S*** Small Races Thread - 2022

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  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,252
    blazing_saddles said:

    Pross said:

    blazing_saddles said:



    It’s not a farce……it’s a fix.
    Disgraceful manipulation by the powers that be to achieve a desired outcome and to hell with the consequences.

    It feels like the WRU have taken over running cycling.
    Quite.
    Certainly both sports a run along the same principles of nest feathering.
    At least Wales win the Grand Slam occasionally. This is indulging French teams who are complacent. The next step will be banning Alaphilippe from riding the Worlds for France unless he joins Cofidis.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • bm5
    bm5 Posts: 578
    Have a good break Blazing. I'll miss your posts.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,252
    ..
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,540
    Leo Hayter takes the second stage of the u23 Giro, and the race lead.

  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    andyp said:

    Leo Hayter takes the second stage of the u23 Giro, and the race lead.

    Easily rode away from his two breakaway companions with 7km to go and a 50 second advantage on the peloton. Helped by disorganisation in the chase, but an impressive ride nonetheless. He'll do well to hold onto his lead after today's monster climbing stage.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,540
    @DeadCalm - you were saying:

  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,540
    Last time gap I saw was he was leading by 4:15 with 2 kms to go.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,645
    He just won the stage and put some time in 🔥
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,195
    Hell, that's impressive.
    I was following it on Twitter and for a long time it seemed Martinez was in control, with Hayter about 2 mins behind.

    Catches them all, reels in Martinez and wins by over 4 mins.......
    Odds on to be signed (if not already, but not announced) by Ineos.
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    andyrac said:

    Hell, that's impressive.
    I was following it on Twitter and for a long time it seemed Martinez was in control, with Hayter about 2 mins behind.

    Catches them all, reels in Martinez and wins by over 4 mins.......
    Odds on to be signed (if not already, but not announced) by Ineos.

    Brilliant! He's said that he wanted to be a GC rider, but hasn't shown before that he could be. I'd always assumed he'd be a similar version of his brother (no bad thing). Very happy to be wrong. Can't wait to see the highlights. And yes, the rumour is that he's already signed to Ineos, hence his departure from DSM.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,540
    He was 4th on GC in the Ronde de l'Isard (previously won by Stevie Williams) in 2020 going into the final stage, but messed up a descent and lost contact with the lead group and ended up 12th in the end. That was the first hint of his GC capabilities (it's a mountainous stage race).

    I thought he'd do well in this race, but he's utterly dominant, second place today was 4:55 back! :open_mouth:
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    edited June 2022
    andyp said:

    He was 4th on GC in the Ronde de l'Isard (previously won by Stevie Williams) in 2020 going into the final stage, but messed up a descent and lost contact with the lead group and ended up 12th in the end. That was the first hint of his GC capabilities (it's a mountainous stage race).

    I thought he'd do well in this race, but he's utterly dominant, second place today was 4:55 back! :open_mouth:

    Second place on GC is Romain Grégoire who has been comfortably the standout U23 so far this season and he's almost 6 minutes down on Hayter. This is seriously impressive stuff,

    Edit: FDJ must be gutted. Without Hayter, they'd be absolutely dominant.

    Edit2: He's almost 7 minutes ahead of Lenny Martinez who managed 14th in the Tour of the Alps. I appreciate Hayter is a couple of years older, but still...
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    In the only set of highlights I've seen so far, he was already 4 minutes clear. Hopefully some will be available later in the day showing his attack in the valley.

    https://www.directvelo.com/actualite/97137/hagens-berman-axeon-on-venait-pour-une-etape-mais-la

    Axel Merckx seems as surprised as anybody. Their ambition was to win a stage. Hayter wasn't even supposed to be riding. He was a substitute for an injured rider.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,540
    Whilst it's a valley road, it's a stiff climb up from Grosio via Bormio to Santa Caterina. That last section from Bormio is effectively the first half of the north side of the Giau and it's a tough climb, made harder by the fact that the road is almost dead straight so there is no respite.

    It doesn't surprise me that someone could open a significant gap on it that late into a stage.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,540
    Google translation of the stage report from Bici-pro:

    https://bici-pro.translate.goog/news/giovani/linchino-leo-numero-daltri-tempi-costa-dolore/?_x_tr_sl=it&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    andyp said:

    Google translation of the stage report from Bici-pro:

    https://bici-pro.translate.goog/news/giovani/linchino-leo-numero-daltri-tempi-costa-dolore/?_x_tr_sl=it&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

    Thanks. Sounds epic.

    "As he finds a free barrier he stops and collapses with his face turned outwards. He looks for air and spits drool at the same time."
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,061
    Ventoux challenge is live on L'Equipe (on tiz cycling). Coverage already started with the roll-out for the men's race - they are saying they'll also show some of the women's race that should be close to the climb already.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,061
    edited June 2022
    Women's Ventoux race now at Chalet Reynard and the peloton immediately exploded by a couple of attacks, but nobody's got fully away. Peloton now about 10 riders with 3 from FDJ.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,061
    Such a brutal climb - Cavalli attacked with 3km to go and never looked like getting caught.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,460
    edited June 2022
    Based on the temperatures I saw for southern France it is going to be even tougher than usual.

    Edit - just looked at a detailed forecast and today is 'only' 24 degrees whereas it is due to be 30 on Sunday and Monday so they are getting off lightly. Colleague is somewhere in the Pyrenees today where it is 28 degrees at 1600m!
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,061
    Men's race is on the lower slopes of the first ascent (from Sault). 5 riders with 3:40 on the peloton, bit of work happening in the group to keep it down to that kind of level.

    Leaders are Calmejane, Debeaumarche, Riubashenko, Koretzky, and Joussame. Nobody with a chance of staying away.

    Weather in Bedoin is indeed 30 C and going up, so a toasty day out indeed.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,061
    Guerreiro now out on his own at Chalet Reynard with half a minute over Storer and Chaves (who's obviously doing no work). Everyone else more than a minute down.

    Guerreiro looks good for this.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,061
    Once Guerreiro was away and guaranteed the win, Chaves attacked Storer for second, to give a 1-2 for EF. Chaves looks fresh as a daisy.
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    edited June 2022
    Edit: Wrong thread.
  • red.rider
    red.rider Posts: 1,215
    Tour of Slovenia starts today. UAE taking most of their TDF team, but only 5 WT teams in total means little competition for Pogacar to wrestle with.
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,061
    red.rider said:

    Tour of Slovenia starts today. UAE taking most of their TDF team, but only 5 WT teams in total means little competition for Pogacar to wrestle with.

    That's a weak field. Pogacar, Mohoric, then the next best who can climb a bit is Albanese. Three good sprinters, so the sprint stage might have a race.

    How many of the 5 stages could pog take there?
  • JimD666
    JimD666 Posts: 2,293
    All of them?
  • red.rider
    red.rider Posts: 1,215
    JimD666 said:

    All of them?

    That wouldn’t surprise me. He might have some MvdP syndrome and attack at every opportunity to prevent succumbing to boredom
  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,061
    I think he might find someone better on stage 2.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,460
    Chucked ES player on and had a choice of Slovenia, Belgium or Switzerland and couldn't decide what to watch. Opted for Slovenia as it is scheduled to finish first, turned on, got Kirby so now switching to Belgium.

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