General Race Thread 2024 **spoilers**

odyssey06

It's now Carapaz and Leknessnd out in front. Hopefully Carapaz can win the stage for EF Education after Ben's work.

This was Ben earlier (from Cycling News)

breezy1985

Disgusting lack of matching shorts, bike, glasses and socks.

They better get that sorted before the classics

We need Sam to win this year now he is at AG2R

retalivity

Sam got a new kit

https://twitter.com/VelonCC/status/1767596440543445303

breezy1985

Looks like the kind of thing that was supposed to be outlandish but was designed by boring people.

Paddigol

I like it. Better than half the kits. Hopefully the green ('aqua marine'??) is prominent as everyone seems to be wearing the same colours these days...

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121888293#Comment_121888293

It’s fairly similar to the new IPT jersey is the only thing.

Way too many blue jerseys, like the way everyone went navy a couple years back

breezy1985

Should go back to brown. No one else had brown.

CrowdedHouse

No Milan-Sanremo for Sam I see

https://twitter.com/decathlonAG2RLM/status/1767928607522034149?s=20

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121888638#Comment_121888638

No harm. MSR has moved beyond the reach of sprinters.

Macy0161

Hard to see it being a big enough group when the only way Pog can win is to really light it up on the Poggio, if not before.

Hopefully Sam can get back to winning ways at some of the French cup races like above!

retalivity

Even if it was a bigger group at MSR, Phillipsen would be there and he's not beating him.

I have only ever heard of Sam & Lapeira in that AG2R list, proper farmers racing!

Macy0161

Interesting Cycling Podcast this week - Larry Warbasse co-host - particularly on the change of tactics at the team, step up in equipment, management of race programmes, new team management. Also mentioned that the change of kit is driven by a change of Decathlon logo/ branding.

Macy0161

Sam 11th in Grand Prix de Denain. Maybe some more cobbles on his agenda?

seaviewphotos

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121893411#Comment_121893411

I saw that earlier and thought it was a great result for him. Onwards and upwards.

mewso

My predictions from the start of the thread are out the window for Saturday anyway with De Lie not even racing. Good that everyone joined in and made their own predictions though 😛

Morris Garren

That GP Denain was an interesting race and at least Sam B was in some kind of contention in what remained of the peleton. 'Kung Undone by Dung' as he performed a magnificent takedown of the entire chase group- looked like a right load of sh1te on the cobbles. He's had a few bad spills in recent years.

GandhiwasfromBallyfermot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121895579#Comment_121895579

I really felt for Kung there, didn't look like there was anything he could have done about it judging by how easy the rest of the chase group went down behind him.

retalivity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121895579#Comment_121895579

Denain was also where an AG2R rider rode into a pile of **** last year

https://twitter.com/GcnRacing/status/1636387243903574019

Macy0161

Haven't got that far into the race for Kungs crash (got to 40km to go this morning), but even what I've seen so far, great ride by Sam.

Squidgy Black

This is hilarious. Jumbo Visma trying to create an award for people who say their new name (that nobody wants to call them by) correctly the most

https://youtu.be/zUvxFNlMvhI?si=RWCSPdXQNEtwMNF8

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121898065#Comment_121898065

I visma much like to lease a jumbo bike...

Brian?

We’ve had the amuse bouche, soup and the starter. The main course starts tomorrow, the first big classic of the year. One of the the top 3 one day races for me (RVV and P-R). Milan-San Remo baby!

I hope it rains. Mads Pederson to win from Jasper Disaster

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121888665#Comment_121888665

No it hasn’t. It’s moved beyond Sam.

The over specialisation of Grand Tour sprinters means only a few have a chance tomorrow, but I still see big chances for Mads and Jasper.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121898708#Comment_121898708

Fair enough. I don't see either come close.

I think there are too many top quality all rounders for a sprinter right now. Mads will be well places because he has always been more than a sprinter but loads of guys outside Sam are ruled out. Practically all the real sprinters.

Morris Garren

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121898695#Comment_121898695

Agree partly; some excellent early season stuff (Omloop, Algarve, Strade B) mixed with rubbishy sportswashing (SA, UAE etc) but the final 30 mins from the Cipressa is always a degree above anything up to now. I actually hope POG wins, purely to accelerate his decision to take on Paris-Roubaix and achieve the full monument collection. I like Pedersen too- was in Harrogate when he won and a monument for him would not be out of place. Not very original in my predictions- but it's typically a very difficult race to predict, eg, Kwiato to beat Sagan+Alaphilippe in a sprint? You never know who has legs after 299km...

retalivity

Mvdp or pog to win is just under evens...surely thats buying money??

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121899438#Comment_121899438

It’s 299km of racing, people don’t win it multiple times that often. There’s way too much that can go wrong to bet the farm on it

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121899340#Comment_121899340

I think Pogacar will win it once in his career, but everything needs to go right. He needs to have 30+ seconds over the top of the Poggio or be in a group with zero sprinters. Both are extremely difficult to achieve.

dahat

Break only getting 90 seconds from Trek & Alpecin is unexpected.

Morris Garren

Tailwind, record speeds. They must want to get home to watch the rugby 🏉