And the Vuelta! You'd imagine he'd ride Cyclo Cross Worlds and do the Classics, that may not suit a May start with the Giro. Selfishly I'd love to see him ride the Giro and Vuelta! Going by how he wants to race and the quality at Inneos, I'd guess it's classics and Vuelta.
Ganna's not shown in the mountains? Won't he be the new more powerful Moscon? If he climbs, blimey.
Brailsford must have a stiffy thinking about how brutal he can be when he leans out. He's putting out IP times that were TP records in the last ten years on the track - and that TT yesterday was unbelievable. He's an absolute tank - and the perfect kind of rider that ends up a GC specialist these days. The era when midgets weighing 55kg could leak five minutes in TTs and still win the tour are gone - almost every contender now is a TTer or IPer who can limit losses in the mountains. Started with Wiggins in 2010, then Froome, Thomas, Dumoulin, Roglic, Pogacar etc. The only one to buck that trend is Bernal - and he's got a much better time trial in him than, say, Quintana, Landa or <insert Movistar 'contender' here>
He's such a baller of a rider. Got to love a pure racer like that - never fails to entertain. Feel a bit for Kwia - he was a hair's breadth away from being able to go with him on that last attack, and did a lot more on the front than he should have done in the chasing group - van Aert will be kicking himself that he didn't do double turns and drag them to the finish himself - if they'd caught Alaphillippe he would have won anyway - he gapped them from the front in the sprint at the end.
Pidcock needed another British rider with him in the last group - I watched him get spat because he was stuck at the back when a bunch of Italians, Spanish and Belgians parked up at the bottom of the second to last climb. If Knox or Carthy had managed to stick in until that point, he'd have stayed in the front group and gone to the finish with them.
Brutal course - almost perfect for the worlds - could have done with one of the climbs being longer and maybe less laps though.
"a visual representation of the way teams have changed since last season by using ProCyclingStats points. On the top row you’ll find representations of the 2020 lineups of various teams ordered from most to least PCS points. On the bottom row, you’ll find their 2021 lineups, also ordered from most to least PCS points. Individual strands represent individual riders. The wider the strand, the more PCS points a rider has.
Even a quick glance at the visualization can offer some great insight. The Ineos Grenadiers closed out 2020 with the fourth highest-rated roster on the WorldTour, but as the visualization shows, they added some strength this past transfer season, at least in terms of PCS points. You can follow the lines of Richie Porte from Trek-Segafredo, Daniel Martínez from EF, and Adam Yates from Mitchelton-Scott for instance, to an Ineos Grenadiers team that now has the second highest-rated roster.
EF, on the other hand, has seen its cumulative total of PCS points take a big dip after bidding farewell to Martínez and also Michael Woods, who joined Israel Start-Up Nation. Speaking of Israel Start-Up Nation, they jumped up quite a few spots with the likes of Woods and Daryl Impey (coming over from Mitchelton-Scott) making a big impact."
Ineos Grenadiers boast multiple Grand Tour winners in their roster, making race leadership a tough decision for management, but the team have opted to give Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas and Adam Yates their own opportunities this season.
As reported by CyclingNews, Brailsford announced that Bernal would lead the team in the Giro d’Italia, Thomas would return to the Tour de France as their chosen rider, while Yates will challenge for the Vuelta a España later in the season.
Richard Carapaz, winner of the 2019 Giro d’Italia, will also ride the Tour along with last year’s Giro winner Tao Geoghegan Hart, Brailsford confirmed.
Britain’s Tao Geoghegan Hart said on Wednesday he would not defend his Giro d’Italia title this year but aims to turn his focus instead on a possible Tour de France and Tokyo Olympics double.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider told the Daily Telegraph he wanted a new challenge.
“I love racing in Italy. I loved the experience of the Giro,” said the 25-year-old Londoner.
“Of course, it would be incredible to go back there this year with the number one jersey. I understand the significance of that. But I think as a bike racer, to put it bluntly, you can’t see the number on your back.
“Ultimately, I felt I wanted to target something new and different. And yeah, the biggest race in cycling. I think there’s no argument there.”
Really? Something that happened ten years ago, with a drug that is so low-res that anyone caught using it would be popped pretty instantly? And was almost certainly for a non world-tour rider? With only one other British rider having tested positive since - in an era where cycling has become the most tested sport in history due to the nuclear age of the nineties and noughties?
I'd say cycling is in a pretty healthy position, tbh, regarding PEDs. Nothing like the farce of Rugby League players looking like John Cena and running like Ben Johnson for 80 minutes, or footballers covering ridiculous distances at insane speeds day after day or routinely receiving cortisone shots, or biathletes taking beta blockers... The list goes on.
