A New Year!
Last Post 04/03/2022 09:59 AM by Orange Crush. 65 Replies.
Author Messages
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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02/03/2022 11:01 AM
Volta a la Comunitat Valencia.  Racing resumes.  CN's first Live Reports of 2022.

Q-S and Evenepoel are off to a good start!  With all the uncertainty in the world now is good to see a small slice of "normal".  Good to see Remco clearly running on all cylinders again.  I don't know that he'll ever be a favorite for me but he can sure ride and bring life to races!


Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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02/03/2022 01:10 PM
Don't forget Etoille de Besseges is going on too....the finish on both of the first two days have been brutal!
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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02/03/2022 04:10 PM
And they're racing in between the desert sand. Not sure about Besseges but other two have gravel as the new trend of must have finishes. Also a new Strada type race was announced in Spain, looks quite interesting.

Old man Valverde already has his first win, on Mallorca per usual.

Bernal, all the best to him for recovery to a normal life. Not sure if he'll ever race again. Certainly not this year.

VDP did his first outdoor training ride this week, not sure if we'll see him for classics (which would be a big miss).
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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02/03/2022 06:28 PM
BTW - the amount of Sporza articles devoted to Evenepoel ahead of Valencia was crazy, for what is effectively just a warmup race. The amount of pressure on this kid is enormous and ridiculous.
Habanero

Posts:257

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02/04/2022 07:44 AM
I'm glad to see racing resume! Now to balance the work/streaming equation!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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02/04/2022 10:41 AM
Gravel is not kind to Evenepoel.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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02/05/2022 08:07 AM
I don’t think it was the gravel as much as it was he was just at the end of his rope….he seemed to lose way more time once they got back on asphalt. And for a good chunk of the time on gravel, he was setting the pace (in an attempt to keep it under control, I’m sure)
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Dale

Posts:1767

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02/05/2022 09:47 AM
I've fallen out of favor with the mixed surfaces stuff. Either have a road race, a gravel race, or a cobble race but throwing in a section of gravel like that in a stage race is bordering on triathalon- like.

Strada Bianca? 100% on board
Paris-Roubaix? Same
Sand at Zonhoven? Epic!
Mid-South? Yup!
Stage race... pavement only.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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02/05/2022 10:20 AM
I don’t mind some light gravel tossed in….but race organizers are jumping on it so hard it is becoming a gimmick, which is devaluing the overall appeal.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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02/05/2022 10:20 AM
You missed Paris Tours. It’s reinvention racing in gravel through vineyards is awesome.

There’s also a lower level race in Belgium that is superbly. Not big on radar and name escapes me but both VDP and van Aert won it . And there’s a cyclo off-road version of Flanders, if that ever becomes a race
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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02/05/2022 10:21 AM
And what a pull by Evenepoel today in the finale….I won’t call it a lead out because no QS rider was involved in the sprint, though. 🤣
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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02/05/2022 11:25 AM
It probably was bad position before gravel more so than gravel. He had to expend a bunch of energy on early part of gravel to get back to front which ended up costing him in end.

Agreed on gimmick aspect. I see a future where road racing becomes less important and season alternates between cyclocross and gravel racing. Haha.

Too bad Fabio got locked in today.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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02/13/2022 10:32 AM
Nice year's start for Quintana. A very well deserved win. Yes, the word is probably that the final climb was custom made for him (though twice as long and twice as high would have been better!). But he won this on good, old fashioned blue collar racing. Did what he needed to do on the opening TT. Rode the front group the next two days, making every split. The ride of a quiet, seasoned pro.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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02/13/2022 11:10 AM
And more Q-S. Tour of Oman. Top two podium spots today. First and fourth overall. Green jersey. Leading the team overall. Yeah, they had to settle for second in that other race.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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02/14/2022 02:59 PM
Lutsenko wins first edition of Clásica Jaén Paraiso.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riders-give-thumbs-up-to-clasica-jaen-spains-nod-to-strade-bianche/
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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02/16/2022 09:23 AM
Lutsenko wins first edition of Clásica Jaén Paraiso


That was a great course....all the gravel sections were on uphills and they were pretty chunky. Hope to see more big names coming next year.

Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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02/16/2022 09:40 AM
Yes indeed. Is there any recap coverage CK? Haven’t searched yet.

So many COVID positives from Valencia: Nibali Valverde, Hart, Kelderman etc. Lots of race plans being upended.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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02/18/2022 11:45 AM
And while things are falling apart in Spain, life is going on just like it should in Portugal. Q-S again. Jakobsen pulling off a Cavendish-like improve after losing the Q-S train.

And all this in Q-S classic fashion. Lose #1. Everyone steps up and little is lost. (Tim Declerrq. CN says stomach bug. I didn't know anything could take him down.)
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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02/18/2022 05:06 PM
Is there any recap coverage CK


Dunno….I have GCN+ so I got the last ~50k or so live.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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02/18/2022 05:08 PM
The pulls Evenepoel have been taking are so impressive….he knocks out between 1/2K to a full K and just strings things out.

The only thing that sucks for Q-S is that he is so damn small, there can’t be much of a draft behind him…LOL.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Habanero

Posts:257

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02/21/2022 07:43 AM
Posted By Cosmic Kid on 02/18/2022 05:08 PM

The only thing that sucks for Q-S is that he is so damn small, there can’t be much of a draft behind him…LOL.


LOL! I have always thought the same thing about him watching him in the pack!
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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02/23/2022 03:42 PM
UAE has had a couple of good stages....the other day, Cav showed everyone a clean pair of heels and nabbed an impressive stage win. Say what you want about the quality of the sprinters last July, the best guys were there on Monday and he won decisively. And he also went from a LONG way out.

Summit finish today and Ganna damn near took the jersey....hung on for grim death but nmissed the jersey by 2". At first I thought it was some "hometown officiating", but once you saw the overhead shot, the gaps were clearly there.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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02/23/2022 08:05 PM
Yes good sprint field at UAE. Philipsen the most consistent so far but great to see Cav still bringing it.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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02/24/2022 09:09 AM
Philipsen top dog again.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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02/25/2022 07:23 AM
Your annual reminder that this weekend is Opening Weekend…Omloop Het Niewsblad on Saturday and Kurne-Brussels-Kurne on Sunday.

Bring on the Classics!!!
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Dale

Posts:1767

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02/25/2022 12:07 PM
You mean Het Volk?
#oldschool

I'll watch the replays, youngest daughter is getting married tomorrow.
As the father of the bride I have three jobs; the 3 S's
Show up
Shut up
Shell out
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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02/25/2022 01:10 PM
and Smile. Congratulations!
Dale

Posts:1767

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02/25/2022 01:20 PM
That too, thanks. My wife and I are so happy for her. She and her soon to be husband seem so totally compatible. Happy times for all of us.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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02/25/2022 01:37 PM
You mean Het Volk?
#oldschool


I usually use Het Volk....have no idea what came over me. 🤷‍♂️

youngest daughter is getting married tomorrow.


COngrats!!!
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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02/25/2022 08:55 PM
I’ll be sleeping in. Skied 35k w a ton of uphill today. Holding out till Strada, then MSR and then the big block.

Congrats Dale.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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02/26/2022 12:49 PM
Wow…what a dominant ride by Wout today. Made it look easy when he went on the Bosberg.

And Quick Step was an uncharacteristic mess….
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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02/26/2022 01:04 PM
Double win for Movistar today w van Vleuten and Valverde for a combined age of 80. Van Aert always says his goals are later but he just can’t help himself. Let’s see where he is come Flanders and Roubaix his big goals.
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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02/27/2022 09:53 AM
KBK - WOW!
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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02/27/2022 11:36 AM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 02/27/2022 09:53 AM
KBK - WOW!

