Itzulia Basque Country 2024, April 1-6

[QueenStagiaire]

Nice finish. Really close. Schachmann could be back for the classics.

Spoiler: Spoiler: Liège result

 

[AnotherArmChair]

I think I'd like Schachmann to win this race now ...he impressed today

Also very impressive is del Toro but he is not riding for himself

Guess Ayuso will win

 

[Squire]

I think I'd like Schachmann to win this race now ...he impressed today

Also very impressive is del Toro but he is not riding for himself

Guess Ayuso will win

Why is Skjelmose not an alternative? He looked the strongest today.

 

[Netserk]

Why is Skjelmose not an alternative? He looked the strongest today.

I expect him to be leaned on heavily after Krabelin tomorrow, and I doubt that he will handle it well. It's not like he can just mark Ayuso, then the other UAE riders will attack.

 

[KZD]

This has to be one of the worst editions of Itzulia since I watch the race.

Even if we try to put yesterday aside, we are having multiple crashes everyday and only two real GC stages, the first of which we didn't even got to watch, which is well below what would be expected from such race

At least good to see Grégoire stepping up today.

 

[Rackham]

I think I'd like Schachmann to win this race now ...he impressed today

Also very impressive is del Toro but he is not riding for himself

Guess Ayuso will win

Rog leading GC crashes twice & Schachmann wins... I feel I've seen this movie before.

But seriously, I also want Schachmann to win now. It would be great for the team (& for him).

 

[AnotherArmChair]

Why is Skjelmose not an alternative? He looked the strongest today.

I am not sure he can control the race tomorrow and UAE are too strong imo

 

[Mayomaniac]

I think Betancur had better results than Hayter. And a better excuse for sucking. The Empanadas in Colombia are a delight!!

I always heard rumours about the reason being a lot less funny and a serious thing.

 

[zlev11]

can't believe Ethan Hayter didn't win today and then I thought Manny Bookman won and it turned out to be some spanish rider or some *** (who cares what his name is, right?). but then he didnt win either? only one more day left of listening to the flawless and well balanced Carlton Kirby on the 1's and 2's and his boy BriSmithy to make sure we know all the British riders in the race.

 

[Stasat]

Hayter just seems terrified to be anywhere near other riders on the run in. All the physical attributes but lacks the mentality.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yes, given the rest of the route and what was possible.

It's almost like those of us who criticised the route could predict what would happen! I posted that we could expect to see 25 riders sprinting it out today before the race even began, using the results of the Klasika Primavera with the same finish from the days when it had a good field:

I never said anything about sprints. But I'd be surprised if there's anything particularly decisive before Leintz-Gaztaga, Lizarrusti won't be particularly decisive and certainly not with 20km left to go. With that and Kanpo you've got two stages that likely have no impact other than crashes, and you have them back to back. The Amorebieta stage is basically a couple of laps of the old Klasika Primavera circuit before, it had some pretty ropey fields in later years and hasn't restarted post-pandemic, but back in 2009-13 when it had some decent fields usually a group of 20-25 contested a sprint at the end.

It feels like it's designed to have a final day epic at the expense of any meaningful action in the rest of the race, so hopefully it at least delivers that epic. Major 2011 vibes, only at least this time the final stage everybody can wait for is the only proper decisive road stage, whereas back then the final stage was a TT longer than usual for the race.

Hey look, it's almost like the criticisms were well-founded.

Only it's even worse than I anticipated, because the big crash yesterday cost us the only even potentially decisive action between the prologue and the final stage.

 

[ice&fire]

You couldnt make it up ...his 2 obsessions in one
Plus does he know the Bora Kit one wonders ?

It's obvious he can't tell a Venezuelan flag from a German one

 

[Wvv]

Just read the reports to discover that Landa is the next big victim. Can it stop already?

 

[Netserk]

My picks for tomorrow are Buitrago, Hindley and Kruijswijk.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

My picks for tomorrow are Buitrago, Hindley and Kruijswijk.

To win or to crash out?

 

[Sciatic]

That they would all ride to the finish was already a means of "working through" the trauma. But why have the whole field neutralized and say to the break essentially, "you guys race for the win, but nobody will be timed"? Frankly, that's absurd. What's the point? Was anyone still interested in the "outcome" of the stage? With the three big GC guys out and a field neutralized? It makes no sense and seems like those running the show were keystone cops.

I have no doubt about your keystone cops speculation . And obviously I don’t know how they decided. I assumed that having the whole peloton continue to race would have more safety concerns (adequate # of ambulances) than the small group. but who knows.

 

[Salvarani]

Hayter just seems terrified to be anywhere near other riders on the run in. All the physical attributes but lacks the mentality.

It is probably a mental thing, but it also seems pretty clear he is all in for the Olympics.

He does not want to crash and risk injuring himself.

These races are just training and preparation for him.

 

[Netserk]

To win or to crash out?

Too few picks for the latter

 

[Sciatic]

A big, temporary bright orange sign with "dangerous curve " and/or "uneven surface" posted 200 meters ahead would be an improvement!

Over dozens of kilometers of descents, for a race probably just getting by financially—I don’t see how that works in real life? (It would excellent if it could be marked and protected, but I feel the same about sections of my work commute).

 

[Gigs_98]

Yes, given the rest of the route and what was possible.

I don't know. I think this was a really nice stage and I don't get how people feel vindicated in their criticism of the route because of today, just because the end result was a sprint and not a rider sneaking away to win it with 5km to go.

If you want to criticize the first two days, fair enough, I don't think anyone is really defending two sprint stages to start this race. It's just that a lot of people, me included, think people were overreacting because of one too many flat stages.

 

[tobydawq]

Can we complain about the route now, @tobydawq?

Sure but how likely do you think it is that yesterday's crash had an impact on yesterday's or today's stage?

 

[Netserk]

Likely, but today pretty much went as I expected before the race began. It was quite likely that we'd have 3 bunch sprints.

 

[Escarabajo]

I always heard rumours about the reason being a lot less funny and a serious thing.

Probably. But that is a problem that many cyclists have as well. Couldn't deal with it and look at what He is doing. Maybe he is happy doing what he is doing now.

 

[Tim Cahill]

If it's true Hayter is staying out of trouble because of the Olympics then what are they paying him for. Ganna not doing Roubaix because it's risky, Pidcock taking 3 weeks out of his tour prep last season to do MTB, Viviani being paid out the arse to peak for random track meets.

0 WT wins this season in April, 3rd biggest budget and the their best riders are a 12 year old, Narvaez who is out with a concussion and Egan Bernal on half a leg.

Radcliffe has nuked this team, fingers crossed he does the same with United, though it would be hard for it to get any worse over there.

 

[tobydawq]

Likely, but today pretty much went as I expected before the race began. It was quite likely that we'd have 3 bunch sprints.

I don't think so. With Vingegaard and Remco, that climb would have been ridden quite a bit harder.