New Irish pro Conti team (aka The Aquablue thread)

robyntmorton

With the 3T Strada being disc braked and thru axles, that must be fun for the neutral service guys. The moto definitely wouldn’t cater, but would there be a dedicated wheel in the cars for them, or is it a case of “you want to be different, so wait for your team car”?

That said, with it being the config of the race leader, does that make a difference to what neutral service carry?

1bryan

Rick Delaney sending a cordial response tweet to Stickybottle reporting on this race this morning. Must have had the guilts after giving out sh1te to sticky for nothing a while back.

Some talk about the bikes here http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/aqua-blue-sport-takes-first-victory-on-3t-strada/

Hansen was on 54, 11-36 for stage 1.

1bryan

Deleted User wrote: »

Some talk about the bikes here http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/aqua-blue-sport-takes-first-victory-on-3t-strada/

Hansen was on 54, 11-36 for stage 1.

really enjoyed the comments on that article. Some very informed people getting involved. Most interestingly, Gerard Vroomen (head of 3T) gets involved.

el tel

Great win. The number of spectators at the finish was rather Qatar-like though

Chips Lovell

It looks like some godawful frankenbike you'd see on Adverts

eeeee

I think the bikes look gorgeous, just not in the Ikea livery. The red ones are hot.

I am still unconvinced about their practicality.

robyntmorton

Someone had to do the experiment with them, and that someone is Aquablue. If they can show merits to them, you may see other teams picking up similar ideas, but regardless, they are still a few years away from widespread use in the World Tour Teams, all going well for them of course.

Also on Aquablue commentary today, they are unhappy with stage 2 of the Herald Sun Tour being neutralised about 100km from home on a 7km gravel section that was not originally part of the route, but was put in at the last minute.

Aquablue and Trek Segafredo were dropping the hammer over the gravel and were shattering the peloton massively when the call came in to neutralise it, which they claim compromised their plans to put distance between themselves and the other climbers before they hit the mountains tomorrow, something that couldn't then be done.

http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/herald-sun-tour-gravel-section/

Keeks

nee wrote: »

I think the bikes look gorgeous, just not in the Ikea livery. The red ones are hot.

I am still unconvinced about their practicality.

for me it is the 3T logo that ruins it....otherwise I think it is quite nice

Not sure if posted, a piece by Sonia O'Sullivan on the team https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/sonia-o-sullivan-inside-aqua-blue-learning-from-pro-cyclists-1.3375365

Who still goes to Oz where she used go for altitude training after Xmas.

RobFowl

Deleted User wrote: »

Not sure if posted, a piece by Sonia O'Sullivan on the team https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/sonia-o-sullivan-inside-aqua-blue-learning-from-pro-cyclists-1.3375365

Who still goes to Oz where she used go for altitude training after Xmas.

Doesn't she live there.....

Keeks

A bit of a strange one from the tour of Oman....Blythe DQ'd for irregular bike change......Curious to know why he needed a bike change....Is this due to the 1x setup?

http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/disqualified-oman-adam-blythe/

TychoCaine

Keeks wrote: »

A bit of a strange one from the tour of Oman....Blythe DQ'd for irregular bike change......Curious to know why he needed a bike change....Is this due to the 1x setup?

http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/disqualified-oman-adam-blythe/

It’s very strange. They don’t have the 9t-32t cassettes yet, (because they don’t fit the wheels WTF!), so Blythe has been using a 54t big ring with a 11t-32t on the back for the sprints. Maybe he’s starting the day on a bike with an easier ring, and switching (illegally) to a big ring bike for the final.

Lumen

This is surely likely to harden the views of those that think a 1x drivetrain is an incredibly stupid choice for road racing.

dahat

It was in relation to where the bike change took place rather than actual problems with the bike.

robyntmorton

The chief comm gave permission for the team to go up the road to prepare the bike (for whatever reason to do with needing to mount front wheels) but may or may not have said that they were to hold Blythe to the back of the peloton, and penalised him for getting the bike and just going.

It seems really messy for something that should be simple.

Melodeon

My reading of the article is that as the race is in Oman, most of the teams are using locally supplied vehicles for race support. Spare bikes appear to be carried in the back of pickup trucks, on racks attached by the front forks. So, to give someone a new bike, the bike has to be unracked and a front wheel attached. Because the 3T Strada employs a through-axle system, it's not the matter of a moment to attach the wheel.
It looks like the commissars gave the team permission to go ahead of the race to assemble the bike, but they then exchanged the bike at the front rather than dropping to the back to do so.

Lumen

dahat wrote: »

It was in relation to where the bike change took place rather than actual problems with the bike.

I'm assuming that the bike change was only necessary because it is a stupid bike.

