longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 05/12/2019 10:14 PM |
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Nice to see Sagan on the podium, even if merely in the USA. Sorry to be a broken record, but that high speed TdayFrance crash last year took him down a notch or two, potentially permanently. This fan hopes he can return to his full potential, but the clock is ticking. If he's not back on top in July then the odds for him to return to full form are not zero but small. Which IMO would be not good for pro cycling. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 05/12/2019 10:40 PM |
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| Thank god NBC sports dedicated 3 hours to the most boring stage of bike racing I have ever seen. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 05/12/2019 11:35 PM |
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| Ahhh I was going to watch it tomorrow. what happened to spoiler alerts? |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 05/13/2019 02:12 PM |
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Sorry, my bad.
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 05/13/2019 03:41 PM |
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Posted By Cosmic Kid on 05/12/2019 10:40 PM
Thank god NBC sports dedicated 3 hours to the most boring stage of bike racing I have ever seen.
The Vuelta struggled with this exact issue for the longest time until in more recent years they changed their format to shorter punchier stages requiring less time to be spent on their large regional connecting roads. Today, although the race heads into the hills doesn't sound any more exciting than yesterday. https://www.velonews.com/2019/05/analysis/tour-of-california-how-wide-american-roads-shape-the-race_493647 |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 05/13/2019 05:18 PM |
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| Today the landscape is excellent though. Drool. The action is also improving. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 05/14/2019 06:56 PM |
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| Hahaha - I briefly switched on coverage today but it was sufficiently boring that after a few minutes I decided that being a productive employee would be much more entertaining. Yikes. |
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mondonico
Posts:158
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| 05/15/2019 10:18 AM |
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| I have always considered the ToC more of a training ride but the stage did get excellent at the last third yesterday. As someone who never gets to Europe to see the big races it is nice to get up close to the big boys. But I'm getting so old that I did not know most of the riders Sunday. And it seems that the crowds are smaller. The start used to have lots of sponser and related booths etc. This year was less than half. Did not seem like a good sign. IMO |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 05/15/2019 01:00 PM |
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| Glad you enjoyed it Mondico. When I briefly switched on coverage is was about 30k to go. I saw a guy 7 minutes ahead, a chaser from team USA who was clearly on his last legs and going backwards, and then a peleton letting it all happen. After a few minutes I'd seen enough to know the inevitable outcome. |
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mondonico
Posts:158
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| 05/15/2019 03:10 PM |
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| Sorry, I meant stage two. Yea three was a sleeper ten minute break away. And some of the worst down hill riding I've ever seen. Not a exaggeration but I know most of us can ride down hill better then the winner did. Never seen a pro that poor. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 05/15/2019 04:44 PM |
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| Ah yes, Stage 2 was quite good at end. Today on the other hand so far reads like another snoozer. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 05/16/2019 12:21 PM |
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Just read the VeloNews breakdown (well, Fred Dreier's) of the decision to allow TJ the magic "st". Bugs me. I haven't seen the footage. but everything I read suggests that when the crash happened just outside the 3 k limit, TJ was not yet back on from his previous crash. So, OK, race jury decides to use the 3 km rule. But, that means allow TJ a time say 10 seconds back from the peloton; an approximation of where he really was at the crash moment, not "st".
Giving TJ the "st" here is penalizing all the front-runners who did what GC contenders must do - stay sharp and pay attention on the long, meaningless stages. TJ didn't. To give him the full time is just plain wrong.
Ben |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 05/17/2019 03:27 PM |
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Definitely the wrong call was made. That was a joke.
With the exception of Stage 2, and most likely today (Baldy), the entire event has seemed to be on a bit of a downward spiral compared to last couple years. Time for a bit of a rethink.
The women's race was funny today; with the crap coverage on the hill, I don't know how many times the virtual tracker had them go through final 2 kms. I think it was 3-4 times. |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 05/17/2019 06:52 PM |
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| Today's stage (6) was the best. Did anyone catch that clip of Bill Walton riding up Mt Baldy before the race? He's been a cyclist all of his life. He is 6'6" and rides a custom Holland 64cm. Impressive. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 05/18/2019 06:03 AM |
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WHAT?!?! Teejay fell apart within spitting distance of another “big” win?!?!
I’m shocked....totally shocked.
Well, not that shocked.  |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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