Grand Départ Covid Countdown: General Chat and Info thread.

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  • focuszing723
    focuszing723 Posts: 8,154
    The classic one I remember is using their own pillows (bedding). Which does make sense.
  • josame
    josame Posts: 1,162
    Apparently no Cav (not surprising) and no Teuns (surprising)
    'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,717
    edited August 2020
    focuszing723 said:

    The classic one I remember is using their own pillows (bedding). Which does make sense.




    (And the classic...)


    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,717
    😟😟😟😟



    "Going all in for Landa" has got to sting too. No one goes all in for Landa!

    This whole team numbers thing is getting a bit silly now...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    josame said:

    Apparently no Cav (not surprising) and no Teuns (surprising)

    Correct.
    Teams are being announced quite regularly now. Here are the latest batch:
    BAHRAIN

    BILBAO LÓPEZ DE ARMENTIA Pello Basque Country
    CARUSO Damiano Italy
    COLBRELLI Sonny Italy
    HALLER Marco Austria
    LANDA MEANA Mikel Basque Country
    MOHORIC Matej Slovenia
    POELS Wouter Netherlands
    VALLS FERRI Rafael Spain

    BORA - HANSGROHE (note the walking wounded have made it)

    BUCHMANN Emanuel Germany
    GROßSCHARTNER Felix Austria
    KÄMNA Lennard Germany
    MÜHLBERGER Gregor Austria
    OSS Daniel Italy
    PÖSTLBERGER Lukas Austria
    SAGAN Peter Slovakia
    SCHACHMANN Maximilian Germany

    LOTTO SOUDAL

    CRAS Steff Belgium
    DE BUYST Jasper Belgium
    DE GENDT Thomas Belgium
    DEGENKOLB John Germany
    EWAN Caleb Australia
    GILBERT Philippe Belgium
    KLUGE Roger Germany
    WELLENS Tim Belgium


    TEAM SUNWEB

    ARNDT Nikias Germany
    BENOOT Tiesj Belgium
    BOL Cees Netherlands
    HIRSCHI Marc Switzerland
    KRAGH ANDERSEN Søren Denmark
    NIEUWENHUIS Joris Netherlands
    PEDERSEN Casper Phillip Denmark
    ROCHE Nicholas Ireland

    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    edited August 2020
    Pleased Buchman and Schachmann are both fit to ride.

    Hopefully Gaudu will be fit after his recent tummy troubles.

    I'm really interested to see the EF selection.

  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    DeadCalm said:

    I'm really interested to see the EF selection.

    For what it is worth, I'd like to see:

    Uran
    Martinez
    Higuita
    Woods
    Carthy
    Powless
    Craddock
    Clarke

    No need for a team leader or a mountain train. Follow the wheels as best you can. Hopefully, one of the 5 climbers will be in contention for a podium come the final week (the absolute best EF can realistically hope for right now) and if not go all out for stages.

  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    I thought Sagan was doing the Giro this year rather than the Tour?
  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,610
    phreak said:

    I thought Sagan was doing the Giro this year rather than the Tour?

    Giro rather than the Belgian classics.
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,953
    Dorset_Boy said:

    phreak said:

    I thought Sagan was doing the Giro this year rather than the Tour?

    Giro rather than the Belgian classics.
    Gotcha.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,575
    edited August 2020
    blazing_saddles said:



    TEAM SUNWEB

    ARNDT Nikias Germany
    BENOOT Tiesj Belgium
    BOL Cees Netherlands
    HIRSCHI Marc Switzerland
    KRAGH ANDERSEN Søren Denmark
    NIEUWENHUIS Joris Netherlands
    PEDERSEN Casper Phillip Denmark
    ROCHE Nicholas Ireland

    Have Sunweb actually seen the race route? They seem to be taking a sprint focused team to the least sprint focused Tour in decades.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,480
    andyp said:

    blazing_saddles said:



    TEAM SUNWEB

    ARNDT Nikias Germany
    BENOOT Tiesj Belgium
    BOL Cees Netherlands
    HIRSCHI Marc Switzerland
    KRAGH ANDERSEN Søren Denmark
    NIEUWENHUIS Joris Netherlands
    PEDERSEN Casper Phillip Denmark
    ROCHE Nicholas Ireland

    Have Sunweb actually seen the race route? They seem to be taking a sprint focused team to the least sprint focused Tour in decades.
    Capitalising on a lack of competition?
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    andyp said:

    blazing_saddles said:



    TEAM SUNWEB

    ARNDT Nikias Germany
    BENOOT Tiesj Belgium
    BOL Cees Netherlands
    HIRSCHI Marc Switzerland
    KRAGH ANDERSEN Søren Denmark
    NIEUWENHUIS Joris Netherlands
    PEDERSEN Casper Phillip Denmark
    ROCHE Nicholas Ireland

    Have Sunweb actually seen the race route? They seem to be taking a sprint focused team to the least sprint focused Tour in decades.
    They aren't exactly stacked with GC climbing types to begin with.
    Apparently Wilco "Police Motorbike" Keldermann is off to try and get around the Giro course, unscathed and is taking with him the other Dutch rider who needs a set of stabilizers: Sam Oomen. (maybe it's to have something soft to land on)
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,575
    You'd think they'd bring Matthews, at least he has a chance of winning a stage, unlike Cees Bol or Nikolas Arndt.
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,340
    More worryingly, without Matthews or Durbridge, who is Kirby going to chummily refer to by a nickname nobody else uses for the three weeks?
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    Lanterne_Rogue said:

    More worryingly, without Matthews or Durbridge, who is Kirby going to chummily refer to by a nickname nobody else uses for the three weeks?

