Lesser known races 2025 edition

[RedheadDane]

Live images more than 10 minutes later than advertised, only 15 Ks to go.

 

[Netserk]

Sivakov is such a clown.

Yates will do the business, but Sivakov should have worked for Vine.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Doing 240 K the day before makes it Hard to win but Yates might do it

 

[RedheadDane]

UAE guys just bullying poor Rondell!

Anyway... sure... nice landscape... but not now!

 

[Samamba]

Vine might still win

 

[Rou]

Come on, Jay! A nice fat check is waiting at the finish line!

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Now this is some terrible TV direction

 

[Rou]

LoL what are these tourist ads in the last kms?

 

[Samamba]

Ad break with 1k to go????

 

[RedheadDane]

Been (as the coverage is being interrupted by yet another add): It would have been nice if the riders had gone a little slower.

No... it would have been nice if the coverage had started way earlier.

 

[Samamba]

Would be hilarious if Rondel wins this

 

[Tim Cahill]

Ian Rondel

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Rondel didn‘t need to ride nearly that hard to hold off Vine

 

[Tim Cahill]

Should've messed around a bit in hindsight but still

 

[Samamba]

Some points for Kulset, forgot UNO X was starting here even. That's a bonus.

 

[Netserk]

Well fought by Rondel, but he wouldn't have stood a chance if not for Sivakov.

 

[greyclouds]

Top-3 WT teams should not be allowed to race 1.1 races

 

[Samamba]

Top-3 WT teams should not be allowed to race 1.1 races

Organizers would hate that, that's not a good idea.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

So they're just inventing new races for gianetti to win now?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Japan, 3rd and last stage:

1	Mulubrhan Henok	XDS Astana Team	14	20		2:36:06
2	De Pooter Dries	Intermarché - Wanty	5	12		,,
3	Soupe Geoffrey	Team TotalEnergies	3	7		,,

The GC:

1	1	-	Tsarenko Kyrylo	Team Solution Tech - Vini Fantini	125	100	10″
2	2	-	Taaramäe Rein	Kinan Racing Team	85	70	6″
3	3	-	Garibbo Nicolò	Team UKYO	70	50	4″

Nice win for the Ukrainian. Good to see Rein on the podium.

 

[search]

In Mentougou, young Quaranta won the sprint today.

More interestingly, Mario Aparicio was disqualified due to inappropriate behaviour, and damaging the image of the sport - apparently for posting a pig emoji next to the Chinese flag on his Strava

There was a big outrage on Chinese social media, and I honestly have no idea about the exact symbolic meaning of the pig in either China nor Spain, but this seems a bit overblown. Maybe there was more to it than just that post, though.

 

[Cycling111]

I could "understand" (I put it in quotes because it is a professional sport and these complaints are not seen in other sports) the complaint of some other smaller team, but Astana is precisely the team that has recently been competing as the only WT team in Asian races against proconti teams.
They can't be so hypocritical. LOL

 

[Dazed and Confused]

So tomorrow we have the inauguration of the Tour of Holland which starts with an evening prologue:

4km in grand total. Proceedings begins at 19.00 (local) and ends a couple of hours later.

Yes, there will be fast men at the start including, Merlier, De Lie, Kooij and van Poppel. Full startlist via PCS: https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/tour-of-holland/2025/startlist
Race website: https://nibctourofholland.cc/en/

There are 5 stages after this with a little for everybody (flat, hilly, gravel, ITT), so armchair rides with a little sprint in the end ain't gonna give you the GC . Details to follow on a daily basis (I hope).