Worlds - who do you have - VeloNation - Cycling Forums, Bicycle Forums, Community Forums

Posts:4499

09/16/2021 11:59 AM
Some of the guys in form with quality recent wins seem to be van Aert, Colbrelli, Valgren, Hirschi. VDP could factor, he looked good last weekend but at same time is vulnerable with his back. Alaphillipe seems to be quietly building. Should be a good race. On the women's side, it will be the usual who can beat the Dutch, even though van den Breggen looks to be off form, there are still plenty of others to play a numbers game. And on junior womens' side, we have a local representative, one of classmates of my kids who looks to be participating for Canada in both TT and road race. Been out there for last three weeks already, what an adventure. Hope TT racers don't get sandblasted too badly with start ramp pretty much on the beach (where VDP and Wout often battle it out in the surf during cyclocross season). Seems like a risky spot to put a start.

Posts:4209

09/16/2021 01:00 PM
Add in Magnus Cort Nielsen as a favorite for the men's race also.... MVP's win this weekend was a good sign, but Antwerp is a far cry (and 90k short) of a World's course / field. Hopefully he'll be a factor. But WvA is my 5-Star favorite.

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Posts:4499

09/16/2021 02:09 PM
Posted By Cosmic Kid on 09/16/2021 01:00 PM But WvA is my 5-Star favorite. Form wise yes except when all the big dogs are at the dinner table he always seems to find a way to get second place. It's between the ears. Unlike VDP he may the actual heir to Poulidor.

Posts:2881

09/16/2021 08:28 PM
I respect OC's observation a few days back that WVA might have spent too much to win the Tour of Britain. And of course ANY one day race is a tossup. But if the VWO who had what was needed in France and Britain lines up in two weeks, he will be my favorite hands down. So sorry WVA, if you don't win, it's on me. PS: OC if by chance if you are watching Ted Lasso, just curious of your take on the Dutch player's straight honesty, but perhaps detachment from the emotional situation. Loving the serial, but always on the alert for deeper insight.

Posts:4499

09/16/2021 10:35 PM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 09/16/2021 08:28 PM PS: OC if by chance if you are watching Ted Lasso, just curious of your take on the Dutch player's straight honesty, but perhaps detachment from the emotional situation. Loving the serial, but always on the alert for deeper insight. Haha, I have no idea what you’re asking or what this is. Not watching any TV at all. Just Netflix.

Posts:2881

09/17/2021 08:37 PM
Fair enough, Apple plus is not on Netflix. Another sucker at the teat, who needs that. But know that this series is dominating Emmys for good reason, it's about an oh so human story with soccer/football as a brace ("football is life"!) but not the only brace. Breaking Bad good? So far maybe, at least in the same zip code. I hope you chime back if you tune in. PS WVO' race to lose.

smokey52

Posts:493

09/17/2021 09:03 PM
Beard was weird.

Posts:4499

09/17/2021 09:20 PM
No clue what Breaking Bad is about either LOL. Hooked on the Netflix international offerings, it literally opens up a whole new world. Watched a Palestine movie last night.

Posts:4209

09/18/2021 02:03 PM
Breaking Bad is on Netflix…..you need to correct this oversight immediately. It is my #1 series of all time. You won’t regret the time investment. Re: WvA and his head, I think the mental block only applies when he is up against MVP.

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Posts:4499

09/18/2021 08:31 PM
I’m thinking Wout got second in last worlds, second in Olympics etc. There seems to be a pattern developing. Ok, Breaking Bad reads like it could be up my alley. Like an American version of Ferry. But won’t be correcting it immediately, maybe over winter season. Too many episodes.

Posts:4209

09/19/2021 10:06 AM
Good ITT today….Ganna timed his effort perfectly, upping as he went. Wout seemed to fade towards the end. His cadence was high in the first 3/4 of the race, but he was grinding it out towards the end. TT’s usually aren’t very interesting to watch, but this was a good race!

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Posts:4499

09/19/2021 10:45 AM
Missed it entirely. Done by time I woke up. Another 2nd place. Wout is starting to notice and is incredibly disappointed “a silver too many”. Sounds like he had an early scare almost slipping in a turn. And final TT for Tony the Tank. End of an era.

Posts:485

09/19/2021 02:25 PM
First off, a few things: Breaking Bad = Good Handmaid's Tale = Good (but so depressing) And Wout would have won had he not been riding discs. That front rotor chopping away at the wind easily cost him 5 seconds. Discuss.