Second that.  I though Q-S was running one match short; that Jakobsen would be sprinting for best of the rest.  I did see that he told the CN crew he was planning to ride the front as plan somewhere-well-past-the-letter A.  And that every time the live CN mentioned him he was so placed. Also that Ewan was often far back in the peloton.  My racing experience - riding the front takes a lot more work.  Riding the tail means mustering massive power when the race goes single file.  Jakobsen is fit enough to do that work and still have a decent match left to light at the end.  After his crash last year, he's done a lot of work.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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02/27/2022 01:29 PM
Nice win by the fish guy today. Looking forward to seeing him go head to head w Pog. Lefevre had a good talk with his troops after yesterday’s schooling, seems it worked. JV have a good classics lineup this year. Yesterday Benoot providing the lead up to Wouts win, today Laporte bringing it.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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02/28/2022 09:08 AM
Superb edition of KBK....QS just managed to salvage their weekend, although you could reasonable argue they got luck that other teams helped bail them out during the final 10K chase.

Caleb was just too poorly positioned to get to the front....but he is showing excellent form. The ease with which he was going up the climbs should worry anyone looking at MSR. The wild card will be whether Lotto has the horses to keep things together over the Poggio to set thing up for him.

Next up - Strade Bianche on Saturday!!
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Habanero

Posts:257

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02/28/2022 09:57 AM
Posted By Orange Crush on 02/26/2022 01:04 PM
Van Aert always says his goals are later but he just can’t help himself. Let’s see where he is come Flanders and Roubaix his big goals.


If he keeps this level of fitness the only thing stopping him is an accident or illness. That was a baller performance!
Dale

Posts:1767

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03/01/2022 07:52 AM
I wondered if there was a bit of, "Hey Tom, you enjoying the CX championship jersey? Watch this."
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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03/01/2022 11:52 AM
Posted By Dale Dale on 03/01/2022 07:52 AM
I wondered if there was a bit of, "Hey Tom, you enjoying the CX championship jersey? Watch this."


I think Wout definitely has a bit of red-ass going on this year....too many silver medals, not enough top steps lately and he wants to set the record straight (especially with MVP on the sidelines).
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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03/01/2022 12:19 PM
This is exactly Wout's one weakness IMO. Too keen to show off his good form. Burns a bunch of matches battling for GC in Tour of Britain, then comes up short at Worlds. Certainly makes for good spectating though so not complaining. The main thing working in Wout's favor towards big goals this year is investments JV made in classics team. He'll no longer be the lone JV rider in finals, which is huge.

VDP put in a nice training ride today which he subtitled "finally good legs". Endurance ride with a friend, then tagged on an additional 8k and a couple nice KOMs. Still have hopes we will seem him in Flanders and Roubaix. He has a month to work on intensity.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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03/01/2022 01:54 PM
On flipside though, just read that van Aert is taking a pass on Strada so perhaps he does have his eyes more firmly on the bigger objectives this year.
Dale

Posts:1767

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03/01/2022 03:21 PM
Reminds me of some of the young pups that show up on some of the local fast rides... drilling it to every city limit sign and are toast by the end of the ride. Good for WvA for keeping his eyes on the prize.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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03/01/2022 04:11 PM
van Aert is taking a pass on Strada


Ooooh....interesting. Bennot is clearly in good form and has had good rides there in the past. Could be his moment to shine.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Habanero

Posts:257

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03/03/2022 07:37 AM
Posted By Orange Crush on 03/01/2022 12:19 PM

VDP put in a nice training ride today which he subtitled "finally good legs". Endurance ride with a friend then tagged on an additional 8k and a couple nice KOMs. Still have hopes we will seem him in Flanders and Roubaix. He has a month to work on intensity.


