General News Thread

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

Another case of bike theft.
Seriously, is there some kind of Bike Thieves Gang operating in the Limburg region?

The rest of the netherlands is very flat, the police can see you running away for miles and miles, so dutch thieves congregate in the only hilly part of the country, Limburg.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

Another case of bike theft.
Seriously, is there some kind of Bike Thieves Gang operating in the Limburg region?

The rest of the netherlands is very flat, the police can see you running away for miles and miles, so dutch thieves congregate in the only hilly part of the country, Limburg.

Damn you! Now I've got this mental image of a bunch of shady guys on - stolen - bikes trying to make it away over a wide-open landscape, with nothing but tulip fields as far as the eye can see.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Another case of bike theft.
Seriously, is there some kind of Bike Thieves Gang operating in the Limburg region?

The rest of the netherlands is very flat, the police can see you running away for miles and miles, so dutch thieves congregate in the only hilly part of the country, Limburg.

Damn you! Now I've got this mental image of a bunch of shady guys on - stolen - bikes trying to make it away over a wide-open landscape, with nothing but tulip fields as far as the eye can see.

Or suspicious looking unlit barges floating down canals in the moonlight with the light sometimes reflecting off revolving wheels on the deck. Obviously a bicycle tour in progress...........

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

Another case of bike theft.
Seriously, is there some kind of Bike Thieves Gang operating in the Limburg region?

The rest of the netherlands is very flat, the police can see you running away for miles and miles, so dutch thieves congregate in the only hilly part of the country, Limburg.

Damn you! Now I've got this mental image of a bunch of shady guys on - stolen - bikes trying to make it away over a wide-open landscape, with nothing but tulip fields as far as the eye can see.

Or suspicious looking unlit barges floating down canals in the moonlight with the light sometimes reflecting off revolving wheels on the deck. Obviously a bicycle tour in progress...........

Yeah, that's good too!

 

[Gigs_98]

The route of the Österreich Rundfahrt 2017 got announced a few days ago
http://www.oesterreich-rundfahrt.at/index.php/strecke

I'm more or less satisfied with the route. Unfortunately there are no TT's only another uphill prologue, and the mountain stages are basically what we've always had for the last decade (one stage finishing on the Kitzbüheler Horn, and a Mountain stage with the Großglockner finishing in St. Johann Alpendorf) but after way too hard routes in the last few years which meant that less and less big teams wanted to ride the race I think this is actually something good. Moreover there is anther interesting hilly stage, so the route definitely could have been worse.

The problem of the Österreich Rundfahrt is simply that the Kitzbüheler Horn and the Großglockner always have to be included, probably because the locals there are the only ones willing to organize the race. The race organizers tried to vary the route a bit by using climbs like the Kühtai, the Dobratsch or the Hahntennjoch, but unfortunately these stages were additional to the Kitzbüheler Horn and the Großglockner stage and not instead, so the race became too hard for such a small stage race. I really wish cycling gets a bigger sport in Austria again, so the Österreich Rundfahrt becomes a bigger race as well and there can finally be an appropriate route.

 

[May0maniac]

The route of the Österreich Rundfahrt 2017 got announced a few days ago
http://www.oesterreich-rundfahrt.at/index.php/strecke

I'm more or less satisfied with the route. Unfortunately there are no TT's only another uphill prologue, and the mountain stages are basically what we've always had for the last decade (one stage finishing on the Kitzbüheler Horn, and a Mountain stage with the Großglockner finishing in St. Johann Alpendorf) but after way too hard routes in the last few years which meant that less and less big teams wanted to ride the race I think this is actually something good. Moreover there is anther interesting hilly stage, so the route definitely could have been worse.

The problem of the Österreich Rundfahrt is simply that the Kitzbüheler Horn and the Großglockner always have to be included, probably because the locals there are the only ones willing to organize the race. The race organizers tried to vary the route a bit by using climbs like the Kühtai, the Dobratsch or the Hahntennjoch, but unfortunately these stages were additional to the Kitzbüheler Horn and the Großglockner stage and not instead, so the race became too hard for such a small stage race. I really wish cycling gets a bigger sport in Austria again, so the Österreich Rundfahrt becomes a bigger race as well and there can finally be an appropriate route.

Yes, I could do without the uphill prologue and I'd like to see an ITT, even just a flat opening ITT like the one that the TdF features, but other than that it's not a bad route.
he Glockner stage right after the hard MTF should make for a great stage and we actually have an interesting hilly stage, that's good. Of course it could be better, but it's a sstep in the right direction.

