New UCI calendar

blazing_saddles

andyp said:

August 1st.

There's a pretty stellar startlist shaping up for Burgos, on the 28th.
15WT teams and most are bringing some big names.

andyp

Without looking it up, can you name the past five winners of the Tour of Burgos?

So whilst it has a decent start list this year, it's not a proper race.

robnewcastle

No_Ta_Doctor said:

dabber said:

blazing_saddles said:

Geraint will start his season at a three-day stage race in France [most likely La Route d’Occitanie from August 1, alongside Egan Bernal] before heading to the shortened five-stage Critérium du Dauphiné from August 12.

Looking forward to a good lineup for Route d’Occitanie as stage 4 will come through the village just down the road from us..... that will screw a few Strava segments.

Sounded like Froome & Bernal will be a d'Occitanie while Thomas rides Tour de l'Ain

d'Occitanie is looking good, particularly stage 3.

That’s stage 3 will certainly be interesting to see how people are looking form wise. Port de Bales is tough enough and a final summit finish

blazing_saddles

andyp said:

Without looking it up, can you name the past five winners of the Tour of Burgos?

So whilst it has a decent start list this year, it's not a proper race.

These days I struggle to recall the past 5 winners of any race!
OK, maybe I can still manage the GTs and with luck the monuments.

Right, well last year it was Ivan Sosa and the year before, Egan Bernal.
After that it gets hazy...could possibly be Landa, Quintana and after that I am lost.

Now to check........


......OK, that was rubbish. Sosa, Sosa, Landa, Contador and Taaramae.
so, 2 out of 5.
Still, a couple of heavyweights in there.

Not sure I could manage the last 5 winners of Strade Bianche, either.

blazing_saddles

Burgos new race protocols released earlier today.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/vuelta-a-burgos-cranks-up-covid-19-safety-precautions-for-its-highest-profile-edition/

The list of precautions to be taken by the Vuelta a Burgos are notable, and they include everything from restrictions on the movement of the media and general public, exceptional health precautions and protocols for the riders, teams and race officials, all the way down to barriers and other race infrastructure being regularly disinfected.
After multiple meetings between health authorities, government officials, security forces and race organisers, a 134-page document outlining all the measures to be followed has been published, while extra health teams of officials and helpers, including a special COVID-19 unit, have been brought in.

All riders, media and organisers will have to return a negative PCR COVID-19 test before they can attend the event. An unprecedented meeting with team doctors and race medical officials will also be held on the eve of the event.

So far, the huge amounts of preparatory work behind the scenes has gone well, with the race selected as an example of a ‘safe sporting event’ by the Spanish Sports Council.

Also announced today is the UCI's new protocols for WT races. 19 pages to browse:

https://www.uci.org/docs/default-source/medical/guidelines-return-comp-eng-16-july-wt-wwt.pdf

gweeds

andyp said:

Without looking it up, can you name the past five winners of the Tour of Burgos?

So whilst it has a decent start list this year, it's not a proper race.

With the lack of racing this year I’d argue that every race will be a proper race now. Especially with next year looking lean for teams. Lots of riders in those shop windows.

takethehighroad

blazing_saddles said:

andyp said:

Without looking it up, can you name the past five winners of the Tour of Burgos?

So whilst it has a decent start list this year, it's not a proper race.

Not sure I could manage the last 5 winners of Strade Bianche, either.

Benoot won one, and I think Stybar (last year?). Although didn't Alaphillipe win last year? Is Cancellara's win recent? I know Kwiato has been in the finale, but not sure if he won

* Goes to check *

5/5 (although Stybar was 5 years ago!) Pleasantly surprised by that

m.r.m.

blazing_saddles said:

Not sure I could manage the last 5 winners of Strade Bianche, either.

Alaphilippe, the Lotto Soudal dude who attacks and isn't Tim Wellens (name escapes me), Cancellara (ahead of Stybar in a great edition animated by Brambilla), Kwiatkowski and Stybar probably Kwiatkowski before that in that finish against Sagan.

edit: takethehighroad way ahead of me

takethehighroad

There were complaints by coastal towns along the MSR route about shutting down in the height of the tourism season.

However, the route is unchanged ahead of the 8 August

redvision

I hope this isn't the start of things to come:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/53510854

rick_chasey

redvision said:

I hope this isn't the start of things to come:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/53510854

The problem with corona is quite a few people who have had it have really struggled to recover.

So if you're running a team, you might not want to run the risk that they're gonna get it, not least if a chunk of your riders are asthmatic.

RichN95.

redvision said:

I hope this isn't the start of things to come:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/53510854

Maybe. Or it also maybe a team with known financial difficulties cherry picking their races

blazing_saddles

Quite a few new cases yesterday, 600 cases in Navarra over the past 14 days.
So, not great, but not that bad.

Burgos, on the other hand, which is in Castilla y León, had just 3 cases yesterday and a third of the Navarra total over the past 14 days.

I don't see any of the men's teams pulling out, with those figures.

blazing_saddles

Oh well, spoke too soon.

Canadian clubbed:

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/organisers-cancel-canadian-worldtour-races-460458

gweeds

I could see that one coming. Travel to and from North America is problematic.

dish_dash

yip... as I said nearly a month ago.

"- I can't imagine the Tour of Guanxi actually happening, and do wonder about the Montreal/Quebec races also."

blazing_saddles

Burgos just got torpedoed by the UK government.
14 day quarantine re-imposed for Spain, regardless of departmental infection rates.

