General race thread 2021 **spoilers**

CramCycle

The highlights packages on youtube are also handy for catching up and getting the important bits. Our own Declan Quigley makes a lot of them and his are very well put together for various companies. Failing that ES and others have highlight reels but they often avoid the dodgy bits. Lanterne Rouge goes into a fair amount of detail if you want race analysis rather than just highlights. I've actually got more into watching american amateur racing videos for two reasons, it is far more honest in their views and two, it makes you feel better about your own ability, our own amateur scene is miles above theirs at the lower levels.

Brian?

Does La Doyenne not get its own thread these days? But is all discussion limited to this thread?

Obvs Flanders and Milan-San Remo should have had one each as well.

dastardly00

Brian? wrote: »

Does La Doyenne not get its own thread these days? But is all discussion limited to this thread?

Obvs Flanders and Milan-San Remo should have had one each as well.

I look forward to reading your in-depth LBL thread Brian

breezy1985

Brian? wrote: »

Does La Doyenne not get its own thread these days? But is all discussion limited to this thread?

Obvs Flanders and Milan-San Remo should have had one each as well.

It can do but this thread is easier as we are all following it already.
Just set one up and post thee link here

Brian?

dastardly00 wrote: »

I look forward to reading your in-depth LBL thread Brian

I'm happy to do it tomorrow, I only really dip in and out of the cycling forum based on the pro calendar so I wasn't sure of the rules.

CramCycle

Brian? wrote: »

I'm happy to do it tomorrow, I only really dip in and out of the cycling forum based on the pro calendar so I wasn't sure of the rules.

Just make sure you put spoiler warnings in the title, that is about it.

retalivity

Roche and Froome in the break of 9 at the Alps

retalivity

Bike Exchange on a mission today, no chance for the break

mr spuckler

Dan looks like he's going really well here.

De Bhál

Good race here
Long downhill sprint to the line should be interesting.

Hugh Carthy has some skeletal figure.

mr spuckler

mr spuckler wrote: »

Dan looks like he's going really well here.

Although as soon as I say it...

retalivity

Vlasov looks like he is constantly turning left

retalivity

FFS Dan

Weepsie

I missed whatever happened to Dan

Edit, rewound. At least it was a soft enough landing.

mr spuckler

retalivity wrote: »

FFS Dan

Didn't even finish in top 10? He was still in 4th after the off.

edit...and now not in top 10 on GC. He must have abandoned?

mr spuckler

Weepsie wrote: »

I missed whatever happened to Dan

14:23:03 IST
Dan Martin crashes on a hairpin... He was too fast into the corner but mercifully he managed to scrub off a lot of speed before bailing out into the ditch. The Irishman appears to be unhurt and he quickly remounts but his hopes of stage victory have gone.

retalivity

He finished 23rd, 2'53 down.
Must have had another problem, or took it very easy

mr spuckler

retalivity wrote: »

He finished 23rd, 2'53 down.
Must have had another problem, or took it very easy

14:38:54 IST
Dan Martin crashed a second time on the descent of Boniprati and he came home 2:35 down on Bilbao. He falls out of the top 10 on GC as a result.

That crash looked like something that happened to me many years ago on a similar road and at probably half Dan's speed. I was greeted by soft fluffy nettles to break my fall

happytramp

mr spuckler wrote: »

14:38:54 IST
Dan Martin crashed a second time on the descent of Boniprati and he came home 2:35 down on Bilbao. He falls out of the top 10 on GC as a result.

hopefully he's okay. His form is building nicely in time for the giro which is great to see.

TheBlaaMan

mr spuckler wrote: »

14:38:54 IST
Dan Martin crashed a second time on the descent of Boniprati and he came home 2:35 down on Bilbao. He falls out of the top 10 on GC as a result.

Combined with become a parent in the meantime - and inevitably even more risk-averse than he alreay was - I suspect Dan's crash in the 2017 Tour (that also put paid to Porte's tour) has had a lasting impact on his willingness to take risks on these downhills

CramCycle

TheBlaaMan wrote: »

Combined with become a parent in the meantime - and inevitably even more risk-averse than he alreay was - I suspect Dan's crash in the 2017 Tour (that also put paid to Porte's tour) has had a lasting impact on his willingness to take risks on these downhills

Which wasn't even close to being his fault IIRC, Porte took him out of it on a relatively safe descent so not sure if that would make him more cautious on descents.

breezy1985

CramCycle wrote: »

Which wasn't even close to being his fault IIRC, Porte took him out of it on a relatively safe descent so not sure if that would make him more cautious on descents.

Yep he was taken out by Porte and actually done well to save himself from a worse fall.


Overall though he wouldnt be known for being an amazing descender or bike handler but still better than plenty of GC guys

What stayed with me was not the crash that year so much as him being doubled over getting off the bike in the days following that crash. He should never have finished that tour.

As for descents, he must have been ok yesterday if was pulling that group back off the descent near the end.

breezy1985

Deleted User wrote: »

What stayed with me was not the crash that year so much as him being doubled over getting off the bike in the days following that crash. He should never have finished that tour.

As for descents, he must have been ok yesterday if was pulling that group back off the descent near the end.

What was really crazy is he was still putting in attacks. I think it was a broken collarbone or ribs he realised he had afterwards

breezy1985

breezy1985 wrote: »

What was really crazy is he was still putting in attacks. I think it was a broken collarbone or ribs he realised he had afterwards

Fractured two vertebrae and it was stage 9 so he rode on for another 12 days and finished 6th on GC. Porte broke his collarbone and pelvis.

Recall there being talk at the time as to why they didn't end that stage at the top of that climb and the safety of the descent.

Was that the year Dan got the combativity prize in Paris?

Macy0161

We didn't see the second crash (wasn't on the highlights I watched this morning anyway), but I doubt the first one would've affected his confidence that much tbh. If the wheel hadn't dropped into that gulley he wouldn't even have toppled imo.

Bilboa nearly overcooked one later on, so I wonder is that where Dan fell?

CramCycle wrote: »

Which wasn't even close to being his fault IIRC, Porte took him out of it on a relatively safe descent so not sure if that would make him more cautious on descents.

They were all giving out like f*ck about how dangerous that descent was before that years Tour!

breezy1985

Macy0161 wrote: »

We didn't see the second crash (wasn't on the highlights I watched this morning anyway), but I doubt the first one would've affected his confidence that much tbh. If the wheel hadn't dropped into that gulley he wouldn't even have toppled imo.

Bilboa nearly overcooked one later on, so I wonder is that where Dan fell?


They were all giving out like f*ck about how dangerous that descent was before that years Tour!

I have to laugh when they do this. They could try just going slower

CramCycle

Macy0161 wrote: »

They were all giving out like f*ck about how dangerous that descent was before that years Tour!

Sorry, I meant the riders, not the actual descent, at the time it happened, there wasn't much going on except Porte not concentrating and going off road to the left (how the hell, my 7yo would have taken a better line) coming up to a left hand bend. That wasn't the descents fault, no one else had issues at that point, Porte was the danger and Dan was just incredibly unlucky as he wasn't doing anything dangerous.

I'd agree the race should have finished at the top but the crash was no ones fault but Portes, who at the time had form for stupid f*cking mistakes while descending.

Steve SilverMint

13 riders in the breakaway today, 2 of them being Roche and Martin