General Race Thread 2024 **spoilers**

Andresen looks like one to watch going forward, two sprint wins in a row in the tour of Turkey and there's a good field of sprinters.

Rory Townsend had a go at it but went too early.

Dillan Corkerry having an excellent week at the Tour De Bretagne, 5th & 8th in the first two stages.

yeah. Enjoyable race. Always liked Carapaz. Darren Rafferty was his last domestique too.

Jose Been. She’s Dutch. Been on with them for a few years now. I like her normally. Wasn’t listening today but never had an issue with her myself

Manuel Penalver's tan lines 🤣🤣🤣

18 year old Seth Dunwoody won the e3 saxo classic junior race in Belgium. Looks like he won a sprint ahead of about 40 others in the leading group

His one day races on the continent this year; 2nd in Kuurne Brussels Kuurne, 15th in a similar Belgian classic style race, 12th in Paris Roubaix, winner today.

Hatch seems to be doing a lot more 'content' stuff for eurosport, he's presenting a few weekly recap shows for them on youtube, in-depth interviews with riders etc., and less commentating. Kirby seems to be entering semi-retiremen, his commentating duties seem to have reduced lot this year. Jez cox & Jose been have always done the tier 2 races, Dan lloyd seemed to fill the gap betweek hatch & kirby on the GT stages last year, wonder will we hear more of him. Declan Quigley seems to get no work from ES at all anymore

Eddie Dunbar is a DNS in Romandie. Don’t know why. Team haven’t posted anything

Has this video randomnly suggested to me on youtube this evening, has the start/finish of the race and a few interviews. He came 2nd in another race in the Netherlands today as well.

they all have their moments. Kirby can waffle but he seems a decent sort. The cheerleading of Cav and others can grate. I find his mistakes (names etc) more funny than annoying.

Hatch’s biggest issue is trying to make everything “THE BEST!” or record breaking but overall I think he’s the better of the two. He’s defo the best for calling tight finishes

I kinda like the GT set up they use. Splitting up the race with Lloyd and Blythe in to give the others a rest. Even better when Kelly and McEwan are on too

Kelly, McEwen and Jens Voigt on the Giro last year was, for me, pretty much as good as it got. Great knowledge, chemistry and humour, but without the old-boys club / in-joke thang that goes on with Blythe, Lloyd and whichever retired British rider is the latest addition to their community employment scheme.

in race news, Dunbar and Mullen both confirmed for the Giro

Bora selection causing quite a stir as Buchmann has posted that he was promised co-leader role and now isn’t selected. Either is Welsford. So they have a sprint train and no sprinter

Sam Bennett and Ben Healy are back in action tomorrow at the Eschborn-Frankfurt.

Bora very poor at managing their riders as it turns out - both told to build for the Giro and then dropped from the team at short notice (in the context of a training programme). It's either their management or coaching, but turns out the problem probably wasn't Sam!

think it was on YouTube too?

Sam tempering expectations of a repeat win on insta “it’s a tougher course this year”

Yeah, I don't think we'll see a sprinter winning that.

No chance a sprinter wins it. That is a puncheurs race. After that last little climb the breakaway likely have at least three minutes over the peloton.

With Ben on the attack… some nteresting info from ProCyclingStats on Irish riders at Eschborn-Frankfort.

The best rider per edition for Ireland.

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/eschborn-frankfurt/2024/result/live

Van Gils quietly having a very strong season in one day races!