Planet Rugby Forum

Beat me to it. If I get a chance ill do some leg work for the OP.

Froome making an early bid for Pink at the Giro

Kittel putting in some impressive performances in Dubai.

BlackMac wrote:Kittel putting in some impressive performances in Dubai.

Yep, early days but looks very dominant so far.

Worrying times for Cavendish. He can't even get himself in position to compete, never mind win.

BlackMac wrote:Worrying times for Cavendish. He can't even get himself in position to compete, never mind win.

Was never really in with a shot of that one with the uphill finish, but then again he wasn't really in the frame before it kicked up. Like you say, he's struggling to even get to the business end of flat sprints, let alone out kick the young guns he's now surrounded by.

Margin_Walker wrote:

BlackMac wrote:Worrying times for Cavendish. He can't even get himself in position to compete, never mind win.

Was never really in with a shot of that one with the uphill finish, but then again he wasn't really in the frame before it kicked up. Like you say, he's struggling to even get to the business end of flat sprints, let alone out kick the young guns he's now surrounded by.

The Quicksteps seem to be totally off the pace altogether in the sprints, which is odd when you see who they have.

BlackMac wrote:

Margin_Walker wrote:

BlackMac wrote:Worrying times for Cavendish. He can't even get himself in position to compete, never mind win.

Was never really in with a shot of that one with the uphill finish, but then again he wasn't really in the frame before it kicked up. Like you say, he's struggling to even get to the business end of flat sprints, let alone out kick the young guns he's now surrounded by.

The Quicksteps seem to be totally off the pace altogether in the sprints, which is odd when you see who they have.

Not seen too many finishes they've been involved in this season, but last year they seemed to hit the front far too early and try to dominate the last 5k like HTC Highroad used to, only for Argos to nip in into the last k. Even with Petachi and Renshaw in, I just can't see the long lead-out being successful anymore. Not to mention that Cav is no longer the quickest in the peleton and will have to be a bit cuter in future to continue picking up wins (as in the cross wind affected stage of the TdF last year)

Not to mention that Cav is no longer the quickest in the peleton

Early days for OPQS. Lets see how the season unfurls.

Good effort by GT in Paris-Nice. He's in second place, 3 seconds behind the superb young Columbian Bentancur.
The cheeky taff would probably win this race if they hadn't removed the ITT.

BlackMac wrote:Worrying times for Cavendish. He can't even get himself in position to compete, never mind win.

He is no longer with team SKY so can't take the undetectable drugs anymore.

Shame

Gospel wrote:

Not to mention that Cav is no longer the quickest in the peleton

Early days for OPQS. Lets see how the season unfurls.

Good effort by GT in Paris-Nice. He's in second place, 3 seconds behind the superb young Columbian Bentancur.
The cheeky taff would probably win this race if they hadn't removed the ITT.

Think he's 8 seconds down but he's doing very well. Thought he may end up further back after today, but still finished in the hunt. Great move the other day when he took the lead. He's an odd one, in that whenever he looks like he'll push on he ends up getting injured/crashes. Good to see him up there.

Yes you're right, he's 8 seconds adrift. I like his positioning in this race as he's much less likely to get caught up in trouble if he stays up the front. He's doing a much better job than Porte is over in the Tirreno-Adriatico. Shame Froome had to drop out.

Paris Nice is one of my favourite stage races.

Weather looks really good in France for this years race.

edit : nice thread Tim. I like the ProTour schedule in the OP

Anonymous wrote:

BlackMac wrote:Worrying times for Cavendish. He can't even get himself in position to compete, never mind win.

He is no longer with team SKY so can't take the undetectable drugs anymore.

Shame

Gospel told me Team Sky don't take drugs because Dave Brailsford said so. And that makes it FACT!

Margin_Walker wrote:

Gospel wrote:

Not to mention that Cav is no longer the quickest in the peleton

Early days for OPQS. Lets see how the season unfurls.

Good effort by GT in Paris-Nice. He's in second place, 3 seconds behind the superb young Columbian Bentancur.
The cheeky taff would probably win this race if they hadn't removed the ITT.

Think he's 8 seconds down but he's doing very well. Thought he may end up further back after today, but still finished in the hunt. Great move the other day when he took the lead. He's an odd one, in that whenever he looks like he'll push on he ends up getting injured/crashes. Good to see him up there.

And as if by magic he crashes out of contention. Has no luck at all.

Anonymous wrote:

BlackMac wrote:Worrying times for Cavendish. He can't even get himself in position to compete, never mind win.

He is no longer with team SKY so can't take the undetectable drugs anymore.

Shame

Yeah, because his year at Sky was when he got most of his wins

Margin_Walker wrote:And as if by magic he crashes out of contention. Has no luck at all.

Prophetic. On the descent too. I wonder how much is down to poor bike handling.

Seez wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

BlackMac wrote:Worrying times for Cavendish. He can't even get himself in position to compete, never mind win.

