Lesser known races 2025 edition

[Ilmaestro99]

Well done tom piddock you won a 2.1 race against some teenagers and part times, time to tell the world how good you are in the interbiew

 

[yaco]

I was surprised that Jayco brought Hatherly to this race in his debut, however, he must have done the numbers in training.

 

[tobydawq]

Well done tom piddock you won a 2.1 race against some teenagers and part times, time to tell the world how good you are in the interbiew

If it had been Masnada, there was no limit as to how you would have been over the moon due to such a result.

And he didn't even say anything like that in the interview.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

If it had been Masnada, there was no limit as to how you would have been over the moon due to such a result.

But one should probably not compare Masnada with Pidcock. For Masnada this wouldve been a huge win, for Pidcock it should be just expected.

 

[tobydawq]

But one should probably not compare Masnada with Pidcock. For Masnada this wouldve been a huge win, for Pidcock it should be just expected.

Pidcock had won five road races before today, he isn't Pogacar.

 

[Samamba]

I think it wouldve been unfair to give them the same advantage with 5 km to go that they had with what was supposed to be 45 km left.

Not their fault that the UCI/organizers didn't do their job right. Can't jut take away their advantage because of it.

 

[Samamba]

looked like Stefan de Bod in 5th? I hadn't even noticed he changed teams.

So weird that no one picked him up. I don't get it, but he isn't the only one. The guy is "only" 28y old. Ok his 2024 was bad but still.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

Pidcock had won five road races before today, he isn't Pogacar.

So he's on 6 now, which magically is the same as mythical Masnada, so you are right

 

[Rob5091]

A win should give Pidders a confidence boost and Q36.5 some good PR.

 

[RedheadDane]

Pidcock had won five road races before today, he isn't Pogacar.

That last bit can be said about several people.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

So what's the point of the sport selling its soul for the tiniest fraction of dirty Saudi money if the Saudis won't even use an even tinier fraction of said money to make sure the roads are in any state to host the sport?

Not to mention the fact that the juries saw the resulting mess and chose to make it even messier. Just a bad day all around.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

So what's the point of the sport selling its soul for the tiniest fraction of dirty Saudi money if the Saudis won't even use an even tinier fraction of said money to make sure the roads are in any state to host the sport?

Not to mention the fact that the juries saw the resulting mess and chose to make it even messier. Just a bad day all around.

I didn't watch today's stage but read this on PCS:

Because of the bad conditions of the road (gravel, sand), the organisation and the commissaires panel decided for safety reasons, to neutralize the downhill of the 2nd passage and to remove one lap, reducing the stage's distance from 157.7km to 130.6km.

Did it suddenly get windy and they had no control over the sand on the road or was it there all the time and they just didn't care? (In general I'm not a fan of races in the desert, not a fan of sand showers.)

 

[tobydawq]

I didn't watch today's stage but read this on PCS:

Because of the bad conditions of the road (gravel, sand), the organisation and the commissaires panel decided for safety reasons, to neutralize the downhill of the 2nd passage and to remove one lap, reducing the stage's distance from 157.7km to 130.6km.

Did it suddenly get windy and they had no control over the sand on the road or was it there all the time and they just didn't care? (In general I'm not a fan of races in the desert, not a fan of sand showers.)

It wasn't sand, it was gravel. It definitely didn't have anything to do with wind.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

It wasn't sand, it was gravel. It definitely didn't have anything to do with wind.

Cheers!

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

So weird that no one picked him up. I don't get it, but he isn't the only one. The guy is "only" 28y old. Ok his 2024 was bad but still.

He didn't perform for his entire stay at WT-level.
You have a lot of those guys not doing *** at WT level than forced to take a step back and suddenly having their best result since juniors.

 

[nightowl]

He didn't perform for his entire stay at WT-level.
You have a lot of those guys not doing *** at WT level than forced to take a step back and suddenly having their best result since juniors.

Sometimes it takes a wake-up call for people to commit to being in their best shape it seems

 

[Samamba]

He didn't perform for his entire stay at WT-level.
You have a lot of those guys not doing *** at WT level than forced to take a step back and suddenly having their best result since juniors.

That's just not true? No one is saying De Bod is a really good rider, but he is Pro worthy. More than 50% of the time he was a domestique. He has a lot of minor results the last few years. Similar to his Saudi result now. I also don't really understand what you mean with "entire stay at WT level", he's been WT his entire pro career. So you're basically saying he hasn't done anything his whole career.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

That's just not true? No one is saying De Bod is a really good rider, but he is WT worthy. More than 50% of the time he was a domestique. He has a lot of minor results the last few years. Similar to his Saudi result now. I also don't really understand what you mean with "entire stay at WT level", he's been WT his entire pro career. So you're basically saying he hasn't done anything his whole career.

He did ride for the Qhubeka CT team for three seasons.

Every year there are multiple decent WT riders who struggle to find a contract, because the competition is tough. More riders turning pro straight or almost straight out of the junior ranks doesn't exactly help, and neither does sponsors demanding to have riders of their nationality in the teams (to which De Bod used to belong. He was of course not their worst African rider, but I doubt he would have been picked up by any other WT team in 2019).

 

[Samamba]

He did ride for the Qhubeka CT team for three seasons.

Yes, as a u23 rider, so that's not his pro career. Point is that saying he hasn't done anything in his WT (and thus pro) career is just untrue. I mean, not even that long ago he was 11th in the UAE Tour. Obviously you're not a horrible rider if you can do that. And think he would've been valuable for a lot of teams. Q36.5 is one of them. Hell, I would take him in at Lotto without any question given their horrible selection right now. My guess is that he hoped for an extended stay at EF for too long, and when he realized that wasn't going to happen every WT or Pro Team was already full.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

That's just not true? No one is saying De Bod is a really good rider, but he is Pro worthy. More than 50% of the time he was a domestique. He has a lot of minor results the last few years. Similar to his Saudi result now. I also don't really understand what you mean with "entire stay at WT level", he's been WT his entire pro career. So you're basically saying he hasn't done anything his whole career.

He's been a WT-pro for six years, yes he was mostly a domestique but he wasn't brilliant at it. And when he went in the breakaway he was never really competitive for a win either. 4th at Slovakia and Czech are his best results, and yeah perhaps Q36.5 could've thrown him a lifeline, but there are better domestiques out there than him and there are better breakaway riders. Maybe he'll get his act together, maybe he won't. We'll see.

 

[Tim Cahill]

People gonna think Dunbar/Pidcock are winning the Tour after seeing the watts on this fresh climb.

It turns out, in the end, that Thomas is indeed winning the Le Tour when ASO realise the error of their ways and give them an invite.

TOM PIDCOCK
Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirka (2,90km; 9,28%; 269m)
7'27min
23,36km/h
2166 VAM
7,69ᵉw/kg

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

It turns out, in the end, that Thomas is indeed winning the Le Tour when ASO realise the error of their ways and give them an invite.

TOM PIDCOCK
Bir Jaydah Mountain Wirka (2,90km; 9,28%; 269m)
7'27min
23,36km/h
2166 VAM
7,69ᵉw/kg

Romo had 7,72ᵉw/kg at Willunga Hill, so Pidcock is fighting for second

 

[tobydawq]

Plenty of riders testing out the sand. It doesn't seem to be as quick as the asphalt.

 

[Tim Cahill]

It's crosswind carnage, always happens on some random desert stages, Dunbar shelled.

Tudor drilling it for de Kleijn and a good situation for Voisard.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Q36 and Bahrain should pitch in, getting rid of Jayco's numbers advantage.