Strade Bianchi ***Spoilers***

ddraver
ddraver Posts: 26,348
edited March 2021 in Pro race
Whoop Whoop Strade Day! Strade Day Whoop Whoop!!
@ddraver
The Sixth Monument* TODAY! (not sunday).


@Cramon


@cyclingnews


@pezcycling

Coverage in all the usual places. Wine & Food - anything Tuscan! (and God damn you really can't miss in Tuscany). Tuscan Pecorino, truffles, Cannellini Beans, Cantucci cooked in and drunk with Chianti

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*(pending confirmation under the 'f72-Chipper Classification, 2021 commission')
We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver
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Comments

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 13,200
    Weather reports inconclusive. Some predict showers, some don't. Anyone got something reliable?
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format
  • jam1e
    jam1e Posts: 1,066
    The best of the three monuments, looking forward to seeing how Pidders gets on - if he gets to the end with the bigger boys I reckon he could be the Kwiatkowski to their Sagan.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,741
    edited March 2021
    Live coverage is due in about 10 minutes.


    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196

    Weather reports inconclusive. Some predict showers, some don't. Anyone got something reliable?

    Came on to ask just this!

    Certainly for Siena the BBC and Google etc. are saying v low chance of rain.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    Are we expecting the finish around 3? Seems to be my guess from the TV schedules?
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    edited March 2021
    Women's live coverage has just started... Looks a bit grey but not rainy so far, quite a lot of blue sky in fact. Hard to tell how much breeze there is, trees do seem to be moving a little but that might be the camera bike's gimble on the fritz...

    GCN has sound issues again

    Mathieu van der Poel switches bikes for Strade Bianche after Le Samyn cockpit malfunction
    @cyclingnews

    😶
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    edited March 2021
    Ellen van Dijk, Madie Garcia, Chantal Blaak and 5 others have a good gap over the rest.

    The 2 big dutchies are missing for once

    18 to go and they re all pulling back now. Gaps are smaller than the commentators made it sound. Vos and Koepcky make it across but groups are separated by just 10s of metres at the moment
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 18,878
    Camera work covering the women's race isn't great and I can't quite put my finger on why.

    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,091
    re coverage - groups all over the place and only one (I think) helicopter means lots of relying on motos, who are struggling to get stable shots on the rougher sections where the actions coming.

    Felt like the first group decided to stop trying to hold off the chasers and rest up for a few seconds before it kicks off again.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    edited March 2021
    13 to go,

    Group of 15-20 containing most of the big hitters. AvV, MV, EvD, Maddie Garcia, Kopecky, Ashleigh MP, Audrey CR, Demi Vollering, ELB...

    Cecilie is there

    (I'm not good at this)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    edited March 2021
    12 to go

    MV and AvV get a gap over the others on the super steep (?final) gravel climb

    Looks like Kopecky has a puncture rather than a blow up unfortunately.

    Nobody with team mates I think

    11 to go,
    (yep, no more gravel now)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,091
    edited March 2021
    That 18% section that Vos and AVV went on is utterly brutal. Lots of damage done shortly beforehand, too - there was a sharp right hander followed by a nasty little climb, and at least a couple of riders didn't anticipate the gear shift.
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,091
    edited March 2021
    Seeing Vos and AvV side by side really shows the difference in style, doesn't it?
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    Lots of elbow flicking from AvV, Vos ain't falling for that

    10 to go - looks like it will regroup
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    9 to go

    Group of 5 then a short gap to 6 including AvdB who I hadn't seen till now

    all joins up and spreads across the road with 8.5 to go
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,091
    Comes back together - Vos doesn't want to work, AvV can't shake her.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    edited March 2021
    Cecilie has team mates* - FdJ send out an attack countered by AMP

    (*hard to tell with all the national, euro, world etc jerseys. No one is wearing the same jersey)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,091
    The biggest hitters seem to be content to mark each other for now as smaller attacks go and come back. If anyone has decent legs they might catch them napping between here and the last km or so.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    6 to go

    Some stretching and shrinking.

    AvdB will inevitably go on the attack at some point

    Chantal Blaak goes ELB covers

    Has there been a bunch sprint up the Via Santa Caterina before?
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,091
    Vandenbroek-Blaak goes off now, followed by Longo-Borghini. Nobody seems to want to take the chase up behind...
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    edited March 2021
    5 to go

    Group behind has stopped...

    ELB and Blaak ahead

    FdJ with team mates. Not the best tactics from, them - Ok now they wake up
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    4 to go @14s

    Blaak vs ELB - ELB the clear favourite. So much so Blaak's team mates start to chase

    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,091
    ELB being forced to do all the work. Not happy about it...
  • rick_chasey
    rick_chasey Posts: 72,237
    ddraver said:

    Women's live coverage has just started... Looks a bit grey but not rainy so far, quite a lot of blue sky in fact. Hard to tell how much breeze there is, trees do seem to be moving a little but that might be the camera bike's gimble on the fritz...

    GCN has sound issues again

    Mathieu van der Poel switches bikes for Strade Bianche after Le Samyn cockpit malfunction
    @cyclingnews

    😶
    Cockpit fml
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    edited March 2021
    Lots of attacks from the chase but gap holding steady

    1.5 to go

    Martha Cavalli appears to get something behind...?
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,091
    Ellen van Dijk spoiling the chase behind on behalf of ELB...
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,091
    1km - ELB/Blaak have 19 seconds....
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    1 to go

    17 to the chase group but Cavalli is in between at ~10s (timed by me)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Lanterne_Rogue
    Lanterne_Rogue Posts: 4,091
    Cavalli out of the group, trying to chase them down. Her legs have looked good today
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    AvdB and AvV not far behind

    Chantal Blaak goes with 500 to go
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver