Lesser known races 2026 edition

[Coppi-Bartali]

Pozzovivo podium 😯

 

[RedheadDane]

Crazy things happening. Pozzovivo might celebrate his comeback with coming 4th in a 3-up sprint!!! Just like old times

Naaah... he actually got 3rd.
Though, I guess being outsprinted by a minute would be a bit much... even for him.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Wow, Pozzovivo has now done two races and done better in them than the last two times he raced them. Coaching a walker has taught him how to fly.

 

[search]

plenty of lesser races today, with estimate finish time:

- 13:15 Turkey Stage 1, live on ES2 etc
- 14:20 Asturias Stage 4, live on Youtube
- 16:00 Giro dell'Appennino, re-live on Youtube after the finish
- 16:30 Rutland Classic, live on Youtube

turns out the Redland stream actually doesn't have any race picture, but only people talking about the race, which they don't have pictures of either.

 

[Coppi-Bartali]

Pozzovivo is building Chris Horner´s form. The Vuelta this year will have an asterisk because his team hasn't invited.

 

[Coppi-Bartali]

Does David Persico have any relationship with Silvia Persico? Brother?

1	Crabbe Tom	Team Flanders - Baloise	25	30	10″	3:23:57
2	Dehairs Simon	Alpecin-Premier Tech	15	18	6″	,,
3	Persico Davide	MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort	10	12	4″	,,

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Top 10 in Italy:

1	Crescioli Ludovico	Team Polti VisitMalta	125	75	4:59:51
2	Pesenti Thomas	Team Polti VisitMalta	85	55	,,
3	Pozzovivo Domenico	Solution Tech NIPPO Rali	70	40	,,
4	Ponomar Andrii	Petrolike	60	32	0:20
5	Balmer Alexandre	Solution Tech NIPPO Rali	50	28	1:00
6	Jean Victor	Elite Fondations Cycling Team	40	24	,,
7	Paletti Luca	Bardiani CSF 7 Saber	35	20	,,
8	Umba Santiago	Solution Tech NIPPO Rali	30	18	,,
9	Aebersold Nils	Elite Fondations Cycling Team	25	16	,,
10	Cretti Luca	MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort	20	14	,,

Polti looking pretty strong compared to the other PRT teams for now.

 

[Coppi-Bartali]

Polti has also won a race before Picnic.

 

[jmdirt]

Does David Persico have any relationship with Silvia Persico? Brother?

1	Crabbe Tom	Team Flanders - Baloise	25	30	10″	3:23:57
2	Dehairs Simon	Alpecin-Premier Tech	15	18	6″	,,
3	Persico Davide	MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort	10	12	4″	,,

TC having a nice spring!

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Stage 2 of Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkiye (2.Pro) is on tomorrow:

Looks pretty good to me. The startlist suggest this could be wide open.

 

[search]

Usually there's least action as you would think in Turkey. When they last used the same finish (2018, 2021, 2023), it always turned out to be a 60-80 men sprint, won by Philipsen, Philipsen and Bennett.

So I wouldn't really get too hopeful for things to get to entertaining - but even a sprint here is wide open, of course.

 

[search]

Picnic somehow managing to be at the front with, what? 500 metres(ish) to go? And then Van Uden... finished 27th...

really must have been one of the worst timed sprints ever. Van Uden himself already got to the front around those 500m to go

View: https://youtu.be/m5g5AiFqv9s?t=191

 

[PeterB]

Does David Persico have any relationship with Silvia Persico? Brother?

1	Crabbe Tom	Team Flanders - Baloise	25	30	10″	3:23:57
2	Dehairs Simon	Alpecin-Premier Tech	15	18	6″	,,
3	Persico Davide	MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort	10	12	4″	,,

Click on his name, scroll down, et voilà - PCS has you covered ;-)

 

[DJO]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoGxHh3hqbk

Should suffice until the tv broadcasts begin.

 

[Rob5091]

Off we go in Turkey and a chance for a sprint finish. If the sprinters want a win, then today's the day as after today it gets tough.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

In Turkey, 40kms to go, which means a descent and a couple of climbs.
Two groups up the road with the front one at 1:30

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Stage 2 of Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkiye (2.Pro) is on tomorrow:

Looks pretty good to me. The startlist suggest this could be wide open.

Usually there's least action as you would think in Turkey. When they last used the same finish (2018, 2021, 2023), it always turned out to be a 60-80 men sprint, won by Philipsen, Philipsen and Bennett.

So I wouldn't really get too hopeful for things to get to entertaining - but even a sprint here is wide open, of course.

Maybe Astana push hard on the climb to make a smaller group for henok to have a go. But who knows. Very hard day tomorrow.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

yep, lets see if Astana can do it, they are currently in front of a complete peloton with 12kms to go.

 

[search]

well, they at least dropped Dupont and Dehairs now. The latter is probably the worst climber around, though.

Crabbe struggling as well now, but should make it back

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Vino attacks!!!

 

[Ilmaestro99]

What a beautiful bit of road

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Kern Pharma, Astana and the leader's jersey is entirely too many similar-looking jerseys. Especially the latter two.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Vintage tour of turkey weird paving stones bunch sprint with barging and crashes!!!

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Crabbe - 2 for 2

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Crabbe simply a cut above everyone else in this field in terms of speed.