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Paris Nice 2021 ***Spoilers***

ddraverddraver Posts: 26,094
edited March 2021 in Pro race
No love for the race to the sun?

On my phone so can't do the fancy stuff yet...

Spring has sprung and we return to The Race to The Sun

Coverage - ES, GCN & also ITV4 evening highlights with Ned, Friebos & Dave


https://www.paris-nice.fr/en

Favourites:-

Not actually so sure with GC, but after the stage, what struck me is that almost every sprinter is here! Bennett, Demare, Greipel, Ackermann, Bol, Nizzoli, Bouhanni, Pederson, Bling Mathews, Laporte, Kristoff, Coquard. Guess we're only really missing Viviani and ( 😥 ) Cav.

GC riders - Roglic, Tao, defending champ Schachmann, Giro '20 2nd place Jai Hindley

Then there are a few sub-favourite puncheurs here to try and disrupt everything. Colbrelli, Philipson, SKA and Team DSM etc, Jungels and Campenaerts. Phillipe Gilbert already in the break on Day 1 for the lolz






Food & Wine

As always the race goes down the Rhone Valley so wine choices speak for themselves. Dark Powerful spicy reds made from Syrah grapes give way to softer Grenache as the temperature warms up. Food naturally follows a similar pattern from landlocked, almost alpine offerings of meat and potatoes with various sausages and cheese. This becomes lighter, fresher and fishier as the race nears the Mediterranian and root vegetables give way to olives and tomatoes.

As a little aside, as you know the Rhone flows out of Lake Geneva and indeed it's source is far up in the Swiss Alps. The wine bottle labels from the Rhone Valley In Valais was usually written "COTE DE RHONE Suisse", whereas in France it was very clearly "cote de rhone FRANCE"


We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver
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Posts

  • ddraverddraver Posts: 26,094
    Richie Porte restarts his Sky/Ineos career in the manner we are accustomed to, down with 30km to go.

    Not looking good. Taking him a long time to get going again.

    Building for a bunch sprint
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,461
    Bit dull to be honest.
    Porte just took a tumble and Phill Gil up the road in a threesome with oldani and perez
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 21,534
    I’ve retired.
    Nobody applied for the job.
    Talking of retiring Little Richie thinking about it after a crash.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 26,094


    😁😁😁
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,461
    break sat up
  • No_Ta_DoctorNo_Ta_Doctor Posts: 12,969
    Titchy Richie goes down and half the forum decide they'll have to start the thread :smiley:

    *guilty, your honour*
    “Road racing was over and the UCI had banned my riding positions on the track, so it was like ‘Jings, crivvens, help ma Boab, what do I do now? I know, I’ll go away and be depressed for 10 years’.”

    @DrHeadgear

    The Vikings are coming!
  • No_Ta_DoctorNo_Ta_Doctor Posts: 12,969
    I do recommend putting the year in the title, BTW. Helps the forum archivists ;)
    “Road racing was over and the UCI had banned my riding positions on the track, so it was like ‘Jings, crivvens, help ma Boab, what do I do now? I know, I’ll go away and be depressed for 10 years’.”

    @DrHeadgear

    The Vikings are coming!
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 26,094
    edited March 2021
    Break come back, LTS rider attacks, looks round, realises he's on his own and thinks, "ahhhh nuts 😔"
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,461
    another Lotto attack by Goose
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,461
    *Goossens
  • ProssPross Posts: 38,812
    I do feel Porte sometimes lacks that mental toughness. Other riders who supposedly fall regularly like Thomas are back on if at all possible whereas Porte always seems to need a bit of a check up and encouragement (that Tour crash a few years ago being the most obvious example). Sivakov last year looked like another who may be similar. He'll probably finish with a broken hip to spite me now!

    Ineos, Arkea and Bike Exchange are battling for most crash prone team in this race.
  • ProssPross Posts: 38,812
    Seems weird on a pont to point stage race to have a stage that is a loop.
  • No_Ta_DoctorNo_Ta_Doctor Posts: 12,969
    Is Thomas de Gendt auditioning for a protégé or something?
    “Road racing was over and the UCI had banned my riding positions on the track, so it was like ‘Jings, crivvens, help ma Boab, what do I do now? I know, I’ll go away and be depressed for 10 years’.”

    @DrHeadgear

    The Vikings are coming!
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,461
    20 kms to go and still pretty dull.
    Goossen break now 15’’ and closing
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,461
    can’t see anything but a bunch sprint
  • ProssPross Posts: 38,812
    Doesn't look right being in a break whilst wearing leg and arm warmers. It suggests you aren't taking it very seriously.
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 21,534
    edited March 2021
    Did the management force the Lotto boys to watch a French film in the team hotel last night?
    Strange tactics.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,461
    All together
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 21,534
    edited March 2021
    It's a Bling bonus, Brucie.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • ProssPross Posts: 38,812
    Tough little climb to the bonus sprint which Matthews takes.
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,461
    matthews takes sprint points and time
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 26,094
    Nifty little sprint from Bling to take the intermediate sprint from Tiesj Benoit, which also comes with bonus seconds today
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,461
    couple of digs off the front trying to shake it up
  • ddraverddraver Posts: 26,094
    With 14 to go, some of the puncheurs have stayed away from after the sprint...

    Bit of fun
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ProssPross Posts: 38,812
    Decent little group formed but all sitting on as they have sprinters.
  • No_Ta_DoctorNo_Ta_Doctor Posts: 12,969
    Pross said:

    Seems weird on a pont to point stage race to have a stage that is a loop.

    Might be a bit Covid.
    “Road racing was over and the UCI had banned my riding positions on the track, so it was like ‘Jings, crivvens, help ma Boab, what do I do now? I know, I’ll go away and be depressed for 10 years’.”

    @DrHeadgear

    The Vikings are coming!
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,461
    14kms and a little group of 7 away
  • ProssPross Posts: 38,812
    LLS and Vlasov bridging to the break.
  • gethincerigethinceri Posts: 1,461
    not a lot of fire in the break so it’s coming back
  • blazing_saddlesblazing_saddles Posts: 21,534
    Arkea slowly pulling them back in
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
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