2020 World Championships - now confirmed for Imola, Italy.

[DFA123]

He was amazing pulling the train for JV. But every time someone (Pogačar) attacked he dropped like a stone from the group. Yes, these hills aren't the mountains at the GT. But I'll be surprised (and not for the first time this year with WVA) if manages to answer the attacks on the climbs.

I agree. I can see why he is the favourite, but I'm also kind of sceptical. You can't simply time trial your way up every climb in a one day race, particularly when it gets to the sharp end. Wouldn't be surprised if GVA ended up being Belgium's main challenger, maybe even winning the race.

 

[Jagartrott]

Temperatures will drop in much of W-Europe the coming days. Here (Flanders) it was 25 °C yesterday and the days before, but by Saturday it'll be 10 °C cooler. However, while cooler weather is almost certain, the rain predictions are much more variable. I'm seeing inundation on one website (https://www.ilmeteo.it/meteo/Imola), and just some drops on another (https://www.3bmeteo.com/meteo/imola). The second would deter no-one in the peloton.

 

[DaveJones2]

Any chance of an outsider like Ulissi coming good whilst everyone watches Fuglsang and Van Aert?

It's such a strange year with a completely rescheduled race with a parcours that seems difficult to pin down as suitable to a particular rider type.

Ulissi has hit a run of form recently and often has results that hint at the potential for a big win, but tends to fall short the very best when it really matters.

Maybe it's time in what's now a home world champs for him..

 

[DJ Sprtsch]

Just checked the weather at windy.com.
Yikes.
Wonder if it's accurate. Around 12 degrees & rain throughout the afternoon.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Any chance of an outsider like Ulissi coming good whilst everyone watches Fuglsang and Van Aert?

It's such a strange year with a completely rescheduled race with a parcours that seems difficult to pin down as suitable to a particular rider type.

Ulissi has hit a run of form recently and often has results that hint at the potential for a big win, but tends to fall short the very best when it really matters.

Maybe it's time in what's now a home world champs for him..

Ulissi has never been great when it's +250km and isn't the greatest decender/bikehandler, so I doubt it.

 

[SafeBet]

Yeah he wouldn't be the Italian outsider I'd pick in a race over 250km, but he was a team player during the EC so I expect him to be a valuable helper.

 

[BlueRoads]

I do in a way agree with Koronin, although my feelings are not that strong on that topic.
And of course, when it rains, it rains, it's part of the sport.
But although a lot of rain often makes a race more "spectacular" in that it makes it more selective and things just happen, like more riders crashing, riders riding through the water, and we get to see the "hardmenship" which is more difficult to feel as a spectator, when it's just hot, I agree that in the end it seems a "fairer" race to me, and I enjoy it more, if not many people have to drop out because they are undercooled.
But then Harrogate was extreme. It was not just a bit of rain, it was torrential rain with a lot! of wind for seven hours. For someone with an extremely low body fat percentage that's... And the fact that on this not very selective route only 46 riders, with some quite a lot behind, reached the finish, shows this, I think.
I don't want to say I did not enjoy Harrogate and Pedersen was a very deserved champion. But I sure don't want every race to be like that, or even many. So for me it's very much okay to have one such race every few years, but I would not say that rain makes every race better. It may just look more spectacular for us.

I don't like extremely hot races, in which I always fear for rider's health, either.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

He was amazing pulling the train for JV. But every time someone (Pogačar) attacked he dropped like a stone from the group. Yes, these hills aren't the mountains at the GT. But I'll be surprised (and not for the first time this year with WVA) if manages to answer the attacks on the climbs.

When exactly was van Aert pulling when Pogacar attacked? Maybe this happened once? I can't actually Remember, but it might have happened. You are like it was a common occurance.

 

[Carlowski]

Seen the article confirming that Dumoulin will do the TT, no mention of whether he'll do the RR as well?
He's in the PCR startlist but the latest startlist on the UCI website still has 12 Dutch riders.

I noticed as well that Ecuador (and Carapaz) are now in the UCI startlist

https://www.uci.org/docs/default-source/official-documents/2018-uci-road-world-championships/2020/20200917-imol-me-entries.pdf

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Temperatures will drop in much of W-Europe the coming days. Here (Flanders) it was 25 °C yesterday and the days before, but by Saturday it'll be 10 °C cooler. However, while cooler weather is almost certain, the rain predictions are much more variable. I'm seeing inundation on one website (https://www.ilmeteo.it/meteo/Imola), and just some drops on another (https://www.3bmeteo.com/meteo/imola). The second would deter no-one in the peloton.

Haven't tried the latter site before now. Yesterday when I posted, I was using yr.no, ilmeteo.it and meteo.fr.
In fact the first says 35mm between 14-20 hours on race day which is 10mm more than yesterday.
Byt yes, in such changing conditions it may all just result in few drops in the end.
Personally I hope not so, even I like the landscapes south of Imola a lot, been there on two occations. I've since a very wet P-R edition of mid eighties always adored 'hardmenship' racing as BlueRoads calls it, which might turn out as an elimination run. For some it's a boring watch. Not for me, I just hope crashes will not be decisive.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Seen the article confirming that Dumoulin will do the TT, no mention of whether he'll do the RR as well?
He's in the PCR startlist but the latest startlist on the UCI website still has 12 Dutch riders.

I noticed as well that Ecuador (and Carapaz) are now in the UCI startlist

https://www.uci.org/docs/default-source/official-documents/2018-uci-road-world-championships/2020/20200917-imol-me-entries.pdf

He was set to do both RR and ITT.

