• The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Lesser known races thread 2022

Page 54 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
I think if Kelderman had slowed down enough, Buchmann could have attacked or someone else would have needed to raise the pace. Positioning didn‘t appear to be essential as there was still enough space for Ayuso and Piccolo to pass him. He also seemed to be sprinting too early. That happens more often to the rider leading the group because they don‘t want someone else to surprise them. Buchmann couldn’t really win but in my opinion, Kelderman could have used him better.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Yeah I think it's fine to be a little bit mean to him. He is such a great rider and really has everything even with 31 to win big races, but he just can't do it. E.g. I never would make that argument for Buchmann who simply doesn't have the attributes to win a lot (no sprint, no tt, not much acceleration or punchiness. Kelderman has that all but often bad tactics or is unlucky with crashes etc.

Really happy that Piccolo didn't win. Of course he took turns with Kelderman but he was clearly not that much of a help and doomed the duo. I think Kelderman should have tried to go solo with an attack over the lost climb. Plus he really should have just sit on as Buchmann was bridging. Even if Buchmann clearly wasn't able to accelerate through the group it would have been a better sprinting position than leading the gruop out from such a distance.

Overall really bad tactics from UAE who were just luck imo that they had the strongest rider in the peleton. Bora on the other hand did almost everything ride from a team perspective. But nevertheless this should be a good sign for them for the Vuelta. Movistar were really not that big of a factor today. I fear that Valverdes retirement will be not so glorious because the need him to make the points to stay in WT. Right now the threat is really real for them.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Sandisfan
I think if Kelderman had slowed down enough, Buchmann could have attacked over the top or someone else would have needed to raise the pace. Positioning didn‘t appear to be essential as there was still enough space for Ayuso and Piccolo to pass him. He also seemed to be sprinting too early. That happens more often to the rider leading the group because they don‘t want someone else to surprise them. Buchmann couldn’t really win but in my opinion, Kelderman could have used him better.

Which top?
 
Tomorrow the Volta a Portugal starts. With the recent clinic related problems the field will be thinner than usual. No W-52, no Joao Benta, no Daniel Freitas and no Luis Mendonça.
How will Glassdrive Q8 Anicolor (the former Efapel team) manage to loose this one? On paper they have by far the strongest team with Mauri Moreira, Figueiredo, Carvalho and Rafael Reis. Other contenders are the Delio Fernandez-Marque duo from Atum General, Enrique Casimiro, Andre Cardoso and De Mateos.
The route should suit Figueiredo. Besides the SdG and Torre MTFs we have a 3rd one on a steep climb, the Observatorio de Villa Nova climb.
volta-a-portugal-2022-stage-5-climb-n2-c310a82516.jpg

Looking at how Figueiredo has nuke the steep 2nd part of the Barreiro climb on the SdG stage with 45kms to go over the last 2 years this one with it's steep gradients should be perfect for him.
The final ITT also features multiple short, punchy climbs, so it's not just one for the specialists.
volta-a-portugal-2022-stage-10-profile-354fa0aa5a.jpg

Tomorrow we have a 5.4km prologue, hard to look past a Reis-Moreira 1-2.
volta-a-portugal-2022-prologue-profile-4bced35f72.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
Tomorrow the Volta a Portugal starts. With the recent clinic related problems the field will be thinner than usual. No W-52, no Joao Benta, no Daniel Freitas and no Luis Mendonça.
How will Glassdrive Q8 Anicolor (the former Efapel team) manage to loose this one? On paper they have by far the strongest team with Mauri Moreira, Figueiredo, Carvalho and Rafael Reis. Other contenders are the Delio Fernandez-Marque duo from Atum General, Enrique Casimiro, Andre Cardoso and De Mateos.
The route should suit Figueiredo. Besides the SdG and Torre MTFs we have a 3rd one on a steep climb, the Observatorio de Villa Nova climb.
volta-a-portugal-2022-stage-5-climb-n2-c310a82516.jpg

Looking at how Figueiredo has nuke the steep 2nd part of the Barreiro climb on the SdG stage with 45kms to go over the last 2 years this one with it's steep gradients should be perfect for him.
The final ITT also features multiple short, punchy climbs, so it's not just one for the specialists.
volta-a-portugal-2022-stage-10-profile-354fa0aa5a.jpg

Tomorrow we have a 5.4km prologue, hard to look past a Reis-Moreira 1-2.
volta-a-portugal-2022-prologue-profile-4bced35f72.jpg

Yes, finally a race, where the big crashes have already happened before the start.

It'll be interesting to see, if the foreign teams for some reason will be more competitive this year, and if Reis will be able to follow his teammates on the climbs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: StryderHells
First stage of the Sazka Tour:

victory for Rune Herregodts!

His second of this season, also for the whole Topsport Vlaanderen squad (UCI-wise). Third as a pro. Again from the early break, but this time the fastest in a flat sprint of five. Since he's also not a horrible climber, curious what he can do in the GC. Although there are guys like Pozzovivo, Hirt, Zana, Sepulveda and Colleoni around.

Good prep for the EC TT anyway.
 
Rota won the second stage after a late attack.
Confusingly, the live centre at FirstCycling mistook him for Taaramae, until the result.

And it was his first pro win!

Also the 11th rider of the team to score a win this year. Only QuickStep, Ineos and UAE have more winning riders. That's quite exceptional, I really would not have called that before the season!
 
Still no breaks in the mens commonwealth games road race despite the fact that there have been constant attacks and no one's controlling the race now that Ewan's out. Did Cav design this course?

We've had a 52 year old off the back in the neutral zone, a youtuber going off the front solo, Corey Williams from L39ION is here too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan
It's a decent break I guess, a TdF winner, a top 10 finisher from this year's Ronde, multiple GT stage winner in Impey, former podium finisher in MSR, and a super promising youngster in Ben Turner.

Surprised Australia were happy for this break to get so far ahead, as well, obviously, as IoM. I guess it might have been a different race if Ewan hadn't pulled out.

I find myself rooting for Darryl Impey, although I would also be happy with a Fred Wright win.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sandisfan