General News Thread

[Nirvana]

Re: Re:

I know but I like the balance they have found in this decade, or since Scarponi's first win.

Yes, it's more balanced but now it's one of the many climbers friendly one week races.
With the lack of stage races that suits classics riders i hope for a return of the routes seen until 2008.

Essentially the 2016 T-A?

Similar but the traditional route didn't have the TTT and the ITT was longer and usually on a hilly percours, the final day in San Benedetto was a sprint, the final test for Sanremo.

 

[Nirvana]

Re: Re:

I know but I like the balance they have found in this decade, or since Scarponi's first win.

Yes, it's more balanced but now it's one of the many climbers friendly one week races.
With the lack of stage races that suits classics riders i hope for a return of the routes seen until 2008.

Essentially the 2016 T-A?

It's odd to say until 2008 because in 2007 there was a route with a mountain finish, much like 2016.

Until 2006 is when it was very different, those are the routes I'm sure Nirvana means

I remember was cancelled due to bad weather the finish to Monti della Laga.

 

[Netserk]

I liked the Sasso Tetto stages very much. They offered the climbers a chance without necessarily deciding the overall.

 

[Nirvana]

For 2017 i think they'll have serious promblems for the route, the area between Umbria, Marche and Lazio where they usually put a couple of stages it's devastated. They can't use Terminillo, they can't go to Castelraimondo, Ussita, Cittareale that used in recent years.
Probably the best option is a couple of stages in Tuscany, one near the coast of Lazio to go south and then use Abruzzo.

Last sunday there were collapses also in the area of the Giro team trial.

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

I know but I like the balance they have found in this decade, or since Scarponi's first win.

Yes, it's more balanced but now it's one of the many climbers friendly one week races.
With the lack of stage races that suits classics riders i hope for a return of the routes seen until 2008.

I disagree, because it's not like classics riders don't have many chances of winning in general. Besides, Eneco and TDU are both classics rider courses, as well as Poland at times. I think that the race, in order to be exciting, should have a longer ITT, and plenty of hard hilly stages (actual medium mountain stages that are open to everyone, like the 2013 stage to Porto Sant'Elpidio) and stages with Sasso Tetto, or even Passo Lanciano. Ease up (a lot) on the finish that they had in 2014 and you have a stage that could be won by GVA or even Sagan or Contador and Nibali.

The area around Fermo should be fine too, as in fairly unaffected by earthquakes.

 

[staubsauger]

Paris-Nice has become even more friendly to classics riders than when Boogerd & Rebellin used to win it though. We just saw a classics contender winning it last year, while with Gallopin & Westra two classics riders were at least in strong contention to do so.

So I'm kinda fine with T-A getting a bit more challenging route that makes it a delicious early Giro appetizer! That said it still got his own importance just like P-N uses to. It's an important race to win for the big riders. Just like Basque Country as well. Dauphine? Not so much (Although Froome disagrees on this one). Suisse? Totally lost his own importance compared to back in the 90s. But that's another story.

 

[Nirvana]

I know but I like the balance they have found in this decade, or since Scarponi's first win.

Yes, it's more balanced but now it's one of the many climbers friendly one week races.
With the lack of stage races that suits classics riders i hope for a return of the routes seen until 2008.

I disagree, because it's not like classics riders don't have many chances of winning in general. Besides, Eneco and TDU are both classics rider courses, as well as Poland at times. I think that the race, in order to be exciting, should have a longer ITT, and plenty of hard hilly stages (actual medium mountain stages that are open to everyone, like the 2013 stage to Porto Sant'Elpidio) and stages with Sasso Tetto, or even Passo Lanciano. Ease up (a lot) on the finish that they had in 2014 and you have a stage that could be won by GVA or even Sagan or Contador and Nibali.

The area around Fermo should be fine too, as in fairly unaffected by earthquakes.

Stages like the Porto Sant'Elpidio one could favor a battle with either classics riders and climbers but medium mountain stages with a climb like Passo Lanciano are not open to everyone, Sagan for example lost 3'46'' in 2013 stage five and the battle for the win in the final ramp to Chieti was between a group of almost all climbers, and in 2013 and 2014 they had also the MTF the day before the medium mountain stage.

The longer ITT was took out after with the change in the route to favour climbers, the last one (30 km long) was in 2009.

 

[Nirvana]

Re:

Paris-Nice has become even more friendly to classics riders than when Boogerd & Rebellin used to win it though. We just saw a classics contender winning it last year, while with Gallopin & Westra two classics riders were at least in strong contention to do so.