Doping happens still, but it's far rarer than it is in other sports - yet the press has a hard on for drugs in cycling in general, and the British press in particular is up to its usual trick of tearing something down once they've got bored with celebrating its success (Skineos).
Really? Something that happened ten years ago, with a drug that is so low-res that anyone caught using it would be popped pretty instantly? And was almost certainly for a non world-tour rider? With only one other British rider having tested positive since - in an era where cycling has become the most tested sport in history due to the nuclear age of the nineties and noughties?
I'd say cycling is in a pretty healthy position, tbh, regarding PEDs. Nothing like the farce of Rugby League players looking like John Cena and running like Ben Johnson for 80 minutes, or footballers covering ridiculous distances at insane speeds day after day or routinely receiving cortisone shots, or biathletes taking beta blockers... The list goes on.
Doping happens still, but it's far rarer than it is in other sports - yet the press has a hard on for drugs in cycling in general, and the British press in particular is up to its usual trick of tearing something down once they've got bored with celebrating its success (Skineos).
Feels with Cycling there seems to be a desperation at times from the media to find the next Lance Armstrong.
Really? Something that happened ten years ago, with a drug that is so low-res that anyone caught using it would be popped pretty instantly? And was almost certainly for a non world-tour rider? With only one other British rider having tested positive since - in an era where cycling has become the most tested sport in history due to the nuclear age of the nineties and noughties?
I'd say cycling is in a pretty healthy position, tbh, regarding PEDs. Nothing like the farce of Rugby League players looking like John Cena and running like Ben Johnson for 80 minutes, or footballers covering ridiculous distances at insane speeds day after day or routinely receiving cortisone shots, or biathletes taking beta blockers... The list goes on.
Doping happens still, but it's far rarer than it is in other sports - yet the press has a hard on for drugs in cycling in general, and the British press in particular is up to its usual trick of tearing something down once they've got bored with celebrating its success (Skineos).
Really? Something that happened ten years ago, with a drug that is so low-res that anyone caught using it would be popped pretty instantly? And was almost certainly for a non world-tour rider? With only one other British rider having tested positive since - in an era where cycling has become the most tested sport in history due to the nuclear age of the nineties and noughties?
I'd say cycling is in a pretty healthy position, tbh, regarding PEDs. Nothing like the farce of Rugby League players looking like John Cena and running like Ben Johnson for 80 minutes, or footballers covering ridiculous distances at insane speeds day after day or routinely receiving cortisone shots, or biathletes taking beta blockers... The list goes on.
Doping happens still, but it's far rarer than it is in other sports - yet the press has a hard on for drugs in cycling in general, and the British press in particular is up to its usual trick of tearing something down once they've got bored with celebrating its success (Skineos).
Yep something and nothing, but very handy for anyone who wants to push the trade statistics down the newsroom pecking order.
Bizarre story, not sure on it's relevance, and the judgement is damning without facts. But if the Schlecks and Contador learnt how to work within the Biological passport, plenty of others will have in cycling. Operation Aderlass has it's links to Bernard Kohl in 2008, and if memory serves there's links to Andreas Kloden and the Freiburg clinic in the mid noughties. Ok that's all blood doping but just as Russia faked their drug tests, if some cyclists could then they'd take synthetic testosterone. Sinkewitz blood doped but was caught for testosterone in 2007, then caught in 2011 for hGH which is anabolic and said to increase testosterone. If the average cyclists were up to something in Austria and Germany, it's fanciful to believe some of the best paid ones aren't microdosing or manipulating their biological passport.
French newspaper L’Equipe and Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad have compiled an updated list of the 20 male riders believed to earn the most in professional cycling
1. Chris Froome (Gbr) Israel Start-up Nation €5.5 million
2. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE-Team Emirates, Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe, €5 million
3. Geraint Thomas (Gbr) Ineos Grenadiers, €3.5 million
4. Egan Bernal (Col) Ineos Grenadiers, €2.8 million
5. Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol) Ineos Grenadiers, €2.5 million
6. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Deceuninck – Quick-Step, € 2.3 million
7. Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma, Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar, Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers €2.2 million
8. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Trek-Segafredo €2.1 million
9. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix , Adam Yates (Gbr) Ineos Grenadiers, Primoz Roglic (Slo) Jumbo-Visma, Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ, Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana, Romain Bardet (Fra) Team DSM, €2 million,
That is a LOT of money for Froome, Nibali and Viviani. Gaviria also stealing a living at the moment. The rest, you have to say are worth it either from a results, performance or prestige perspective (eg: Pinot does a huge amount for FDJ's profile because of the patriotic thing, ditto Valverde & Movistar, Sagan because... well, because Sagan )
Alaphilippe, van der Poel, Roglic and van Aert are horrendously underpaid
Kwiatkowski will probably only put in a couple more years at Skineos before he does the Richie Porte Shuffle and ends up at somewhere like EF or Red Lotto as a genuine GT contender in his own right
Kwiatos not had any good results for a couple of years. One TDF stage, especially the one he won, is not a great return. Nibali's had top ten in monuments, and finished second in the Giro in that time: Pino would live that on his results. Kwiato unfortunately is never going to be a GT contender, and has Inneos stage raced himself out of contention in monuments. He made the right decision taking the money at Sky. I still want him to win another monument, but think it unlikely.
