S*** Small Races Thread - 2021

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  • Young British rider, Mason Hollyman, riding for Israel Cycling Academy, won today's stage of the Volta y Portugal.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • Cav may have just missed out to a resurgent Groenewegen, failing to deliver DQS's daily win, but Joao Almeida soon sorted that out in Poland.
    He attacked early on the really tough finishing ramp, went again when about to be caught by Ulissi, responded again to Ulissi's counter and then beat him in the sprint.
    Amazing, given he must have been close to threshold for pretty much the duration and must have gone into the red a couple of times.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • hommelbier
    hommelbier Posts: 1,556
    Nice to see Mads Pedersen back to winning again, in today's stage 2 in Denmark, beating Nizzolo and Groenewegen.
  • hommelbier
    hommelbier Posts: 1,556
    Meanwhile in today's stage 3 of Tour de Pologne, Fernando Gavira wins for the first time in almost 12 months - he looked really pleased
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,227
    edited August 2021
    Evenepoel laps the peloton on the finishing circuit in Denmark on the way to winning by a minute and a half.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,692
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  • davieb78
    davieb78 Posts: 99
    AvV won the mountain top finish Stage 3 of the Ladies Tour of Norway, and should wrap up the GC tomorrow.
  • Ethan Vernon bagged himself stage 5 of the Tour de l'Avenir barely two weeks after filling in for Ed Clancy as man one in the Olympic team pursuit.

    When was the last time a GB pursuiter won a UCI road event in Olympic season after the Games? Especially one who won European kilo silver just the year before?
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444
    Ashton Lambie rode a sub-4 minute 4k individual pursuit yesterday...

    https://cyclingtips.com/2021/08/ashton-lambie-breaks-four-minute-pursuit-barrier/

    Not really a race, but pretty cool! (IMO)
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,227

    Ethan Vernon bagged himself stage 5 of the Tour de l'Avenir barely two weeks after filling in for Ed Clancy as man one in the Olympic team pursuit.

    When was the last time a GB pursuiter won a UCI road event in Olympic season after the Games? Especially one who won European kilo silver just the year before?

    That's quite a small pool to be fishing in. There was a GB track rider from Rio who won a race later that same year though.
  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,620

    Ashton Lambie rode a sub-4 minute 4k individual pursuit yesterday...

    https://cyclingtips.com/2021/08/ashton-lambie-breaks-four-minute-pursuit-barrier/

    Not really a race, but pretty cool! (IMO)

    Much like Campenaerts' hour record, this feels hollow. We know this guy isn't the best.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    gsk82 said:

    Ashton Lambie rode a sub-4 minute 4k individual pursuit yesterday...

    https://cyclingtips.com/2021/08/ashton-lambie-breaks-four-minute-pursuit-barrier/

    Not really a race, but pretty cool! (IMO)

    Much like Campenaerts' hour record, this feels hollow. We know this guy isn't the best.

    Sadly we didn't get a showdown at the Olympics to find out.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • notquite6foot
    notquite6foot Posts: 248
    edited August 2021

    Ethan Vernon bagged himself stage 5 of the Tour de l'Avenir barely two weeks after filling in for Ed Clancy as man one in the Olympic team pursuit.

    When was the last time a GB pursuiter won a UCI road event in Olympic season after the Games? Especially one who won European kilo silver just the year before?

    That's quite a small pool to be fishing in. There was a GB track rider from Rio who won a race later that same year though.
    Indeed, though it makes for a pleasant change to see a GB rider do the Olympic TP and not be done for the rest of the road season (perhaps Ethan Hayter can buck the trend too).

    That season for Cav was pretty damn good, much as it cost him the following three years or so.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444
    gsk82 said:

    Ashton Lambie rode a sub-4 minute 4k individual pursuit yesterday...

    https://cyclingtips.com/2021/08/ashton-lambie-breaks-four-minute-pursuit-barrier/

    Not really a race, but pretty cool! (IMO)

    Much like Campenaerts' hour record, this feels hollow. We know this guy isn't the best.
    It's still a big milestone in the sport, breaking the 4 minute barrier.

    He's been trading records with Ganna so he must be doing something right - obviously, if Ganna went to Mexico and did it he would almost certainly go faster, but that doesn't diminish Lambie's achievement.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,444
    Also re: Campenearts' hour record, his interview earlier in the year with the Cycling Podcast was quite interesting on this (which I now can't find at all, annoyingly).

    Obviously he understands Ganna is a better TTer than he is, which is why he has been deliberately moving away from being a TT specialist (crowded field these days...), and is likely to take the hour record when he tries. But there's some specific issues Ganna will have in the hour record due to being quite a bit bigger than Campenaerts.

    And he beat Wiggins' record so he can't be that bad ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • neonriver
    neonriver Posts: 228

    gsk82 said:

    Ashton Lambie rode a sub-4 minute 4k individual pursuit yesterday...

    https://cyclingtips.com/2021/08/ashton-lambie-breaks-four-minute-pursuit-barrier/

    Not really a race, but pretty cool! (IMO)

    Much like Campenaerts' hour record, this feels hollow. We know this guy isn't the best.
    It's still a big milestone in the sport, breaking the 4 minute barrier.

    He's been trading records with Ganna so he must be doing something right - obviously, if Ganna went to Mexico and did it he would almost certainly go faster, but that doesn't diminish Lambie's achievement.
    I'd say Lambie is easily in top 5 pursuiters in the world at the minute on his day No.2 behind Ganna but maybe not consistent enough.

