General News Thread

[Unchained]

if the female peloton had their own races and their own organisers and without any crosssubsidy , they could have their races whenever and however they please

You know... somehow I don't think ASO would allow another organiser to have their own Paris-Roubaix, and the women - understandably - also want to be able to ride.
Besides, you'd think ASO would be proud of the fact that they're hosting two major races - and two youth category races - so why are they acting like they're only hosting one major race, while treating the women's race like it's secondary?
It's rather hard to feel sorry for them for the fact that there's an overlap - with all the organisational challenges that's gonna bring - when they brought that upon themselves.

They spent money for the branding rights and TV broadcast rights, if they were to allow another promoter to do women's events, it could work, but 99% likely not, there is so little left over that if ASO said we will go 50\50 on profit, standalone female race promoter wouldn't have much,
Government is a major issue with all these races, ambulance, police, road closures, traffic control ,extra security are hard resources to double, easier to just have slight crossover while everything is in place.
I find the idea of female events as stand alone races sounds great, but they don't make the money, don't have same sponsorship draw as men's events.. They are already battling for the same people to fund the races.

 

[Wyndbrook]

Could it be as simple as changing the running order.
This year it was juniors, u23's, senior men and then women. Drop one of the younger age groups, which are not televised, in between the men and women.
Generally in life if you take no for an answer there is a solution.

 

[search]

Could it be as simple as changing the running order.
This year it was juniors, u23's, senior men and then women. Drop one of the younger age groups, which are not televised, in between the men and women.
Generally in life if you take no for an answer there is a solution.

I don't think there is much room for a later finish. The women's race was over around 6:30 or so, as far as I recall? And nor will they want the men's broadcast window to change significantly.

 

[RedheadDane]

Could it be as simple as changing the running order.
This year it was juniors, u23's, senior men and then women. Drop one of the younger age groups, which are not televised, in between the men and women.
Generally in life if you take no for an answer there is a solution.

Except, the younger age groups are televised - well, were; they aren't being televised now - on YouTube. First together, then just the U23 race.
How hard could it have been to use that same stream for the women's race?


(But hopefully next year they have realised what a big mistake this was.)

 

[YavorD]

As reported in Italian here https://cyclingpro.net/spaziociclis...iportato-davanti-andavamo-15-km-h-piu-veloce/

Naah, if they were going 15 kilometres faster, a gap of 1 minute would've been closed in how much? 4 kilometres?
It wasn't, so I don't buy this. Unless in reality the gap was 3 minutes.

Well, maybe they were totally sandbagging riding 35-ish before Pogacar joined?

 

[Netserk]

Naah, if they were going 15 kilometres faster, a gap of 1 minute would've been closed in how much? 4 kilometres?
It wasn't, so I don't buy this. Unless in reality the gap was 3 minutes.

Well, maybe they were totally sandbagging riding 35-ish before Pogacar joined?

the inside view from the peloton can be quite ignorant

most of the change in speed ( would be nice if he actually quoted the relevant parts of his data file instead of going off by his impression ) is obviously from greater power at the front of the group . and to help them get back to the peloton you have to account not just for the draft they get from motos but the difference in draft compared to what the front group gets

some things are just better seen from the sofa than on the bike

 

[pastronef]

Soudal will ride MERIDA bikes from 2027. Specialized's contract ends this year

 

[Wyndbrook]

Soudal will ride MERIDA bikes from 2027. Specialized's contract ends this year

Still keeping it in the family I guess, I believe Merida own 40%+ of Spec.
No Remco I guess.

 

[awavey]

More details of the TdFF route for next year en Angleterre published today.

First two stages as expected using lots of the climbs on day 2 from TdF 2014 route.

And day3 gets a team time trial, a first for TdFF, for London, im sure i chatted with someone about how that was a likely outcome since it ticks all the boxes of short compact easy route to close down for those pesky roads & motorists & they can do a tour around all the tourist sites and get all the photos they want to promote things.

More details over here...

London to make Tour de France avec Zwift history | TdF Grand Depart

www.letourgb.com

 

[Brullnux]

Stage 2 is top notch

 

[Netserk]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2046260629783159306

View: https://x.com/Tour_de_Hongrie/status/2046260629783159306

 

[Ilmaestro99]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2046260629783159306

View: https://x.com/Tour_de_Hongrie/status/2046260629783159306

Outcry from the hungarian public, now they will flock to the roadside to see their hero fausto masnada setting a hard pace in the flesh

 

[Ilmaestro99]

For those who don't follow the lesser known races thread

Colombian cyclist Cristian Camilo Muñoz, of Nu Colombia and formerly of UAE, has sady passed away after complications from a crash in the tour du jura last week.

