2018 Pro Cycling: Team Sky Goes Postal, the Chris Froome Saga (Plus TdF)

[G650 14273]

Valverde is still amazing in case anyone was wondering

[G650 14273]

And Sagan gets the monkey off his back.

[Mr. Drummond 2199]

G650 where you watching do you have fuboTV

[G650 14273]

Yeah, I got Fubo for the classics season at least.

[G650 14273]

Gnarly crash in Flanders

[Txzen 498]

Dunno, I don't think anything was a sickening as Cav's crash in MSR. Left his shoe on the goddamn traffic furniture. (and I haven't figured out how to imbed a video yet. . . )

Ugly

 

Edited April 4, 2018 by Txzen

[Captain Ron 12892]

I got you Zen:

 

[idigTexas 2289]

It seems irresponsible for race organizers to not do a better job of helping riders avoid such things.  The rider in front of Cavendish barely avoided it.  I've been led into potholes, rocks, and other debris, but nothing like that. 

[G650 14273]

Yeah, that crash from Cav was holy shit inducing. I was on the trainer watching when it happened and sat bolt upright and gasped.

 

Also, I hate wind. Just in case anyone was wondering. Was blowing like 20 here for my morning ride.

[Captain Ron 12892]

I absolutely need to get on my bike. I have been on it ONCE since October.  UGH. Winter here in Boston can really blow.

Edited April 4, 2018 by Captain Ron

[G650 14273]

1 minute ago, Captain Ron said:

I absolutely need to get on my bike. I have been on it ONCE since October.  UGH. Winter here in Boston can really blow.

I hear you. I actually broke down this year and shelled out cash on legit winter gear and said I'm going out no matter what. Of course that didn't start till January, so I'm just now getting some reasonable fitness.

[52-80 19224]

4/10 for the landing.  is Cav's bike okay?

 

I restocked winter gear this year, new wheelset, upgraded disc calipers, new crankset, new tires, yadda yadda, loaded up the CX bike.... rode it once lulz

Havent been back on since.  Extended winter.  Life got in the way.

Got a nice 10-15L bag though for an overnight trip.  Will do that in upcoming months once ive got my legs back

[G650 14273]

4 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

4/10 for the landing.  is Cav's bike okay?

 

I restocked winter gear this year, new wheelset, upgraded disc calipers, new crankset, new tires, yadda yadda, loaded up the CX bike.... rode it once lulz

Havent been back on since.  Extended winter.  Life got in the way.

Got a nice 10-15L bag though for an overnight trip.  Will do that in upcoming months once ive got my legs back

Ya, I got a new set of HED Ardennes, just to make sure I've got some bomb proof wheels. Finally went 25mm too, can't believe it took me this long.

[52-80 19224]

Just now, G650 said:

Ya, I got a new set of HED Ardennes, just to make sure I've got some bomb proof wheels. Finally went 25mm too, can't believe it took me this long.

#teamgirth

[idigTexas 2289]

One of the best things about living in Austin is being able to ride year round.  I'll take 35-45 degrees over 95-105 any day.  I thought I was done with winter gear for the foreseeable future, but looks like I may need it again this weekend. 

Edited April 4, 2018 by idigTexas

[G650 14273]

2 minutes ago, idigTexas said:

I'll take 35-45 degrees over 95-105 any day. 

You cray man. 45? Yeah, I can dig that. 35 is a beating. I've got the gear, but it sucks being that bundled trying to bike. I'd much rather be in bibs and a summer sleeveless in 100. Then again, I don't mind rolling sweat.

[G650 14273]

So who's everyone got for Paris Roubaix?

[idigTexas 2289]

I'm build more like a tight end or linebacker than a cyclist, so heat is my kryptonite. 

[G650 14273]

Just now, idigTexas said:

I'm build more like a tight end or linebacker than a cyclist, so heat is my kryptonite. 

I can see your point. I'm a stick.

[idigTexas 2289]

11 minutes ago, G650 said:

So who's everyone got for Paris Roubaix?