Posts:4499

09/19/2021 02:58 PM
Disc brakes is an obvious difference between Ganna and van Aert but you can’t attribute the 5 seconds to them without assessing other factors like overall aerodynamics of their bikes, different skin suit, helmet, tire choices, tire pressure. Once you add it all up you can assess what difference equipment made. In the end Ganna may have simply paced it better (Wout started faster) and had the advantage of knowing van Aerts splits.

Dale

Posts:1767

09/19/2021 05:00 PM
Posted By Evan Solida on 09/19/2021 02:25 PM And Wout would have won had he not been riding discs. That front rotor chopping away at the wind easily cost him 5 seconds. Discuss. You're really teeing it up for CK aren't you?

Posts:4209

09/19/2021 06:24 PM
LOL, Dale… Pondered it a bit today and came to the conclusion that it is a moot point. Wout’s bike is not available in a non-disc version so there is no “penalty”. The bike is what the bike is….he could not choose to use rim brakes. Plus it has always tested fast AF and was “optimized” around discs from the beginning. shrug

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Posts:2881

09/19/2021 09:41 PM
Wow. Pundits were on. WVA is my top pick for the BIG show next weekend. We all know a one day RR has a lottery component on most courses. Not Merckx in 2014, salut Montreal, but most years. PS Breaking Bad is worth anyone's binge time. Really that good, maybe the best TV series ever. Really. And maybe also worthy of your time is Ted Lasso, an uplift to the viewer's spirits and an uppercut to the Devil's jaw.

Posts:4209

09/20/2021 09:18 AM
Saw an analysis somewhere that the 5" difference amounted to ~1.2W over that course. If accurate, then had there been a rim brake version of Wout's P5 available 9and assuming it was optimized for rim brakes), it could in theory have made the difference.

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Posts:485

09/20/2021 10:23 AM
Since INEOS is switching to disc 'finally' next year, Wout should win rainbow in 2022 against Ganna since they will both be equally handicapped by the dumbest bike feature in decades. Actually, that article on CyclingNews should really say INEOS is switching reluctantly to disc. The pro's have pushed back on discs for years but the industry steamrolled over them. And the wheel keeps turning...ting ting ting.

Posts:4499

09/20/2021 10:59 AM
Interesting though that for Ineos the delay has been because they wanted their bikes to be as close to UCI weight limit as possible, not a mention about aero. Still like the rim brakes on my road bike but every other bike has discs, no questions asked that its superior. Hell, I would not have been riding the bumper of car in front of me on downhill commute this morning with rim brakes, hahaha,

Posts:4209

09/20/2021 11:21 AM
Interesting though that for Ineos the delay has been because they wanted their bikes to be as close to UCI weight limit as possible, not a mention about aero This is what always cracks me up about Ineos and their claims of "marginal gains"....they have the WORST equipment sponsors and choices. Pinarellos are tanks, hence the reason they are still riding rim brakes....to keep them as light as possible. Plus they aren't particularly aero, either. And don't even get me started on their choice of Lightweight wheels for mountain stages....

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Posts:2881

09/20/2021 09:38 PM
Brakes in a TT? I am missing something

Posts:2881

09/20/2021 09:38 PM
To be clear tongue in cheek but really?

Posts:4499

09/20/2021 09:53 PM
Speaking about tongue in cheek, van Aert cannot become world champion this year simply because he looks splendid in those Belgian champ colours. If he threatens to win someone put a stick in his spokes.

Posts:485

09/21/2021 09:08 AM
Don't worry OC, he has 2nd place locked up.

Posts:485

09/21/2021 09:14 AM
Seeing Wout be an astounding climber, time-trialist, one-day racer and sprinter makes me think something is going on. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/david-lappartient-riders-are-sharing-rumours-of-new-doping-techniques-they-feel-there-is-a-gap

Posts:4209

09/21/2021 12:57 PM
I'd be lying if I said the same thoughts had not occurred to me.....but I am more suspicious of Pog & Rog than I am of Wout (At least for now)

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Posts:4499

09/21/2021 06:19 PM
I am sure there is still stuff going on. But not sure I put much stock in peloton rumours. There was rumours too about strange noises and new propulsion being used to cheat. Which I think could be traced to teams in question having started waxing their chains.

