Lesser known races 2025 edition

[tobydawq]

And then Bouchard took a nap and missed a move by the two most dangerous riders in the break. This is quite the tactical disasterclass by Decathlon.

Good thing they were chasing behind...

 

[jmdirt]

Tour du Limo:

I love it when the winner comes from the break!

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Limousin. GC after stage 1:

1	Gachignard Thomas	Team TotalEnergies	3	10″	4:31:13
2	Costiou Ewen	Arkéa - B&B Hotels		6″	0:04
3	Delettre Alexandre	Team TotalEnergies		4″	0:16
4	Cobo Iván	Equipo Kern Pharma		6″	0:17
5	Vendrame Andrea	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team			0:20
6	Berrade Urko	Equipo Kern Pharma		3″	,,
7	Lapeira Paul	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team		2″	0:21
8	Guglielmi Simon	Arkéa - B&B Hotels		2″	,,
9	Donnenwirth Tom	Groupama - FDJ		1″	0:22
10	Oldani Stefano	Cofidis			0:23

about 50 within 23s.

Stage 2:

Race is about to start. Scheduled to finish 30mins before Renewi stage eta. Stream will be available.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

The prologue of Deutschland has 3 km?

There are just two properly short and technical prologues all year (this and Romandie - you can add the Sibiu epilogue too, but that's not the point in the race where you should put this format), and it's always a fun set of results because you get the power-sprinters like Milan mixing it up with riders who are world class at the super-short prologues and nothing else like Zijlaard and the track riders like Watson or Oliveira, plus the occasional allrounder like Romeo or time-trialist like Bissegger. It's not a format that works for every race but IMO there's definitely a place for it because it's unpredictable, creates a really unique mix of rider types, and gives riders who aren't often up there with the best a chance to be in said mix.

 

[Rockestar_33]

There are just two properly short and technical prologues all year (this and Romandie - you can add the Sibiu epilogue too, but that's not the point in the race where you should put this format), and it's always a fun set of results because you get the power-sprinters like Milan mixing it up with riders who are world class at the super-short prologues and nothing else like Zijlaard and the track riders like Watson or Oliveira, plus the occasional allrounder like Romeo or time-trialist like Bissegger. It's not a format that works for every race but IMO there's definitely a place for it because it's unpredictable, creates a really unique mix of rider types, and gives riders who aren't often up there with the best a chance to be in said mix.

Looking forward to the TDU prologue ITT next year too

 

[Potomac]

The prologue of Deutschland has 3 km?

What's the maximum length for a prologue?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

What's the maximum length for a prologue?

8 km for men, 3.99 for women.

 

[yaco]

Looking forward to the TDU prologue ITT next year too

The TDU prologue has correctly been placed in the TDU parcours to help Aussie riders win the GC. It gives a better chance to riders like Plapp or Vine. This years edition of the TDU was embarrassing because narvaez did not once put his nose in the wind.

 

[RedheadDane]

8 km for men, 3.99 for women.

I thought it was 7 for men...

But what's the minimum length?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I thought it was 7 for men...

But what's the minimum length?

There isn't any.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I thought it was 7 for men...

But what's the minimum length?

There is none. The shortest-ever prologue in a UCI race (that PCS knows of) is a 350-metre one in the 2002 Tour de Beauce, which had riders starting in twos.

 

[RedheadDane]

There is none. The shortest-ever prologue in a UCI race (that PCS knows of) is a 350-metre one in the 2002 Tour de Beauce, which had riders starting in twos.

I'm guessing there wasn't a lot of "swapping turns" going on... Or, were they riding against each other?

 

[Devil's Elbow]

I'm guessing there wasn't a lot of "swapping turns" going on... Or, were they riding against each other?

Against each other. I made a post about it here, with a bunch of quotes that for obvious reasons aren't loading when I quote said post.

Some reporting on that possibly shortest-ever prologue, it looks like they started in pairs because it clearly wasn't odd enough otherwise:

Cyclingnews (with results)


Pezcyclingnews


Canadian Cyclist

 

[RedheadDane]

Against each other. I made a post about it here, with a bunch of quotes that for obvious reasons aren't loading when I quote said post.

Do you usually run around remembering posts you made 2 years ago?

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Do you usually run around remembering posts you made 2 years ago?

I somewhat remembered having researched this (the paired start had stuck in my memory) and the forum has a search function.

 

[RedheadDane]

Moniquet goes.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Sylvain Moniquet has had enough of 2025 Nicolas Prodhomme's nonsense.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Cofidis with a great win.

 

[RedheadDane]

9	Vendrame Andrea	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
11	Mifsud Andrea	Nice Métropole Côte d'Azur

Err... what?
10th place, just... doesn't exists.
And now Champion is listed as 10th, while Mifsud has disappeared. (From the results, I'm assuming people know where he is.)

Meanwhile, the guy commentating Deutschland Tour very helpfully explaining that there are no bonus seconds...

 

[Dazed and Confused]

1	Moniquet Sylvain	Cofidis	14	20		4:22:15
2	Delettre Alexandre	Team TotalEnergies	5	12		0:08
3	Costiou Ewen	Arkéa - B&B Hotels	3	7		0:11
4	Prodhomme Nicolas	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team		5		0:13
5	Maisonobe Sam	Cofidis		4		0:22
6	Tjøtta Martin	Arkéa - B&B Hotels		3		0:24
7	Lapeira Paul	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team		2		,,
8	Berrade Urko	Equipo Kern Pharma		1		,,
9	Vendrame Andrea	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team				0:40
10	Champion Thomas	St Michel - Preference Home - Auber93				1:09

AG2R rode all day, but got nothing out of it. Moniquet with his first pro win.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Great win for Cofidis. AG2R takes a beating.

Haller almost with the perfect amount of 3's in his finishing time. Rumour has it that Andrea Mifsud has stolen today's bonifications.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

so Brennan what can he do today? Starts in 10mins.

 

[Earns1985]

Is there really no thread for the Deutschland Tour?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Limousin, stage 3:

GC after stage 2:

1	2	▲1	Costiou Ewen	Arkéa - B&B Hotels	3	10″	8:53:39
2	33	▲31	Moniquet Sylvain	Cofidis		10″	0:02
3	3	-	Delettre Alexandre	Team TotalEnergies		10″	0:07
4	17	▲13	Prodhomme Nicolas	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team			0:25
5	6	▲1	Berrade Urko	Equipo Kern Pharma		3″	0:33
6	7	▲1	Lapeira Paul	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team		2″	0:34
7	38	▲31	Tjøtta Martin	Arkéa - B&B Hotels			0:36
8	53	▲45	Maisonobe Sam	Cofidis			0:39
9	5	▼4	Vendrame Andrea	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team			0:49
10	43	▲33	Champion Thomas	St Michel - Preference Home - Auber93			1:21

9 riders up the road including guys from TE, Cofidis, FDJ and AG2R with about 3-4 mins, so plenty of work for Arkea in the peloton today.

140km to go.

Stream will be available later.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Is there really no thread for the Deutschland Tour?

There is now: I've moved about 30 posts there, but didn't bother moving the discussion of extreme prologues and the 2002 Tour de Beauce.