General News Thread

[Cookster15]

This has shades of the 1995 World's in Colombia - Climbers have two consecutive editions of the World's that suit their characteristics.

Maybe I am missing something but how was 2023 Glasgow a climbers’ course ? It was won by MVDP. On a genuine climbers course he would be dropped?

 

[Squire]

Maybe I am missing something but how was 2023 Glasgow a climbers’ course ? It was won by MVDP. On a genuine climbers course he would be dropped?

I think you're missing that Rwanda is in 2025, and that 2024 is Zürich, also a climbers' course. Or at least a Liège-like one.

 

[KZD]

This has shades of the 1995 World's in Colombia - Climbers have two consecutive editions of the World's that suit their characteristics.

I think it might even be four editions in a row for climbers with Montreal 2026 and Haute-Savoie 2027 coming next.

Should be great news for Pogačar though someone like Van Aert still has a chance in some of these courses.

 

[Red Rick]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1739705346812211711

View: https://twitter.com/LasterketaBurua/status/1739705346812211711/photo/1


Mother of God...this looks incredibly hard. Mount Kigali is the highest point at 1.772m.

That's just a rumor right? I can't find it anywhere.

The Mount Kigali lap being the final one is a massive shame, the difference between a good-but-not-great WC and a WC for the ages.

Maybe I'm getting soft but I would love this a lot. Probably actually prefer it this way around it's a real climbers route for once and otherwise I would think it heavily leans into the usual suspects again, though either way is probably Pogacar #1 favorite by a mile

 

[gavia88]

what will be the order? first 11 times the short circuit and than 2 times the longer one?

 

[Leadbelly]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1728087630351388708

View: https://twitter.com/tour_du_Rwanda/status/1728087630351388708


More places for local national selections this upcoming year, but hopefully we'll still see some exotic CTs (JCL?) included in the final four picks.

The route has also been revealed including a TTT on stage 1.

....... and the four final selections are Bingoal, DSM devo and two local teams (May Stars and Java-Inovotec).

https://twitter.com/x/status/1741039925401653708

View: https://twitter.com/tour_du_Rwanda/status/1741039925401653708

 

[YavorD]

what will be the order? first 11 times the short circuit and than 2 times the longer one?

4 times short , 1 long, 7 times shorts and one long from what I saw.

 

[Sciatic]

4 times short , 1 long, 7 times shorts and one long from what I saw.

Hope the lead moto drivers have that clear in their heads!

 

[Rob5091]

While we non-Parisians look forward to the Olympics, the locals are not amused -
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67564177

Macron talks up the Olympics as Parisians are not so glad (apart from those making a some extra bucks)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/l...-celebrations-around-the-world-as-2024-begins

President Emmanuel Macron vowed this evening that 2024 will be the year of French pride and hope, marked by the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games and Paralympics, and the re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral after the devastating 2019 fire.

“Only once in a century does one host Olympic and Paralympic Games, only once in a millennium does one rebuild a cathedral,” Reuters reports Macron said. “2024, a year of determination, choices, recovery, pride. In fact, a year of hope.”

 

[search]

Giacomo Nizzolo has fracured his leg and will miss the first couple of months of the season

Nizzolo to undergo recovery period following leg fracture - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team

Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team announces the signing of David de la Cruz. The experienced 34-year-old Spanish cyclists will reinforce the team from 2024.

www.q36-5procycling.com

 

[Miss Violet Smith]

In Very Important News: according to rumour, the phone booth on Il Poggio has been removed.

Hopefully just for renovations.

 

[Sciatic]

Giacomo Nizzolo has fracured his leg and will miss the first couple of months of the season

Nizzolo to undergo recovery period following leg fracture - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team

Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team announces the signing of David de la Cruz. The experienced 34-year-old Spanish cyclists will reinforce the team from 2024.

www.q36-5procycling.com

What a bummer for him—always feel bad when riders get knocked out of commission before they even start their seasons,

 

[Pantani_lives]

That final lap in Kigali sounds like a combination of the Aspin and the Kwaremont. Ideal for Pogacar, but Van Aert can handle it too. Also Evenepoel, Pidcock and Madouas. I'm already looking forward to it.

 

[memyselfandI]

LR has made very nice calendar for this season:

2024 Men's Pro Cycling Calendar - Lanterne Rouge

The 2024 cycling calendar will be influenced by the Olympic Games, which will delay some races and lead to a high concentration of competitions in the last months of the year. In this article, we will analyse the main changes in the men's cycling calendar, as well as the new races and others...

lanternerouge.com

 

[Tim Cahill]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1747658081863885267

As the thread was closed.

A measure of vindication for the 'sitting this one out' camp.

 

[Sciatic]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1747658081863885267

As the thread was closed.

A measure of vindication for the 'sitting this one out' camp.

Thanks for posting that. Must have been a heart-rending funeral service.

 

[awavey]

Kind of the bad news id been expecting for a while, Womens Tour & former Tour of Britain organiser Sweetspot appoints liquidators.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/...placing-future-of-more-british-races-in-doubt

 

[Wyndbrook]

Kind of the bad news id been expecting for a while, Womens Tour & former Tour of Britain organiser Sweetspot appoints liquidators.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/...placing-future-of-more-british-races-in-doubt

Let's hope BC manage to pull something out of the hat for next year for both races
Edit : this year!

 

[Netserk]

Flèche route announced, now 4 times over the Mur.

I take that boring circuit over Cherave any day. Time for a new record!

 

[Netserk]

The women will do it twice, and from this year the women will race after the men in both Flèche and Liège. The men will finish 16:15, the women 17:45.

 

[Netserk]

Liège with the same finale, not doing the full Redoute.

 

[Netserk]

The women have the same route since Bastogne as the men.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

The women have the same route since Bastogne as the men.

Lots of races are economical with the truth in the route description implicit in their names (primarily any that begin with Paris-), But the Women's race is surely just Bastogne-Liege.

 

[Ricco']

Zwift Academy finalists have been anounced and the audience is going crazy with Gaffuri on the comments.

I know that he is somehow connected to previous winner Il Bandito, can any of you here share some insight on Gaffuri's ability and outlook for the future?

 

[SafeBet]

Zwift Academy finalists have been anounced and the audience is going crazy with Gaffuri on the comments.

I know that he is somehow connected to previous winner Il Bandito, can any of you here share some insight on Gaffuri's ability and outlook for the future?

He was second in the Grimpeur EC last year behind Großschartner.
Not an explosive rider, good uphill, very similar power curve to Vergallito according to what they often say in their podcast.
Limited experience in a peloton (only a few u23 races) and with a reputation of crashing a lot since he was a late starter.

Hard to say whether it's enough to win the Academy (training partners winning it back to back would pretty cool) and even harder to predict if he can be successful among the pros. But it's a nice story and these guys are trying to change the traditional Italian approach to cycling, which has proven outdated lately.
I've made a couple of posts about him in 2023, you should be able to find them easily with the search function.