    Bora's bringing a brace: Manny and Lenny
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    edited August 2020
    blazing_saddles said:

    Lanterne_Rogue said:

    More worryingly, without Matthews or Durbridge, who is Kirby going to chummily refer to by a nickname nobody else uses for the three weeks?

    Bora's bringing a brace: Manny and Lenny

    Is Bob Jungels doing the Tour?

    If he rolls out Ricky Carapaz then I'm taking the kitchen knife on the train to London
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • sherer
    sherer Posts: 2,460
    Lanterne_Rogue said:

    More worryingly, without Matthews or Durbridge, who is Kirby going to chummily refer to by a nickname nobody else uses for the three weeks?

    if only Kirby has to go into self isolation for three weeks
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    andyp said:

    blazing_saddles said:



    And not such a big blow, since yesterday morning.
    Tolhoek to step in?

    Amund Grondahl Jansen brought in instead. He's a decent rouleur, so a very different rider from Kruisjwijk.
    Norwegian national champion for 2019. As far as I can tell, there doesn't seem to be a Norwegian national road race for 2020 (the TT was held in July). I wonder if he'll keep the jersey for another year?
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,717
    EF teasing their tour team

    Like anyone cares, What crazy race is Lachy up to next?

    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    I'm bringing diversity to by bets


    Twitter: @RichN95
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    RichN95. said:

    I'm bringing diversity to by bets


    You got 40/1 on Roglic?
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    edited August 2020
    EF:

    Uran
    Martinez
    Higuita
    Carthy
    Van Garderen
    Powless
    Bettiol
    Keukeleire

    No Woods, presumably as he's off to Israel next season. Still, a decent climbing team but lacking anyone who is likely to win the Tour.

    FDJ:

    William Bonnett,
    David Gaudu,
    Stefan Küng,
    Matthieu Ladagnous,
    Rudy Molard,
    Thibaut Pinot,
    Sébastien Reichenback,
    Anthony Roux

    Hopefully Gaudu is fully recovered from his tummy troubles.
  • nickice
    nickice Posts: 2,439
    Apologies if this point has already been made but the rules state that two positive cases (for Covid) mean the team is out of the Tour. Does that not mean we could potentially have a Tour that is stopped mid-way through (I'm assuming the leader of the race at that time wins) or, even worse, a Tour with one team remaining? What happens in that second scenario?
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    edited August 2020
    nickice said:

    Apologies if this point has already been made but the rules state that two positive cases (for Covid) mean the team is out of the Tour. Does that not mean we could potentially have a Tour that is stopped mid-way through (I'm assuming the leader of the race at that time wins) or, even worse, a Tour with one team remaining? What happens in that second scenario?

    I can't see them continuing to a last man standing situation.
    It does seem as if the race was called off mid way, then the guy in yellow wins the jersey, but Le Tour?
    That would make for an interesting discussion.

    Anyhow, it doesn't help matters when we get a situation like this:

    After being forced to sit out the Dutch National Championships road race in Drenthe on Saturday because of a positive COVID-19 test, Inge van der Heijden took to Instagram to announce a re-test had come back negative and raised questions about the reliability of the PCR tests.
    The positive test on Wednesday led to Van der Heijden's teammates Yara Kastelijn and Aniek van Alphen to withdraw from the championships because they had done a reconnaissance ride with Van der Heijden.

    https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/van-der-heijden-re-test-negative-for-covid-19-raises-doubts-over-pcr-test-accuracy/

    So, 4 riders get a DNS from someone having a bit of a cold.
    Amazing to think that folks still get those, eh?
    Very last year.

    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • nickice
    nickice Posts: 2,439
    blazing_saddles said:

    nickice said:

    Apologies if this point has already been made but the rules state that two positive cases (for Covid) mean the team is out of the Tour. Does that not mean we could potentially have a Tour that is stopped mid-way through (I'm assuming the leader of the race at that time wins) or, even worse, a Tour with one team remaining? What happens in that second scenario?

    I can't see them continuing to a last man standing situation.
    It does seem as if the race was called off mid way, then the guy in yellow wins the jersey, but Le Tour?
    That would make for an interesting discussion.

    Anyhow, it doesn't help matters when we get a situation like this:

    After being forced to sit out the Dutch National Championships road race in Drenthe on Saturday because of a positive COVID-19 test, Inge van der Heijden took to Instagram to announce a re-test had come back negative and raised questions about the reliability of the PCR tests.
    The positive test on Wednesday led to Van der Heijden's teammates Yara Kastelijn and Aniek van Alphen to withdraw from the championships because they had done a reconnaissance ride with Van der Heijden.

    https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/van-der-heijden-re-test-negative-for-covid-19-raises-doubts-over-pcr-test-accuracy/

    So, 4 riders get a DNS from someone having a bit of a cold.
    Amazing to think that folks still get those, eh?
    Very last year.

    I sort of briefly saw that. I don't know if the PCR test is showing up another coronavirus or if it's the remnants of a previous infection.

    I think this whole thing has been pretty ill-thought out. It does nothing for the credibility of the Tour if we see several teams kicked out. The classics seem like they'll be more manageable.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    DeadCalm said:



    You got 40/1 on Roglic?

    That's for the Green jersey
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,730
    Bora's team have removed confirmation and a 9th rider added.
    Reckon Schachmann isn't going to make it.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,268
    RichN95. said:

    DeadCalm said:



    You got 40/1 on Roglic?

    That's for the Green jersey
    Ah right. I read as 10/1 for Roglic to podium. What did the bookies know that we don't.
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    blazing_saddles said:

    Bora's team have removed confirmation and a 9th rider added.
    Reckon Schachmann isn't going to make it.

    That's a shame.

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