That would be great to see him in battle-ready shape for de Ronde and Roubaix.
Habanero

Posts:257

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03/03/2022 07:38 AM
I'm sure some of that must be going on!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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03/06/2022 11:07 AM
JV at Paris-Nice. Boom!
Dale

Posts:1767

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03/06/2022 12:37 PM
Shades of Mapei back in the Johan Museeuw days.
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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03/06/2022 02:01 PM
Or Gewiss - Balkan at the 1994 Fleche Wallone.

But holy hell, what a dominating performance. Week long stage race over on day 1.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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03/10/2022 06:46 PM
Flanders just announced VDPs return. First racing mid March presumably.
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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03/11/2022 12:20 AM
Well earned win today in PN by BN, nice to see a home boy (for some of us) feast on some very prime table scraps. I watched him earn a junior rainbow jersey in Richmond in 2015, great to see his progress.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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03/12/2022 03:05 PM
Evenepoel- Pogacar: 0-1

Vingegaard looks good after disappointing TT.
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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03/13/2022 11:27 AM
Whatever JV is paying wva, it’s a bargain.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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03/13/2022 05:17 PM
Yup
Cosmic Kid

Posts:4209

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03/14/2022 04:21 PM
JV played P-N perfectly...had Wout sit up on critical stages rather than burning matches chasing a fruitless GC quest. End result - he was fresh and able to keep Simon Yates in check when it mattered.
Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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03/25/2022 10:25 AM
The van Aert show is on and the VDP show just finished. Flanders and Roubaix should be good.
Dale

Posts:1767

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03/25/2022 10:31 AM
That didn't take long for VdP to notch his first kill of the year. Ditto on Flanders and P-R, there ought to be a lot of fireworks
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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03/25/2022 08:53 PM
Btw Girmay the 21 year old from Eritrea pretty damn impressive given that this was his first taste of Belgium.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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03/25/2022 10:03 PM
Posted By Orange Crush on 03/25/2022 08:53 PM
Btw Girmay the 21 year old from Eritrea pretty damn impressive given that this was his first taste of Belgium.
My thought too this morning.  5th place on a cobbled Flanders preview, World Tour.  What a long ways from Eritrea!

Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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03/30/2022 09:27 AM
Doesn’t seem Pog is enjoying cobbles too much. Pidcock seems to have recovered from stomach issues (someone was saying it’s one of the symptoms of having had one of the recent variants). Benoot is there for JV.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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03/30/2022 10:02 AM
If there was any doubt VDP is back.

Great efforts by Campenaert.
Dale

Posts:1767

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03/30/2022 10:11 AM
When VdP led out the sprint I was... uh oh but it looked like he put in one more surge and it was lights out. Solid racing all around.

Tour of Flanders is going to be great!

58 chainring!?! Dayum
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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03/30/2022 10:37 AM
VDP put Benoot, Pidcock and Campenaerts (with his 58 ring) as strongest today. But he rode a smart and well paced race even though once again it started from very far out.
79pmooney

Posts:3178

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03/30/2022 12:05 PM
But did VDP dig too deep today? Just three days rest to go that deep or deeper Sunday. He is just back to going full speed. If JV and Van Aert plkay theirf cards right, VDP being only 98% might not be enough.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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03/30/2022 12:48 PM
I'm generally wondering a bit about the wisdom of partaking in these mid-week races ahead of a major objective. That said, the effort he put in today seemed pretty measured, nothing like long-range solos of the past. I'm thinking Pog may have expended more energy in the chase whereas VDP was in a pretty large group. With limited racing days he also needs this type of effort to get to 100%.
longslowdistance

Posts:2881

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03/30/2022 08:36 PM
OK, I've got it: Neither Pog nor VDP will win this weekend, too spent.
Orange Crush

Posts:4499

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04/03/2022 09:59 AM
Posted By Frederick Jones on 03/30/2022 08:36 PM
OK, I've got it: Neither Pog nor VDP will win this weekend, too spent.


LOL


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