2015 Tour of Qatar

dancrowley

Its that time of year! Stage 1 is hotting up with about 30km to go (thank you, twitter!). Seems to be action packed with crashes (Boonen and Sagan crashed but got back to the peloton) and plenty sprinting in the famous crosswinds! Hope to be at the finish line for Stage 2, tomorrow.

Anyone keeping an eye on this??

#TourofQatar

sullzz

dancrowley wrote: »

Its that time of year! Stage 1 is hotting up with about 30km to go (thank you, twitter!). Seems to be action packed with crashes (Boonen and Sagan crashed but got back to the peloton) and plenty sprinting in the famous crosswinds! Hope to be at the finish line for Stage 2, tomorrow.

Anyone keeping an eye on this??

#TourofQatar

Is this being televised or highlights being showed

dancrowley

sullzz wrote: »

Is this being televised or highlights being showed

Does this work?

snip

sullzz

It did indeed

cunavalos

Didn't see the finish but looks like a solid result from bennett. Lots of big names behind him. Finished 5th
http://i59.tinypic.com/11r589t.png

Darkglasses

Sorry guys, you can't share links to streaming sites anywhere on Boards.

See here for more explanation

bazermc

Strange Eurosport don't have coverage of this. They usually have these races on.

dancrowley

Darkglasses wrote: »

Sorry guys, you can't share links to streaming sites anywhere on Boards.

See here for more explanation

Sorry Darkglasses!

dancrowley

Today's update: it's windy!

martyc5674

What channel is this on?

Beasty

martyc5674 wrote: »

What channel is this on?

It would appear it's not on any channel that can be picked up here (was the same last year IIRC - think there was some internal politics involving the organisers which resulted in Eurosport (or possibly Sky) pulling out)

dastardly00

dancrowley wrote: »

Today's update: it's windy!

Are you close by to any of the stages/routes/finishes Dan?

dastardly00

Yesterday's result for Sam really was fantastic. To be up there competing with the likes of Rojas, Boonen, Demare, Sagan, (and beating) Haussler, Guardini, Kristoff, Bouhanni, and Ferrari is excellent. Hopefully the sign of things to come.

dancrowley

dastardly00 wrote: »

Are you close by to any of the stages/routes/finishes Dan?

Hey dastardly00. I'm very close to the finish of today's stage, as it happens. I'm stuck in work, though

Tomorrow is a national holiday (National Sports Day) and is the day of the TT, which I'll be attending. I'll also be attending the final stage, and riding the length of it prior to the Pros. The final stage here culminates in several laps around the corniche (bay); Friday isn't supposed to be particularly windy, which sets it up for an electric finish!

MPFG

Here is highlights of todays stage 2 on Youtube ...great race but no coverage ...I despair of cyclign sometimes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUx0CNNS_c0&feature=youtu.be&a

dastardly00

A photo of some of the echelons from the stage yesterday! :eek:

Darkglasses

Great timeby Terpstra, he's gone ahead of Wiggo and Cancellara. Sagan and Boonen on the course now

pelevin

I put a small bet on Terpstra yesterday at 7/2 which is looking good now. He was always . . . ehh . . . me favourite rider.

godtabh

why did they use their road bikes for the TT?

dastardly00

godtabh wrote: »

why did they use their road bikes for the TT?

Not sure why, but I've checked back as far as 2009, and road bikes have always been used for every individual and team time-trials.
Maybe because it's too windy?

godtabh

That's what I was thinking.

Just saw Wiggins on his WTT bike and it looked funny

Darkglasses

dastardly00 wrote: »

Not sure why, but I've checked back as far as 2009, and road bikes have always been used for every individual and team time-trials.
Maybe because it's too windy?

I'm pretty sure it's to make it easier financially for the less well off teams. It's not really worth each team paying for an entire extra truck just for a piddly 10km TT.

dastardly00

Darkglasses wrote: »

I'm pretty sure it's to make it easier financially for the less well off teams. It's not really worth each team paying for an entire extra truck just for a piddly 10km TT.