Is this not true?

dahat

Lumen wrote: »

I'm assuming that the bike change was only necessary because it is a stupid bike.

Is this not true?

It is not a stupid bike so it is not true.

Lumen

dahat wrote: »

It is not a stupid bike so it is not true.

So why did they need to do a bike change?

TychoCaine

3T look to have dropped the ball by not providing wheels with an XD driver. Once they get access to a wheel set that can use 3T’s 9-32 cassettes they’ll be able to replicate the highest and lowest gears of a 54/39 crank & a 11-28 cassette using a single 44t chainring. I’m sure Aquablue went into this expecting that cassette.

gmacww

TychoCaine wrote: »

3T look to have dropped the ball by not providing wheels with an XD driver. Once they get access to a wheel set that can use 3T’s 9-32 cassettes they’ll be able to replicate the highest and lowest gears of a 54/39 crank & a 11-28 cassette using a single 44t chainring. I’m sure Aquablue went into this expecting that cassette.

They have the 9-32 already in use in dubai. Some riders, Blythe in particular is favouring the 54 with an 11-28. Mainly as he said you don't use the inner ring on flat stages and he's waiting to hit Europe before rolling a 44.

The dq is simple. Due to restricted support in dubai bikes are on cars without front wheels so they went ahead to prep the bike. By prep, get the front wheel on which with a thru axel and disc brake makes things trickier. Issue is Blythe went off the front, swapped bike at the front of the group. That's against the rules. What about a breakaway you may ask. It's allowed in a breakaway if the car is behind the rider when a change is required.

Keeks

"He went to the front and prepared the bike but for the changing of the bike it must happen from the behind the bunch and from the car, and only from the car. He gave him the bike but from the ground, that is not allowed in the rules."

Quote from the commsaire......what does he mean give the bike from the ground?

Lumen

gmacww wrote: »

Issue is Blythe went off the front, swapped bike at the front of the group. That's against the rules. What about a breakaway you may ask. It's allowed in a breakaway if the car is behind the rider when a change is required.

Have the rules changed since Cancellara did this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al22Nn-6yPs

CantGetNoSleep

That was different because he needed a new motor put in

niceonetom

Lumen wrote: »

Have the rules changed since Cancellara did this?

Yes, bike changes from the car behind only. Except for in TTs, I think, or that might have just been an exception for the worlds in Norway.

Seems like the UCI needlessly banning something kind of fun and prone to going wrong. Boo.

Raam

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/adam-blythe-given-late-disqualification-illegal-bike-change-tour-oman-369702

However, the president of the jury – chief commissaire – Jean-Pierre Coppenolle spoke to reporters at the finish line.

“The team manager of Blythe asked if he could go in front To prepare the bike, and I said yes because the new system of brakes is not easy,” Copppenolle said.

“He can go to the front to prepare the bike, but the changing of the bike that must happen behind the bunch and from the car.

“He gives the bike, but from the front, with the new rules it is not allowed.”

Technical support during races is covered by UCI regulation 2.3.029 which states,

“… Mechanical assistance at fixed locations on the course is limited to wheel changes only except for races on a circuit where bike changes can be made in the authorized zones.

“Any mechanical assistance which fails to meet the obligations above will result in the disqualification of the rider either immediately, or after the race if proven by any means and verified by the commissaires (article 12.1.001).”

The following regulation, 2.3.030 continues

“Whatever the position of a rider in the race, he may receive such assistance and mechanical check (brakes for example) only to the rear of his bunch and when stationary…”


Read more at http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/adam-blythe-given-late-disqualification-illegal-bike-change-tour-oman-369702#bLeeiZstl4BLGiIg.99

Dunno why he needed a change. All I can find is that he had "an issue."

gmacww

Lumen wrote: »

Have the rules changed since Cancellara did this?

You know this is cycling right? As in the UCI right? You honestly expect them to disqualify Sparticus in a cobbled classic? In any case the rule was in place in 2010 and that incident caused a lot of noise.

niceonetom

Raam wrote: »

Dunno why he needed a change. All I can find is that he had "an issue."

I wonder did he start and finish on the 54t? If he wanted to swap for a bigger chainring that would be embarrassing to the team who, god bless them, are doing their best evangelise for the one-by, so I can imagine they'd be tempted to blame it on some other non-specified "issue".

A wheel problem seems unlikely to be the kind of thing you could plan ahead for and have a spare bike in just the right place up the road. Maybe a slow puncture... but it seems a bit sus.

Lumen

It's not only the 1x. Using a team car as a front derailleur is bad enough, but it's the fact that the axles required by the disc brakes require so much faffing.

My inner retrogrouch would be ROFLing if it knew what acronyms were.