He is no longer with team SKY so can't take the undetectable drugs anymore.

Shame

Yeah, because his year at Sky was when he got most of his wins

You fell in the sarcasm.

Gospel wrote:

Seez wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

BlackMac wrote:Worrying times for Cavendish. He can't even get himself in position to compete, never mind win.

He is no longer with team SKY so can't take the undetectable drugs anymore.

Shame

Yeah, because his year at Sky was when he got most of his wins

You fell in the sarcasm.

Fucksocks. Wasn't sure he was one of them but thought I would risk it.

Gospel wrote:

Margin_Walker wrote:And as if by magic he crashes out of contention. Has no luck at all.

Prophetic. On the descent too. I wonder how much is down to poor bike handling.

Yeah, there has to come a point where you start looking at that. Porte out of tirreno adriatico overnight as well with illness. Not Sky's week

Margin_Walker wrote:

Gospel wrote:

Margin_Walker wrote:And as if by magic he crashes out of contention. Has no luck at all.

Prophetic. On the descent too. I wonder how much is down to poor bike handling.

Yeah, there has to come a point where you start looking at that. Porte out of tirreno adriatico overnight as well with illness. Not Sky's week

Sky's squad looks to be coming apart a bit. They don't seem to have the overall talent of the likes of Quickstep, Moviestar etc. It's all very well putting all your eggs in the TDF basket but it would be nice to see them having more options than Froome and Porte in the big stage races and showing more in the Classics.

BlackMac wrote:

Margin_Walker wrote:

Gospel wrote:

Margin_Walker wrote:And as if by magic he crashes out of contention. Has no luck at all.

Prophetic. On the descent too. I wonder how much is down to poor bike handling.

Yeah, there has to come a point where you start looking at that. Porte out of tirreno adriatico overnight as well with illness. Not Sky's week

Sky's squad looks to be coming apart a bit. They don't seem to have the overall talent of the likes of Quickstep, Moviestar etc. It's all very well putting all your eggs in the TDF basket but it would be nice to see them having more options than Froome and Porte in the big stage races and showing more in the Classics.

Hard to keep multiple potential GC guys happy I guess as with Uran leaving last year. Would like to see a bit more variety from them as some riders can be stifled. Would love to see Stannard riding for another team and get an opportunity to challenge for stages in TdF, Giro etc. Always a great rider to watch when he has a free reign.

Daniel Friebe ‏@friebos 3m
Gazzetta today quotes Sergio Henao's agent, Giuseppe Acquadro, saying client isn't racing pending investigation of anomalous "values".

Daniel Friebe ‏@friebos 2m
Gazzetta's report deliberately vague. Doesn't specify what "values" are and doesn't quote anyone from Team Sky.

Daniel Friebe ‏@friebos 1m
According to agent, Henao seeking expert advice to explain values and "protect his own image and that of team".

http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290, ... 91,00.html

Margin_Walker wrote:

Daniel Friebe ‏@friebos 3m
Gazzetta today quotes Sergio Henao's agent, Giuseppe Acquadro, saying client isn't racing pending investigation of anomalous "values".

Daniel Friebe ‏@friebos 2m
Gazzetta's report deliberately vague. Doesn't specify what "values" are and doesn't quote anyone from Team Sky.

Daniel Friebe ‏@friebos 1m
According to agent, Henao seeking expert advice to explain values and "protect his own image and that of team".

http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290, ... 91,00.html

It appears that SKY have raised their concerns rather than the anti doping authorities, but depending on your point of view, this is either further evidence of Sky's all out doping programme or their continued and well documented anti doping stance.

Yep, appears to be based on internal controls rather than a letter from the blood passport people. Will be interesting all the same.

Personally don't believe there is any kind of sanctioned doping programme at Sky, but it must be hard to keep a lid on a team of 20-30 riders, when just one or two doing something privately can bring massive reputational damage. All you can do is make sure your internal controls are stricter than the official ones and be the first to raise any anomalies.

Margin_Walker wrote:Yep, appears to be based on internal controls rather than a letter from the blood passport people. Will be interesting all the same.

Personally don't believe there is any kind of sanctioned doping programme at Sky, but it must be hard to keep a lid on a team of 20-30 riders, when just one or two doing something privately can bring massive reputational damage. All you can do is make sure your internal controls are stricter than the official ones and be the first to raise any anomalies.

That's the problem with cycling. Despite internal/external controls they can spend months away training on their own and are very susceptible to the temptation of a wee boost outwith the team. I doubt SKY would be so quick to hang Henau but ignore the likes of Froome if they had the slightest suspicion. If he were to test positive the damage to the sport, especially in Britain would be extraordinary.

BlackMac wrote:

Margin_Walker wrote:Yep, appears to be based on internal controls rather than a letter from the blood passport people. Will be interesting all the same.

Personally don't believe there is any kind of sanctioned doping programme at Sky, but it must be hard to keep a lid on a team of 20-30 riders, when just one or two doing something privately can bring massive reputational damage. All you can do is make sure your internal controls are stricter than the official ones and be the first to raise any anomalies.