No_Ta_Doctor

blazing_saddles said:

Burgos just got torpedoed by the UK government.
14 day quarantine re-imposed for Spain, regardless of departmental infection rates.

Which UK based riders/teams were down for it?

blazing_saddles

No_Ta_Doctor said:

blazing_saddles said:

Burgos just got torpedoed by the UK government.
14 day quarantine re-imposed for Spain, regardless of departmental infection rates.

Which UK based riders/teams were down for it?

Startlist isn't finished yet, but UK riders so far Simon Yates, Cav, Alex Dowsett, Eddie Dunbar?
The trouble is that once one country starts, others will follow.
The UK are actually behind Norway.................

nickice

Hate to be a pessimist but there will be very few races this year and almost certainly no GTs. I'll be surprised if France isn't back in full lockdown by September given what I've been reading about new COVID cases.

RichN95.

blazing_saddles said:

No_Ta_Doctor said:

blazing_saddles said:

Burgos just got torpedoed by the UK government.
14 day quarantine re-imposed for Spain, regardless of departmental infection rates.

Which UK based riders/teams were down for it?

Startlist isn't finished yet, but UK riders so far Simon Yates, Cav, Alex Dowsett, Eddie Dunbar?
The trouble is that once one country starts, others will follow.
The UK are actually behind Norway.................

More of a concern to teams will be the large number of riders that live in the Spanish problem areas.

sherer

Cav has been training in Germany and is Italy based isnt he ? Are any riders based in UK ? Surely they all live abraod and can still travel ?

pinno

1st August, Strade Bianche... Finally a late late fix and Paris-Roubaix on the 25th of October. Surreal.
I wonder how teams will manage dividing personnel between Tours and one day classics.
Will riders go on the tours for fitness, say 10 days and bail?

blazing_saddles

The women's tour takes another hit as the Boels Tour gets cancelled.
Can't get the required permits due to the ongoing fears etc etc....

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boels-ladies-tour-cancelled-as-municipalities-will-not-grant-permits-due-to-covid-19-concerns/

gweeds

From inrng

More and more mayors against holding Milan-Sanremo on Saturday 8 August, as well as public health one shared worry is closing Via Aurelia coastal road risks blocking their beaches in prime summer season https://www.ivg.it/2020/07/milano-sanremo-i-sindaci-pronti-a-fare-fronte-comune-per-il-no-rischio-contagi-e-viabilita-nel-caos/ (🇮🇹)

...13 out of 16 mayors have said "no" to holding it on a Saturday when beaches are packed. Race director Mauro Vegni is trying to persuade them this is their chance to show the world they're open. But it's not just down to mayors, local prefectures/interior ministry also rule.

gweeds

And Belgium on the bubble (insert large sigh emoji here)

Belgium’s prime minister Sophie Wilmès has announced a series of further restrictive measures following a significant spike in coronavirus infections, warning that the country could be put into a second “complete lockdown”, writes Daniel Boffey, the Guardian’s Brussels bureau chief.

“If we cannot reduce the coronavirus, it will be a collective failure,” Wilmès said at a press conference following a meeting of the country’s national security council.

The prime minister said she “very strongly recommended” the return of teleworking for those who are able to do so. She announced that for a period of four weeks from Wednesday each household may only have social contact with a further five people.

People must go shopping alone and they will need to restrict themselves to just 30 minutes in a shop. Group outings will be limited to ten people, except for children of 12 years of age or younger. The city of Antwerp will take extra measures to be announced later on Monday in an attempt to reduce the spread of the disease following a 500% week on week rise in infections

nickice

gweeds said:

And Belgium on the bubble (insert large sigh emoji here)

Belgium’s prime minister Sophie Wilmès has announced a series of further restrictive measures following a significant spike in coronavirus infections, warning that the country could be put into a second “complete lockdown”, writes Daniel Boffey, the Guardian’s Brussels bureau chief.

“If we cannot reduce the coronavirus, it will be a collective failure,” Wilmès said at a press conference following a meeting of the country’s national security council.

The prime minister said she “very strongly recommended” the return of teleworking for those who are able to do so. She announced that for a period of four weeks from Wednesday each household may only have social contact with a further five people.

People must go shopping alone and they will need to restrict themselves to just 30 minutes in a shop. Group outings will be limited to ten people, except for children of 12 years of age or younger. The city of Antwerp will take extra measures to be announced later on Monday in an attempt to reduce the spread of the disease following a 500% week on week rise in infections

The Belgian classics (and Paris Roubaix as it's very near the border and it a part of France with relatively high cases) aren't going to happen. There's even less chance of GT's taking place.

blazing_saddles

I can offer up a crumb of comfort if anyone fancies clicking on this link from 2pmBST (3pmCET) today.

https://www.stream4free.live/l-equipe-21

Live coverage of Burgos, in French obviously as Eurosport don't have any of the rights.

If that doesn't work, then here, with Basque.

https://www.eitb.eus/es/television/etb1/

blazing_saddles

Certainly turning out to be a very entertaining first day of the return to top racing.
We have had crashes, echelons and now Evenepoel is attacking solo with 35 kms to go.

Another live link.

https://ok.ru/live/1619919773288

gweeds

Changes to MSR route as those 13 mayors refuse to close roads. So it doesn’t hit the coast until 40km to go but adds a climb in that 40km now. Total length of race is 299km.