S*** Small Races Thread - 2022

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  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,325
    Huge lead out from Remco there. Breakaway rider probably could have nicked it if his team hadn't been busy working against him for at least 5km...
    Twitter: @canocola @thedreadships
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,747
    And then Evenepoel leads out the world champ from about 1km to a straightforward win.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,808
    Caja Rural still got 5th on the stage, the last breakaway rider was caught with 400m to go

    Not enjoying the commentary tbh, although Nico correctly debunked the 1 minute per 10k rule
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,747
    takethehighroad said:

    Caja Rural still got 5th on the stage, the last breakaway rider was caught with 400m to go

    Not enjoying the commentary tbh, although Nico correctly debunked the 1 minute per 10k rule

    If they'd stayed working as a group of four, they had a shot at the stage. TBH, if the other three had just carried on with him as a passenger, they'd all have been better off.

  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,700
    Caja Rural? Anybody?
    Managed to snatch 5th when the worse they could have got was 4th.

    No wonder the Burgos car was giving them stick.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,747
    blazing_saddles said:

    Caja Rural? Anybody?
    Managed to snatch 5th when the worse they could have got was 4th.

    No wonder the Burgos car was giving them stick.

    Can anyone translate this?

  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,378
    Looks like Mads P took the win at the Circuit de Sarthe on roads I know quite well. Some lumpy roads on today's stage. I watched France win the 1998 World Cup in a bar in the market square in Mamers.
  • drhaggis
    drhaggis Posts: 1,150
    kingstongraham said:

    blazing_saddles said:

    Caja Rural? Anybody?
    Managed to snatch 5th when the worse they could have got was 4th.

    No wonder the Burgos car was giving them stick.

    Can anyone translate this?

    He says that their rider, Julen Amezketa [1] arrived to the team bus with fever. In the last few km the rider was telling his DS he wasn't feeling great, so the team decided to keep their options open. Then he mentions this was the key stage for Orluis Aular and that, in fact, he was brought to this Itzulia precisely to get a good result in this stage. Maybe thinking they can beat the big teams is wishful thinking but that's the idea they had when the stage began. That is why they rode the way they did in the last few km.

    [1] I don't care how the surname is spelled in cyclingnews. Proper spelling is Amezketa
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,700
    edited April 2022
    The last few kms? And they couldn't drop him when they tried. Sound like bullpoop to me.

    Anyhow, today's stage will not please Rick, as it's yet another loop. It looks a little more like a traditional Basque Country route, although the final 20kms seems a bit underwhelming, on paper at least.



    Edit:

    I am now reading that the final climb is extremely steep and on a narrow, rough road.
    Could turn out to be a very selective stage.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,747
    edited April 2022
    This is proper pais vasco stuff.
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,787
    Good turn from G there
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,700
    Very cagey stuff from this select group.
    Remco trying his usual tactic of just riding away.
    So far they have been vigilant.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,700
    Bilbao out sprints Alaphilippe
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,787
    Not a bad stage that. Surprised Rog didn't really get involved in the sprint.
  • bm5
    bm5 Posts: 559
    It was a good stage, certainly better than expected. Beautiful area today in the spring sunshine as well.
    Wasn't too sure about Roglic s form today.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,700
    It does seem as if Roglic and Jumbo in general are a bit subdued in this race. However, it's all about the final couple of stages, as today's fare looks like one for the break.


    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • seanoconn
    seanoconn Posts: 11,623
    What happened to Geraint Thomas yesterday? Can’t find any info.
    Pinno, מלך אידיוט וחרא מכונאי
  • seanoconn
    seanoconn Posts: 11,623
    mrb123 said:

    Good turn from G there

    Just riding in support of Yates?
    Pinno, מלך אידיוט וחרא מכונאי
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,787
    Yeah, did a monster turn on a steep climb and then pulled off. Don't think he tried to stay with the lead group after that, certainly wasn't there at the end.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,747
    seanoconn said:

    mrb123 said:

    Good turn from G there

    Just riding in support of Yates?
    Yes, he was riding a long way out on the front up the hills as a domestique.

    Yates looked on form, had Roglic struggling a bit when he attacked on the steep bits. Vingegaard looked strong.
  • orraloon
    orraloon Posts: 13,192
    seanoconn said:

    mrb123 said:

    Good turn from G there

    Just riding in support of Yates?
    From what I saw on the catch up, G plus TGH were doing a lot of work on the front in latter part of stage, working for Yates.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,700
    edited April 2022
    When live coverage started, Geraint was on the front, driving the bunch hard into the first pass over those pair of climbs. He was still there a lap later. A lap being almost 40kms.

    I forgot to mention that he did the same job last week in Coppi e Bartali. I watched every stage on YouTube through Tiz and he pretty much did all the late work for Dunbar, Tullet and Hayter.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,700
    Anyhow, Ineos have one man in a large breakaway today and that man is Geraint Thomas.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • seanoconn
    seanoconn Posts: 11,623
    Adam Yates looking like the terminator at the front of the peloton with zero upper body movement compared to the rest.
    Pinno, מלך אידיוט וחרא מכונאי
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,787
    JA is such an asset to races like this. All action.
  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 5,158
    edited April 2022
    Martinez holds off JA by a rim width
  • mrb123
    mrb123 Posts: 4,787
    Mad_Malx said:

    Martinez holds off JA by a rim width

    Good finish. I wondered what G was doing still involved in the lead out having been caught from the break.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,700
    edited April 2022
    So onto the lesser of the two stages which bring Itzulia to a conclusion. The sting is right in the tail, so expert the GC battle to be over the final 500 metre ramp.................and we all know who excels in sprinting up these finishes.
    I should have used the official profiles before, as their colour coding offers a bit more of a clue to the climbs.







    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 27,747
    The last categorised climb has 3km at a fairly steady 9% which, if they go at it, could catch out anyone who's not feeling it today - but probably won't.

    And it does look a bit of a kicker at the end - very Roglesque

    https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1909586,-2.5285986,3a,75y,52.91h,76.08t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSXr0ir3hlZjT2HdHp2eUVQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,700
    Lucas Hamilton cart wheels over the barriers.
    Very interesting to be getting full race radio over the community
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.

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