Lesser known races 2025 edition

[RedheadDane]

So, the only commentating available for Guangxi is French? Okay.
Also, really strange to see Valter in normal clothes.

 

[tobydawq]

So, the only commentating available for Guangxi is French? Okay.
Also, really strange to see Valter in normal clothes.

I have English commentary?

 

[RedheadDane]

I have English commentary?

Weird... I get French and no dialogue.
You're watching on HBOMax, right?

Edit; weirder:
When I went out of the stream, and then back in, the option for English commentary appeared. Are the English-speaking commentators just lazy and can't get out of bed?

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Rare sight with Visma in a TV break. Highway style racing today. 25kms to go.

 

[Netserk]

Reckless and foolish by the Portuguese champion.

 

[RedheadDane]

Magnier wins after a nasty crash in the peloton.

Over in an even lesser known part of China, Clément Alleno has won both the final stage and the GC in Mentougou.

 

[tobydawq]

Gaviria still doing his stuff but now only capable of sprinting for 100 metres...

Ready for retirement.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Magnier found a way through the carnage....

1	Magnier Paul	Soudal Quick-Step	40	50	10″	3:19:37
2	Kanter Max	XDS Astana Team	15	30	6″	,,
3	Meeus Jordi	Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe	6	18		,,
4	Pedersen Rasmus Søjberg	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team		13		,,
5	Kogut Oded	Israel - Premier Tech		10		,,
6	Gaviria Fernando	Movistar Team		7		,,
7	Aniołkowski Stanisław	Cofidis		4		,,
8	Pollefliet Gianluca	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team		3		,,
9	Lozouet Léandre	Arkéa - B&B Hotels		2		,,
10	Van Gestel Dries	Soudal Quick-Step		1		,,

 

[tobydawq]

Reckless and foolish by the Portuguese champion.

What exactly did he do?

 

[Netserk]

What exactly did he do?

Empty the tank and then slowed down without getting out of the way. Changed direction too when he caused the crash, right?

 

[Netserk]

He slows down and swerves while looking over both his shoulders. He was bound to cause a massive crash like that.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Well, looking over your shoulders during a bunch sprint should automatically invoke a disq., much worse action that a bit of shoulder barging.

 

[search]

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).

any idea if they start this late? Illuminating the whole park must be quite an effort.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

any idea if they start this late? Illuminating the whole park must be quite an effort.

The late start smells of marketing more than anything else. Still curious about the implementation of the light. There might already be some lighting around the area to begin with. Still, there has been some disastrous attempts to do this in the past, lets see if they can make it work.

 

[tobydawq]

The late start smells of marketing more than anything else. Still curious about the implementation of the light. There might already be some lighting around the area to begin with. Still, there has been some disastrous attempts to do this in the past, lets see if they can make it work.

I think it's a bit less problematic to stage an ITT than a TTT in relative darkness.

 

[search]

I think with proper floodlights neither of it is an issue. I don't recall any complaints about the 2010 Vuelta night TTT, at least. I was just wondering why they'd set up something like that for a minor stage race in Holland.

But yeah, I don't know the park at all. Maybe it already has a suitable setup used for other kind of events.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

The paths within the park they are using are lit, not sure how strong the streetlights are but at least no rain is expected. Bit worried about the width of the route, though - they are using this path in both directions.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Fausto crash

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

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).

What are the Red Bull KMs in this? three bonus times in rapid succession (that would make 6 in each stage: surely not allowed?), or just a sprint point and the km designation is a red (bull) herring?

Also, How flat is stage 5? PCS have two versions of the page (they are 2 day's late to get to their 4 billionth hit, trying to generate extras by having confused reloads?), one dead flat, one with the cobbles on a climb.

 

[search]

What are the Red Bull KMs in this? three bonus times in rapid succession (that would make 6 in each stage: surely not allowed?), or just a sprint point and the km designation is a red (bull) herring?

it's just a normal intermediate sprint with 3-2-1 bonus and some Red Bull advertising

Edit: and the uphill is actually an unpaved forest path with a bit of a climb in the end. Propably not overly hard, but could make things interesting.

Zijpendaalseweg · Google Maps

Arnhem, Niederlande

maps.app.goo.gl

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

So, the only commentating available for Guangxi is French? Okay.
Also, really strange to see Valter in normal clothes.

More than we have on UK Discovery+: Am avoiding the result, wanting to find it so I can (presumably) jump to final 5km, but although stages 2 onward are listed as forthcoming events, stage 1 is not on the recent events list.

 

[Danskebjerge]

Must be pretty annoying to travel to China and then crash on the first stage (especially when it's caused by recklessness).

 

[RedheadDane]

Random question... when did Tour of Guangxi change name?
It was Gree - Tour of Guangxi, now it's Cotti Coffee - Tour of Guangxi.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Random question... when did Tour of Guangxi change name?
It was Gree - Tour of Guangxi, now it's Cotti Coffee - Tour of Guangxi.

this year, the name changed.

 

[RedheadDane]

this year, the name changed.

But they were 'Gree' like... earlier today.