14th Binck Banck Tour , 13-19 August (2.UWT)

[RedheadDane]

Re:

Kittel also abandoned the TDF. So even there you're not correct Breh

Technically that was an HD, and not a DNF.
Might just be me, but I think continuing all the way to the finish - even if you're long since outside the team limit - is cooler than climbing off midway through the stage.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Kittel also abandoned the TDF. So even there you're not correct Breh

Technically that was an HD, and not a DNF.
Might just be me, but I think continuing all the way to the finish - even if you're long since outside the team limit - is cooler than climbing off midway through the stage.

Of course it's cooler but in the grand TdF perspective it surely must count as a DNF since he did not finish the Tour.

 

[Gigs_98]

Since when are Austrians actually winning races? Already the 2nd win in the WT this year after they won two gt stages last year. That's probably more than in the rest of my whole lifetime combined

Isn't it a grand total of one TdF stages you've managed to get?

I seem to recall that Totschnig's victory was the first and I don't remember any additions to that.

Yeah, 99% sure Totschnig's tdf victory was the only other gt win in my lifetime. Also a few years ago Eisel won GW so that's another big win but other than that I don't think Austria won much. The level of cycling in Austria has definitely massively improved over the last few years.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Re:

Van Der Hoorn finished up there. I thought today's stage would have dropped him down the GC.

Really? He is not exactly bad in hard races

Maybe this helps:
https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/81st-schaal-schels/2017/result
https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/dwars-door-het-hageland/2017/result

 

[tobydawq]

Since when are Austrians actually winning races? Already the 2nd win in the WT this year after they won two gt stages last year. That's probably more than in the rest of my whole lifetime combined

Isn't it a grand total of one TdF stages you've managed to get?

I seem to recall that Totschnig's victory was the first and I don't remember any additions to that.

Yeah, 99% sure Totschnig's tdf victory was the only other gt win in my lifetime. Also a few years ago Eisel won GW so that's another big win but other than that I don't think Austria won much. The level of cycling in Austria has definitely massively improved over the last few years.

Yeah, you also have good riders that never win (Konrad, Grossschartner).

But I can assure you that 7 WT victories for Denmark is not usual either

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

For the guy (jaylew?) who said Matthews was doing his share:

Stuyven said the following:

"It was strange, we had a strong group when Greg (Van Avermaet) and (Michael) Matthews came to us. Although Matthews would have been leader if he pulled he was the one who didn't want to pull and then of course everyone started to look at each other. Then more and more guys came back. It's a pity because I think it was a nice group to go to the line with.In the end it was a little bit gambling because there were teams with 2-3 guys. I was not feeling super today and the guys did a great job to keep me at the front all day. @M_Braendle was great and kept pulling after getting caught from the break. Tomorrow all-in again."

Classic Matthews being Matthews

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Van Der Hoorn finished up there. I thought today's stage would have dropped him down the GC.

Really? He is not exactly bad in hard races

Maybe this helps:
https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/81st-schaal-schels/2017/result
https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/dwars-door-het-hageland/2017/result

Way superior to Van Aert!

It was pretty impressive how he rode last autumn and given his difficulties this year, his riding in this race is also extremely impressive. I mean, his first race day of the season was seven days ago!

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

Frustrating to see the strongest man in the race not being able to win.

In chaotic uncontrolled races the strongest rarely wins.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Frustrating to see the strongest man in the race not being able to win.

In chaotic uncontrolled races the strongest rarely wins.

Yeah, I pretty much have that feeling every single time Sagan doesn't win a race...

 

[jaylew]

Re:

For the guy (jaylew?) who said Matthews was doing his share:

Stuyven said the following:

"It was strange, we had a strong group when Greg (Van Avermaet) and (Michael) Matthews came to us. Although Matthews would have been leader if he pulled he was the one who didn't want to pull and then of course everyone started to look at each other. Then more and more guys came back. It's a pity because I think it was a nice group to go to the line with.In the end it was a little bit gambling because there were teams with 2-3 guys. I was not feeling super today and the guys did a great job to keep me at the front all day. @M_Braendle was great and kept pulling after getting caught from the break. Tomorrow all-in again."

Classic Matthews being Matthews

Well, I saw Matthews pull through hard gritting his teeth with my own eyeballs, so whatever. Maybe he stopped pulling at some point but he was rotating after the bridge as we both saw. Anyway, the narrative of Matthews being the new Gerrans has been disproven several times the last couple years.

 

[Breh]

Re:

Kittel also abandoned the TDF. So even there you're not correct Breh

Not making the time limit is not abandoning.

Greipel, Groenewegen, Gaviria and Matthews have at least as much DNF's as Kittel.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re: Re:

Frustrating to see the strongest man in the race not being able to win.

In chaotic uncontrolled races the strongest rarely wins.

However, Wellens often does.

 

[postmanhat]

Re:

Mohoric is not in the leading group. Where is De Bie?