They could have asked Oleg to bring them maybe? :pac:

godtabh

dastardly00 wrote: »

They could have asked Oleg to bring them maybe? :pac:

He has no money. Couldn't even afford Nico Roche

Lusk_Doyle

godtabh wrote: »

He has no money. Couldn't even afford Nico Roche

He's plenty of money. The Greeks are taking most of it off him though and the yanks won't let him use what he has left after that!

Darkglasses

Just read that the winds are so strong today that they are starting the stage over an hour earlier than planned.

godtabh

Darkglasses wrote: »

Just read that the winds are so strong today that they are starting the stage over an hour earlier than planned.

Saw that myself. Poor bastards!

dancrowley

godtabh wrote: »

Saw that myself. Poor bastards!

The wind here this week is AWFUL. I rode to the TT yesterday (wind assisted, from south to north) and was on the hoods, taking it easy, averaging 45kph...! I was motor paced home

The wind isn't the only factor to think about; the sand here is very fine, like powder, and is quite difficult to deal with. Friday (final stage day) is shaping up to have light winds so should be an absolute hammer fest.

Great to see the lads doing their thing, yesterday.

godtabh

dancrowley wrote: »

The wind here this week is AWFUL. I rode to the TT yesterday (wind assisted, from south to north) and was on the hoods, taking it easy, averaging 45kph...!

How did you do?

dancrowley

godtabh wrote: »

How did you do?

I rode TO the TT, not IN the TT :pac:

godtabh

dancrowley wrote: »

I rode TO the TT, not IN the TT :pac:

Still you must have had a good Strava time? Does the sand ruin the bike?

dancrowley

godtabh wrote: »

Still you must have had a good Strava time? Does the sand ruin the bike?

Hehe, there aren't any real segments going north on that road, but there are going south. And since i was motor-paced going south, i won't be counting them.

We have to take a little extra care of our bikes during the windier months (Dec thru April) here, specifically with the drivetrain. I regularly clean it, but more often during this time of the year, to get all the fine particles out. The rest of the year, it's not really an issue as there isn't that much wind so there's less sand being blown about.
With the rest of the bike, a weekly baby-wipe wipedown does the job. 3-4 times a year, I'll get it nicely serviced (great bike mechanics here) which will have it nicely cleaned out and regreased etc.

zurbfoundation

MPFG wrote: »

Here is highlights of todays stage 2 on Youtube ...great race but no coverage ...I despair of cyclign sometimes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUx0CNNS_c0&feature=youtu.be&a

"great race" ? ah heyor - 4 hours riding around flat desert motorways and a gallop at the end?

dancrowley

zurbfoundation wrote: »

"great race" ? ah heyor - 4 hours riding around flat desert motorways and a gallop at the end?

This quote came to mind... :pac:

Mrs. Doyle: You men, the things you think are "great fun". Like going to the films, a load of men sitting around looking at films! And rollercoasters, a load of men in a rollercoaster going up and down on a big metal track! And sailing, a load of men in a big boat floating around in the sea! And shouting, a load of men going around shouting! And so forth.

It's a different kind of tour. It's very hard work, racing here. I've entered several local races and the wind creates havoc. Also, it's a gallop from start to finish, with most of the courses being flat. The required workrate is very high and I quite enjoy the tactics with the echelons and seeing the peloton fragment so much.

Darkglasses

I see Kittel's 8/1 for tomorrow's stage, I know he isn't going in with great form, but it seems like value to me all the same.

zurbfoundation

dancrowley wrote: »

It's a different kind of tour. It's very hard work, racing here. I've entered several local races and the wind creates havoc. Also, it's a gallop from start to finish, with most of the courses being flat. The required workrate is very high and I quite enjoy the tactics with the echelons and seeing the peloton fragment so much.