    My problem with the record isn't that he did at altitude or anything like that but it wasn't in a competition and he didn't have to back up the effort to win a race. That is one of the main aspects of a Pursuiter to me can they put 2 rides together, how do they handle someone else putting in a fast time in qualifying or being up on them in a race. Also why I thought it was bulls**t that the mens team pursuit at the olympics was held over 3 days and they didn't have to back up the rides.

    Doing it alone and not in a competition leaves me a bit cold it's not much different to Tanfield doing 4.02s while training at Izu, impressive but shouldn't count that much.
  • Vikings are it at again in l'Avenir - twin brothers Anders and Tobias Johannessen make it a Norwegian 1-2 in today's stage.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262
    edited August 2021

    Ethan Vernon bagged himself stage 5 of the Tour de l'Avenir barely two weeks after filling in for Ed Clancy as man one in the Olympic team pursuit.

    When was the last time a GB pursuiter won a UCI road event in Olympic season after the Games? Especially one who won European kilo silver just the year before?

    That's quite a small pool to be fishing in. There was a GB track rider from Rio who won a race later that same year though.

    It may be a small pool, but I'm not sure it will be done by anyone else anytime soon

    Hang on a minute, Ethan Hayter has just won a stage of one of the Tours of Norway.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,227
    RichN95. said:

    Ethan Vernon bagged himself stage 5 of the Tour de l'Avenir barely two weeks after filling in for Ed Clancy as man one in the Olympic team pursuit.

    When was the last time a GB pursuiter won a UCI road event in Olympic season after the Games? Especially one who won European kilo silver just the year before?

    That's quite a small pool to be fishing in. There was a GB track rider from Rio who won a race later that same year though.

    It may be a small pool, but I'm not sure it will be done by anyone else anytime soon

    Hang on a minute, Ethan Hayter has just won a stage of one of the Tours of Norway.
    Maybe they should have worked harder at the team pursuit.
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    More races than you can shake a stick at today. As well as the second stage of Tof N there’s the Grand Prix Marcel Kint in Belgium and there’s that thing in Spain.
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 75,660
    Photo finish on the Grote Prijs Marcel Kint and it looks like Hodeg of QS won it over Tim Merlier.
  • Why have one 70km successful solo break when you can have two?!

    Caruso's stage win in La Vuelta wasn't the only such spectacle as Carlos Rodriguez also won the final l'Avenir stage that way. Tobias Johannessen clung to the GC win by just 7 seconds (was over 2 minutes before the stage), thereby narrowly averting a spectacular last-minute steal.
  • RichN95. said:

    Ethan Vernon bagged himself stage 5 of the Tour de l'Avenir barely two weeks after filling in for Ed Clancy as man one in the Olympic team pursuit.

    When was the last time a GB pursuiter won a UCI road event in Olympic season after the Games? Especially one who won European kilo silver just the year before?

    That's quite a small pool to be fishing in. There was a GB track rider from Rio who won a race later that same year though.

    It may be a small pool, but I'm not sure it will be done by anyone else anytime soon

    Hang on a minute, Ethan Hayter has just won a stage of one of the Tours of Norway.
    Stage two and the GC as well (up to seven wins this season), with Olympic madison teammate Matt Walls getting his first pro win in the last stage.

    Only Mads Pedersen (stage 3) could stop the Anglo-Saxons from raiding the entire tour.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,262



    Only Mads Pedersen (stage 3) could stop the Anglo-Saxons from raiding the entire tour.

    Did he do it by crashing into them?
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,227

    RichN95. said:

    Ethan Vernon bagged himself stage 5 of the Tour de l'Avenir barely two weeks after filling in for Ed Clancy as man one in the Olympic team pursuit.

    When was the last time a GB pursuiter won a UCI road event in Olympic season after the Games? Especially one who won European kilo silver just the year before?

    That's quite a small pool to be fishing in. There was a GB track rider from Rio who won a race later that same year though.

    It may be a small pool, but I'm not sure it will be done by anyone else anytime soon

    Hang on a minute, Ethan Hayter has just won a stage of one of the Tours of Norway.
    Stage two and the GC as well (up to seven wins this season), with Olympic madison teammate Matt Walls getting his first pro win in the last stage.

    Only Mads Pedersen (stage 3) could stop the Anglo-Saxons from raiding the entire tour.
    Perhaps they were all out training on road bikes in Tokyo.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,692
    There was some brother on brother racing action, with Leo Hayter riding for DSM in Norway

    He's not had a good time of it, apparently, but seems like he's enjoying himself again



    Avenir dominated by the wrong sort of Vikings...
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  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 9,108
    RichN95. said:

    JimD666 said:

    Just catching up with both races, who on earth is the commentator for ES/GCN? I get that many don't like those who they consider overly enthusiastic but this is going the other way by several orders of magnitude.


    It was Matt Rendell. Eurosport had tech problems so had to take the world feed commentary

    He really is the worst commentator of any sport I've ever heard - that is not hyperbole. Sounds like someone mumbling to themselves as they try and understand what's happening in the race.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 12,038
    edited August 2021
    Nice win for Matt Walls, just pipping Mads P in the Tour of Norway final stage, and the GC for E Hayter.

    Shame Hayter wasn't able to handsling Walls through :D



    I hadn't taken him for being that much of a sprinter (road) having watched him at Tokyo, but he gave a good account of himself here I thought, assisted by a stunning leadout.
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,692
    Benoit Cosnefroy takes the Bretagne Classic (GP Plouay) in a sprint v Alaphilippe & Mikkel Honoré, after a break of 60km
    Great little race and joy for @iainf72 globally
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  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,620
    "on yer bike" is currently on itv. We don't get much racing on terrestrial TV so I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned.
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago