Renewi Tour 2024 28th August - 1st September

[Rob5091]

I will never understand why there's always so much stress in the peloton in a random sprint stage. They are riding like it's the last 4km with 40k to go. And then they are surprised why they crash.

Probably because someone is shouting in their ear, get to the front! it's really narrow ahead! make sure you're at the front! etc etc.

 

[Rob5091]

Politt trying to set up Wellens by the look of it. If someone tries a late flyer they might succeed as it's twisty and narrow.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

So, this race was supposed to be a grand showdown of the best sprinters. Kooij, Groenewegen and Merlier are already gone. So basically we've still got Milan vs Philipsen, with De Lie and a few others that don't have the speed to rival those two.

I really hope we get a decent parcours next time, because this WT race is a joke.

 

[Samamba]

I really hope we get a decent parcours next time, because this WT race is a joke.

UCI ruined it tbf. They ordered the organizers to shrink the race to 5 days, but there were still contracts with all the flemish start and finish places, so the options for a better parcours were really limited.

I expect a better parcours next year. Hopefully back to 7 days too (no worlds or olympics in August).

 

[tobydawq]

UCI ruined it tbf. They ordered the organizers to shrink the race to 5 days, but there were still contracts with all the flemish start and finish places, so the options for a better parcours were really limited.

I expect a better parcours next year. Hopefully back to 7 days too (no worlds or olympics in August).

Fingers crossed.

There is so much potential for a great race, and then this is what we get.

 

[Rob5091]

and the video goes down ...

 

[Landeirovic]

Milan what a monster

 

[tobydawq]

Weird, the commentators apparently had a signal...

Milan wins again - with ease apparently.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Weird, the commentators apparently had a signal...

Milan wins again - with ease apparently.

There was no problem with the source, no problems on Sporza.

 

[yaco]

That was a surprisingly good sprint from Walscheid. He'll have a full rosters of one day races in September.

 

[tobydawq]

There was no problem with the source, no problems on Sporza.

Yeah, I kind of gathered that.

It was really strange on Max, it was just black screen the last three kilometers, but the commentary was still on. Then just before the sprint, they cut to their usual end of footage-screen so you couldn't even hear the sprint commentary...

 

[Rob5091]

Finally we see what happened and MvdP gives Milan a great lead out and the rest is history, as they say.

 

[Samamba]

De Lie lost so much speed the last 2 years it's insane. He was significantly faster in his u23 years and as a neopro

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Finally we see what happened and MvdP gives Milan a great lead out and the rest is history, as they say.

He also swerves to the right and unwillingly blocks his teammate.

Funny to see Milan push such a small gear for such a huge guy.

 

[Brullnux]

He also swerves to the right and unwillingly blocks his teammate.

Funny to see Milan push such a small gear for such a huge guy.

Yeah ngl I don't Philipsen had the pace there even without the block. He recovered a bit but it was all in the wheel and still finished pretty comfortably back.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Yeah ngl I don't Philipsen had the pace there even without the block. He recovered a bit but it was all in the wheel and still finished pretty comfortably back.

I don't know for sure. He lost the slipstream and managed to come closer after the swerve. If he could have stayed in the wheel, he might have been able, especially since he was pushing a bigger gear. But the finish came soon after the bend and he could just as easily have ran out of road even if he was faster.

 

[Mayomaniac]

He also swerves to the right and unwillingly blocks his teammate.

Funny to see Milan push such a small gear for such a huge guy.

Milan always seems undergeared, it was already the same at Bahrain.

 

[Brullnux]

Milan always seems undergeared, it was already the same at Bahrain.

During the Giro I think I remember McEwen (?) saying that he'd spoken with Lidl-Trek guys and they said he prefers having that smaller gear. Unsure why, or when I heard them talking about this exactly.

 

[KZD]

Since last year's Giro, Milan has shown that he is one of the fastest sprinters around but he has improved his positioning a lot this season (and that shows in the wins tally) so he is now undisputably one of the three best sprinters in the world and I suspect he will establish himslef as the best during the next Tour.

Walscheid getting third here is a pretty good result unlike De Lie who as it has been said above seems to be going backwards in terms of sprinting ability.

 

[hayneplane]

UCI ruined it tbf. They ordered the organizers to shrink the race to 5 days, but there were still contracts with all the flemish start and finish places, so the options for a better parcours were really limited.

I expect a better parcours next year. Hopefully back to 7 days too (no worlds or olympics in August).

Good to know it wasn’t the race organisers plan as it gives hope that, even if it stays at 5 days, we will see a sprint day dropped in favour of an Amstel style punchy hills day.

 

[Samamba]

an Amstel style punchy hills day

Probably not and that's also not the fault of the organization, but the Dutch government. Best you can hope for is something in the Ardennes, so basically a WT Tour of Belgium.

 

[proffate]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1829148320046236117

View: https://x.com/AlpecinDCK/status/1829148320046236117

Clipped a pedal on the bike he rides 3x a year

 

[Rob5091]

The weekend is here and so is stage 4 of the Renewi Tour.
Oostburg to Aalter 178.5 km, start at 11.37 CET and TV from 13.45 CET
Flat as flat can be,and a nasty 90 degree right bend just 300m from the finish. so expect high speed jostling -

Finish circuit - two laps -

 

[Rob5091]

De Lie lost so much speed the last 2 years it's insane. He was significantly faster in his u23 years and as a neopro

I think he's grown older and wiser and going up against the likes of Milan and Philipsen is a learning experience. He still has positioning problems too so that does not help. This race for him was always going to be about Sunday's stage so let's hope he's keeping his powder dry.

 

[Rob5091]

Seems to be a liitle blowy today (27 km/h) and with PCS saying the peloton keeps splitting, could be some echelon action.