Tour of California 2017 **Spoilers**

2

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  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    edited May 2017
    35km to go and a gap of just 1'10" for the break as they ride into a headwind. Intermediate sprint coming up at SLO, birthplace of HTC Highroad (courtesy of Phil & Paul).

    Couldn't agree more btw ^
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Break is down to one rider Ben Wolfe and he has a 40" gap on the rest with around 12km to go. Will that incline at the finish be selective and give the likes of Sagan, Kristoff & Degenkolb their chance or is it one for the sprint trains of Sky and Quickstep for Viviani and Kittel respectively?
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    A. Sagan wins and with that sort of sprint finish he's a class apart. Flew past Kristoff in the race to the line.

    Edit - Katusha rider was Zabel & for a mo I thought that Phinney was going to trouble the podium there :shock:
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    https://cyclingtips.com/2017/05/califor ... fferently/

    Interviews from all sides, quite interesting.
  • salsiccia1
    salsiccia1 Posts: 3,725
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    https://cyclingtips.com/2017/05/california-concussion-incident-raises-questions-done-differently/

    Interviews from all sides, quite interesting.

    Thanks for putting that up, that's a really good read.
    It's only a bit of sport, Mun. Relax and enjoy the racing.
  • carbonclem
    carbonclem Posts: 1,604
    I've enjoyed the last couple of stages of this, I like being able to watch live at night.

    Some good racing on Stage 2, good to see Tao going well even when Ian Boswell is team leader. The accident fallout was awful to watch with some interesting follow up - including flying him business class to Europe for treatment as they cant afford the US medical bills!

    Sagan's sprint left them all for dead yesterday.
    2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner
  • shazzz
    shazzz Posts: 1,077
    CarbonClem wrote:
    I've enjoyed the last couple of stages of this, I like being able to watch live at night.

    Some good racing on Stage 2, good to see Tao going well even when Ian Boswell is team leader. The accident fallout was awful to watch with some interesting follow up - including flying him business class to Europe for treatment as they cant afford the US medical bills!

    Sagan's sprint left them all for dead yesterday.


    Surely they have medical insurance, or does Trumpcare rule out treating foreigners?
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,560
    shazzz wrote:
    CarbonClem wrote:
    I've enjoyed the last couple of stages of this, I like being able to watch live at night.

    Some good racing on Stage 2, good to see Tao going well even when Ian Boswell is team leader. The accident fallout was awful to watch with some interesting follow up - including flying him business class to Europe for treatment as they cant afford the US medical bills!

    Sagan's sprint left them all for dead yesterday.


    Surely they have medical insurance, or does Trumpcare rule out treating foreigners?

    The assessment by the docs was that it would cost too much under the Team's insurance to treat in the US.
  • carbonclem
    carbonclem Posts: 1,604
    dish_dash wrote:
    shazzz wrote:
    CarbonClem wrote:
    I've enjoyed the last couple of stages of this, I like being able to watch live at night.

    Some good racing on Stage 2, good to see Tao going well even when Ian Boswell is team leader. The accident fallout was awful to watch with some interesting follow up - including flying him business class to Europe for treatment as they cant afford the US medical bills!

    Sagan's sprint left them all for dead yesterday.


    Surely they have medical insurance, or does Trumpcare rule out treating foreigners?

    The assessment by the docs was that it would cost too much under the Team's insurance to treat in the US.

    Latest news is that they have figured out a way to get him treated in the US, but it wasn't straightforward apparently.
    2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner
  • burnthesheep
    burnthesheep Posts: 675
    I'm following our company team, TNN. I know not ever in the tops of anything, but it's a lot harder to put a team together when all the team members have to have Type-1. If any have any of the Tour of California on their Strava should logon and throw out some kudos.

    They'll occasionally browse the employee club and throw out some kudos our way. It's really neat. Just wish they made a stop or had a race on east-coast US to drive out and watch in person or see the team at a stage or something.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    burnthesheep wrote:
    I'm following our company team, TNN. I know not ever in the tops of anything, but it's a lot harder to put a team together when all the team members have to have Type-1.

    Will be a lot harder if TUEs get banned!
  • burnthesheep
    burnthesheep Posts: 675
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    burnthesheep wrote:
    I'm following our company team, TNN. I know not ever in the tops of anything, but it's a lot harder to put a team together when all the team members have to have Type-1.

    Will be a lot harder if TUEs get banned!

    I thought TUE had to do with acute treatments? In their case, they're diagnosed from either birth or early childhood. It is on the banned list, but not sure if it's taken care of thru a TUE or if it is another process for something like that.

    I would assume they'd ban TUE's relevant to acute illnesses of athletes who otherwise don't have a permanent medical issue.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    burnthesheep wrote:
    bobmcstuff wrote:
    burnthesheep wrote:
    I'm following our company team, TNN. I know not ever in the tops of anything, but it's a lot harder to put a team together when all the team members have to have Type-1.

    Will be a lot harder if TUEs get banned!

    I thought TUE had to do with acute treatments? In their case, they're diagnosed from either birth or early childhood. It is on the banned list, but not sure if it's taken care of thru a TUE or if it is another process for something like that.

