Lesser known races 2023 edition

[Samamba]

They are coming back. Front group giving it away.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Jumbo just sitting there with Laporte and three others when Boven is clearly empty is going to decide this race.

 

[Samamba]

Alpecin and Lotto blocking the peloton, probably over now

EDIT: ok QS takes over again.

 

[Samamba]

Vermeersch is gone.... wtf are the others doing

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Vermeersch is gone.... wtf are the others doing

Looking at Boven to close it, idiotic. Otoh Gianni Vermeersch can't do solos at all.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Thanks to José Been for telling me that I love this. I wouldn’t have known what to think otherwise.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Too easy for Van der Poel against this group. What Jumbo were thinking, I'll never know, didn't even sprint for 7th either.

 

[Samamba]

I mean Mathieu couldn't lose this in the end. But others also had no reason behind to not keep riding.

Jumbo actually weird tho with their whole team including Laporte behind. I guess they didn't care and wanted Boven to have a good result.

 

[RedheadDane]

VPD gets his first win in the rainbows.
Ahead of Turgis and Vermeersch (Florian).

 

[QueenStagiaire]

I think Jumbo weren‘t allowed to win.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I don't understand why Turgis didn't move up before the sprint. Being in the wheels of the two worst riders wasn't smart.

 

[Didinho]

Did the cyclo event 140km before and saw Mathieu’s first rainbow road victory at the finish. Couldn’t be a better day for me. Last 20km on my home roads, to see someone crash at a roundabout near your house.

 

[KZD]

Awesome to see Van der Poel getting his first win in the rainbow jersey!

 

[Rob5091]

77th Grand Prix d'Isbergues - Pas de Calais 197.6 km (1.1 - the only races worth following!) Arnaud Démare goes for two in row with 2 different teams! On Eurosport according to the website at
https://www.gpisbergues.com/le-parcours-cycliste-isbergues-hommes.html

 

[RedheadDane]

777th Grand Prix d'Isbergues - Pas de Calais 197.6 km (1.1 - the only races worth following!) Arnaud Démare goes for two in row with 2 different teams! On Eurosport according to the website at
https://www.gpisbergues.com/le-parcours-cycliste-isbergues-hommes.html

Not on GCN+, so might only be in France.
And I'm really impressed by the fact that the first edition was apparently held in the year 1246, possibly even earlier, to account for years it was cancelled. For starters, it probably wasn't held during the Black Death...

 

[Rob5091]

20th Gooikse Pijl 199 km (1.1 - the only races worth following!) The sprint circus moves on but all the stars are here - Philipsen, Jakobsen, Ewan, Kooij, Groenewegen etc etc. Might be a sprint finish! Thijseen going for two in a row.
Startlist at -
https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/gooikse-pijl/2023/startlist/startlist

 

[Rob5091]

Not on GCN+, so might only be in France.
And I'm really impressed by the fact that the first edition was apparently held in the year 1246, possibly even earlier, to account for years it was cancelled. For starters, it probably wasn't held during the Black Death...

Black Death? Pish ... would n't stop a proper bike race going on! (even before bikes were invented!)

 

[Samu Cuenca]

JV at least let other teams win in ToB, but Quick-Step went full Okolol on the last stage in Slovakia.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

JV at least let other teams win in ToB, but Quick-Step went full Okolol on the last stage in Slovakia.

Wtf happened in Slovakia? Does anyone know?

 

[RedheadDane]

Wtf happened in Slovakia? Does anyone know?

Seems QS made the usual "letting the wheel go" trick with Asgreen.

1	ASGREEN Kasper	Soudal - Quick Step	14	20		4:03:35
2	VAN LERBERGHE Bert	Soudal - Quick Step	5	12		0:02
3	MERLIER Tim	Soudal - Quick Step	3	7		,,

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Wtf happened in Slovakia? Does anyone know?

Looks like Asgreen did a Poels, and then Van Lerberghe and Merlier were able to pass Maestri before the line.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1703383089676787749

View: https://twitter.com/LRoisDuPeloton/status/1703383089676787749

And then Maestri's team trolled him afterwards.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1703382792103424024

View: https://twitter.com/EoloKometaTeam/status/1703382792103424024

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Black Death? Pish ... would n't stop a proper bike race going on! (even before bikes were invented!)

Covid couldn't stop cycling, what would the Black Death do?
Altought I must admit, I would love to see everyone running around in Plague-doctor masks just for the fun of it.

 

[RedheadDane]

Covid couldn't stop cycling, what would the Black Death do?

No bike races where cancelled during the Black Death, just saying...

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Situation in Gooikse Pijl: Early break about to be caught. A small group with some Lotto and Jumbo riders has a small gap on the peloton.

 

[RedheadDane]

Bax won Trofeo Matteotti.
Don't know what place Matteo Badilatti got.