S*** Small Races 2024

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Comments

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    I'm pretty sure this is the same for any bike race anywhere, long before 20mph became the default speed limit. Just that this time somebody got jobsworth about it

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  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,198

    In future they'll need to design routes away from 20mph limits, or apply for dispensation to temporarily suspend the 20mph limit for cycles races. The former is more likely.....

    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    There are plenty of places where they'd be doing well over 30mp/h as well where that would have been the limit - pretty much any descent into a village. I'm pretty sure this has only become an issue this year because it'd been blind-eyed before but someone wanted to make a political statement.

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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    Anyway, shouldn't this be on the "TOB doesn't come past my house (because I live in a 20mph zone)" thread?

    😅

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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463

    The last time I organised a race I'm sure there was something in the paperwork exempting the race convoy from speed limits etc. I'm not sure why changing from 30mph to 20mph alters that. It feels like someone is getting in a muddle.

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    There are claims going round that it takes some sort of act of Parliament, which sounds fishy to me.

    As I said above, I think this is probably some oålitical shenanigans to kick up a culture war fuss about the 20 mp/h DEFAULT.

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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,463

    I would assume it comes down to whether the race is considered to be acting under a temporary road closure in which case the associated Regulations don't apply. I thought that with the use of accredited marshals (static and NEG) the race convoy is acting in a rolling bubble of a closure.

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    Yeah, I've got no actual idea of what goes into organising a race or what the regs are, but I can't believe that anything happening this time round is anything new or more bureaucratic than before.

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  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,726

    Never underestimate the pedantry of the Welsh assembly.

    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    Mads P wins a very entertaining stage of the Tour of Germany, a little kicker in the finishing circuit made the last 30km fun to watch

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  • Dorset_Boy
    Dorset_Boy Posts: 7,574

    Speed limits only apply to motorised vehicles. They have never applied to bicycles.

  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,198

    Not fishy at all - that is certainly what happens for any closed roads motorsport events.

    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,553

    The reason why the Isle of Man hosts the TT and Manx GP races is because the act of Parliament required to close roads on the mainland doesn't apply to a crown dependency.

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    Lidl make it 4 out of 4 in the Lidl Tour of DE - Milan massive after a long leadout from Mads P

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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    Didn't manage to catch the women's GP Plouay (or whatever it's called now) yesterday as I was trying to watch four other races as well. I kept an eye on it for a while on live stats and it looked like it stayed together for ages, twitter complained that the finish circuit meant everyone left their moves very late. Looks like Bredewold won a twou sprint from Dygert, with Lippert 4" behind and a twenty odd bunch sprint 9" down led in by Balsamo

    The men's edition today looks to have a nicely stacked field, minus the very biggest hitters of MvdP, Van Aert, Pog and Mads P. As always this time of year, quite a few names with no contract for next season yet. My personal hope is for Valgren to have a good ride :-)


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  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,553

    Lippert attacked with about 5 kms to go, got a gap but Dygert and Bredewold closed it down over the next couple of kilometres. Dygert attacked inside the final kilometre and got a ten metre gap that Lippert couldn't close, but Bredewold played it very cool and sat on until 200 metres to go, then launched her sprint which was fast enough to over haul the American 50 metres before the line.

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    Chris Juul-Jensen in the break of two with Silvan Dillier in Plouay, had 11 minutes, now down to 9. Not often we get to see him doing much than front of the peloton work (especially on descents). It gives Jayco a day off with Matthews sitting in the wheels for later


    In the Lidl tour of the middle aisle, LIdl-Trek must be confident they can bring the break back from nearly 5 minutes as Mattheis is just 34" down on GC


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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    I hope @rick_chasey is watching Plouay, it's 259.8km long, so just what he's always asking for.

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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    Bloody annoying - Lidl Tour of Lidl Domination and Plouay, both got 85ish km to go, both doing about 40km/h. They're going to finish within minutes of each other (like women's Plouay and Lidl Tour yesterday), probably tight enough that when the stream of the first to finish hits the finish the second to finish has probably finished in reality

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  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656
    edited August 25

    They finished within seconds of each other.

    In Plouay there were loads of attacks for the last 30-40km but nobody could get away or properly split the peloton, until very late where Hirschi got small gap and kept it for the win. Peloton followed in with Magnier taking the sprint just in front of Magnus Cort.

    The Lidl Tour of Lidl Dominance finished with a Mads P monstering masterclass. A group of about ten got a gap late on, including Mads, Tobias Johannessen and Danny Van Poppel (top 3 GC). With bonus seconds on the line there were loads of attacks to cover and Mads brought each one back, finally leading the sprint out fairly long from the front.

    That's all 4 stages plus prologue to Lidl-Trek (3 to Milan, 2 to Mads), plus the points (and 2nd) and GC.

    They left the youth and mountains classifications because Mads was being nice to our Norwegian neighbours.


    EDIT: Apparently there was a best teammate award as well, which went to Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier. Must have been tight between him and Tom Skujins, who was immense


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  • mididoctors
    mididoctors Posts: 18,908
    edited August 25

    Nvm

    "If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm
  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249
    edited September 1

    Apparently, MVDP is a DNS for the final stage of Renewi Tour, a gravel stage that he was the hot favourite to win. He looked fine when he led Jasper Philipsen out for his stage win yesterday so I'm guessing sickness.

    Edit: His knee is still a little sore after banging it on the handlebar during the time trial.

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    Is there gravel as well as bergs on today's stage? That seems a touch savage. It's three times up Kapelmuur with a load of other climbs (Paterberg, Bosberg etc) thrown in

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  • DeadCalm
    DeadCalm Posts: 4,249

    No. I'm an eejit with a gravel obsession. A brain fart on my part.

  • No_Ta_Doctor
    No_Ta_Doctor Posts: 14,656

    Yeah, but you just know there's some farmer in Flanders laying down a gravel track over his fields and calling Flanders Classics: "Hear me out.... We can put a hospitality tent right here, two loops and then onto Kwaremont..."

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  • Webboo2
    Webboo2 Posts: 1,017

    Has anybody tried to watch on Discovery. The on last 2 stages it just kept pixelating as they came into finish.

  • kingstongraham
    kingstongraham Posts: 28,166

    Tour of Britain is quite a decent watch, except for all the dying dogs, funerals and insurance ads on ITV4, they're seemingly endless even with 15km to go.

  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,198
    All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."