European Championships

[Brullnux]

They've been pretty fun so far. There was a very weird men's scratch race and the return of the Italians-on-track has been cemented.

Who thought it would be a good idea to change the omnium? Take out the timed efforts and put in a second tempo race? Classic UCI

 

[DNP-Old]

I'm just going to bump this cause I couldn't be bothered making a new thread for max. 3 responses. These European Championships are the start of the qualification cycle for Paris '24 and so countries are starting their major players to be done with it. Take aways from the TP which just finished:
1). Francesco Lamon, thank you for your services, but it's time to go. Manlio Moro has long surpassed him and should start at all times.
2). GB were able to hang with Italy despite injury to Hayter, worrisome.
3). France are undermanned due to injuries and such, but if they wish to go for it in Paris, starting Quentin Lafargue is not the way to go.
4). Known it for a long time, but Carl Bevort and Theodor Storm are special.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Milan just proved that raw power beats aerodynamics (at least sometimes) by beating Bigham in the IP, and Archibald crushed everyone in omnium.

 

[King Of The Wolds]

Milan just proved that raw power beats aerodynamics (at least sometimes) by beating Bigham in the IP, and Archibald crushed everyone in omnium.

Archibald has been ludicrously strong. She dropped the rest of her team in the TP, and had to wait for them, and they still won the gold. Then won the first 3 events of the omnium, and spent about half of the points race on the front. To make Kopecky look like a novice was, frankly, mind boggling.

 

[DNP-Old]

Milan just proved that raw power beats aerodynamics (at least sometimes) by beating Bigham in the IP, and Archibald crushed everyone in omnium.

Not sure if it's just a coincidence, but it has happened more than once now where Bigham sees a relatively big drop of level when he has to perform at noon and later in the evening. Yesterday he dropped 4:02:775, which is a ridiculous time in itself, but more so in early February. In the evening session he was more than 3 seconds slower. He was slower at every split too, so I don't know if it was a matter of blowing up in the final laps. The same thing happened in Roubaix last year, when he posted 4:04 in the qualifiers and then proceeded to get pummelled by Ivo Oliveira in the evening session for the medals.