Terpstra is in great form, and is the obvious favorite.  I'll be pulling for Sagan, but that big target on his back makes it hard for him to be sneaky, which he typically needs.  Thus, I expect the actual winner to be someone that no one is predicting. 

[G650 14273]

It's pretty disheartening to watch everyone just mark Sagan. They were marking him for like the 5th place sprint at Flanders. wtf. He was very, very comfortable all day, and easily would have won a sprint imo, but there's no way he could get away, and he isn't a guy who is going to solo a TT for many km's to go chase down a powerhouse like Terpstra.

[idigTexas 2289]

Yep.  And because Sagan isn't a specialist, he doesn't really figure into team strategy.  Teams want him because of the attention he brings, but they don't develop a plan to help him or expect him to do much work for a GC contender in multi-stage races.  He's essentially a solo racer, and his team is anyone who will share the work.  It makes it all the more amazing when he wins.

[G650 14273]

His ability to create out of nothing is unparalleled. Plus, he is just a hell of a lot of fun.

[G650 14273]

Someone talk me down from buying another race geometry bike. I really want to get a BMC Roadmachine, but I can't get over the mental hump of buying even the slightest relaxed geometry. I'll probably end up with another Ridley. I'm also an idoit.

[idigTexas 2289]

You always have room for n+1 bicycles, with n equaling the number you currently have.  It's your vanity telling you to get another pure racer.  You may eventually reach a point where you can ignore it, but there's no harm in listening to it.  Zoom zoom.

[G650 14273]

11 minutes ago, idigTexas said:

  It's your vanity telling you to get another pure racer. 

Of course it is.

I had someone once tell me the perfect number of bikes is S-1, where S is the number that causes your wife to leave you and you end up single.

[idigTexas 2289]

So win win!

[Mr. Drummond 2199]

I'll go Philippe Gilbert for Paris Roubaix to be different - though picking someone from quick step isn't exactly going out on a limb.

[G650 14273]

6 hours ago, Mr. Drummond said:

I'll go Philippe Gilbert for Paris Roubaix to be different - though picking someone from quick step isn't exactly going out on a limb.

The wolfpack finna eat

[WgnBrnr 17]

Wout Van Aert for the win! 

[G650 14273]

3 hours ago, WgnBrnr said:

Wout Van Aert for the win! 

I love that guy.

[G650 14273]

Got in the Paris Roubaix spirit this morning, went for a ride at 430 in the sleet and rain and wind. 

[G650 14273]

Fucking rad race

 

Sorry for poor english

where were you when quick step is kill

i was eating cheese dumpling when Sagan call

"kwiato eats dicks"

"yes"

Edited April 8, 2018 by G650

[WgnBrnr 17]

Peter the QS slayer!!!!! Well done!!!!!

[52-80 19224]

On 4/5/2018 at 6:50 PM, G650 said:

Someone talk me down from buying another race geometry bike. I really want to get a BMC Roadmachine, but I can't get over the mental hump of buying even the slightest relaxed geometry. I'll probably end up with another Ridley. I'm also an idoit.

Canyon aeroad

[G650 14273]

4 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Canyon aeroad

Not a big Canyon fan unfortunately, mostly from an aesthetic viewpoint.

 

I have finally gotten over the hump though mentally, ordered the Roadmachine Friday. BMC have made practically the perfect bike for doing it all, just one miniscule tick away from racing geometry. Be the first non Ridley I've bought in a decade.

 

I'm still cold from riding in the sleet this morning, fuck spring needs to get here.

[G650 14273]

Damn, Michael Gooalerts didn't survive his cardiac. So shitty

[idigTexas 2289]

That really sucks about Gooalerts. 

Glad to see Sagan get it done.  He's built for these one-day races. 

[Mr. Drummond 2199]

Just finally got to watch the replay of Paris Roubaix - every time i hear Sagan speak it cracks me up.    Seems like he is doing a fake voice.