 

[Forever The Best]

Picon Blanco will be used in Vuelta a Burgos this year. A brutal climb , and can be preceded by the other climbs in that area (Lunada, Alisas etc.) (It would be awesome if the other side (the 5 kms of dirt road to La Sia) gets asphalted, because then you can do a Picon Blanco-Lunada combo or going all the way up to Picon del Fraile.

https://www.google.com.tr/amp/www.zikloland.com/picon-blanco-gran-puerto-la-vuelta-burgos/amp/

 

[Kokoso]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/damiano-caruso-hopes-tour-de-suisse-display-is-a-turning-point/

Interesting. Looks like Damiano Caruso caught second breath being 30 years old more or less in time coincidence with Porte being present at BMC. Now he thinks he's on par with best. And - importantly - discovered calming effect of music before time trial. Earlier he had no clue about that? Or just before sprint stages? Ok ok. Just before mountain stages that was
I wonder whether that hes to do with Porte or not.

 

[Valv.Piti]

http://www.zikloland.com/vuelta-burgos-2017-recorrido-perfiles/

Easier stage to Lagunas, but Picón Blanco added, so two very difficult uphill finishes in Burgos.

 

[Alexandre B.]

They will help Romain Bardet in July:

Axel Domont
Mathias Frank
Pierre Latour
Oliver Naesen
Alexis Vuillermoz
Three of Jan Bakelants, Samuel Dumoulin, Cyril Gautier and Ben Gastauer

 

[Frankschleck]

i don't know if this is the thread to write in, but can someone fill me in on what happened to theo bos? one of the fastest sprinter, but not very good at anything else, what a top speed tho

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

i don't know if this is the thread to write in, but can someone fill me in on what happened to theo bos? one of the fastest sprinter, but not very good at anything else, what a top speed tho

Outright speed and endurance are a tradeoff. To improve one you usually are giving up the other.
To make it to the end of a road race with the peloton he had to give up so much speed that he wasn't fast enough to compete with the top sprinters.

He's 33 and focusing on the track again now. Mostly keirin.

 

[Frankschleck]

Re: Re:

i don't know if this is the thread to write in, but can someone fill me in on what happened to theo bos? one of the fastest sprinter, but not very good at anything else, what a top speed tho

Outright speed and endurance are a tradeoff. To improve one you usually are giving up the other.
To make it to the end of a road race with the peloton he had to give up so much speed that he wasn't fast enough to compete with the top sprinters.

He's 33 and focusing on the track again now. Mostly keirin.

yeah okay
thanks for the update

 

[GuyIncognito]

In 2018 the Tour de France will start a week later

Does this mean a better field for the Tour de Suisse and national championships?

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

In 2018 the Tour de France will start a week later

Does this mean a better field for the Tour de Suisse and national championships?

Better Giro field, worse Vuelta field is more relevant.

WHen's the last time this happened?

 

[fmk_RoI]

Re: Re:

WHen's the last time this happened?

98, IIRC.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

WHen's the last time this happened?

98, IIRC.

20 years really?

Can't be changing timing of weeks, so I can't help but wonder the reason. World Cup?

TdF doesn't give a crap if Froome goes to Giro first.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re: Re:

WHen's the last time this happened?

98, IIRC.

Last Giro-Tour double

 

[fmk_RoI]

Re: Re:

Can't be changing timing of weeks, so I can't help but wonder the reason. World Cup?

Yes, World Cup. I thought that was clear. July 7 is usually as late as it goes before it skips back a week.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Re: Re:

WHen's the last time this happened?

98, IIRC.

Last Giro-Tour double

Yes, but only one of a multiplicity of factors that mattered there. Of the other 11 doubles a three week gap was nearer the norm.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re: Re:

WHen's the last time this happened?

98, IIRC.

Last Giro-Tour double

Yes, but only one of a multiplicity of factors that mattered there. Of the other 11 doubles a three week gap was nearer the norm.

Yes, I realize that.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Cyrille Guimard (70yo) will become France manager: https://www.lequipe.fr/Cyclisme-sur-route/Actualites/Jean-christophe-peraud-refuse-de-diriger-l-equipe-de-france-en-binome-avec-cyrille-guimard/812870

Originally, a duo consisting of le Druide and Jean-Christophe Péraud was planned to captain the national team, but Jicé refused. Interestingly, the article mentions that Guimard was the choice of Marc Madiot, president of the professional french league and manager of the FDJ team.

 

[DNP-Old]

Lefevere has found a sponsor for the next four years: http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/952/Wielrennen/article/detail/3193345/2017/06/27/Lefevere-flikt-het-zijn-team-blijft-ook-de-komende-vier-seizoenen-in-het-peloton.dhtml

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Good Lord, the Volta field will be extremely weak this year. 46 yr old Rebellin to challenge the 460 watt trains. It's ridiculous beyond imagination.

http://www.volta-portugal.pt/equipas.php

Don't think I can watch it this year.

 

[BigMac]

Good Lord, the Volta field will be extremely weak this year. 46 yr old Rebellin to challenge the 460 watt trains. It's ridiculous beyond imagination.

http://www.volta-portugal.pt/equipas.php

Don't think I can watch it this year.

C'mon, everybody loves some August cringe. :razz:

I'm sure the motorbikes won't disappoint.