Lesser known races 2024 edition

[Rob5091]

Another good day for QS with Merlier & Remco. (3 in a row now for Merlier)
Démare got a win which must cheer up the Arkea people. 2025 will be a real dog fight for UCI points for them.

 

[tobydawq]

Never realised it was just one guy.
Makes sense, given how terrible it is.

Huh?

Yeah, try doing it better...

 

[tobydawq]

You're not watching if you're constantly being thrown off the stream, or getting interrupted by 10 minute ad breaks every 5 minute...

TBF, both D+ and TV2 Play also have that weird issue where the stream sort of falls behind if you have it on in the background without sound.
And then there's D+ having us do that strange unnecessary extra step where we - if we don't start the stream at the exact moment it starts - have to have to point out that "Yes, of course I want to watch it live. What did you expect?"

Oh, come on, why must you always make it sound like live is the only option for all people??? We *** get it that it isn't for you.

But that said, I do agree it is strange that one has to clarify that one wants to watch live if the stream has only just begun.

 

[RedheadDane]

Huh?

Yeah, try doing it better...

Sometimes it's better to accept that there are certain things you just can't do.
Of course, running next to the race with a phone camera is not gonna yield the best result...

Oh, come on, why must you always make it sound like live is the only option for all people??? We *** get it that it isn't for you.

If you have the option to catch any of it live, even if it's just the last 10 Ks, why would you deliberately watch 100+ Ks behind?

 

[RedheadDane]

To watch the important parts of the race, that shouldn't be too difficult to comprehend.

That's what highlights - or I guess, sometimes "lowlights", as crashes are - unfortunately - sometimes also important - are for.

Anyway, Houtland on Wednesday. As expected, no coverage for that one either.

 

[tobydawq]

That's what highlights - or I guess, sometimes "lowlights", as crashes are - unfortunately - sometimes also important - are for.

Anyway, Houtland on Wednesday. As expected, no coverage for that one either.

That hardly works as well.

 

[RedheadDane]

That hardly works as well.

Then use the on-demand feature to fast-forward to the important bits after you've watched the race.
Generally, the most important part is the conclusion of the race.

 

[tobydawq]

Then use the on-demand feature to fast-forward to the important bits after you've watched the race.
Generally, the most important part is the conclusion of the race.

Oh my God, will you just let me decide how to do it myself?

 

[RedheadDane]

Oh my God, will you just let me decide how to do it myself?

Sure, but you don't get to use the word "spoilers" if you're deliberately watching it not-live.

The watch from the start "feature" on D+ just bugs me, as it's just yet another step you have to go through to actually watch the race.
First you have to log in.
Then you have to select "sport" in the top menu.
Then you have to find the race. Sometimes, for bigger races, it might be the 'top option', but often it's hidden away among random tennis matches.
Then you have to select live.

 

[tobydawq]

Sure, but you don't get to use the word "spoilers" if you're deliberately watching it not-live.

When have I ever done that?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Team Medellin may have won the TTT, but they screwed up stage 2 to the Paramó del Berlin royally, with GW-Erco-Shimano and Nu Colombia putting several people up the road. Jhonatán Chaves won the stage for the latter while Brandon Rojas came second for the former, and then a group with several of their teammates led home by Diego Pescador at +38". There were six from GW, five from Nu Colombia and four from Sistecredito before Javi Jamaica, at +1'31", the first Medellin rider.

 

[RedheadDane]

Team Medellin may have won the TTT, but they screwed up stage 2 to the Paramó del Berlin royally, with GW-Erco-Shimano and Nu Colombia putting several people up the road. Jhonatán Chaves won the stage for the latter while Brandon Rojas came second for the former, and then a group with several of their teammates led home by Diego Pescador at +38". There were six from GW, five from Nu Colombia and four from Sistecredito before Javi Jamaica, at +1'31", the first Medellin rider.

I admire your dedicatation to the "lesser known" part of this thread.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I admire your dedicatation to the "lesser known" part of this thread.