Posts:4209

09/21/2021 06:40 PM
Hmmmm…having ridden waxed chains, I can say that they are pretty damn quiet. At least if done properly. But yeah, I don’t put much stock into those rumors about weird noises coming from the bikes.

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Posts:4499

09/21/2021 07:25 PM
No experience but I thought they run quietly after a brief break in period?

Posts:4209

09/22/2021 10:11 AM
break in period is maybe a few miles...but even then they are pretty quiet. They are also freakin' awesome...so smooth.

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Posts:2881

09/22/2021 07:24 PM
Long time fan of chain wax for muddy and wet mtb riding here on the wet east coast USA. Such a fan that I used wax on my then young son's Cub scout pinewood derby car. Bad choice, no just no. Posted to accept my humiliation, beg my then young son's forgiveness, and as a cautionary tale.

mondonico

Posts:158

09/22/2021 08:16 PM
Only use dry graphite powder. At least that worked great 30 years ago.

Posts:485

09/22/2021 09:20 PM
LSD...what happened? Did the wax slow the pinewood derby car down? I remember using graphite plus drilling a long hole into the body and placing ball-bearings inside that supposedly would add a bit of propulsion as it went down the track (doubt it made a lick of difference.)

Posts:2881

09/23/2021 01:31 AM
Yes. Graphite was the right answer.

Posts:4499

09/25/2021 10:06 AM
Judging by women’s race it’s hard to stay away on this course. It will be a sprint tomorrow.

Posts:2881

09/25/2021 03:32 PM
Vos looked overgeared in the finale. Or is that just her sprinting style?

Posts:4209

09/25/2021 09:48 PM
I’ve got a gut feeling tomorrow about Sagan. I hope I’m wrong, but we’ll see….

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Posts:2881

09/26/2021 09:30 AM
Wow, what a race!

Posts:4499

09/26/2021 09:33 AM
Excellent racing. Belgian strategy fell apart as soon as Evenepoel ran out of gas. What a crock haha. Alaphilipe clearly strongest today. Surprised it finished in a solo but relative to women’s race there was a lot of early attrition.

Posts:4209

09/26/2021 09:59 AM
Great race by Allaphillipe….amazing string of attacks.

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79pmooney

Posts:3180

09/26/2021 10:53 AM
Wow! "Watched the race on CyclingNews live updates. Got up early enough to catch up to the finish in real time, but no, there was so much action I was way off the back as they were finishing! Performances - Alaphilippe! CN talked of him firing two bullets already and was he finished? with many kilos to go. He still had three more! Declerq who spent hours doing massive work only to have Belgium come up empty. The Danes - good, smart, hard racing. Powless - first non power country rider, a basically unsupported 5th. Disappointment? Van Aert. Declerq and Evenepoel did massive amounts of work for him

Posts:2881

09/26/2021 11:37 AM
Hand wringing to follow in the Belgian press.

Posts:2881

09/26/2021 11:37 AM
Evenpoel gets the last laugh.

Posts:4499

09/26/2021 11:51 AM
Evenepoel would have been able to drag JA back if he hadn’t expended all that energy when it wasn’t needed. France and Italy were just sitting in. Either Remco can’t help himself or he was triggered by Merckx criticism. Either way tactical knucklehead and perfect launch pad for JA.

Posts:2881

09/26/2021 09:31 PM
Or he could have been a protected rider. WVO just wasn’t up for 260k, maybe left it on the road in Britain as OC suggested. Evenpoel might have contended but again that’s an hour too long for many younger talents. These speculations may not matter as JA was brilliant today. The post race interviews are great stuff.

Posts:2881

09/26/2021 09:31 PM
Sorry double post

eurochien

Posts:163

09/27/2021 04:49 PM
Interesting observation, not substantiated by any scientific data, but in my experience, French cyclists rely more on instinct than team directors' instructions, and have done so for a long time. Virenque, like him or loathe him, was like that, Voeckler was like that and now that he's the French team boss, he barged in a post-race interview to hug Alaphilippe and excitedly told him "see, instinct!!" (as in, "I told you to follow your instinct"). It's a throwback method, and many times it fails but when it suceeds it's got a special flavor.

Posts:2881

09/27/2021 06:24 PM
Yes! Racing without radios is better for Jazzmen like JA than robotically perfect Classical players who are watching their power meters and following the commands of their conductors via radio (baton equivalent). I love classical and jazz music. I love improvised/jazz cycling way more. Bravo JA. If the UCi would ban radios, or limit to safety instructions only, racing would be more entertaining and riders with panache like JA might win more races, too.