Rest in peace Cristian

Nu Colombia, Cristian Muñoz morto dopo una violenta caduta al Tour du Jura

Tragedia in Francia: caduto sabato scorso durante il Tour du Jura, Cristian Muñoz è morto a seguito di un tremendo incidente in cui aveva sbattuto violentemente la testa

cyclingpro.net

 

[Rob5091]

The trials and tribultions of organizing the Tour of Romandie - (and this in, possibly, the richest country on the planet)
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...zer-laments-worldtour-teams-skipping-romandie

The race is dealing with financial difficulties, causing that the 2026 parcours have forcibly become rather minimalistic ... However the main blow had come from teams themselves. Out of 18 WorldTour teams, four have opted to use their right to skip one WorldTour race a season precisely for Tour de Romandie.

 

[pelotonIQ]

Which one of you made this song?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No0ozPrlQtg

 

[Rob5091]

Another young rider dies in a car accident - condolensces to family and friends
https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...m-as-cycling-rocked-by-second-death-in-a-week

[Milan]Bral, the nephew of former professional Sep Vanmarcke, had been out training when he was struck by a car at a junction near the Hotondberg climb, an area well known to riders in the region. He was transported to hospital in a critical condition and fought for his life for several hours before succumbing to his injuries at around 10:30pm. ... Bral was a third-year U23 rider with Dovy Keukens-FCC and had already secured several top ten results this season, underlining his steady progression within the Belgian ranks. He was also part of a deeply rooted cycling family, with his brother already a race winner this year and his father Dimitri a former competitive rider.

 

[Unchained]

Soudal will ride MERIDA bikes from 2027. Specialized's contract ends this year

Merida makes Specialized so they gain, lose little to nothing. All top pro bikes use similar a similar layup..Merida has been making Specialized for @25-30 years

 

[Danskebjerge]

In relation to Netcompany's new sponsorship they are talking about algorithms to find out exactly when and how to get riders into breakaways. Not exactly what is needed in cycling, if you ask me. There is a weapon against it though: Prohibit the use of team radios.

 

[Rob5091]

In relation to Netcompany's new sponsorship they are talking about algorithms to find out exactly when and how to get riders into breakaways. Not exactly what is needed in cycling, if you ask me. There is a weapon against it though: Prohibit the use of team radios.

Algorithims? I'm an idiot and even I can work out when it's worth going in the breakaway... Jeez!

 

[Danskebjerge]

Algorithims? I'm an idiot and even I can work out when it's worth going in the breakaway... Jeez!

My guess is that if we take morning breakaways, you could use various data to predict when the riders will have the best chance of getting away. Sometimes there are dozens of attacks that lead to nothing, and if your team can avoid spending too much energy on wasted attacks, there is a small advantage to gain there.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

The UCI has decided that, while having sterrato in the Giro, Tirreno or Tour of Denmark is fine, using the sectors from Dwars door het Hageland in the Belgium Tour for some reason is not because 'we don't want gravel in a stage race'. Baffling, awful decision, and also laughable that they overrule the organisers here but not the 517 times a year that a blatantly dangerous sprint finish is designed.

Wielerflits article (the original source is paywalled)

 

[Red Rick]

The UCI has decided that, while having sterrato in the Giro, Tirreno or Tour of Denmark is fine, using the sectors from Dwars door het Hageland in the Belgium Tour for some reason is not because 'we don't want gravel in a stage race'. Baffling, awful decision, and also laughable that they overrule the organisers here but not the 517 times a year that a blatantly dangerous sprint finish is designed.

Wielerflits article (the original source is paywalled)

Did teams complain?

 

[Wyndbrook]

Did teams complain?

The WF article makes no reference to any reasons.

 

[search]

There are no reasons given in the original article either.

UCI rules about this topic say:

The use of unpaved roads
If an organiser wishes to include unpaved roads in an event, the UCI must be informed at the time of registering the event on the calendar. Furthermore, the organiser shall make every effort to ensure the safety of the riders, spectators and race followers and that the event runs smoothly in sporting terms and with regards to the equitable treatment of participants. In particular, the organiser shall:

A. provide the teams with a detailed description of the relevant sections (length, type of surface, degree of difficulty of each section, road width, etc.), if necessary providing photos or videos;

B. ensure that the course can be traversed at all times (weather conditions, etc.) by a road bicycle as defined by Chapter III of Part I of the UCI Regulations;

C. ensure the safety of the course (maintenance, sweeping and stabilising the surface, protective measures, signage, etc.);

D. ensure that the following vehicles are suitable for the course and that the drivers have the necessary skills.

The UCI may refuse to register an event on the calendar and/or refuse the inclusion of an unpaved section.

As far as I can see, Dwars door het Hageland was only cancelled in March, so the gravel stretch probably not part of the Belgium Tour "at the time of registering the event on the calendar."