Tour Down Under **Spoilers**

Ramirez-Auron

Hi!

In a few hours the season 2017 starts with the Tour Down Under!
Who will take the first WorldTour-Win?

If you're a fan of prediction-games, maybe this well-crafted web-site (in english or german) could be of interest.
New for 2017 in addition is the game mode "Light" where you just predict the Top5 of a race.

http://www.xoo-cy...tion-game/

Prediction-game to the most important races of the cycling year.
Season starts with the Tour Down Under!

Best wishes for 2017 to everyone!

Regards,
Ramirez

wombly_knees

40 celcius in Adelaide. Should cancel this race like the worlds in Qatar.

wombly_knees

In fact they've just shortened the race by a lap. 118km stage now.

wombly_knees

Laurens de Vreese, brave soul whoever he is, has been the sole breakaway rider today. Only 45 seconds ahead with 43 km remaining.

FWIW, the race is also on the TDU app for the i-gen folk. Unfortunately, doesn't seem to be on Australia+ this year.

And UniSA should've picked Ben Dyball.

wombly_knees

Main group has slowed down again, and they're already half an hour behind schedule. Almost caught de Vreese before letting him go again. Apparently*, he broke away right at the start.

wombly_knees

Seems gerrans has nicked a bonus second. Clearly enthralling racing going on.

wombly_knees

de Vreese won the toughly contested combative rider of the day award.

Have it on good authority that in second place was the motorbike cameraman.

wombly_knees

Former champion cyclist Jen Voigt is in the Barossa from where he has just tweeted that there's "brutal heat and tons of wind."

Possibly the only man who'd complain when in the Barossa. Should sit back and sip some red... would also spare us his analysis.

wombly_knees

de Vreese caught a short while ago. Jay McCarthy gets the last intermediate sprint. Going for the GC then? he's not awful on the hills. Gerrans gets another second.

Bakelants attacks immediately after the sprint. 16km to go.

wombly_knees

Hansen breaks away. Gained a handy advantage of the main group immediately. Looking to bridge to Bakelants, who's a bit further up. 12 and a bit km to go

wombly_knees

40 seconds between Bakelants and the main group. A dozen or so to Hansen. Just over 10km to go

wombly_knees

Surely as riders' representative Hansen could do a Cancellara and neutralise the main field to win the race.

He's not quite as resourceful. About to be caught.

wombly_knees

Bakelants caught. Less than 2km to go.

wombly_knees

Between Ewan and Bennett in the final sprint. Nice leadout by Sagan today. Ewan with a pretty big kick.

wombly_knees

Ewan won. van Poppel and Bennett in second and third. The rest were nowhere in the shot.

wombly_knees

Provisional results

Caleb Ewan (AUS) - ORICA - SCOTT
Danny Van Poppel (NED) - Team Sky
Sam Bennett (IRL) - BORA - hansgrohe
Marko Kump (SLO) - UAE Abu Dhabi
Niccolo Bonifazio (ITA) - Bahrain - Merida
Nikias Arndt (GER) - Team Sunweb
Baptiste Planckaert (BEL) - Team Katusha-Alpecin
Edward Theuns (BEL) - Trek - Segafredo
Miles Scotson (AUS) - BMC Racing Team
Sean De Bie (BEL) - Lotto Soudal

wombly_knees

Stage 2


Rohan Denis won last time it finished there

inseine

Ewan has half the frontal area of the big sprinters.

rick_chasey

I desperately want him to lose for bringing the sport into disrepute with that ridiculous sprinting position.

*same rant as last year, hopefully his season pans out the same*

specialgueststar

He's got a small protrusion from his front brake that he rests his chin on

Sprinting in January - unseemly :?

dav1d1

thegibdog wrote:

Pross wrote:

Must be the first time there's ever been 3 Welshmen in a World Tour race?
Owain Doull didn't ride in the criterium today due to illness, they're hoping he'll be ok for Tuesday though.

Had appendicitis so had appendix removed today.

andyp

Rick Chasey wrote:

I desperately want him to lose for bringing the sport into disrepute with that ridiculous sprinting position.

*same rant as last year, hopefully his season pans out the same*

I'm just waiting for the inevitable day when he stacks it. He'll then get, deservedly, a reputation as a dangerous sprinter and other teams will start working to negate him.

inseine

andyp wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

I desperately want him to lose for bringing the sport into disrepute with that ridiculous sprinting position.

*same rant as last year, hopefully his season pans out the same*

I'm just waiting for the inevitable day when he stacks it. He'll then get, deservedly, a reputation as a dangerous sprinter and other teams will start working to negate him.

All sprinters stack it from time to time, but he does look particularly unstable.

yorkshireraw

He may get unseated by a powerful German-generated side wind blasting past if / when he races Kittel.

Mad_Malx

wombly knees wrote:

Ewan won. van Poppel and Bennett in second and third. The rest were nowhere in the shot.

It was Danny Boy van Poppel in second according to Phil.

joelsim

Mad_Malx wrote:

wombly knees wrote:

Ewan won. van Poppel and Bennett in second and third. The rest were nowhere in the shot.

It was Danny Boy van Poppel in second according to Phil.

Ewan's position.

bompington

Does it have to be the wheel that breaks the line or can you win it with your nose?

RichN95.

bompington wrote:

Does it have to be the wheel that breaks the line or can you win it with your nose?

The wheel

andyp

Joelsim wrote:

Ewan's position.

If he hits a stone with the front wheel, he'd go down hard as all the weight is over the front of the bike. I'm surprised commissaires haven't had a quiet word with him and/or the team about it.

rick_chasey

It's not the safety i have a problem with.

Just looks terrible.

To sprinting what Froome is to climbing.