Lesser known races 2023 edition

[Rackham]

Bora finishing 1-2 like they're Jumbo. Nice.

The Roglamagic has begun.

 

[tobydawq]

Kudos to Walls. The guy hasn't noted a result in 2 years and has the chance to win, yet he gives it to his leadout man. Very selfless.

 

[Rob5091]

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.

 

[Rob5091]

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.

 

[Faserr]

1,5 km leadout to the win 😀.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

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.

 

[yaco]

Stage two of the Basque Country had a hairy final with the descent finish.

 

[Rob5091]

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.

 

[RedheadDane]

De Bondt on the attack again, this time with Champion, Johansen, and Reynders.
Peloton at around 1.20

 

[tobydawq]

Can De Bondt do a Jonas Iversby Hvideberg?

 

[RedheadDane]

Stage 2 in Guangxi has a finishing circuit with some 90 degree corners plus a hairpin bend, so hope there's no disasters.

Yeah, I can safely say those corners aren't gonna be a problem.

 

[tobydawq]

Yeah, I can safely say those corners aren't gonna be a problem.

Of course they aren't.

Some people just go into every stage with "let's hope there are no disasters". It must be depressing to have that mindset all the time.

 

[RedheadDane]

This is getting fun.

Aww... they got caught...

 

[SafeBet]

Milan finally starting his sprint at the right time, automatic win.

 

[RedheadDane]

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.

 

[tobydawq]

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.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Milan finally starting his sprint at the right time, automatic win.

Milan with a big enough gear and proper leadout would be scary...

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

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.

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.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Milan with a big enough gear and proper leadout would be scary...

And yet his bouncy head would still be highly comical.

 

[SafeBet]

And yet his bouncy head would still be highly comical.

He's lucky there are no points for style in road cycling, otherwise he'd be screwed.

 

[Rob5091]

Milan finally starting his sprint at the right time, automatic win.

Yep, the man said himself,
https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/gree-tour-of-guangxi-2023/stage-2/results/
“Yesterday I went from a bit too far out, today I went from the right spot," said Milan. "You have to learn from your mistakes. The lads set me up exceptionally well, I just had to sprint in the last metres."

 

[Libertine Seguros]

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...

 

[Rob5091]

Crashes galore in Turkey ...

 

[search]

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.

 

[search]

can't see Vine in the peloton, so he may have been involved as well.