L'Avenir 2024 U23s 18 to 24 August

[Samamba]

Halve the top 10 in the break. Looks like Spain isn't able to control it. Very interesting scenario.

 

[Potomac]

Saturdays queen stage is must see tv

I don't know how I'm going to see it.
I refuse to do flo bikes.

 

[Potomac]

Rnk	Prev	▼▲	Rider	Team	Time
40	43	▲3	SIMMONS Colby	United States	20:14
87	63	▼24	KREIKEMEIER Kade	United States	51:22
99	83	▼16	AUGUST Andrew	United States	1:01:48
108	114	▲6	SHMIDT Artem	United States	1:08:48
119	125	▲6	HLADY Gavin	United States	1:25:18

USA is sitting this one out, it seems.

 

[Samamba]

Holy now Graat makes the jump and Blackmore is on its way too. It's basically just Torres and Widar not in it.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Widar has the required physiological level (and then some) to make the jump up to WT but I think Lotto are doing the right thing keeping him back to work on his racecraft and positioning, for what little U23 racing I've watched, I've seen this happen a few times already.

Italy, France, Netherlands GB all with multiple riders in the group, difficult situation, favourites are capable of making the jump but it's a complication they don't need, a real shame the Discovery broadcast hasn't started.

 

[Samamba]

Widar has the required physiological level (and then some) to make the jump up to WT but I think Lotto are doing the right thing keeping him back to work on his racecraft and positioning, for what little U23 racing I've watched, I've seen this happen a few times already.

You don't really know what happened today tho?

Maybe he simply doesn''t have the legs or Torres only follows him so he gambles?

Anyways gap is already 1'40, too much probably to even make the jump on Mont Cenis, this could be completely over for both Torres and Widar.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Belgium does have Verstrynge and Dockx in the breakaway for Widar to bridge up to, but it still looks very bad for him and Torres.

 

[Tim Cahill]

You don't really know what happened today tho?

Maybe he simply doesn''t have the legs or Torres only follows him so he gambles?

Anyways gap is already 1'40, too much probably to even make the jump on Mont Cenis, this could be completely over for both Torres and Widar.

From the pictures/Directvelo it seems like Torres at the front of the group with his 2 teammates doing the work, then Belgium directly behind him with 3+1 in the break up front.

(Dockx now dropping back)

Hard to derive from this if he's just feeling bad like you said but you would think when Graat and Blackmore started trying to jump it became a Belgium problem too, but apparently they weren't riding.

 

[Samamba]

Belgium does have Verstrynge and Dockx in the breakaway for Widar to bridge up to, but it still looks very bad for him and Torres.

You don't just bridge 1'40 on these guys on Mont Cenis. Think it's done. Also it's not like they have communication. These guys up front don't even know where Widar is. I think Widar either has bad legs or just counted on Torres as he always rides on his wheel. Widar attacked earlier but Torres followed immediately twice, he let others go, now they are probably both done for.

But I wouldn't be surprised if Widar simply doesn't have the legs, he doesn't seem that strong this week.

EDIT: he can't follow Torres so yeah.

 

[Samamba]

Torres is 1 minute behind, Widar is done for. He doesn't have the legs anymore.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Torres is going to have to channel his inner Savoldelli to save this one.

 

[Landeirovic]

Torres is 1 minute behind, Widar is done for. He doesn't have the legs anymore.

He doen't have the leggs or Torres is just much better? I think 2e

 

[Tim Cahill]

Torres building specifically for this with Widar trying to be good all year round and missing the last few percent maybe. Not sure how good Torres is on the descent but it's going to have to be something special, if he's still isolated on the flat it's over. Leonard is doing quite a job following this actually, maybe he will help.

 

[Samamba]

Torres building specifically for this with Widar trying to be good all year round and missing the last few percent maybe. Not sure how good Torres is on the descent but it's going to have to be something special, if he's still isolated on the flat it's over. Leonard is doing quite a job following this actually, maybe he will help.

Valuable lesson for Torres to not just look at one guy. He kinda messed this up being focussed too much on Widar who simply wasn't feeling good.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Valuable lesson for Torres to not just look at one guy. He kinda messed this up being focussed too much on Widar who simply wasn't feeling good.

Widar did the same yesterday.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Maybe it's his useless twin Jardo who's riding today. I don't know how big that gap is, but my guess is it's anything but 1 minute.

 

[Samamba]

Widar did the same yesterday.

Widar has made more mistakes than 1 this week, but was also not good enough (lot's of his mistakes are coming from him thinking he was going to be better I think). Torres looks to be the best pure climber here this week but might have given it away because of 1 dumb mistake.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Always a spectacular climb, quite enjoying the silence, gap is 1.15

 

[Pozzovivo]

Jose Bean is a very poor commentator, in my opinion. I'm watching with French coms now. A language I don't understand.

 

[Samamba]

1'40 difference, it's over for Torres. Weird that we lose the what seemed to be 2 strongest climbers in this race in this stage. Torres was still strong enough tactically messed up.

 

[Samamba]

[[deleted content]]

You're stating it based on 1 single race why Widar has been better all year long. That's the problem. The only reason you even know who Torres is, is because he rides for UAE. If he was riding for another team you would simply have a different opinion. That's the point. I don't know if Widar or Torres is better, neither do you. Widar is having a bad day, obviously this isn't his normal level, cause then I could say that Torres his normal level is Aosta stage 1.

[[deleted content]]

Cause for some reason Dutch UAE fans exist. He can support whoever he wants btw, but stating Torres is better based on like 2 stages while WIdar has dropped him like 7 times this year is just annoying.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Widar has made more mistakes than 1 this week, but was also not good enough (lot's of his mistakes are coming from him thinking he was going to be better I think). Torres looks to be the best pure climber here this week but might have given it away because of 1 dumb mistake.

Widar might also been a bit worn out after winning the last 3 big u23 stage races that he raced in a row. IMO he went deep in Valle d'Aosta, where he had pretty much no team and almost every stage was a hard mountain stage.

 

[Samamba]

Widar might also been a bit worn out after winning the last 3 big u23 stage races that he raced in a row. IMO he went deep in Valle d'Aosta, where he had pretty much no team and almost every stage was a hard mountain stage.

Yes that's what I said in of my other posts, I just think he's (finally) getting empty, apart from that I still don't know if he really is the guy for the high mountains but that's too early to tell.

In the past guys who were in top form in Giro and Aosta were basically never good in Avenir. It wouldn't work at pro level either.

 

[Squire]

1'40 difference, it's over for Torres. Weird that we lose the what seemed to be 2 strongest climbers in this race in this stage. Torres was still strong enough tactically messed up.

l'Avenir is often quite tactical, it seems. It's rare to have really strong teams, and these long alpine climbs are quite hard to control. Except when Norway shows up with a 22 year old beast like Sleen to ride everyone into the ground.

Funny how the three best U23 climbers this season miss out on winning this race for various reasons.

 

[YavorD]

I still think that if he holds 2 minutes till the finish, Torres has a decent chance tomorrow. Finestre should suit him much better than Blackmore.