That's the problem with cycling. Despite internal/external controls they can spend months away training on their own and are very susceptible to the temptation of a wee boost outwith the team. I doubt SKY would be so quick to hang Henau but ignore the likes of Froome if they had the slightest suspicion. If he were to test positive the damage to the sport, especially in Britain would be extraordinary.

To be honest I don't think Froome will alter the status quo of opinion at all. The general public seem not to care much for him, he isn't an Armstrong as hype or publicity goes and cycling's reputation is so bad that I doubt the fans who are passionate about cycling would let any new doping stories make them lose interest anyway.

Wiggins might well be another story though.

Gah.

The longer British Cycling [the National body] have a pro tour trade team the more likely it is they will discover riders on their roster who've decided to cheat. First there was JTL and his dodgy tests while at Endura. Then there's ex-Sky rider Michael Roger's getting pinged for doing a Contador with his steak. And now this. I sincerely hope for all concerned that Sergio's anomalous values are simply down to a quirk of his own Columbian physiology and not PEDs.

Interesting article here about the issue of 'altitude natives' in cycling.

http://decaironman-training.com/2014/03 ... l-cycling/

While unfortunately cycling fans are required to be cynical bastards, it's important not to discount the possibility of innocence, if not the likelihood of it.

Anyway enough doping talk for today. Who are people picking for Milan San Remo at the weekend? Sprint friendly course. Can Cav/Greipel get over the Poggio, or is it Sagan's year? Degenkolb may be worth a look too as well as the usual suspects.

Margin_Walker wrote:Interesting article here about the issue of 'altitude natives' in cycling.

http://decaironman-training.com/2014/03 ... l-cycling/

While unfortunately cycling fans are required to be cynical bastards, it's important not to discount the possibility of innocence, if not the likelihood of it.

Anyway enough doping talk for today. Who are people picking for Milan San Remo at the weekend? Sprint friendly course. Can Cav/Greipel get over the Poggio, or is it Sagan's year? Degenkolb may be worth a look too as well as the usual suspects.

The Poggio is just at the point of severity where it starts to test the sprinters so it's going to be fascinating. If I was betting I'd be putting most of it on Peter Sagan though as he's got terrific form.

Gospel wrote:

Margin_Walker wrote:Interesting article here about the issue of 'altitude natives' in cycling.

http://decaironman-training.com/2014/03 ... l-cycling/

While unfortunately cycling fans are required to be cynical bastards, it's important not to discount the possibility of innocence, if not the likelihood of it.

Anyway enough doping talk for today. Who are people picking for Milan San Remo at the weekend? Sprint friendly course. Can Cav/Greipel get over the Poggio, or is it Sagan's year? Degenkolb may be worth a look too as well as the usual suspects.

The Poggio is just at the point of severity where it starts to test the sprinters so it's going to be fascinating. If I was betting I'd be putting most of it on Peter Sagan though as he's got terrific form.

Yeah, Sagan clear favorite, but despite some unreal form over the last few years, he's yet to win a monument. Can only be a matter of time though.

If the weather turns to shit then Ian Stannard could have a shot.

Long range forecast has rain on Sunday but not too cold. Can get 80/1 on Stannard still. He's always great to watch whatever happens but it would have to be filthy for him to take this.

With Pompeiana out, the course is "almost identical to 2007" when the top 10 was;

1 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank 6.43.59 (43.665 km/h)
2 Allan Davis (Aus) Discovery Channel
3 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep-Innergetic
4 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Predictor-Lotto
5 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC
6 Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram
7 Gabriele Balducci (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
8 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Milram
9 Vicente Reynes (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
10 Robert Hunter (RSA) Barloworld

at the front of a peloton of about 70.

Make of that what you will.

DOB wrote:With Pompeiana out, the course is "almost identical to 2007" when the top 10 was;

1 Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank 6.43.59 (43.665 km/h)
2 Allan Davis (Aus) Discovery Channel
3 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep-Innergetic
4 Robbie McEwen (Aus) Predictor-Lotto
5 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC
6 Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram
7 Gabriele Balducci (Ita) Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo
8 Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Milram
9 Vicente Reynes (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
10 Robert Hunter (RSA) Barloworld

at the front of a peloton of about 70.

Make of that what you will.

OPQS are well set with Boonen and Cav. The former to follow any breaks and the latter if they all come together.

Boonen now out in unfortunate circumstances

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boonen- ... n-san-remo

Margin_Walker wrote:Boonen now out in unfortunate circumstances

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boonen- ... n-san-remo

Very sad news.

Poggio isn't the problem for the sprinters unless they drop off and let an escapee get away, it'll be the chase (if there is one) after the Cipressa that'll do for them.

Yeah, a lot of it will be based on positioning into the bottom of the climbs and being well paced up them. Should be fun to watch whatever happens