Tour Down Under **Spoilers**

124

Comments

  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    Provisional results
    Caleb Ewan (AUS) - ORICA - SCOTT
    Peter Sagan (SVK) - BORA - hansgrohe
    Niccolo Bonifazio (ITA) - Bahrain - Merida
    Danny Van Poppel (NED) - Team Sky
    Edward Theuns (BEL) - Trek - Segafredo
    Nikias Arndt (GER) - Team Sunweb
    Sean De Bie (BEL) - Lotto Soudal
    Lorrenzo Manzin (FRA) - FDJ
    Ruben Guerreiro (POR) - Trek - Segafredo
    Baptiste Planckaert (BEL) - Team Katusha-Alpecin
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,647
    Must suck to be Sam Bennett...
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    Finally one for Sagan today, And another one where Bennett won't get a proper opportunity.
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    In a change, a few riders were in the break and two of them managed to drop their counterparts. Obviously we have joint combative winners- Bauer and Cam Meyer. Meyer sat up while Bauer is only half a minute ahead of the main group with 20km to go.
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    Ewan... again. Best of his victories this edition. Nice ride by Bauer. Now I can get back to watching paint dry. Might be more interesting.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    https://mobile.twitter.com/tourdownunde ... 16/video/1
    _
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    https://mobile.twitter.com/tourdownunder/status/822265385055420416/video/1

    When you're in the crowds at the start of a big race it's amazing how the riders pass among the crowds like fish through a reedbed, but Sagan takes it to a whole new level.
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    On the most recent sprint, interesting sky tactic - very '90s.

    Lead out man starts on one side of the ride and rides very straight, but diagonally across the road to squeeze Caleb in the barriers and box him in. Planckaert ( I think) comes off much worse and Caleb does well to get out (though I personally think Robbie was overplaying how good the move was).

    In the messier world of sprints without a single team train dominating, this kind of positioning tactic is very effective, and a bit of a lost art I suspect.

    Sagan is the WT accumulator's dream. Surfs the wheels for 2nd place without having to push to hard.
    _
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    Bauer in the break again
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    Another strong early attack by Porte, another comfortable win. Haas second from nowhere. Bauer's been brilliant this race.

    GC
    Porte

    Daylight

    Chaves
    Haas
    McCarthy
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Does this go down as THE most predictable stage race ever?
    _
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,852
    Come on...It's just the same a Belgium's doing well in the tour of Flanders.
    Half man, Half bike
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,340
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Does this go down as THE most predictable stage race ever?

    Hard to see what they can do to shake it up though - being so early in the season it feels like it'll always be dominated by whoever chooses to take it seriously.
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • hommelbier
    hommelbier Posts: 1,556
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Does this go down as THE most predictable stage race ever?

    If nothing else, at least it’s an opportunity to get used to recognising each teams new kit.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    underlayunderlay wrote:
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Does this go down as THE most predictable stage race ever?

    Hard to see what they can do to shake it up though - being so early in the season it feels like it'll always be dominated by whoever chooses to take it seriously.

    What, like the Tour of Lombardy?


    *runs and hides*

    b2ee84d5d34ad32dfcb6028eff6a8bb8.jpg
    _
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    *Snigger*
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Does this go down as THE most predictable stage race ever?
    And yes. It's a race around Adelaide. Only so much to do there....
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,647
    Oi, leave Lombardia alone... Isn't the problem with the TDU that the stages are waay too short?
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 22,029
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Does this go down as THE most predictable stage race ever?

    2013 tour of Britain?
  • m.r.m.
    m.r.m. Posts: 3,486
    dish_dash wrote:
    Oi, leave Lombardia alone... Isn't the problem with the TDU that the stages are waay too short?
    Think it's more the issue, that Australians are on form due to their National Championships.
    PTP Champion 2019, 2022 & 2023
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    Bauer in the breakaway again.
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    dish_dash wrote:
    Oi, leave Lombardia alone... Isn't the problem with the TDU that the stages are waay too short?
    Almost exactly the same route every year. That, in addition to the Australian nationals resulting in the same the protagonists every year (hosted in Bunninyong every year). Hopefully the plan to rotate venues for the nationals has a knock on effect. This race does need a bit of variety... which has made the herald sun tour better recently imo.
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    Bauer caught one final time. 10km to go for Ewan to win again
  • wombly_knees
    wombly_knees Posts: 657
    Ewan won again. No perfect leadout, and some fighting for wheels between him and van Poppel. 2 stage winners over 6 days....
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,788
    Second year of only Australian winners.
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • dav1d1
    dav1d1 Posts: 653
    C2wFhnMWgAARfl7?format=jpg&name=large
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Dav1d1 wrote:
    C2wFhnMWgAARfl7?format=jpg&name=large

    Gives him a lot of room for lunging too.

    I suspect his problem in bigger races will be being muscled out like he almost did today unti Bora turned up.


    Here's a Q - what is your head crosses the line before your wheel - what gets counted in the photo finish?
    _
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,459
    Rick Chasey wrote:
    Dav1d1 wrote:
    C2wFhnMWgAARfl7?format=jpg&name=large

    Gives him a lot of room for lunging too.

    I suspect his problem in bigger races will be being muscled out like he almost did today unti Bora turned up.


    Here's a Q - what is your head crosses the line before your wheel - what gets counted in the photo finish?

    Rich said upthread it was the wheel.

    That position looks fast but a thump from a big Belgian lead out man will knock that out of him
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • specialgueststar
    specialgueststar Posts: 3,418
    Bikes so straight these days - miss a bit of pedal scraping
    2bb2a.jpg
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    Dav1d1 wrote:
    C2wFhnMWgAARfl7?format=jpg&name=large

    It doesn't look like there'd be enough weight over the back wheel to keep adhesion with the road. Has he ever won in the wet?
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    There will be sure.

    It's quite an easy position to get into to try it out, as I have.

    The challenge is having to sprint at any speed in that position.
    _

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