Surprised Dumoulin and Adam Yates aren't in that list.
Kwiatos not had any good results for a couple of years. One TDF stage, especially the one he won, is not a great return. Nibali's had top ten in monuments, and finished second in the Giro in that time: Pino would live that on his results. Kwiato unfortunately is never going to be a GT contender, and has Inneos stage raced himself out of contention in monuments. He made the right decision taking the money at Sky. I still want him to win another monument, but think it unlikely.
Surprised Dumoulin and Adam Yates aren't in that list.
In case you have missed it I stumbled across "Eat Race Win" on Amazon Prime. Documentary following the Orica Scott team in the 2017 TDF. It is based around Hannah Grant who is head chef in the mobile kitchen for the team however there is plenty of race footage, talk from the team car and bus and tactics. They are trying to get, and keep Simon Yates in the white jersey.
Very interesting look behind the scenes at what goes on, especially preping and serving food for the entire team every morning and evening as well as the riders lunches in their musettes.
I'd always take Sky and Inneos millions to be a GT support rider. Such a tough sport, you're peak earning years are usually a couple of years around 27. All the more reason to not over pay for a Quintana coming up to 30 last season!
MSR tomorrow. AKA 'tune in from the Cipressa and use the other six hours for summer useful'. Unfortunately, a back problem means I'm unlikley to be able to train tomorrow, so I'll probably watch it from the start, sinking deeper into the 12 Duvels I bought on Wednesday 😂
Can't see past van der Poel if I'm honest. Only thing that could beat him is himself, if he gets bored or attacks from about 40k out. Even fancy him in a sprint, should it stay together or get brought back after the Poggio. I'd love to see Gilbert win it, obviously - but my outside tip is Ballerini. I don't see Alaphilippe being given the necessary leeway to get away with a small group, and he won't beat van der Poel in a sprint, so reckon that Quickstep will want to keep it as a bunch sprint and Ballerini is bang in form
MSR tomorrow. AKA 'tune in from the Cipressa and use the other six hours for summer useful'. Unfortunately, a back problem means I'm unlikley to be able to train tomorrow, so I'll probably watch it from the start, sinking deeper into the 12 Duvels I bought on Wednesday 😂
Can't see past van der Poel if I'm honest. Only thing that could beat him is himself, if he gets bored or attacks from about 40k out. Even fancy him in a sprint, should it stay together or get brought back after the Poggio. I'd love to see Gilbert win it, obviously - but my outside tip is Ballerini. I don't see Alaphilippe being given the necessary leeway to get away with a small group, and he won't beat van der Poel in a sprint, so reckon that Quickstep will want to keep it as a bunch sprint and Ballerini is bang in form
If van der Poel wants it, hard to see past him.
Was it last week when he said that he just went for it because he was cold?
Inneos just made it perfect for a late breakaway. Impressed by Pidcock as always, he knew Stuyven's break was perfect for him but couldn't get over to him. That was his move, but great to Stuyven win and break the big three in the first Monument. Lucky Trek didn't anyone else at the end otherwise they'd have messed it up!
Inneos just made it perfect for a late breakaway. Impressed by Pidcock as always, he knew Stuyven's break was perfect for him but couldn't get over to him. That was his move, but great to Stuyven win and break the big three in the first Monument. Lucky Trek didn't anyone else at the end otherwise they'd have messed it up!
Pidcock looked very good ... he is growing into this very quickly
Inneos just made it perfect for a late breakaway. Impressed by Pidcock as always, he knew Stuyven's break was perfect for him but couldn't get over to him. That was his move, but great to Stuyven win and break the big three in the first Monument. Lucky Trek didn't anyone else at the end otherwise they'd have messed it up!
Pidcock looked very good ... he is growing into this very quickly
Oddly, I fear for Pidcock. He s a fantastic prospect, but the same thing that dogged him through juniors might still be a problem for him now - he doesn't seem to be a specific kind of rider, just strong at loads of things. He looked easily strong enough today to make a move at the right time, and... Didn't. If he'd gone with Alaphilippe straight away when he went on the Poggio, they could have dragged someone else with them and made it stick. He's never winning a bunch sprint, and he wasn't going to get away on the descent. He could have attacked on the run in if he'd conned Alaphilippe into doing most of the work.