[Captain Ron 12892]

Do any of you guys read the WSJ? Jason Gay had an article up this weekend about his TV choice for Sunday. Good stuff:

 

Roubaix

Golf is fun, but on Sunday morning, cycling offers a rock fight for the ages

 

 

The peloton rides over the cobblestones during the Paris-Roubaix in 2017. PHOTO: PANORAMIC/ZUMA PRESS

By 

Jason Gay

April 5, 2018 10:07 a.m. ET

 

I know what you’re going to watch Sunday—like pretty much everyone else, you’ll be parked on the couch, sipping a tall Arnold Palmer, maybe an Arnold Palmer with a splash of something, listening to Jim Nantzypants rhapsodize from Augusta at the Masters.

That’s cool.

Me? I’m excited to watch hell. Specifically, Paris-Roubaix, aka the Hell of the North.

I’m going to guess you’re not a Paris-Roubaix lunatic—but I’m going to make you one. It’s simply the biggest, baddest, hardest, cruelest cycling race of them all. Stretching for 260 kilometers—that’s 161 miles, I googled it all by myself—from that dusty backwater, Paris, to a velodrome in northern France, finishing the race takes a little less than 6 hours.

Six hours! You can fly from Miami to Los Angeles in 6 hours. You can drive from Milwaukee to Louisville. You can watch almost four innings of a baseball game.

That’s just the half of fun. What makes Paris-Roubaix such a wild race—a one-day classic, or a “monument,” as its known in the trade—is the terrain. This isn’t a slick course designed to accommodate a large-scale modern bike race. It is designed to take a cow to a fair, 200 years ago. Paris-Roubaix is mostly flat, but it is endlessly narrow, dirty, dusty and full of rocks—this year, there are 29 stretches of cobblestones in the race.

And do not get the wrong idea. These are not the cute, smooth cobblestones you find on that old street downtown, or that time you got ice cream on Nantucket. The cobbles of Paris-Roubaix cobbles are like giant space rocks, thrown drunkenly into hot fudge. Pedaling over them is a relentless, physical pounding. At the end of the race, every rider looks like he’s been stuck in a coal mine for a decade. (A classic account of the race is “A Sunday in Hell.”)

If you win it, you’re a legend. Paris-Roubaix is right up there with the biggest accomplishments in pro cycling. It secures you a place in history as not just a great racer—but a beast.

What makes Paris-Roubaix such a wild race is the terrain. PHOTO: PANORAMIC/ZUMA PRESS

I think the one-day races like Paris-Roubaix are where it’s at in cycling. These are anxious times for the grand tours like the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. The world’s best grand tour rider, Chris Froome, is under a rain cloud after a drug test found elevated levels of an asthma drug. Froome’s team, Sky, is so deep and clinically dominant they’ve sucked the energy out of the big stage races.

But the one-days are wackier. They’re not clinical. And the current crop of riders is deep. There’s the eccentric, once-in-generation rider, the Slovak Peter Sagan—the winner of the last three world championships, and also a guy who made a “Grease” tribute video with his wife. There’s rugged competition like defending Paris-Roubaix champ Greg Van Avermaet, and his fellow Belgian, Sep Vanmarcke. These are not the tiny water bugs who float up Alpine climbs in July. These are thick-legged bulldogs who can tow a Citroën for 50 miles.

 

And then there’s Quick-Step. After whining about Team Sky’s dominance, I guess it’s odd to talk about Quick-Step, because the Belgian team has been thoroughly crushing the classics season, including a victory last Sunday by Quick-Step rider Niki Terpstra in the prestigious Tour of Flanders. (There are cycling fans who think the Tour of Flanders is a better race than Paris-Roubaix—fight among yourselves with water bottles.)

Besides Terpstra, Quick-Step can send out three other riders capable of winning a big one-day race—Philippe Gilbert, Zdenek Stybar, and Yves Lampaert. Since most teams line up with one or two riders capable of winning, Quick-Step is basically the Golden State Warriors of cycling.

I spoke the other day to their team manager, Patrick Lefevere, and he waved off the “unbeatable” talk around his team.

“We are beatable,” Lefevere said.