Clásico RCN is the second biggest stage race in Colombia traditionally (third now because there's the Tour Colombia which the WT teams come to of course), has run since the 60s and even had people like Bernard Hinault enter it as Euro teams used it as altitude training and a tune-up race similar to how the Tour Colombia is used nowadays, gets good television coverage domestically, and at 9 days with a strong enough field and a very impressive winners' list, it's a pretty useful guide for young South American talent, for example Richard Carapaz won a stage and finished top 10 on GC in 2015 back with Strongman before he came to Europe, Álex Cepeda won the second toughest stage in 2019.

It's a much bigger deal than most .NE events, it's just not been running with a UCI licence for several years but as a pure "amateur" race (which includes many Continental teams and teams which are amateur in name only), hence why it doesn't appear on CQ or with stage profiles etc. on PCS. It's if nothing else somewhat bigger than the HTV Cup

 

[RedheadDane]

it's just not been running with a UCI licence for several years but as a pure "amateur" race

Hence why it's lesser known.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Hence why it's lesser known.

I'm just saying, it might run as non-UCI, but with its history and longevity and winners' list, it's probably actually a lot better known than some of the nothingburger 1.1 and 1.2/2.2 races that get named here, even some of the French and Belgian ones, although many of those have decent history and palmarès too.

 

[RedheadDane]

Spanish guy with some rather obvious drafting at the Men's C3 ITT World Championships race.




(Yeah, I was too lazy to make a dedicated thread, and it also felt a bit late)

 

[Rob5091]

If it's Wednesday, it must be Belgium (not quite the film title but close)
The 77th Omloop van het Houtland, 195.2 km from Eernegem to Lichtervelde, start at 12.45 CET, and TV possibly on Sporza and other "web sites".
startlist at https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/omloop-van-het-houtland-lichtervelde/2024/startlist

roadbook at https://omloopvanhethoutland.be/wp-content/uploads/OVH/wedstijdinfo/OVHH_TechnischeGids2024_web.pdf

Lots of laps on a flat course, so guys not in Zurich have their chance for glory. Favs? Milan, Girmay, Démare, Jakobsen and even Ewan is here with Groenewegen (which might produce some interesting incidents).

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

If it's Wednesday,

You panicked me there.

 

[RedheadDane]

Ricardo (way more than) Ten (medals) takes the C1 ITT Championships.

 

[Rob5091]

Omloop van het Houtland race today - start 12.45 CET
Seems like Sporza and the race website at https://omloopvanhethoutland.be/ will have live streaming from about 15.00 CET
https://www.facebook.com/p/Omloop-van-het-Houtland-100057145164130/

De Omloop van het Houtland zal deze namiddag live te kunnen volgen zijn op onze website of de website van Sporza. Dit vanaf +-15u.
The Omloop van het Houtland will be broadcast live this afternoon on our website or the website of Sporza. This from +-15h.

Edit - add - I see on the startlist that it's Jonathon Milan's younger brother Matteo for Lidl-Trek. Jayco have also had second thoughts and Ewan is not starting. So the favs in a bunch sprint seem to be Groenewegen, Germay & Démare.

 

[RedheadDane]

Spain with a powerful attack in the B road race.

 

[RedheadDane]

Bangma and Bos takes the win.

Over in Belgium, 6 riders have a small gap.

 

[yaco]

Omloop van het Houtland race today - start 12.45 CET
Seems like Sporza and the race website at https://omloopvanhethoutland.be/ will have live streaming from about 15.00 CET
https://www.facebook.com/p/Omloop-van-het-Houtland-100057145164130/

Edit - add - I see on the startlist that it's Jonathon Milan's younger brother Matteo for Lidl-Trek. Jayco have also had second thoughts and Ewan is not starting. So the favs in a bunch sprint seem to be Groenewegen, Germay & Démare.

Ewan has gone AWOL. Jayco has sprinted with 2 riders in the previous two one-day races. Lets see if it happens again today.

 

[RedheadDane]

I feel like this is a live-update I've seen before:

Declercq Tim (Lidl - Trek) pulling in peloton

Less than 30 Ks to go.
Break getting steadily reeled in.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Jayco just a little bit too good for the competition there...