So I'm kinda fine with T-A getting a bit more challenging route that makes it a delicious early Giro appetizer! That said it still got his own importance just like P-N uses to. It's an important race to win for the big riders. Just like Basque Country as well. Dauphine? Not so much (Although Froome disagrees on this one). Suisse? Totally lost his own importance compared to back in the 90s. But that's another story.

In the last two years was pretty hard also Paris-Nice, expecially in 2015 with the MTF at stage 4 another medium mountain at stage 6 and the MTT in the final day.

Anyway the hardest Paris-Nice i can remember was the one won by Rebellin, only the first stage was flat, stage 3 was already a medium mountain stage, MTF at stage 4 then three hilly stages, a very easy edition was the 2004 one, after the prologue there were four flat stages (one was cancelled due to bad weather) and then only three hilly stages.

 

[ciranda]

Pais Vasco and Tirreno are the two hardest one week races to win and should be most prestigious in my opinion.

I think Tirreno-Adriatico has always had occasional years with stages with real mountains. There was one mythical stage with snow around 1997 with finish in altitude won by famous climber Fabiano Fontanelli.

 

[staubsauger]

Do I rightfully assume that the 1994 T-A Giorgio Furlan won if front of his teammate Evgeni Berzin was kinda hilly as well!?

 

[roundabout]

Re:

Paris-Nice has become even more friendly to classics riders than when Boogerd & Rebellin used to win it though. We just saw a classics contender winning it last year, while with Gallopin & Westra two classics riders were at least in strong contention to do so.

So I'm kinda fine with T-A getting a bit more challenging route that makes it a delicious early Giro appetizer! That said it still got his own importance just like P-N uses to. It's an important race to win for the big riders. Just like Basque Country as well. Dauphine? Not so much (Although Froome disagrees on this one). Suisse? Totally lost his own importance compared to back in the 90s. But that's another story.

When Boogerd won, there was a finish in here

http://cyclingcols.com/profiles/ValbergE.gif

 

[Brullnux]

Re:

I know but I like the balance they have found in this decade, or since Scarponi's first win.

Yes, it's more balanced but now it's one of the many climbers friendly one week races.
With the lack of stage races that suits classics riders i hope for a return of the routes seen until 2008.

I disagree, because it's not like classics riders don't have many chances of winning in general. Besides, Eneco and TDU are both classics rider courses, as well as Poland at times. I think that the race, in order to be exciting, should have a longer ITT, and plenty of hard hilly stages (actual medium mountain stages that are open to everyone, like the 2013 stage to Porto Sant'Elpidio) and stages with Sasso Tetto, or even Passo Lanciano. Ease up (a lot) on the finish that they had in 2014 and you have a stage that could be won by GVA or even Sagan or Contador and Nibali.

The area around Fermo should be fine too, as in fairly unaffected by earthquakes.

Stages like the Porto Sant'Elpidio one could favor a battle with either classics riders and climbers but medium mountain stages with a climb like Passo Lanciano are not open to everyone, Sagan for example lost 3'46'' in 2013 stage five and the battle for the win in the final ramp to Chieti was between a group of almost all climbers, and in 2013 and 2014 they had also the MTF the day before the medium mountain stage.

The longer ITT was took out after with the change in the route to favour climbers, the last one (30 km long) was in 2009.

A stage with Passo Lanciano, if used in a similar way to Sassotetto used to be, could still be open to classics riders. After all, GVA won in Rio and PN had a stage with Mont Ventoux contested but sprinters.

 

[Nirvana]

Re: Re:

I know but I like the balance they have found in this decade, or since Scarponi's first win.

Yes, it's more balanced but now it's one of the many climbers friendly one week races.
With the lack of stage races that suits classics riders i hope for a return of the routes seen until 2008.

I disagree, because it's not like classics riders don't have many chances of winning in general. Besides, Eneco and TDU are both classics rider courses, as well as Poland at times. I think that the race, in order to be exciting, should have a longer ITT, and plenty of hard hilly stages (actual medium mountain stages that are open to everyone, like the 2013 stage to Porto Sant'Elpidio) and stages with Sasso Tetto, or even Passo Lanciano. Ease up (a lot) on the finish that they had in 2014 and you have a stage that could be won by GVA or even Sagan or Contador and Nibali.

The area around Fermo should be fine too, as in fairly unaffected by earthquakes.

Stages like the Porto Sant'Elpidio one could favor a battle with either classics riders and climbers but medium mountain stages with a climb like Passo Lanciano are not open to everyone, Sagan for example lost 3'46'' in 2013 stage five and the battle for the win in the final ramp to Chieti was between a group of almost all climbers, and in 2013 and 2014 they had also the MTF the day before the medium mountain stage.

The longer ITT was took out after with the change in the route to favour climbers, the last one (30 km long) was in 2009.

