of the Euro press wrote these off as "boring" - more fool them). Every race is a Peter Sagan race.

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/faustocoppi60/status/1619833053425340416?t=c3iyfsves2hf0bFjpED3gA&s=19

[Sits]

Jesus. And Jakobsen of all people. Whatever sanction was imposed on the woman at the Tour with the cardboard sign, this is far far worse.

[Sits]

Proper racing in Stage 1 of the Volta a la Communitat Valenciana, worth watching if you have the highlights available. And a cracking long range sprint win by (white text below):

GIRMAY

[ursus arctos]

The winner looked to be in excellent form on Malllorca and the team is having a week for the ages

[Sits]

He’s apparently said he’s hoping to get a monument this season. He was 5th in San Remo last year and that seems a good one for him.

Edit: no, he was 12th! But he was in the select group right back at the Cipressa.

Hmmm, I’m getting excited for the classics now.

I would link Cycling News’ countdown of all the women’s and men’s kits, which has Jayco-Allula men’s last and Groupama FDJ’s first. It’s quite entertaining - the reviews by Will Jones and Will Jones’ Mum - but it kept crashing my iPad.

[longeared]

Small teams winning races is often a feature of the early season - an hundred UCI points counts for the same whether won on the Med in January or at the Tour in July - and it's been the case again this year, EF have had some results, DSM got a bundle of wins last weekend. Intermarche's start has been particularly, um, impressive what with them getting results all over the place with a variety of riders. Let's see if it all lasts when we get into some more substantive races in March which are targets for Jumbo / UAE / Ineos / Soudal etc.

Cyclocross Worlds this weekend with no Vos or Pidcock defending their titles. Elite races are on the BBC for those in the UK, on a combination of the red button and iPlayer.

Understand the Women's Tour will be visiting Yorkshire on this year's running.

[Levin]

First races are on today at the CX Worlds, with the team relay on at 1230 (Dutch time I think)

[Levin]

Why is it so hard to find the live sport on the BBC site? Why isn't there a link on the iPlayer Sport page, or on the BBC sport Cycling page? There's an article about how it will be on the BBC there but I can't find the actual coverage.

Edit: I give up, back to streams it is.

[ursus arctos]

According to the UCI site, the BBC is only providing Red Button coverage of the Men's and Women's Elite races on the weekend.

[Levin]

Well that's on me then. "Coverage will be available on iPlayer, Red Button, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app. All times GMT and subject to late changes." I didn't read closely enough.

[Levin]

These Dutch kits suck. I mean, so does the British national kit but there's never been a good one of those

[Levin]

Are we looking at a non Dutch junior woman champion?

[Levin]

https://twitter.com/UCI_CX/status/1621877460441735170?t=hlssJH_XNS-kLxz6TJCC0g&s=19

[Sits]

Great shot.

Meanwhile Geoghan-Hart takes his first win since the 2020 Giro(!) in the Valenciana, aided by Arensman’s long solo break and Rodriguez’ uphill leadout. I really like this tour.

[longeared]

Took all of three and an half minutes for MVdP and WvA to break away from the rest of the men's field. Great drone shots chasing them through the wooded section. Huge crowd.

[Levin]

I'm a bit surprised by that the be honest. He's been second in the last few races they've done together.

Good second place in the U23 for Backstead

[ursus arctos]

Remarkable finale

Interesting observation from Friebe

[https://twitter.com/friebos/status/1622283763316101121?t=eOGNkcASWoJoxWxgQXih0Q&s=19

[ursus arctos]

Quite the summit finish in Algarve today

[Sits]

Sprinting is looking interesting so far with early wins for Kristoff, Bennett and Q36.5's Moschetti in the men's.

And Charlotte Kool drawing first blood over her former leadout beneficiary Wiebes is potentially exciting.

[ursus arctos]

Another absolute cracker in Algarve

[Sits]

You’ve got to love Magnus Cort.

Well you haven’t got to, but what an exciting rider.

[longeared]

Death, taxes and Tim Wellens winning races in February.

Eileen Sheridan died last weekend aged 99 and has got an obit in the Graun. Her achievements might sound a bit oddball by modern standards, but that was a function of the time because there was literally nothing else available to her other than attempting distance records, there was no real road racing or anything for her to aim at. There's no knowing what she might have achieved had she been able to compete in an actual race programme.