Hot racing coming up in Australia

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

People critizising Gerrans do realise that he attacked with 7 km to go?

Many people just don't like Gerrans, for good reasons I must add. Defensive and a questionable personality. Same with Evans.

I guess you could say the same about many riders.

 

[movingtarget]

Scotson has duly impressed his new employers!! Effectively two in a row given that he won the U23 race (and the ITT) last year.

Really well taken win but he has to be careful with sitting up a long way from the line. That's something I don't like to see. Seen too many races lost like that and Gerrans was hitting the line very hard. A very good edition of the Australian Championships, one of the best.

 

[stefank]

Scotson has duly impressed his new employers!! Effectively two in a row given that he won the U23 race (and the ITT) last year.

Really well taken win but he has to be careful with sitting up a long way from the line. That's something I don't like to see. Seen too many races lost like that and Gerrans was hitting the line very hard. A very good edition of the Australian Championships, one of the best.

That worried me as well. He was safe, but not by much, and probably not as much as he thought he was.

 

[Jancouver]

Great attack by the young man. Wheelsucker lost = everybody happy. I don't think I have every disliked any rider more than Gerrans. The day he will retire, will be a great day for cycling. I cant wait.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

I had a great week in Ballarat/Bunninyong - this year I was driving Commissaire 2 and so sat right behind the breaks in all races. A great place to watch the bike race from The Cadel races and Sun Tour are next for me.

 

[42x16ss]

Nice! Very jealous. It would have been interesting watching the dynamics of the main break up close in the men's race.

 

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

People critizising Gerrans do realise that he attacked with 7 km to go?

Many people just don't like Gerrans, for good reasons I must add. Defensive and a questionable personality. Same with Evans.

I guess you could say the same about many riders.

Once upon a time Gerrans was pretty cool (eg: his 2008 TDF and 09 Giro stages were good wins), but then he started believing his own hype and began riding very negatively. He seems to get a bit worse each year.

 

[Karaev1]

Gerrans is one of my favorites riders... Guess I'm really strange!

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Re:

Nice! Very jealous. It would have been interesting watching the dynamics of the main break up close in the men's race.

It was quite tactical at times and lots of chats with team cars going on. Had to feel for Durbo, he was completely caked in salt. 3 times asked to have a chat only for the O-S car to be back with the chasing group at the time. They were the only ones regularly going back and forward between the two groups. All of them rode really well and seeing no squad dominate made for an entertaining race, it was a hard day out - they were all cooked. The opening hour the race went ballistic with some of the fastest laps I've ever seen recorded on that course and it took quite a long time for the main break to finally form. I think a lot of them had last year's race in mind as they really did not want a break to be given much rope.

Sunday is a long day behind the wheel with nearly 300km of racing to manage. Requires a fair bit of concentration as safety is paramount and there's a lot going on both inside and outside of the car.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Big ride from Ben Dyball to finish that close in the TT, could be a good outside chance in the road race

Apparently he had to avoid the Squillari incident too

dnf 116 Nicholas SQUILLARI

Decisions of the commissaires panel
Car 116 driver Rhys GILLETT fined $200 for passenger leaning out of vehicle (Regulation 3.41.09 [6])
Car 116 passenger Mark FERGUSON fined $200 for leaning out of vehicle (Regulation 3.41.09 [6])
Car 116 driver Rhys GILLETT fined $200 for disrespect toward officials regarding safe driving (Annexure 9, item 29)
Car 116 driver Rhys GILLETT fined $200 for disrespect toward officials regarding validity of license (Annexure 9, item 29)
Car 116 passenger Mark FERGUSON fined $200 for disrespect toward officials regarding validity of license (Annexure 9, item 29)

I won't comment on that specific case (it would not be appropriate) but will say that occasionally there are people who threaten the sport's future with their vehicle behaviour. It risks lives and Police here will shut a race down.

 

[42x16ss]

Re: Re:

Nice! Very jealous. It would have been interesting watching the dynamics of the main break up close in the men's race.

It was quite tactical at times and lots of chats with team cars going on. Had to feel for Durbo, he was completely caked in salt. 3 times asked to have a chat only for the O-S car to be back with the chasing group at the time. They were the only ones regularly going back and forward between the two groups. All of them rode really well and seeing no squad dominate made for an entertaining race, it was a hard day out - they were all cooked. The opening hour the race went ballistic with some of the fastest laps I've ever seen recorded on that course and it took quite a long time for the main break to finally form. I think a lot of them had last year's race in mind as they really did not want a break to be given much rope.

Sunday is a long day behind the wheel with nearly 300km of racing to manage. Requires a fair bit of concentration as safety is paramount and there's a lot going on both inside and outside of the car.

I heard that the laps got very fast in the first hour, down below 14:30 at one stage

Durbridge was a little hard done by, he was easily strongest in that break. Morton will be disappointed as well but
Haas did almost come through. McCarthy really impressed me with his ride, he's had a strong pre season.