Of course, that sounds ridiculous given how young he is - and he's got years to learn his craft. He's still absolutely brilliant to watch and already looks totally at home mixing it with the best riders. I really fancy him for Flanders one year - maybe not this year, but in the near future. Just hope Skineos don't turn him into another super-domestique
Comments
Pidcock needed another British rider with him in the last group - I watched him get spat because he was stuck at the back when a bunch of Italians, Spanish and Belgians parked up at the bottom of the second to last climb. If Knox or Carthy had managed to stick in until that point, he'd have stayed in the front group and gone to the finish with them.
Brutal course - almost perfect for the worlds - could have done with one of the climbs being longer and maybe less laps though.
"a visual representation of the way teams have changed since last season by using ProCyclingStats points. On the top row you’ll find representations of the 2020 lineups of various teams ordered from most to least PCS points. On the bottom row, you’ll find their 2021 lineups, also ordered from most to least PCS points. Individual strands represent individual riders. The wider the strand, the more PCS points a rider has.
http://carriebennette.com/cycling_viz/
Ineos Grenadiers boast multiple Grand Tour winners in their roster, making race leadership a tough decision for management, but the team have opted to give Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas and Adam Yates their own opportunities this season.
As reported by CyclingNews, Brailsford announced that Bernal would lead the team in the Giro d’Italia, Thomas would return to the Tour de France as their chosen rider, while Yates will challenge for the Vuelta a España later in the season.
Richard Carapaz, winner of the 2019 Giro d’Italia, will also ride the Tour along with last year’s Giro winner Tao Geoghegan Hart, Brailsford confirmed.
Britain’s Tao Geoghegan Hart said on Wednesday he would not defend his Giro d’Italia title this year but aims to turn his focus instead on a possible Tour de France and Tokyo Olympics double.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider told the Daily Telegraph he wanted a new challenge.
“I love racing in Italy. I loved the experience of the Giro,” said the 25-year-old Londoner.
“Of course, it would be incredible to go back there this year with the number one jersey. I understand the significance of that. But I think as a bike racer, to put it bluntly, you can’t see the number on your back.
“Ultimately, I felt I wanted to target something new and different. And yeah, the biggest race in cycling. I think there’s no argument there.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/56367117#:~:text=Calendar-,Dr%20Richard%20Freeman%3A%20Ex%2DBritish%20Cycling%20and,Team%20Sky%20chief%20doctor%20guilty&text=Ex%2DBritish%20Cycling%20and%20Team%20Sky%20chief%20doctor%20Richard%20Freeman,help%20dope%20an%20unnamed%20rider.
I'd say cycling is in a pretty healthy position, tbh, regarding PEDs. Nothing like the farce of Rugby League players looking like John Cena and running like Ben Johnson for 80 minutes, or footballers covering ridiculous distances at insane speeds day after day or routinely receiving cortisone shots, or biathletes taking beta blockers... The list goes on.
Doping happens still, but it's far rarer than it is in other sports - yet the press has a hard on for drugs in cycling in general, and the British press in particular is up to its usual trick of tearing something down once they've got bored with celebrating its success (Skineos).
Alaphilippe, van der Poel, Roglic and van Aert are horrendously underpaid
Kwiatkowski will probably only put in a couple more years at Skineos before he does the Richie Porte Shuffle and ends up at somewhere like EF or Red Lotto as a genuine GT contender in his own right
Surprised Dumoulin and Adam Yates aren't in that list.
Very interesting look behind the scenes at what goes on, especially preping and serving food for the entire team every morning and evening as well as the riders lunches in their musettes.
Eat. Race. Win. - Official Trailer | Prime Video - YouTube
Can't see past van der Poel if I'm honest. Only thing that could beat him is himself, if he gets bored or attacks from about 40k out. Even fancy him in a sprint, should it stay together or get brought back after the Poggio. I'd love to see Gilbert win it, obviously - but my outside tip is Ballerini. I don't see Alaphilippe being given the necessary leeway to get away with a small group, and he won't beat van der Poel in a sprint, so reckon that Quickstep will want to keep it as a bunch sprint and Ballerini is bang in form
Of course, that sounds ridiculous given how young he is - and he's got years to learn his craft. He's still absolutely brilliant to watch and already looks totally at home mixing it with the best riders. I really fancy him for Flanders one year - maybe not this year, but in the near future. Just hope Skineos don't turn him into another super-domestique