Maybe. That stacked roster (they call themselves “The Wolfpack”) makes Quick-Step a handful. The whole idea of a one-day race is to hang on long enough that you’re in the final group at the front—known as the “final selection”—from which the winner usually comes. If you’re lucky, you have a helpful teammate with you in that group. Quick-Step (the former team of classics legend Tom Boonen, who retired last year) almost always has a couple, which allows them to control the pace and chase down attacks from rivals.

Still, chemistry matters. It isn’t easy to make cyclists capable of winning sacrifice themselves to ride in support of a teammate. It’s comparable to a basketball star adjusting to taking fewer shots on a team with other stars. It doesn’t always work. On Quick-Step, it does.

“If someone refuses to work with someone else, he doesn’t belong on our team,” Lefevere said. “I’m quite severe on this point.”

Niki Terpstra during a reconnaissance of the track for the Paris-Roubaix.  PHOTO: DAVID STOCKMAN/ZUMA PRESS

So who’s going to win Sunday? (The race is streamable on NBC Sports Gold, and then replayed on NBCSN on Monday at 6 p.m. ET.) The fashionable prediction is to simply say: “Somebody from Quick-Step.” Sagan is another popular choice. But here’s where the Hell comes in. Paris-Roubaix is fiendishly unpredictable. It’s torture on riders, teams, tires, frames, equipment. Things go sideways at the worst possible times—American cycling fans will recall the U.S. rider George Hincapie suddenly losing his handlebars (oof) due to a busted steerer tube at Paris-Roubaix in 2006.

The only certainty of Paris-Roubaix is chaos. “There’s still an opportunity for drama, and unpredictability,” the Velonews editor Fred Dreier told me, while acknowledging Quick-Step’s impressive depth.

So if you want to enjoy the golf, enjoy the golf. It’s adorable, especially when they give the winner that green blazer in the tiny cabin.

You know what you win when you win Paris-Roubaix? A freakin’ rock. I’m not kidding.

So now you know where I stand. The Masters is nice. But Paris-Roubaix…rocks.

 

[Txzen 498]

Nice write-up. However, at least on my delayed by one day telecast on the NBC sports channel, the program prior was some auto racing show. Not to denigrate this particular sport (much), but it seems most Americans are content to watch cars go in circles than cycling.

I wish the Spring classics got more coverage. I understand it's hard as a newcomer to the sport to understand all the races within the race of a stage race like the Giro or Tour, but the Spring classics are just so approachable. 

[G650 14273]

Glad the WSJ is giving some love. And Roubaix delivered this year for sure.

[G650 14273]

16 hours ago, Txzen said:

 

I wish the Spring classics got more coverage. I understand it's hard as a newcomer to the sport to understand all the races within the race of a stage race like the Giro or Tour, but the Spring classics are just so approachable. 

 

Very true.

[G650 14273]

Fun Amstel Race. Attacks were kicking off from 25 k on in. Sagan hung way longer than I though on the hills.

[52-80 19224]

That impending scientific explanation from Sky seems to take an awful long time

 

 

[G650 14273]

Gotta make up, I mean process, the data bro.

[Captain Ron 12892]

Asshole wins again. Lance Armstrong settles his $100 Million fraud lawsuit with the US Government for $5 Million. This avoids a trial that was scheduled to start May 7.

https://apnews.com/9b43adffb6cd4a95b69327637134132b

Last out Outside Magazine reported that had he lost the case and owed the fullest amount, he would have be ruined financially.

This fucking sucks. He gets over again.

[G650 14273]

Eh, I'm alright with that. I think the U.S. Postal service should have taken it in the ass. They knew exactly what they were getting back then and the protestations to the contrary are total horseshit.

Ironically, I hate USPS now like I hated Lance back then for the same exact reasons. Sanctimony and hypocrisy. And I kind of like Lance now that he is an admitted dickhead cheat. His podcast is great.

[Mr. Drummond 2199]

His stages Podcast is def worth listening to, and now he can cover the Giro.   And USPS were never going to get 100 million for him.  

And self-acknowledged assholes are fine - he would fit in here fine.

[Nolacycling 893]

What did USPS lose on the deal? Yes ,titles were erased, but the pub they got at the time was worth it.