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Best Stages/Races

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Unfortunately I only have a video of the last 15 minutes of this stage, and it's in German but believe me this stage was incredible.
12053119169-hoehenprofil-int-oumlsterreich-rundfahrt-2012---etappe-4.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6dmPMArdoU

This stage came two days after Di Luca won on the Kitzbüheler Horn in front of Morabito and Rohregger. Di Luca wore the leaders jersey but had a pretty weak team to defend it, while Rohregger who was only 10 seconds behind the Italian had lots of very strong helpers like Jakob Fuglsang, who lost surprisingly much time on the Kitzbüheler Horn.

Trek decided to use the teams strength and put pressure on Di Luca right from the start. They set an incredibly high pace on the Iselsberg and split the peloton. While there were many Trek riders in front Di Luca was in the 2nd peloton and only had a few domestiques left after the climb. They tried to bridge to gap but Aqua Sapone lost the unofficial TTT on the flat between the first two climbs. Di Luca therefore decided to attack and bridge the gap between the two gaps himself. His move was successful but he had the huge problem to face the Großglockner completely isolated. Trek again used their team strength and Rohregger let Fuglsang attack to put Di Luca under pressure. But since that happened over 100 km from the finish Di Luca didn't want to chase himself, so a back then pretty unknown Leopold König followed Fuglsang and the two rode away from the peloton. (I at least think König wasn't very famous back then, but I'm honestly not entirely sure since I didn't follow cycling that closely in 2012)
While the riders in the peloton were looking at each other Fuglsangs and Königs advantage grew bigger, until at one point König had to drop because of cramps. Fuglsang however finished his solo successfully with an advantage of almost 3 minutes and went on to win the Österreich Rundfahrt. A great stage from a rather small race, but 140 kilometers non stop action are something incredible anyway.
 
Gigs_98 said:
Unfortunately I only have a video of the last 15 minutes of this stage, and it's in German but believe me this stage was incredible.
12053119169-hoehenprofil-int-oumlsterreich-rundfahrt-2012---etappe-4.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6dmPMArdoU

This stage came two days after Di Luca won on the Kitzbüheler Horn in front of Morabito and Rohregger. Di Luca wore the leaders jersey but had a pretty weak team to defend it, while Rohregger who was only 10 seconds behind the Italian had lots of very strong helpers like Jakob Fuglsang, who lost surprisingly much time on the Kitzbüheler Horn.

Trek decided to use the teams strength and put pressure on Di Luca right from the start. They set an incredibly high pace on the Iselsberg and split the peloton. While there were many Trek riders in front Di Luca was in the 2nd peloton and only had a few domestiques left after the climb. They tried to bridge to gap but Aqua Sapone lost the unofficial TTT on the flat between the first two climbs. Di Luca therefore decided to attack and bridge the gap between the two gaps himself. His move was successful but he had the huge problem to face the Großglockner completely isolated. Trek again used their team strength and Rohregger let Fuglsang attack to put Di Luca under pressure. But since that happened over 100 km from the finish Di Luca didn't want to chase himself, so a back then pretty unknown Leopold König followed Fuglsang and the two rode away from the peloton. (I at least think König wasn't very famous back then, but I'm honestly not entirely sure since I didn't follow cycling that closely in 2012)
While the riders in the peloton were looking at each other Fuglsangs and Königs advantage grew bigger, until at one point König had to drop because of cramps. Fuglsang however finished his solo successfully with an advantage of almost 3 minutes and went on to win the Österreich Rundfahrt. A great stage from a rather small race, but 140 kilometers non stop action are something incredible anyway.
Wow, amazing stage indeed. Thanks a lot for the info. Perhaps the greatest ever stage of Österreich Rundfahrt in 21st century?
 
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Libertine Seguros said:
Giro di Lombardia 2006. One of the finest one-day exhibitions of our times, as Paolo Bettini takes an absolutely elite peloton back to school, destroying people time and again until eventually taking a tearful, emotional win in his newly-won rainbow stripes just after his brother died just a week after Salzburg.
That one I haven't seen. Thanks!