Posts:4499

09/27/2021 08:15 PM
I’d observe that in absence of a radio JA dropped back to team car to receive instructions from Voeckler. This is when Voeckler told him to ride on instinct as opposed to riding defensively and set up Senechal for sprint (the supposed French number 1 rider). The instruction from Voeckler to JA was actually given closer to finish than UCI regulation allowed. Voeckler risked a fine. A lot of planning actually went into this: https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/voeckler-i-told-alaphilippe-to-follow-his-instincts-at-world-championships/ So yes to panache but I doubt radios have much to do with it. JA always rides like that (JA doing JA things as Lefevere puts it) even when there’s radios albeit lessso in past year due to pressure of rainbow jersey. To me the question is solidly on panache versus guys staring at their power meters afraid to over extend themselves. The cyclocross guys which includes JA have no such reservations.

Posts:2881

09/27/2021 08:37 PM
Good counterpoint. Regardless, vive riders going by feel and improv. It's a great sport, and great entertainment. I vote for both. Not sure I agree about the relative import of radios. With radios, Evenepoel would have been called off way earlier in the late stages, and also he would have not bothered with some of the not really serious breakaways that he joined and helped drive, burning matches right and left.

Posts:4499

09/27/2021 09:05 PM
Again don’t think radios mattered much in this. The key issue is that van Aert signaled way too late that he wasn’t good. VDP made that same call much earlier with 41 to go and gave van Baarle the nod. No radio needed. The main influence of no radios was very apparent, up until very close to finish JA was unaware of big gap he had and stayed nervous. Then at some point a moto put gaps on a sheet of paper and it finally dawned on him. Speaking about panache, van Baarle was unable to walk normal up until three weeks ago after Spain crash. Getting silver is huge.

79pmooney

Posts:3180

09/27/2021 10:23 PM
OC, was Evenepoel doing all he did thinking he was softening up the field for van Aert?

Posts:4499

09/27/2021 10:56 PM
Yes that was the game plan. Evenepoel did exactly what he was told to do. But it only a good plan if your leader had the legs to finish it off and they had no plan B. Also everyone else knew the Belgian game plan although the French were the only ones smart enough to preempt it (per Voeckler interview).

Posts:4499

09/30/2021 09:29 AM
Haha,the knives are slowly coming out in Belgium. First Remco with his criticism of Belgian tactics which falls in line with opinions given by other insiders (now on cyclingnews). Van Aert has since responded in kind. Those two won’t be seeing eye to eye for awhile. I can actually see a scenario where the Belgian coach purposely assigned Remco early tasks burning him Out so he could not become a distracting factor later in race. Of course that backfired if true.

79pmooney

Posts:3180

09/30/2021 10:08 AM
I haven't yet seen van Aert's comments but Evenepoel gets to say what he wants. He was clearly right up there with Alaphilippe for having the legs and using them very effectively. Rode smart and to instructions to a "T". Was told specifically he was not allowed to go for the win. Now, van Aert? If he had dropped out when the flag dropped six hours before the finish, nothing would have changed. (Well, as marked man #1, everything would have changed but my point is, what he did with his legs made zero difference.) If van Aert honestly didn't know he didn't have the legs, well, a humbling and costly learning opportunity. If he knew, Belgium's loss despite showing up with the deepest, strongest and best coached and disciplined team is on him. Evenepoel gets to say what he wants. If van Aert doesn't simply shut up, then show up and demonstrate next year with his legs, heart and teamwork, he slides in my book. The saving grace to all this is the winner was the one match to Evenepoel that day, rode just as hard and is a class act; a fully worthy World Champion. (I'd love to see Alaphilippe sacrifice himself at Lombardi to get Evenepoel the monument.)

Posts:4209

09/30/2021 11:39 AM
I can actually see a scenario where the Belgian coach purposely assigned Remco early tasks burning him There is also a scenario where Remco said "Fine...I'll play the 'good teammate' and just set a really hard tempo for 15K to prevent anyone from attacking. What's that? Those tactics worked out perfectly for my trade team teammate? Huh....that's weird. "

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Posts:4499

09/30/2021 12:20 PM
Yup, Lefevere made an offhand comment about that immediately post-race. "Remco rode perfectly to set up JA".