A stage with Passo Lanciano, if used in a similar way to Sassotetto used to be, could still be open to classics riders. After all, GVA won in Rio and PN had a stage with Mont Ventoux contested but sprinters.

I don't think RCS will ever put a proper climb at more than 100 kms to go with the rest almost flat with only some hills (where only Kittel lost the wheels) like ASO did in the Paris-Nice this year.

Van Avermaet i think if he wants he could win also an harder version of Tirreno-Adriatico like 2013/2014, in his Rio version (but also the one we have seen at the Tour winning a medium mountain stage) it's a very good climber compared with classics specialists average, probably also better than 2015 California like Sagan.

 

[Wallenquist]

Tour de Pologne 2017 will start in Kraków and finish in Bukowina Tatrzańska. Katowice, Rzeszów, Zakopane are certain for stage finishes, stage in Gliwice is also possible. Loop around Bukowina will be changed a little. And there will be no TT. Czesław Lang, race director, announced that they will try to design a harder race.

 

[mikii4567]

Re:

Tour de Pologne 2017 will start in Kraków and finish in Bukowina Tatrzańska. Katowice, Rzeszów, Zakopane are certain for stage finishes, stage in Gliwice is also possible. Loop around Bukowina will be changed a little. And there will be no TT. Czesław Lang, race director, announced that they will try to design a harder race.

Won't be hard to do that .
Also, Nowy Sącz will host a stage finish (and presumably a start)

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

I think a lot of riders will agree with me and say that this years edition was pretty hard aswell.

 

[mikii4567]

Re:

I think a lot of riders will agree with me and say that this years edition was pretty hard aswell.

Agreed, but there is much more potential in the country, and especially in the areas they visit.

 

[RedheadDane]

On the definitely less hard scale of things the Tour of Denmark will be run backwards next year.
As in, they start on Frederiksberg and finish in Århus - probably something to do with the European Capital of Culture thing - I don't think they're actually going to ride backwards.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Re:

On the definitely less hard scale of things the Tour of Denmark will be run backwards next year.
As in, they start on Frederiksberg and finish in Århus - probably something to do with the European Capital of Culture thing - I don't think they're actually going to ride backwards.

Of course not. The Tour of Denmark would never risk doing anything interesting.

 

[coimbrawu]

There will be a new WT race in China next year: Tour of Guangxi (6 stages). The first rumor was from some local media in June. Then Wanda confirmed in a webinar last week. There will be also a women race (one day race) in Guangxi too. And also cycling gala.

The race was supposed to be held next Feb. But now with cycling gala together, it should be held in October.

My wife is from Guangxi and it's a beautiful place with fabulous landscape (and it's diff from Tour of Beijing, there are diff landscape you can choose in Guangxi with flat stage, puncheur stage or even MTF). But I'm not sure if the parcour will go to those places, because Wanda will hold the race and there are some Wanda's big estate project in Guangxi. I doubt they race will go through or end in those Wanda's places.

 

[StryderHells]

They really should run a new race for a couple of seasons before they make it WT, give it some history and prestige before promoting it.

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

They really should run a new race for a couple of seasons before they make it WT, give it some history and prestige before promoting it.

This, just creating new WT races with no previous history out of the blue is just bs.

 

[TMP402]

Not road news, but I'd say it concerns road cyclists who happen to be riding on the track more than it concerns track cyclists: the Revolution Series in Manchester later this month will feature WT teams. The teams are:

Orica-BikeExchange: Christian Meier & Sam Bewley
Cannondale-Drapac: Patrick Bevin & Ryan Mullen
Team Sky: Elia Viviani & Peter Kennaugh
Lampre-Merida: Roberto Ferrari & Davide Cimolai
LottoNL-Jumbo: Dylan Groenewegen & Dennis van Winden
Giant-Alpecin: Ramon Sinkeldam & Zico Waeytens
Trek-Segafredo: Eugenio Alafaci & Edward Theuns
JLT-Condor: Ed Clancy & Jon Mould
Maloja Pushbikers: Marcel Kalz & Christian Grasmann
Team PedalSure: Andy Tennant & Iljo Keisse
WIGGINS: Jon Dibben & Sam Harrison
France-Alé: TBC & TBC

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

They really should run a new race for a couple of seasons before they make it WT, give it some history and prestige before promoting it.

Tour of Beijing didn't happen. Nope.

 

[PeterB]

Quick-Step team owner Bakala is sued for quite a lot of money ($1,000,000,000) http://www.reuters.com/article/okd-nwr-idUSL8N1DB868. Apparently the company he used to own went bankrupt due to excessive dividends he withdrew from it. Does anybody know whether Quick-Step team can earn enough sponsorship money for its operation, or does it need his funding?