Lol at Fuglsang, I didn't know he won such an epic stage like that. Honestly didn't think he that in him. Only thing I remember was he got snubbed at TdF, but apparently was in some fine form huh.
 
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Re: Re:

Valv.Piti said:
Libertine Seguros said:
Giro di Lombardia 2006. One of the finest one-day exhibitions of our times, as Paolo Bettini takes an absolutely elite peloton back to school, destroying people time and again until eventually taking a tearful, emotional win in his newly-won rainbow stripes just after his brother died just a week after Salzburg.
That one I haven't seen. Thanks!

Lol at Fuglsang, I didn't know he won such an epic stage like that. Honestly didn't think he that in him. Only thing I remember was he got snubbed at TdF, but apparently was in some fine form huh.
That was the one time that Fuglsang actually raced like a great Danish climber and it was pretty awesome.
 
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I ealize it's nothing special from a course design standpoint but my favourite mtf finish was probably Tormalet 2010. Two of the finest riding flat out for an hour and just destroying everyone else. Stages 2 and 4 of the 2014 tdf were fun (not a Nibali fan, though). It's great to see cobbles/sterrato in a GT.
 
Lombardia 2006 is a great pick, LS. Bettini at his finest.
Montalcino 2010 is another great pick, ice&fire. Vino, Evans and Cunego racing impressively, with Scarponi trying to limit his losses to them by dropping Nibali and Basso as Nibali was shepherding Basso to the line.

Paris-Roubaix 2016.
http://www.letour.fr/PHOTOS/PRX/2016/100/PROFIL.png

The greatest race I have ever watched. Boonen showing why he is the one of the greatest riders of the 21st century and the greatest northern classics rider ever. Unfortunately I can't find the full race on youtube so I'm leaving you this video, only a 3-4 minutes summary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnDVLd4FEDo
 
Last week's Criterium Dauphine deserves to be mentioned here. I was away all weekend, so I watched the last three stages last night, and it's easily one of the best one week races I've seen. Three great mountain stages, especially the last stage to Plataeu Solaison. Definitely the highlight of the 2017-season along with Gilbert's ride in RVV.
 
Fuglsang probably read Valv.Piti's less than admiring words above and thought he would prove him wrong. Good job, Valv.

And I agree that especially the final stage was fantastic.

Edit: Okay, seriously, what is the editor trying to pull here? I explicitly write "Valv.Piti[apostrophe]s less" and it corrects it to "Valv.Piti[apostrophe]ss"!?!
 
Re:

tobydawq said:
Fuglsang probably read Valv.Piti's less than admiring words above and thought he would prove him wrong. Good job, Valv.

And I agree that especially the final stage was fantastic.

Edit: Okay, seriously, what is the editor tying to pull here? I explicitly write "Valv-Piti[apostrophe]s less" and it corrects it to "Valv.Piti[apostrophe]ss"!?!
Fuglsang woke up! Haha, gotta love it. :lol:
 
Valv.Piti said:
You can basically throw any Mortirolo-Aprica stage in here as well. Of the stages I've seen, 2010 was the best, but also 2015 was pretty amazing.

Another not so spectacular MTF, but a stage which I have really fond memories of, was Courchevel 2005. Keeping the theme of first MTF in Tour de France. Rasmussen was in great shape, the best he had ever been at that point by a mile, while Illes Balears had brought Mancebo and Valverde as a very dangerous two-pronged attack, which to be honest still was very unlikely to really beat Armstrong.

Anyways, after talks of US Postal being in crisis after the stage to Gerardmer that Weening famously won, the train was in full force and dropped people left and right. Vino lost over 5 minutes, T-Mobile disintegrated as a whole, while Basso also had a not so great day. Surprisingly, the only 3 riders to keep up with Armstrong were Michael, Bala (TdF debut) and Mancebo. Valverde beat Armstrong in a brutal sprint on Courchevel and it was glorious and so my love affair truly began.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzeS8JUPh2w&t=2s

2j4811s.jpg


I had only been watching the sport for 2 years at this point. This is the stage/day that Valverde became my favorite rider.