 

[postmanhat]

Matt Holmes has had to pull out of the race due to illness, and has been replaced by Ethan Hayter in the GB squad. He climbs surprisingly well for a fast man, but can't help thinking it shows how few options British cycling have been left with

 

[Rollthedice]

Six are set for Italy: Nibali, Masnada, Brambilla, Caruso, Ulissi and Bagioli. For the last two places there's Visconti, Fabbro and Bettiol.

 

[Carlowski]

Temperatures will drop in much of W-Europe the coming days. Here (Flanders) it was 25 °C yesterday and the days before, but by Saturday it'll be 10 °C cooler. However, while cooler weather is almost certain, the rain predictions are much more variable. I'm seeing inundation on one website (https://www.ilmeteo.it/meteo/Imola), and just some drops on another (https://www.3bmeteo.com/meteo/imola). The second would deter no-one in the peloton.

Both websites are now predicting consistent, heavy rain for the whole afternoon; unlikley to be as bad as Yorkshire but not great.

Interesting how it predicts 0C at 1800m and snow at 1100m.... I'm thinking Passo dello Stelvio (2750m) in a month time!

 

[Broccolidwarf]

It means a lot less competition because 2/3rds of the riders have no interest in risking their health and prefer to keep their health for other races. Thus meaning weaker fields and less competition.

Yes, all the soft ones quit when the weather gets hard

 

[Carlowski]

Yes, all the soft ones quit when the weather gets hard

Rain and cold weather would make me back cyclocross riders (Van Aert and rank outsider Pidcock perhaps)

Having said that, Van der Poel cracked spectacularly last year; keeping warm for one our in the mud is one thing, for 6 hours is a different game altogether

 

[Broccolidwarf]

Any chance of an outsider like Ulissi coming good whilst everyone watches Fuglsang and Van Aert?

It's such a strange year with a completely rescheduled race with a parcours that seems difficult to pin down as suitable to a particular rider type.

Ulissi has hit a run of form recently and often has results that hint at the potential for a big win, but tends to fall short the very best when it really matters.

Maybe it's time in what's now a home world champs for him..

Absolutely there is a chance of an outsider.

I think 1 week recovery is too little for most Tour riders on GC teams, and I think a lot of the Giro GC guys are not at their peak yet, because week 3 of the Giro is so hard.

I believe someone who has not done GC at the Tour, or is not doing it at the Giro, has the best chances, but I favor those that have stage hunted in the Tour, because they have been able to build up perfectly to Worlds, while those doing the Giro will lack race days.

I of course hope for Fuglsang, but I think it less likely than I did before the season was scrambled.

 

[BlueRoads]

Yes, all the soft ones quit when the weather gets hard

Only it's not really about "being soft", as in "they quit because they are over-sensitive". A few years ago my weight was pretty low and I was always freezing. I have some friends, especially males, who are a bit overweight and in the summer they are always like "it's so hot, it's so hot, I need something cold", wearing shorts until November. It's just a different body type. Of course there are no overweight riders, but there are still differences in weight, body fat and height, which also plays a role. The successful riders at Harrogate were rather the "big guys". (Not Betancur. Betancur must have been the most heroic rider that day. )
In this respect the current weight and body fat of van Aert would be interesting again...

 

[Brumdog66]

Valgren

 

[Red Rick]

Ulissi has never been great when it's +250km and isn't the greatest decender/bikehandler, so I doubt it.

He did win that uphill sprint in the Giro after 264km right?

 

[DenisMenchov]

When exactly was van Aert pulling when Pogacar attacked? Maybe this happened once? I can't actually Remember, but it might have happened. You are like it was a common occurance.

I recall that happened in stage 16 (uphill finish inVillard-de-Lans ). Maybe it happened once more, he was also dropped by the Bahrain McLaren's tempo on Col de la Loze without working on that day at all.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I recall that happened in stage 16 (uphill finish inVillard-de-Lans ). Maybe it happened once more, he was also dropped by the Bahrain McLaren's tempo on Col de la Loze without working on that day at all.

Yeah, i'm not sure what you are expecting of van Aert. First of all, the Bahrein train DID climb tempo, while you were talking about accelerations. And in the final of stage 16 he had done a ton of work. So i'm not really following what you want to say.

 

[DenisMenchov]

Yeah, i'm not sure what you are expecting of van Aert. First of all, the Bahrein train DID climb tempo, while you were talking about accelerations. And in the final of stage 16 he had done a ton of work. So i'm not really following what you want to say.

The point is I never saw him (in TDF) react to any acceleration of the pace. He was amazing in his steady rhythm, but nowhere to be seen when the selections were being made. He only came back in the stage 18, when most of the guys in the front group had nothing to work for besides Bahrain's duo, but that kind of scenario is not going to happen in the Worlds.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

The point is I never saw him (in TDF) react to any acceleration of the pace. He was amazing in his steady rhythm, but nowhere to be seen when the selections were being made. He only came back in the stage 18, when most of the guys in the front group had nothing to work for besides Bahrain's duo, but that kind of scenario is not going to happen in the Worlds.

Basically you didn't see him do those things because it were completely different climbs in the Tour and because that wasn't his job. Ok.

 

[Red Rick]

Basically you didn't see him do those things because it were completely different climbs in the Tour and because that wasn't his job. Ok.

Last hill is also quite far from the finish line, and the others are hardly Alaphilippe.

If van Aert is there with a group of 4 or less in the end, it's very hard to see him lose.