Lesser known races 2023 edition

[DNP-Old]

Black Spoke!

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Move over Slovenia, Ireland is the new power in world cycling (2 wins in a day).

 

[BR2]

wait, is Dwars d. Vlaanderen a lesser race now? is there no thread?

 

[repre]

wait, is Dwars d. Vlaanderen a lesser race now? is there no thread?

There even aren't thread for De Ronde, it's too a lesser race now!!!

 

[Boes]

wait, is Dwars d. Vlaanderen a lesser race now? is there no thread?

2

 

[RedheadDane]

wait, is Dwars d. Vlaanderen a lesser race now? is there no thread?

Now there is.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

There was some Guatemalan gift giving going on today.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1641151939453779973

View: https://twitter.com/team_medellin/status/1641151939453779973

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Is there any TV broadcast from La Route Adélie de Vitré?

 

[Samamba]

Is there any TV broadcast from La Route Adélie de Vitré?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0O7cf7bgBM

 

[SafeBet]

Thrilling finale!

 

[RedheadDane]

Nice one from Dversnes.

 

[Samamba]

Great race.

Beautiful win for UNO X

Arkea 2nd, 3rd and 6th.... Maybe not the best tactics after all.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

First victory for Uno-X since Kristoff took the opening stage of Algarve just over six weeks ago, they really needed that one.

 

[SafeBet]

Surprise winner (for me at least) but great racing.

 

[Samamba]

Total is really bad this year. Can't even top 15 their easy home races.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Total is really bad this year. Can't even top 15 their easy home races.

Totally bad, you might say.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

No fluke about that. Dversnes was one of only three to make it across to the break with Vauquelin and Coquard, and then went away solo on the long, straight drag

 

[Salvarani]

Total is really bad this year. Can't even top 15 their easy home races.

Yeah... neither Dujardin or Burgaudeau has had much success yet this season. Ferron was 2nd in GP Marseille and second on a stage in Etoile Bessenges, but struggled since then.

Those are three riders that have shown some promise in the past year.

Tesson is a signing that started alright in Rwanda with two easy stage-wins and Almeria (8th), but done nothing in the past month since then when the races gotten tougher. Maybe doesnt have the level to compete or not in good form.

Turgis was 9th in MSR. Not done much in the cobbles so far, but could have a good day when you least expect it.

Latour and EBH are the only ones that been decent I guess. Doing what you could expect from them.

It is a very mediocre team though, when you look at the roster. A lot of older riders and some who is just riding around receiving a pay-check is the impression you get.

 

[Samamba]

It is very mediocre team though, when you look at the roster. A lot of older riders.

Sure but it was basically the same team last year and they were around 10th spot on the UCI ranking back then at this moment, and they did that without getting like 400 points in Africa.

At first I thought it was because their French races have a bit more competition now (cause more teams are riding more races to get some points on the board), but then again, these French races the last 2 weeks have basically only French teams + 2 or 3 decent PCT teams at the start and they are still not performing.

Obviously I don't mind it, as it takes away the points stress for Lotto (and also Israel) pretty early. It can go fast, but I don't see them making up 2200 points out of nowhere. You need top performances in big races to do that, and they don't have the riders to do that.

 

[Salvarani]

Sure but it was basically the same team last year and they were around 10th spot on the UCI ranking back then at this moment, and they did that without getting like 400 points in Africa.

At first I thought it was because their French races have a bit more competition now (cause more teams are riding more races to get some points on the board), but then again, these French races the last 2 weeks have basically only French teams + 2 or 3 decent PCT teams at the start and they are still not performing.

It is difficult to say exactly what it is... but since a lot riders are underperforming, something is probably not right. Behind the scenes stuff, maybe riders are disgruntled... it could be many factors.

 

[RedheadDane]

It is a very mediocre team though, when you look at the roster. A lot of older riders and some who is just riding around receiving a pay-check is the impression you get.

I wouldn't call five riders "a lot".

 

[Salvarani]

I wouldn't call five riders "a lot".

I am counting six riders born in the 80s and eight riders above 30 in total.

8/25 is close to a third of the team.

Then you have about 6-7 more riders that are close to thirty or will soon be thirty.

I would say that is a roster that has a lot of "old" riders on it, as I said.

 

[RedheadDane]

I am counting six riders born in the 80s and eight riders above 30 in total.

Just because you were born in the 80s doesn't mean you're old.

 

[Salvarani]

Just because you were born in the 80s doesn't mean you're old.

If you only commented to say this, because that is what was so bothering in what I wrote, you could have just refrained from commentating at all. Try it sometimes.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Just because you were born in the 80s doesn't mean you're old.

This gimmick definitely has gotten old, though.