Lesser known races 2023 edition

Page 104 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Apr 8, 2023
5,618
6,561
16,180
Crazy last km - but Denz got it so chapeau! A couple of stages in the Giro too this year so a good year for him. Whoever did not come in front at the last 500m or so though was doomed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan and xo 1
Apr 8, 2023
5,618
6,561
16,180
No grand tour for Viviani this year but a win at Guangxi and he's one of the few Ineos confirmed guys for next year. Although he'll be concentrating on the Olympics apparently.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Feb 20, 2010
33,066
15,280
28,180
What the *** was that finish design? Lots of downhills, tight curve after tighter curve, impossible to come around anyone in the final kilometre and a major crash. Lovely.
To be honest, it's a wonder that they can find somewhere suitable for a sprint finish at all in Bodrum. The main way of getting there is downhill, and unless they go direct to a finish at the ancient theatre directly off that, and bypass the city almost entirely, there's almost no roads straight for long enough that would be suitable. The road past the former mausoleum of Halicarnassus is straight for long enough, but is too narrow to be safe for a sprint and sees steps jutting out into the road.

They'd be far better suited extending the stage out by going into the city itself, then leaving it by twisting and turning along the coast road, at least to Ortakent if not all the way to Turgutreis, offering a break a chance to get away, and then coming back into Bodrum on the highway passing the shopping mall and finishing at the theatre. I think it'd be the only real way to make a suitable finish in Bodrum for a full péloton. The other option would be to put more hills in to make the groups smaller of course.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Apr 8, 2023
5,618
6,561
16,180
Stage 2 in Guangxi has a finishing circuit with some 90 degree corners plus a hairpin bend, so hope there's no disasters. Otherwise flat and bunch sprint number 2 expected. De Lie showed he has the speed on stage 1 but was badly positioned and Milan went too early so we'll see if people have learned from yesterday.


tour-of-guangxi-2023-stage-2-e9555d3d97.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
May 5, 2010
51,708
30,257
28,180
Nice win by Milan.

And I think I might have discovered what sort of Sprint Finish Filming I dislike the most:
When it's just constantly moving from one fixed camera to the next.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Nov 16, 2013
26,686
27,791
28,180
Nice win by Milan.

And I think I might have discovered what sort of Sprint Finish Filming I dislike the most:
When it's just constantly moving from one fixed camera to the next.

At least they managed to move at the right time here. Sometimes we have to see the whole peloton pass each camera before we get the next angle. And then not see the sprint at all.
 
  • Sad
Reactions: Sandisfan
Feb 20, 2010
33,066
15,280
28,180
I think the WWT race on Chongmin Island has managed to do worse. No clue of where the line is until they pull back half a second after they cross it.
TBH given some of the things we've had on women's racing coverage over the years, it's still something.

I mean, a few highlights include a Finnish race where the only cameras were on the back of the péloton and the commentator was telling us about the breakaway from race radio; an American race where the crit stage was covered entirely by four fixed cameras, one on each corner, with no commentary but the live announcer shouting to the assembled crowds about what was going on and hyping them up being broadcast as though it was commentary; a Spanish race where live images were knocked out early on giving us coverage mostly of the commentators sat in their booth trying to figure out what is happening; Chongming Island only being available via a livestream which was supposedly official but seemed incredibly suspicious from a spyware/dodgy streaming site pov; Italian one-dayers where a 10 minute highlight package consisted of the route, interviews, then a static camera showing the last 400m; and my personal favourite, the commentator on La Flèche Wallonne hanging his mobile phone out of the window of the commentary booth to capture the women coming around the final corner to the line and yelling what was going on before posting it on Twitter because ASO couldn't possibly switch the cameras on until the men got there in case we missed any of that trademark action 90km from home that Flèche is of course renowned for...
 
Aug 29, 2009
7,905
7,124
23,180
yeah, a couple of independent crashes there in that corner on the descent, by the look of it. First Konyshev and Abay in the break, then Gibbons and a Bardiani (?) rider, who went over the barriers, and in the end a dropped Spor Toto guy crashed straight into them. Let's hope everyone is more or less okay.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan