Étoile de Bessèges 2021 (February 3-7)

[RedheadDane]

Uhm... where'd they go? We lost 'em...

 

[sir fly]

No worries, Ginger. There they are... all together.

 

[Carols]

10km to go, break just caught.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Crash, peloton has split by the looks.

 

[Vesica]

Which moron allowed those parked cars on the side of the road?

 

[DJ Sprtsch]

Großschartner down, but walks.
Bettiol affected as well

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Bettiol also caught out.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

The greatest rider of them all strikes once more. Really small peloton at the end too.

 

[SafeBet]

The greatest wins.

 

[DJ Sprtsch]

Laporte, Bouhanni, Pedersen

 

[RedheadDane]

He is The Greatest!

 

[sir fly]

That was a good move.
Well executed. Congrats to Laporte.

Nice countryside and weather. Can't ask for more on the premiere.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Kwiatkowski 5th, definitely in contention for the GC then.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

No more gifts.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Who dat Jake Stewart?

 

[tobydawq]

I'm sure Laporte would have let the other guy win if it hadn't been Bouhanni. I'm not sure they have the very best of relationships.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Great first pro race by Jordi Meeus.

 

[SafeBet]

Cofidis played it perfectly in the final 3 km and Laporte didn't disappoint.
First win in 17 (!) months for the greatest.

Nice results from Meeus and Jake Stewart.

 

[tobydawq]

Also, Cofidis is already halfway towards the number of wins of last year.

 

[Wvv]

Ag2r after all that work, stuck on the last climb towards the finish. Chance of revenge on Saturday for the punchers.
Well done by Laporte, considering his rather awful injury last season. Also promising result for Meeus on his first day as a pro.

 

[Escarabajo]

I don't understand Bouhanni . He was coming from behind and had the momentum to pass Laporte and all of a sudden he slowed down. That was weird.

 

[tobydawq]

I don't understand Bouhanni . He was coming from behind and had the momentum to pass Laporte and all of a sudden he slowed down. That was weird.

Maybe a gift for old time's sake.

Nah, when you run out of anaerobic reserves, you run out. It happens in such a finale, and he had been doing quite a long effort.

 

[F_Cance]

Nibali 13th. In the bag

 

[gerundium]

Which moron allowed those parked cars on the side of the road?

Those aren't parked cars. This is a classic small race thing. It's just oncoming traffic being stopped and directed to the side of the road when the front of the race reaches them. It makes racing super nervous and dangerous.

 

[Wvv]

I don't understand Bouhanni . He was coming from behind and had the momentum to pass Laporte and all of a sudden he slowed down. That was weird.

Ever ridden a bike..? When your legs run empty or lactic acid hits in, it's bye bye momentum.