Dale

Posts:1767

09/30/2021 03:01 PM
Let the circular firing squad commence!

Posts:4499

10/04/2021 11:05 AM
Interesting documentary yesterday "going for gold" which followed Belgian national team at Olympics, Euro Champs and Worlds. It leaves some serious questions as to how coachable Evenepoel is. Completely goes against instructions on numerous occasions. The "niet rijden" sign they put in front of his nose (and which went fully ignored) was brilliant. So are the numerous frowns in the team car.

Posts:4209

10/04/2021 11:17 AM
Is it available on line (and in English)?

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Posts:4499

10/04/2021 11:30 AM
The short article, which has the "niet rijden" sign is here. There's a shorter clip linked immediately below and then the entire 1 hr documentary at bottom of page. Sorry, 100% in Flemish. https://sporza.be/nl/2021/10/03/gezien-in-alles-voor-goud-bordje-niet-rijden-voor-remco-evenepoel~1633294402798/

Posts:2881

10/04/2021 12:11 PM
Translate bots tell me niet rijden = "don't drive". There must be a nuance here I hope you can clarify. In this context, does it mean Don't ride hard? Don't attack?

Posts:4499

10/04/2021 12:42 PM
"Don't ride". Which means he was meant to cover the break (defensive strategy), not pull hard and try to tear it apart like a maniac (with Leclerc his team mate being main victim hanging in back).

Posts:4499

10/12/2021 09:15 PM
Posted By Cosmic Kid on 09/18/2021 02:03 PM Breaking Bad is on Netflix…..you need to correct this oversight immediately. It is my #1 series of all time. You won’t regret the time investment. Ok with mrs away for two weeks I’ve decided to take a dive into a series. But it’s Lupin (French). Hoping it can live up to previous two dives, Undercover and La Casa de Papel. Short, only two seasons.

smokey52

Posts:493

10/13/2021 02:25 PM
Staying on forum topic, watch for the escape on bicycle scene -- hilarious. If you like Omar Sy, you should watch "Intouchables", a French film.

Posts:4499

10/13/2021 07:31 PM
Smokey - watched that one a while ago. Fun movie.

Posts:2881

10/13/2021 10:08 PM
Fellow binge watcher here. Omar has some real small screen chops and I am a fan. Hoping for more on my TV. Just advising he should skip the scenes that require athleticism, kinda embarrassing to watch him limp here and there in this series. The current De Niro couldn't do those scenes either, no foul.

Posts:4499

10/20/2021 11:45 AM
So I started Breaking Bad but didn't get beyond Season 2 episode 4. Can't say it appealed much. Still got a few days solo at home so then I started Peaky Blinders. The premise of early 1900s setting with convolution early industrial era, poverty, crime, communism and IRA is excellent. Music score also is excellent (Nick Cave, Shotgun Wedding among others) but much like Breaking Bad being near start of Season 2 the script is starting to wear thin. Shorter fuse shows are definitely the way to go.

Posts:2881

10/20/2021 12:06 PM
Peaky Blinders suggestion: google “best episodes”. Watch those. As for BB, it gets more interesting later than early season 2, but but still it’s not for everyone.

Posts:4209

10/26/2021 10:22 AM
Stuyven unloads on Evenepoel.....no love lost there!! https://www.velonews.com/news/road/jasper-stuyven-on-remco-evenepoel-some-things-should-remain-behind-closed-doors/

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Posts:4499

10/26/2021 11:15 AM
This has certainly turned into a drawn out traumatic experience for the Belgians LOL. The approach of Dutch women was better; they unloaded immediately at finish line and it was done. As to series watching, I ended up watching Peaky Blinders till the end. It got massively better midway in season 2 and stayed an excellent level consistently from there. May go the "best episodes" route at some point for BB or just forward to later seasons for a second attempt.

Posts:4499

12/11/2021 06:38 PM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 10/20/2021 12:06 PM Peaky Blinders suggestion: google “best episodes”. Watch those. As for BB, it gets more interesting later than early season 2, but but still it’s not for everyone. Correct. I thought the plot was getting a bit thin and repetitive early season 2 but picked watching back up two weeks ago. They did end up improving the plot lines pretty massively and some excellent character additions. Yesterday I got to end of season 3; the end certainly was promising for season 4.

Posts:2881

12/11/2021 08:40 PM
Both darker and better as they progress. BB is amazing.