Lesser known races 2023 edition

[Samu Cuenca]

I think not being in a position to win makes you a pretty big loser!



My apologies to guys like Tim Declercq!

No, you're a loser if you're trying to win, but fudge it up, like Tim Declercq would do (allegedly).

 

[Didinho]

No, you're a loser if you're trying to win, but fudge it up, like Tim Declercq would do (allegedly).

Declercq is set free next year. He's gonna win 10 races.

 

[RedheadDane]

No, you're a loser if you're trying to win, but fudge it up, like Tim Declercq would do (allegedly).

What about riders who try to win, but still never managed to get into the front group near the end?

 

[Mayomaniac]

Is Bagioli riding Lombardia?

His endurance in a Monument is still a bit of a question mark for me.

 

[ice&fire]

Yes, but you need to be second in order to be the rider with most top-10s without a win and not even win the most top-10s without a win competition.

Did that make sense?

That's Landa!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Declercq is set free next year. He's gonna win 10 races.

Maybe. It probably hasn't helped him that his own DSs haven't fully believed in him.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

What about riders who try to win, but still never managed to get into the front group near the end?

We are ultimate losers, too.

 

[RedheadDane]

We are ultimate losers, too.

Speak for yourself!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Speak for yourself!

I meant that I'm among those riders; not that you were, which wouldn't be possible anyway, since you don't ride any races.

 

[RedheadDane]

I meant thar I'm among those riders; not that you were, which wouldn't be possible anyway, since you don't ride any races.

Oh, using the "Royal We"?

 

[Rob5091]

Paris-Bourges - if Molano wins this, he'll not be Mr Popular in the peloton. UAE have done nothing to bring back the break.
I don't understand Lotto D riding all day at the front as De Lie is going to be second best in a sprint. Arkea should have been there instead.

 

[KZD]

Demare beats De Lie who almost crashed at the end and a ICW rider did indeed crash.

 

[Rob5091]

Démare wins the battle of the Arnauds at Paris-Bourges but what a messy ol' sprint and a ICW rider (Page?) went down after the line.
Edit - Marit I assume not Page.

 

[DNP-Old]

Orbea and KMC better start developing some special stuff, because De Lie is going to kill himself one day by constantly riding his chain into pieces. This is an incident waiting to happen.

 

[Rob5091]

Thanks for the picture of De Lie. Watching the video, it looked like his back wheel slipped on the white paint of the zebra crossing just before the line (to the left of him on the picture). Whether that caused the chain to come off or it had already, we'd have to try to see on the video.
One thing though is for sure, when De Lie is sprinting it's never boring!

 

[Sciatic]

Yes, but you need to be second in order to be the rider with most top-10s without a win and not even win the most top-10s without a win competition.

Did that make sense?

After several years of debates about this, yes

 

[Tim Cahill]

Martin was DQed for an illegal position

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Martin was DQed for an illegal position

Seems harsh to DQ him for being in a position where he for once actually had a chance of winning, but I guess it's his own fault not getting dropped before the line.

 

[Jumbo Visma Fan :)]

Just looked at the Tour of Turkey and there’s a 18km climb at 10.8%! Keep this away from Vegni so we can’t have an ITT here.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Just looked at the Tour of Turkey and there’s a 18km climb at 10.8%! Keep this away from Vegni so we can’t have an ITT here.

I think it's the hardest climb ever seen in a pro race (it 100% is the hardest climb ever seen in a European* race) - it has a APM coefficient of 703 going by the PCS profile, well above anything in this extensive PRC list, and also above anything in the APM database except for the never-raced Passo della Forcella at 758 and Oscheniksee at 712 - Pico Veleta via Hazallanas is back at 616 because it doesn't have the monster ramps that the APM coefficient overvalues). By cyclingcols coefficient, it lands at 2099, which is higher than literally anything in their database (Pico Veleta via Hazallanas leads at 2088, just ahead of Oscheniksee at 2067 and Forcella at 2044), let alone anything actually raced (Edelweissspitze is 1614, just ahead of Finestre at 1588).

Absolutely hilarious that it comes in a 2.1 race in October with about five halfway decent climbers in the field. It's also on a 104k stage with another climb before it, I'm very curious what the time limit looks like...

*yes, the climb is geographically in Asia, but all Turkish races are part of the Europe Tour

 

[DenisMenchov]

Óscar Sevilla, Óscar Sevilla, Óscar Sevilla comes 2nd in a .Pro stage. Is this the real life?!

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Just looked at the Tour of Turkey and there’s a 18km climb at 10.8%! Keep this away from Vegni so we can’t have an ITT here.

This is pretty f…. insane!

 

[tobydawq]

Óscar Sevilla, Óscar Sevilla, Óscar Sevilla comes 2nd in a .Pro stage. Is this the real life?!

Froome with a decent 80th place, only losing 4 minutes.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Froome with a decent 80th place, only losing 4 minutes.

But I've heard he was always in the first positions helping his teammates until the last km, but in the end he must have suffered due to his bad equipment. The climb was also pretty steep to be fair.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Good team player Luts causing consternation again by farming mad points at the Asian games, he can win that Tour of Turkey too if Vine isn't at his best, the gaps will be titanic on the climb.