racing in the wind can be for sure entertaining but to call this race "Great", i wouldn't agree - 4 hours on dusty motorways, nobody out watching it, no real local interest, generally pan flat terrain - i think the only time i was enthralled by it was seeing Paul Dan get 5 mins on the bunch for M&G back in the day

dancrowley

zurbfoundation wrote: »

racing in the wind can be for sure entertaining but to call this race "Great", i wouldn't agree - 4 hours on dusty motorways, nobody out watching it, no real local interest, generally pan flat terrain - i think the only time i was enthralled by it was seeing Paul Dan get 5 mins on the bunch for M&G back in the day

*jumping to defend the race :P *

"Great" might be a strong word but, for those of us living here and witnessing the pros battle against the very same conditions we do makes it that little bit more entertaining. Most of the riders here, locally, are speed merchants and it's cool to see the likes of Terpstra and Cancellara pounding along the same routes we take at such speeds.

It's a pity that it's on during the week, mainly, and not the weekend. That's a big killer for numbers of spectators. There is plenty local interest; I'll take some photos tomorrow of the final stage and upload them here to prove it. Since the final stage is on the weekend, there'll be a large crowd at the corniche to watch the final 10 laps.

godtabh

Would you know much about the local team competing? Saw on GCN the local team made up of the best club riders. Lots of different bikes with a vast array of components on display.

dancrowley

godtabh wrote: »

Would you know much about the local team competing? Saw on GCN the local team made up of the best club riders. Lots of different bikes with a vast array of components on display.

Hi godtabh. Can you chuck up a link of that, please? There is no Qatari team competing at this, but the SkyDive Dubai Team were competing at the Dubai Tour. Maybe it's them you're thinking of?

godtabh

Maybe

Cant listen to it in work but its this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdCRtPxU-yI

at about 4ms

dancrowley

godtabh wrote: »

Maybe

Cant listen to it in work but its this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdCRtPxU-yI

at about 4ms

Yeah, that's the UAE National Team. You're right about them being made up of the best club riders. Some really good guys on that team. Great to see a team with, what seems to be, guys riding their own bikes

The calibre of machines in Qatar is pretty crazy. Was at a crit last night and it's all high-spec Venges, Aeroads, Foils, Looks, Propels etc. One of the lads was sporting a Cervelo shod with Lightweights at a recent spin...!

dragratchet

dancrowley wrote: »

One of the lads was sporting a Cervelo shod with Lightweights at a recent spin...!

spotted a fella rolling into the cafe in laragh recently on lightweights. brave man taking them out in winter.

MPFG

I still think its a great race BTW....:D

Darkglasses

MPFG wrote: »

I still think its a great race BTW....:D

Have to agree, this edition has been far better than it's European equivalents. More desert races!

MPFG

Only problem is the coverage...very poor

But great to see such aggressive racing from EQS, TCS , Katusha

Like the look of Adam Blythe and of course Kristoff
Could eb Bodnar may be best buy for TCS this year ..at least value wise

Wiggo not really looking strong n comparison to PR rivals at present ...would maybe want to do someat at the front

Lots of pure sprinters not strong enough for classics riders but still great aggressive racing

...even if it is the desert

pelevin

Kristoff 8/1 with Betvictor for MilanSanRemo is looking a decent bet as of now.

pelevin

Sam Bennett crushes the sprint!

MPFG

Brilliant sprint from Sam...so strong ...BEIN sports commentators totally ignored him in final and kept talking about Guardini, Sagan, Bouhanni,etc so they were totally surprised as to who won..didn't seem toknow who it was and.hardly believed their eyes :rolleyes:

Pudsy33

MPFG wrote: »

Brilliant sprint from Sam...so strong ...BEIN sports commentators totally ignored him in final and kept talking about Guardini, Sagan, Bouhanni,etc so they were totally surprised as to who won..didn't seem toknow who it was and.hardly believed their eyes :rolleyes:

They know now

Brian?

Last 14km:

http://youtu.be/Yie3YhUc9M4

Brian?

Fantastic finish from Bennett. Won it handy at the end with no lead out train. Old school following the fast men tactics are always great to see.