77th Tour de Romandie (2.UWT) // 23rd - 28th of April 2024

[Tim Cahill]

Either Arensman is taking Thomas' approach to peaking to a new level or he's ***ed up his Giro prep. Nowhere near his best once again today.

He looks better this year at this point than he did last year when he came 6th in the Giro, I think he's doing the slow-build for week 3. One of those riders like Kruijswijk who would start winning GTs if they were 4 weeks long, but honestly I think an outside bet for the podium.

 

[Unchained]

It's said over and over that football ( soccer) is the beautiful game, Watching some of these stages go through breathtaking terrain including snow covered mountains, can hardly see were guys falling on the ground from fake injuries is even close.. Bike racing is often beautiful

 

[Devil's Elbow]

My rule of thumb is if you're in Romandie you've 100% already butchered your Giro prep

My rule of thumb is the same, except when it concerns Damiano Caruso.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

'Nys did a really quiet Tour de Romandie last year'

Did they really forget he finished second on one of the stages?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Either Arensman is taking Thomas' approach to peaking to a new level or he's ***ed up his Giro prep. Nowhere near his best once again today.

Arensman's TT's have always been inconsistent. Even in last year's Giro when he was in good form, his first TT was also mediocre at best. Today seems "normal". Not bad, not great. Plus McNulty had dry roads.

 

[Squire]

My rule of thumb is the same, except when it concerns Damiano Caruso.

Or Ilnur!

 

[Samamba]

Raining hard now. McNulty might win after all if it starts pouring

At least at the finish it (so also in the downhill)

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Wait McNutly is doing this race? I thought it was his time for holidays. I think I saw him in every single race this year so far. Imagine what he could do, after a proper training camp.

 

[Samamba]

Wait McNutly is doing this race? I thought it was his time for holidays. I think I saw him in every single race this year so far. Imagine what he could do, after a proper training camp.

No UAE likes to let everyone have 30+ racedays before they deserve a break.

 

[RedheadDane]

Unless rain kicks in, i can't imagine McNulty coming close for the win. On a hilly parcours only 24s faster than Price Pejtersen.

I see what you did there! You reverse-jinxed it!

"Oh, he's tooooooooootally not gonna win. It would have to start raining."

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Now it's raining harder than it's been all day.

 

[Samamba]

I've seen a lot of TTs this year already, but not a singel great battle cause of rain or good riders starting before the broadcast start. Have we seen a winner live already?

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Road doesn't look too slippery yet, but that will definitely change before the GC favourites make it to the descent unless the rain stops very soon.

 

[Netserk]

I've seen a lot of TTs this year already, but not a singel great battle cause of rain or good riders starting before the broadcast start. Have we seen a winner live already?

We saw Ayuso in Tirreno.

 

[Squire]

Road doesn't look too slippery yet, but that will definitely change before the GC favourites make it to the descent unless the rain stops very soon.

Plapp is properly fooked then.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I've seen a lot of TTs this year already, but not a singel great battle cause of rain or good riders starting before the broadcast start. Have we seen a winner live already?

Evenepoel, Algarve at least.

 

[Taxus4a]

I forgot Bernal at my analisis, Of course he copunts seriously, he comeback to his best level, it is just a question some pain come up, as happened before his crash already..but in a race like this one, he is one of the best.

Rain looks is going to condition maybe the full results of the whole race...som e second up or down could be decissive.

 

[Red Rick]

Hate rain in ITTs, so naturally I hate that the WT race in the part of Switserland hwere it always fuggin rains finds in necessarily to put in 2 technical ITTs every year all the while wet shitting the bed at the mountain stages.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Raining on the descent, McNulty is going to win this, lol.

 

[Netserk]

Alaphilippe was 6 km/h slower at that speed control than Sheffield.

 

[Red Rick]

Hindley reminds me so much of Contador stylistically. Especially the 2017 TdF version where it's dancing on pedals prettily before getting dropped, and his ITTs also look like the 2013 Dauphine ITT where Contador lost about 1.5 weeks to Froome

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Hate rain in ITTs, so naturally I hate that the WT race in the part of Switserland hwere it always fuggin rains finds in necessarily to put in 2 technical ITTs every year all the while wet shitting the bed at the mountain stages.

Romandie needs a major overhaul in general. The place on the calendar is unsuitable weather-wise with some key passes not open yet (e.g. Col de la Croix, the natural lead-in to tomorrow's finish), doesn't fit that well with any of Ardennes, Giro and Tour, and the route is almost always poor. Unquestionably the worst of the big 7 one-week races.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Why is everyone now also terrible uphill?

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Why is everyone now also terrible uphill?

It's already decently technical before the time check.

 

[Netserk]

Romandie needs a major overhaul in general. The place on the calendar is unsuitable weather-wise with some key passes not open yet (e.g. Col de la Croix, the natural lead-in to tomorrow's finish), doesn't fit that well with any of Ardennes, Giro and Tour, and the route is almost always poor. Unquestionably the worst of the big 7 one-week races.

It's been at least as good as Suisse the past 10 years.