    I would assume they'd ban TUE's relevant to acute illnesses of athletes who otherwise don't have a permanent medical issue.

    Insulin is on the banned list therefore needs a TUE, as it stands. Some people inc. some riders are calling for any rider who has a condition serious enough to require a TUE to be unable to race while they need the TUE.

    This makes some sense for temporary injuries and illnesses but as has been pointed out by many people it would make people like the Novo Nordisk riders and others like Alex Dowsett (haemophiliac) unable to race - based on the current system. Possibly they would change it, but I doubt that would satisfy some people.

    Anyway discussed plenty elsewhere, it was just a throwaway comment really.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    edited May 2017
    Anyways racing has begun folks ...

    Rob Britton (Rally Cycling), Evan Huffman (Rally Cycling), Gavin Mannion (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling), Lennard Hofstede (Team Sunweb), Mathias Le Turnier (Cofidis, Solutions Crédits) and Martin Elmiger (BMC Racing) make up the break for today. They have a 5' lead with around 100km to go.

    Edited to avoid continuity :D
  • dish_dash
    dish_dash Posts: 5,560
    RonB wrote:
    Rob Britton (Rally Cycling), Evan Huffman (Rally Cycling), Gavin Mannion (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling), Lennard Hofstede (Team Sunweb), Mathias Le Turnier (Cofidis, Solutions Crédits) and Martin Elmiger (BMC Racing) make up the break for today. They have a 5' lead with around 100km to go.

    On quick glance I thought this was the list of riders in the race with a TUE... :D
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Since they know the cameras are rolling, expect the usual large turnout of cycling fans/ attention seekers along Balcom Canyon Road, which is a short but brutal climb. Nowhere near the finish though so I still anticipate a bunch sprint so long as the break is caught.

    75km to go but the break now has a lead of 8'15". Too early to mention "the calculation"?
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,814
    Great.
    Coverage starts just as the break finishes the final climb of the stage.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    50km to go and the gap is down to 5'25". The peleton is really stretched out, which suggests that the pace is being set by the sprinters' teams and the chase is on.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Huffman wins the stage from the break with a long range sprint which caught the others napping. Probably helped having a Rally teammate there. Reduced peloton comes in just a few seconds behind.

    Pleased for Huffman because he pulled off a similar breakaway success into Santa Clarita last year (S2) only to be pipped by the other breakaway rider that day, Ben King.

    Tougher day than expected and Mt Baldy to come tomorrow.
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,786
    First Conti team to win a stage of a world tour stage race. They got 2nd too!
    http://cyclinganddesign.blogspot.fr/
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Making up the top 3 and one to watch - Lennard Hofstede takes the first top 3 of his WorldTour career with Sunweb.

    From @Rally_Cycling
    DAFsBxiUIAAr7iD.jpg:large
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    With some trepidation, because BR seems to be in a mean mood (only 2 pages for today's Giro stage), the Queens Stage is well underway.

    There are 15 riders up the road, including Jack Bauer (QST), Matteo Trentin (QST), Peter Sagan (BOH), Tiago Machado (KAT), Nils Politt (KAT), Bertjan Lindeman (TLJ), Yoann Bagot (COF), Rob Britton (RLY), Evan Huffman (RLY), Peter Kennaugh (SKY), Lennard Hofstede (SUN), Truls Korsaeth (AST), Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg (DDD), Greg Henderson (UHC) and Daniel Jaramillo (UHC). Jaramillo took max points over the first categorized climb on Glendora Ridge. The leaders have been holding a 3 minute and 25 second gap consistently as they descend into Glendora.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Rob Britton from Rally (again) has the sole lead and the chase group is 1'40" behind with Lil Pete between the two on the road up Mt. Baldy. 25km to go.

    Sagan doing a grand domestique job today for the Boro squad as they try to help Majka mainain his overall lead.
  • Vino'sGhost
    Vino'sGhost Posts: 4,129
    I cant help thinking that a mountain lion leaping off one of those road side high ground areas onto the break would make this more exciting
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Trentin and his teammate from the peloton seem to be chasing down their own man Jack Bauer. I'm confused.

    Meanwhile Lil Pete is still 2nd on the road. 15km to go. I'm assuming Quickstep are getting busy on behalf of Bennett for the GC ahead of the TT tomorrow. Gesink has to have a go at some stage here to stand any chance of the overall.

    Sorry Vino. No sign of predator attacks anywhere.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Big effort from Britton but he is being caught by the stripped down chase group of favourites. Still 6km to go.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Go Talanski. With this attack he has a gap. Still 3km to go though.

    Edit - Majke and Bennett are on his wheel :?

    & Bozwell joins the party.
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,068
    California does attract a "special" kind of fan.

    Great effort from Boswell - has looked gone several times but keeps clawing his way back.
  • RonB
    RonB Posts: 3,984
    Grand stuff. Shadowboxing over and Talanski takes the stage win for Cannondale!
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,157
    Cannondale's first World Tour win for 737 days.

    Bennett's a greatly underrated rider. He should lead Jumbo more.
    Twitter: @RichN95

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