Lesser Known Road Racing for Women Thread

[Samu Cuenca]

Definitely easier than stealing from an awake baby.
Never understood that saying; you ever tried taking something from a baby?

The things I've taken from babies have usually belonged to other people so it doesn't count as theft anyway.

 

[Didinho]

Just saw the sprint. The only one who can be closer and challenge Lorena is Chiara. But she’s always nowhere to be seen when SD-Worx delivers her to the front. If she could start right behind her for once, but even then still hard to come around.

 

[JR1012]

I still dont get it, why teams not bring a top climber to this race. This year would be very easy to win a WT GC and get some WT points for your team.

 

[yaco]

And so it continues. In no way do the other teams make it hard for SD Worx. How about lighting up the race from start to finish to make SD Worx work.

 

[JR1012]

Stiasny DNS today. One less of the few favorites for Stage 4.

 

[yaco]

Stiasny DNS today. One less of the few favorites for Stage 4.

Do you think she was a favorite ? She hardly lit it up at Itzulia.

 

[yaco]

The peleton does the same thing every race against wiebes and SD worx. there should be WT riders in the break and there should be multiple breaks in the first two thirds of a stage.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Win no. 100000.

 

[RedheadDane]

Kool!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I was hoping Bieber could hold on.

 

[Didinho]

And again everyone already doing their sprint before Wiebes even launches.

 

[Skalman]

Tomorrow last little bump is probably too far from finish and to short to make a difference unfortunately.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Do you think she was a favorite ? She hardly lit it up at Itzulia.

Too much up and down and needing to move up and down and place yourself within the group to cover moves most likely. She's suggestive of a Kevin Rivera/Iván Sosa type. She is better when it is Unipuerto, or at least functionally Unipuerto, like this, than stages like the first and last of Itzulia.

Today Mireia Benito has got away but Bredewold - who we know is on great form of course - is with her, monitoring for SD Worx, and she will win the sprint. Bunch coming in at ~12 seconds led home by Wiebes who, with those time bonuses, still holds the lead, because this is a very stupid route.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Too much up and down and needing to move up and down and place yourself within the group to cover moves most likely. She's suggestive of a Kevin Rivera/Iván Sosa type. She is better when it is Unipuerto, or at least functionally Unipuerto, like this, than stages like the first and last of Itzulia.

Today Mireia Benito has got away but Bredewold - who we know is on great form of course - is with her, monitoring for SD Worx, and she will win the sprint. Bunch coming in at ~12 seconds led home by Wiebes who, with those time bonuses, still holds the lead, because this is a very stupid route.

Today's route wasn't too bad, but it's a shame the first two stages were designed by members of the Lorena Wiebes fan club.

 

[Skalman]

Tomorrow last little bump is probably too far from finish and to short to make a difference unfortunately.

Luckily I was wrong, exciting stage and good racing. I enjoyed it.
Edit: BTW who fell and how did it go? anyone know? it was a quite fast descent.

 

[JR1012]

Włodarczyk + 10 mins today.

 

[JR1012]

Edit: BTW who fell and how did it go? anyone know? it was a quite fast descent.

Włodarczyk and Squiban crashed. Both finished the stage.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I sadly won't have time to watch the queen stage, but presumably it's only going to be the top-16 in the current GC (minus Wiebes, and Bredewold will have to be on a great day and/or be helped by Trek to defend a top-10) that has a chance of finishing on the final podium. Some of those that are further down are still in contention for the top-10, maybe even top-5.

Benito is a bit of a joker with her advantage from yesterday. It probably won't be enough to win the race, but she can climb fairly well when she's at her best. It will also depend on how Moolman-Pasio's feeling.

 

[awavey]

now that TNT have gone into full roland Garos mode, looks like we only get highlights anyway, unless I stream it, but I cant be bothered to do that.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Local hero Martín Martín on the loose, but likely not for much longer.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Bredewold with more heroic rearguard action, but Muzic is breaking her now. She lasted longer than some serious climbers, though, sure, Mischa's form has been stronger now whereas people like Ostolaza clearly spent their best form on La Vuelta, but she's got the chance to Barbosa her way to a lot of these Spanish races with the bonus seconds on the mid-sized climbs - this kind of MTF is too much for her still, but while she's always been durable she's really stepped up her game when it comes to lasting out these more sustained climbs lately. Seeing her next to Spratt at the back of the chasers does remind me of Geraint Thomas in 2018 when they trimmed the group down to a handful and he looked like he could eat everybody else in the group and come back for seconds.

Evita has done all the work yet, she's got Kastelijn with her, and Yara hasn't seen the wind once yet, not sure if Evita's just decided her only way to win is to grind her off the wheel or she's being played like the proverbial damn fiddle.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Wonderful leadout for Kastelijn, now doing the comical 'flick elbow but dont give rider any incentive to roll through'.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Take a drink from the bottle and throw it away, there's 2.5k to go and it's 15%

Edit: good to know she's reading the forum mid-climb

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yara finally draws level with Evita, just as they reach another steep ramp and Muzic pulls back to the front as well.

Pace down in the chasers, Ostolaza, Benito and Towers back in.

Kastelijn is likely to win this in David Arroyo-in-Segovia or Alberto Contador-in-Fuentes de Invierno fashion, and I'm gonna be really annoyed about it, but Muzic has absolutely towed her all the way without ever setting a false tempo, slowing or doing anything to remotely incentivise Kastelijn to come through, it's been like Cancellara to Gerrans, but it hasn't had to be.

Edit: thankfully Yara has decided to make it academic. Still not exactly keen on it after taking second wheel all the way up the climb, but frankly Muzic has earned that by letting her.

 

[Tim Cahill]

'Thanks.'