Lesser known races thread 2022

[Bonimenier]

Never seen a flat sprint like that feel so much like it was the slow motion replay.

Taco time always delivers entertainment

The final (and more) of KBK when Traksel won, felt like it was broadcasted at half speed.

 

[hayneplane]

The final (and more) of KBK when Traksel won, felt like it was broadcasted at half speed.

I didn’t see that race but wasn’t it epic brutal conditions with only 25 finishers. Easy to understand why even the leaders there would be completely empty at the end

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I didn’t see that race but wasn’t it epic brutal conditions with only 25 finishers. Easy to understand why even the leaders there would be completely empty at the end

It was, you can usually tell which races had the worst conditions by the presence of Ian Stannard in the results, as he always came to the fore when it was truly brutal. Torrential downpour and freezing conditions.

 

[tristecsinamigos]

... The race has also become a little more cosmopolitan lately too, after a very insular period; Caicedo even becoming only the fourth overseas winner of the race, after José Gómez del Moral in 1957, José Rujano in 2009 and Óscar Sevilla from 2013 to 2015. Sevilla was racing on a Colombian team and now holds dual nationality, although he still races under a Spanish licence, however, whereas Gómez del Moral and Rujano had been racing for overseas teams in their homelands of Spain and Venezuela respectively....

What about Jose Beyaert?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

What about Jose Beyaert?

Fair call, overlooked as I stopped working my way back after Hoyos for some reason, probably subconsciously thinking he was the starting point, so Caicedo would have been 5th.

 

[RedheadDane]

Less than 20 Ks to go in Limburg.

 

[Bonimenier]

Not a bad field for .1 race in Limburg.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Carboni wins stage 3 of the AIR. He went solo before the final climb, because according to himself he doesn't have the climbing legs to stay with the best right now. A young kid named Rebellin finished 11th...

1	CARBONI Giovanni	Italy	14	20		3:25:37
2	TESFATSION Natnael	Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli	5	12		0:25
3	DOUBLE Paul	Mg.K Vis-Color for Peace-VPM	3	7		,,
4	ZANA Filippo	Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè		5		,,
5	PRONSKIY Vadim	Astana Qazaqstan Team		4		0:28
6	COVILI Luca	Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè		3		,,
7	MULUBRHAN Henok	Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè		2		0:33
8	CEPEDA Jefferson Alexander	Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli		1		0:38
9	FORTUNATO Lorenzo	EOLO-Kometa				0:57
10	FANCELLU Alessandro	EOLO-Kometa				1:26

The first hour was raced at 50km/h, with multiple attempts to establish the breakaway. At one point Scandroni and Tesfatsion even tried to enter the breakaway. Bizkarra was part of the 3 men breakaway that formed at one point, but the top gc teams kept the gap under control and caught them.

 

[RedheadDane]

Cavendish down...

 

[Bonimenier]

What an unbelievable beast. So damn easy.

 

[Didinho]

De Lie, very strong once again!

 

[tobydawq]

Ouch, Bennett.

 

[RedheadDane]

De Lie just untouchable.

 

[Salvarani]

Easy win for De Lie

 

[Faserr]

Perfect leadout from Bora but Bennett doesn't have it.
De lie is strong.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Wow.
Bennett looked awful though; could hardly get past his lead out.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

Hold on..Van Poppel beat Bennett!!!!

 

[yaco]

It's a worry when Bennett can't pass his lead out rider.

 

[Samamba]

Winning in the u23 ranks was harder for De Lie than now with the pros. Helps to have some really good riders riding for you ofcourse. Wellens put him in the ideal wheel and then it was just easy to finish off cause Bennett simply doesn't have it. Others were way too far back. Love his "bull" celebration. Going to be his trademark celebration from now on.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Bora should send Van Poppel to the Tour as their lead sprinter... Bennett is currently less useful in sprints than superleadout Pozzovivo.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

What kind of craziness has been happening in Colombia?! Where are Duarte, Sevilla, Jose Tito Hernández, Álex Gil and co? They let the break gain NINETEEN MINUTES before they decided to act. Insanity. CTA did a 1-2 with Óscar Quiroz being the one to win from the escape, after he and Christian Rico did the old 1-2 act on the remains of the breakaway, which also included Yecid Sierra, Hernándo Bohorquez, Rubén Dario Acosta and Marco Tulio Suesca, who finished in that order. Medellín's best finisher was Robigzon Oyola, two minutes back, and so he moves into 6th on GC; the others are in the order they finished today, save for Suesca, who had lost time during the sprint stages. 15th on GC is already 11 minutes back and ahead of any of the pre-race favourites. We could be in for some chaos to come, I suspect, as there are some good riders in that top group on the GC, and Medellín and Orgullo Paísa already having been gapped so heavily by CTA is likely to be something they keenly seek to rectify.

Of strong teams who missed out today, Medellín's GC leader is now Oyola of course, at 2'16. Supergiros have Bernardo Suaza at 2'39. Orgullo Paísa have both Suesca and Juan Felipe Osorio at around 4 minutes.

 

[tobydawq]

So is the ZLM Toer which starts today in the run for most pointless race ever? Five flat stages, three WT teams among which are Jumbo and Ineos (DSM the third) and then just really nothing besides that.

 

[Samamba]

So is the ZLM Toer which starts today in the run for most pointless race ever? Five flat stages, three WT teams among which are Jumbo and Ineos (DSM the third) and then just really nothing besides that.

Just a horrible spot on the calendar tbh. Back when the Belgium Tour was the end of May the ZLM tour was an ideal way for sprinters to prepare the Tour. Now it's in the same week as the Dauphiné, Argau + Suisse and Hageland+Elfstedenronde (often being done in combo with Belgium Tour). Impossible for teams to go to those 3 and the ZLM Tour.

It's kinda funny tho that some of the relegation teams didn't go to the ZLM Tour as it's probably free points. ZLM Tour is probably the weakest .Pro race out there. Even worse than Turkey.

 

[tobydawq]

Just a horrible spot on the calendar tbh. Back when the Belgium Tour was the end of May the ZLM tour was an ideal way for sprinters to prepare the Tour. Now it's in the same week as the Dauphiné, Argau + Suisse and Hageland+Elfstedenronde (often being done in combo with Belgium Tour). Impossible for teams to go to those 3 and the ZLM Tour.

It's kinda funny tho that some of the relegation teams didn't go to the ZLM Tour as it's probably free points. ZLM Tour is probably the weakest .Pro race out there. Even worse than Turkey.

Thank heaven that this race gets run while the Benelux Tour is cancelled....

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It also used to have a split stage with a short TT or a prologue, and a half decent stage in the Limburg hills or the foothills of the Ardennes which wouldn't be so decisive the sprinters couldn't limit their losses and try to win the GC on bonuses. Sadly this year's Limburg stage has a finish host well away from the climbs (and they for some reason return via Valkenburg without the Cauberg and don't use Slingerberg or Snijdersberg on the way back, as well as adding flat loops around Buchten) and no TT so looks like a bonus second fiesta.