Was the break deliberately blocking Morton on the early part of the climb on the last few laps?

 

[Nicosix]

Does anybody know why Robert Power didn't race yesterday?
He was on the startlist

 

[yaco]

Re:

Does anybody know why Robert Power didn't race yesterday?
He was on the startlist

Trying to find out the reason why Power missed - Matt White did mention riders because of injury, family reasons and training camps - My guess is Power fits into the injured category.

It's interesting to read posts from people who were intimately involved in the Australian RR - Watching BP also gave an insight into the tactics on the day.

 

[yaco]

Orica Scott team for the TDU

- Chavez
- Ewan
- Gerrans
- Durbridge
- Howson
- Impey
- Kluge

Unsure Gerrans is going well enough to win the GC and have no idea of Chaves condition - Can say that Impey climbed better than Gerrans in 2016 - Ewan is being given every chance to develop with Kluge added to his lead out train.

 

[42x16ss]

Re:

Orica Scott team for the TDU

- Chavez
- Ewan
- Gerrans
- Durbridge
- Howson
- Impey
- Kluge

Unsure Gerrans is going well enough to win the GC and have no idea of Chaves condition - Can say that Impey climbed better than Gerrans in 2016 - Ewan is being given every chance to develop with Kluge added to his lead out train.

If nationals are anything to go by, it looks like Durbridge and Ewan are both going better than Gerrans. If Chaves is only here for training and sponsors commitments they should be given leadership.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Re: Re:

Was the break deliberately blocking Morton on the early part of the climb on the last few laps?

There was nothing particularly unusual that I could see, and nothing that raised the eyebrow of a commissaire. No one appeared to be blocked or was blocking, there was always plenty of room to ride around - up the climb the break was either single file (or close enough) or there would be the occasional attack but mostly it was just a hard tempo.

In the U23 race, the winning move came from an attack by Sam Jenner on the descent of Fisken Rd. Some hesitation from the group saw a gap created and it just grew from there. A bold move from quite some way out. I can't recall now how many laps out it was, just too focused on doing my job to recall all such details.

 

[42x16ss]

Ok, I was wondering because at the start of the 16th(?) lap, the rest of the break were fanned out across the road with Morton stuck at the back. Since he'd been attacking the lap before I thought that they might have been worried about covering him.

 

[dirkprovin]

Re: Re:

Orica Scott team for the TDU

- Chavez
- Ewan
- Gerrans
- Durbridge
- Howson
- Impey
- Kluge

Unsure Gerrans is going well enough to win the GC and have no idea of Chaves condition - Can say that Impey climbed better than Gerrans in 2016 - Ewan is being given every chance to develop with Kluge added to his lead out train.

If nationals are anything to go by, it looks like Durbridge and Ewan are both going better than Gerrans. If Chaves is only here for training and sponsors commitments they should be given leadership.

Neither of them can win the race. I DO agree that it may be the case that ORS is playing more for stage wins than the podium. Ewan will be "the man" for the first and last stage but will require a search party to locate on all the others (would not surprise if wind plays a factor in the Victor Hbr stage). Durbo will, most likely, be given license to get in the break on at least one stage.

With Chaves, I tend to think there is a major PR component to his appearance along with getting some race miles into his legs. IF he feels he's 'up for it' with certain hills then he will, of course, be green lighted but it may be Cuddles Race or HST where we may see him figure. Gerrans .....who knows; it wouldn't surprise to see him pick up a stage at some point even if GC is out of play.

 

[dacooley]

looks like chavito is going to work as a helper for a little while in the TDU.

 

[antlowes]

Anyone know when UniSA will announce the rest of their team? Dyball a chance?

 

[swuzzlebubble]

Re:

Anyone know when UniSA will announce the rest of their team? Dyball a chance?

Dyball a good chance along with Bayly and Earle

 

[Jakob747]

Re:

Anyone know when UniSA will announce the rest of their team? Dyball a chance?

No Dyball. --- Cameron Meyer, Callum Scotson, Lucas Hamilton, Michael Storer, Jai Hindley, Nathan Earle and Samuel Jenner.

 

[antlowes]

Shame. Hope he gets a nice ride somewhere this season and shows his best. Assume it will be Möbius again if no pro offers.

 

[greenedge]

Dyball rode well at Nationals, but I feel for Bayly a bit more, he seems to be riding very well over the last few months and i hope he can continue to go well at the Sun-Herald Tour. Jenner's ride merits him a place though Alex Porter must feel disappointed. With Earle and Meyer they seem like smart picks and good mentors for the younger riders.

 

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Re: Re:

Anyone know when UniSA will announce the rest of their team? Dyball a chance?

No Dyball. --- Cameron Meyer, Callum Scotson, Lucas Hamilton, Michael Storer, Jai Hindley, Nathan Earle and Samuel Jenner.

So riding in BMC kit at Nationals TT didn't end up preventing Scotson's selection for another team in a race that BMC is also racing.