De Bie finished 17 minutes down. Must have had a crash or a really bad day. Was looking forward to seeing if he could hang on with the WT riders tomorrow

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Boom also did really bad, this was his last chance at Jumbo. So I guess he's out

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Since when are Austrians actually winning races? Already the 2nd win in the WT this year after they won two gt stages last year. That's probably more than in the rest of my whole lifetime combined

'probably' is the right word, as I'm quite sure Eisel won a few WT races in his heyday. Then you have Totschnigs epic win on Aix-3 as well. But yeah, Austrian cycling is on rise at the moment, although I don't think any of your current profiles are quite Totschnig, Eisel or Luttenberger material yet

 

[tobydawq]

Since when are Austrians actually winning races? Already the 2nd win in the WT this year after they won two gt stages last year. That's probably more than in the rest of my whole lifetime combined

'probably' is the right word, as I'm quite sure Eisel won a few WT races in his heyday. Then you have Totschnigs epic win on Aix-3 as well. But yeah, Austrian cycling is on rise at the moment, although I don't think any of your current profiles are quite Totschnig, Eisel or Luttenberger material yet

How good do you think they were?

Konrad already has done almost as well as Totschnig and Lüttenberger in a Grand Tour. Both have a 5th as the best, Lüttenberger was 5th in his debut GT (the 1996 Tour) but was never in the top 10 again, Totschnig backed it up a few times.

Eisel won GW and two stages in the Tour de Suisse as his only victories on the WT and has then prostituted himself for Cavendish (sorry for the picture).

I definitely think that the new generation will be more successful and results-wise they already have been.

 

[Robert5091]

Chapeau Muhlberger! Nice win for Bora that's not Sagan. Where's the sprint teams?

 

[RedheadDane]

Since when are Austrians actually winning races? Already the 2nd win in the WT this year after they won two gt stages last year. That's probably more than in the rest of my whole lifetime combined

'probably' is the right word, as I'm quite sure Eisel won a few WT races in his heyday. Then you have Totschnigs epic win on Aix-3 as well. But yeah, Austrian cycling is on rise at the moment, although I don't think any of your current profiles are quite Totschnig, Eisel or Luttenberger material yet

Well, he won Gent-Wevelgem way back in 2010.

 

[Keram]

I was really pi***d when such a strong group with classic specialists didnt want to cooperate. They would be stay away easily if they wanted to. I actually have seen Matthews to do one pull but was half hearted and he was imidiately looking back. But I think he is at pole position now. If Mohoric will crack at cobbled bergs he will win when he will only follow other classic guys.

Anyway great stage. Lot of action last 40 kms. Bora is real deal this season. They have sprinters winning big races. They have GC men. They won monument. They need only some grand tour GC succes and it will be whole package for them. They are prime example how to transform PCT team to WT team. Of course Sagan is the big reason of this rise. He brought both top notch results and sponsors.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Since when are Austrians actually winning races? Already the 2nd win in the WT this year after they won two gt stages last year. That's probably more than in the rest of my whole lifetime combined

'probably' is the right word, as I'm quite sure Eisel won a few WT races in his heyday. Then you have Totschnigs epic win on Aix-3 as well. But yeah, Austrian cycling is on rise at the moment, although I don't think any of your current profiles are quite Totschnig, Eisel or Luttenberger material yet

Well, he won Gent-Wevelgem way back in 2010.

I know he hasn't won any races since that one.

From memory, he's probably only won that one and a couple of stages in races like Poland or Switzerland or something over 10 years ago. And by "a couple" I literally mean 2.

 

[Breh]

Re:

Anyway great stage. Lot of action last 40 kms. Bora is real deal this season. They have sprinters winning big races. They have GC men. They won monument. They need only some grand tour GC succes and it will be whole package for them. They are prime example how to transform PCT team to WT team. Of course Sagan is the big reason of this rise. He brought both top notch results and sponsors.

I think today was one of their biggest winning margins this season, 3seconds.

Although i'm not sure.

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Anyway great stage. Lot of action last 40 kms. Bora is real deal this season. They have sprinters winning big races. They have GC men. They won monument. They need only some grand tour GC succes and it will be whole package for them. They are prime example how to transform PCT team to WT team. Of course Sagan is the big reason of this rise. He brought both top notch results and sponsors.

I think today was one of their biggest winning margins this season, 3seconds.

Although i'm not sure.

https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/nc-slovakia/2018/result

 

[Flamin]

Seen the final 20k. Damn, that was epic racing and the reason why I watch cycling. No hiding, just full gas man against man.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re:

I was really pi***d when such a strong group with classic specialists didnt want to cooperate. They would be stay away easily if they wanted to. I actually have seen Matthews to do one pull but was half hearted and he was imidiately looking back. But I think he is at pole position now. If Mohoric will crack at cobbled bergs he will win when he will only follow other classic guys.

Anyway great stage. Lot of action last 40 kms. Bora is real deal this season. They have sprinters winning big races. They have GC men. They won monument. They need only some grand tour GC succes and it will be whole package for them. They are prime example how to transform PCT team to WT team. Of course Sagan is the big reason of this rise. He brought both top notch results and sponsors.

Most of their jump forward is clearly down to Sagan, but the thing that has impressed me most about Bora is their success at bringing guys through their ranks. They have good talent scouting (aided by being in a position to pick and choose the best Germanophone talents). They also give their internal prospects every chance, moving them forward with a plan and patience.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

That was a great win today by Muhlberger. I maintain that he is exactly the type of rider Sky hoover up systematically: he’s strong, he can do it on the flat, he can climb. If he was an anglophone rather than coming from Bora’s patch, they’d have signed him first.