Lappartient's is a virtue? Pro Cycling 2018

[longeared]

There's cycling on the telly. I haven't even got up yet. Also Yorkshire is not in the fucking north east, ITV4 continuity announcer.

[Me Old Flower]

Weather looks great today. I used to cycle the Wolds roads so it'll be nice to see places like South Dalton resplendent in the sunshine.

[Me Old Flower]

...although South Dalton looks less resplendent when a motorbike collides with one of the riders.

[longeared]

That was bad positioning from the motorbike given the way its front wheel protruded into the road at a point where everyone was funnelling to avoid the puddle. Suspect the organisers will be screaming "do not fucking do that when Cavendish goes through there".

This race is always a bit weird because most bike races I watch are from Belgian farm tracks or obscure French provincial towns or Italian mountains whereas here you get Walkington duck pond and pubs I've drunk in and West Yorkshire PTE bus stops. With which I'm off to Donny for the sprint.

[Me Old Flower]

Kirsten Wild takes her second win in Doncaster in the sprint finish. Her first victory there was in 2016.

[longeared]

Back from Donny, a colourful and well staged event in the sunshine. Kirsten Wild coming up the near side to repeat her 2016 win in the same place.



There was a roundabout with about 800m left which was poorly signalled, one motorbike went left and another right, and riders followed each which disrupted the leadouts. Heard Diederiksen after telling Will Fotheringham of the Grauniad "we lost several places following the wrong bike". Dani Rowe took the sprint jersey and thanked her GB team mates. Also got a Sunweb bottle which contains some orange / lemon combination.

Don't think the men's race is going to be terribly exciting, but the crowds look impressive again. Still no sign of the novelty wearing off.

[longeared]

Peloton is cutting the catch fine - 10k to go and the five man break has 1:11. Most of them are Conti-level British riders so that has to be factored in, but they've got a chance and the sprint teams might have to work harder than expected.

[longeared]

35 seconds with 3k to go, the break is going to stick so long as they don't look at each other.

[longeared]

Harry Tanfield took the win. First ever British male victory in this race. The break stuck (how often have we said that this season?) Incredible.

[Me Old Flower]

I don't think I've shouted so much at the TV in a long time. Chapeau, Harry.

[Me Old Flower]

Stage 2 today which means Barnsley to Ilkley. A couple of moderate climbs along the way, but it will be mostly about the Cow and Calf summit finish.

Mum and dad may grace the race with an appearance at Cawthorne.

[longeared]

Nice view of them going through Wentworth there followed by the land art in front of the big house.

[longeared]

That's not Thrybergh reservoir.

[ursus arctos]

Megan Guarnier wins both the stage and the overall at Cow and Calf.

Boels Dolmans are making Quick Step look like also rans

[longeared]

Terrific day at the Tour de Yorkshire, went to Barnsley for the start and loitered around the team buses to see all the top riders and Cav high fiving Adam Blythe's kid. Then to 400m from the line on the Cow and Calf, on the steep ramp where the front men duelled and Coquard came past and did a wheelie. Plus a bonus of seeing the riders descend back to Ilkley where the buses were, somewhere. Now I'm in Ilkley myself and enjoying a pint outside a Guide pub in lovely evening sunshine.

[Me Old Flower]

The weather really brightened up for the men's race after an overcast start, and very enjoyable end to the race. Voted for Rossetto in the combativity competition but I think it went to One Pro's Tom Baylis.

Enjoy your evening, longeared.

[Me Old Flower]

Sylvain Chavanel attempted a late break on stage 3 of the Tour de Yorkshire before he was caught in the final kilometre. Sunweb's Max Walscheid took the win in a massed sprint for the line. Huge crowds and incredible support which made me feel just a little bit homesick.

[longeared]

Excellent multi-faceted final stage in Yorkshire. Stephane Rossetto went in the early move out of Hebden Bridge, dropped his last companion on the way out of Kettlewell and rode the last 115k solo to take the stage. Lots of moves and tactical plans behind saw Cort Nielsen dropped on that horrible climb out of Otley, BMC bossed it all the way and van Avermaet won the race overall.

Best edition of the race there's been so far, admittedly helped by the unusually summery weather but it's the first time there's been a cohesive contest for the overall - in the first year the GC was decided on the opening stage then the last couple of years there were a pair of sprints then an effective one day race on the final stage for the blue jersey. Only thing they really should do is shift the women's race to Friday / Saturday so they get the weekend crowds which still show no signs of dropping off. Long may it all continue.

[Billy Casper]

I went with my dad to Sutton Bank yesterday. We parked in Thirsk and then rode our bikes to the bottom and walked up (I'd already been for a ride that morning* and my dad is 76). Anyway, he wore his King of the Mountains shirt which prompted a cyclist riding past to comment "King of the Mountains? More like older than the mountains." Which was perhaps the best part of the day. Nice weather and a good crowd but the riders weren't really riding.

*So I had an excuse to not attempt it.

[ursus arctos]

Cycling News is reporting that Sky have decided to add Bernal for le Tour.

[longeared]

Good old Cycling News, nabbing a report from elsewhere (Marca) without acknowledging it. Again.

Given that Sky have used up Poels and Henao on the Giro they did look potentially a climber light for the Tour, other than Thomas and Kwiatkowski they look short on top level mountain domestiques. Does seem a bit of a risk careerwise, he's only 21, he's riding in support (in an eight man team) of someone going for GC, they're unlikely to pull him out on the second rest day saying that "it's been a good experience". It could all burn him up quickly.

Do have a sense that, unless the case is closed, ASO are going to explore every possible option to prevent Froome from riding the Tour, so if that happens it changes this selection considerably.

[Kevin S]

Get the feeling this really isn't going to be Sky's year. Oh well.

Yates for the World Championship, by the way? S Yates / A Yates 1-2?

[Levin]

A lovely gallery of French publicity caravan vehicles

[Kevin S]

Get the feeling this really isn't going to be Sky's year. Oh well.

Yates for the World Championship, by the way? S Yates / A Yates 1-2?

This post has aged well.

[ursus arctos]

Oh man.

Those miniature caravan vehicles are tempting.