Teams & Riders The Red Bull - Bora - Hansgrohe team thread

[VeloMaster]

@VeloMaster

I feel that the whole package of the changes made in regards to equipment was beneficial in this TT.

Actually, it was the fawning coverage of

I mean the big chain ring was used to push on it, harder, that was the whole point. Not for aero or cosmetic purposes.

With all due respect.

I think you missed the point, and - pace Abi -- no lack of respect for Rogla was stated, implied, or intended.

So let's keep it factual: hyping a "monster chainring" the way the commentators are wont to do means nothing without the missing information about the rear cog.

I'll use my track gear calculator app to demonstrate. A 60 tooth chainring with a 15 rear cog yields a 108-inch gear, while a 60x12 is a considerably larger, 135 inches. Of course, downhill in the TT, the bigger the better for these guys, but I'd like to know the actual gearing used on the course's hill before I wax poetic that 'size matters.'

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

 

[CyclistAbi]

As for some data and AFAIK, crankarm length 170 mm, cassette 10-36 teeth, chainring 68 teeth. Now utilising (near) middle cog for more efficiency was certainly one idea behind such selection. Sections on where speeds were above 70 km/h, there the size came into play.

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/if...oz-roglic-out-of-trouble-in-the-giro-ditalia/

And this is another small detail, the team levelled up in terms of positioning, at least so far. Previous season this was much worse.

 

[Sciatic]

Actually, it was the fawning coverage of

I think you missed the point, and - pace Abi -- no lack of respect for Rogla was stated, implied, or intended.

So let's keep it factual: hyping a "monster chainring" the way the commentators are wont to do means nothing without the missing information about the rear cog.

I'll use my track gear calculator app to demonstrate. A 60 tooth chainring with a 15 rear cog yields a 108-inch gear, while a 60x12 is a considerably larger, 135 inches. Of course, downhill in the TT, the bigger the better for these guys, but I'd like to know the actual gearing used on the course's hill before I wax poetic that 'size matters.'

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

It’s silly hyperbole from the commentators, but in English the adjective monster as used in the example can simply mean much larger than normal, and thus fits. What you’re describing is what qualifies as “monster gear.” The chainring is the piece of metal, not the gearing.

 

[VeloMaster]

It’s silly hyperbole from the commentators, but in English the adjective monster as used in the example can simply mean much larger than normal, and thus fits. What you’re describing is what qualifies as “monster gear.” The chainring is the piece of metal, not the gearing.

True, good point. However, at least the Anglophone commentators make it clear by context that it is the propulsive power, ie the gear ratio, that is being celebrated.

 

[AupaPyama]

Wandahl is sour about not riding the Giro last minute, wants to ride the Vuelta in his 5th year with the team and suggests to change teams otherwise.

Wandahl åbner op om Giro-fravalg: - Jeg var bitter

Det var en svær pille at sluge, da holdet kunne fortælle Frederik Wandahl, at han alligevel ikke skulle køre Giro d’Italia

www.feltet.dk

 

[Netserk]

Wandahl is sour about not riding the Giro last minute

A week after Catalunya is not last minute.

 

[AupaPyama]

A week after Catalunya is not last minute.

For some teams not .
But if you are on the roll for your first GT, part of the Roglic group and a month before the start youre told not to go it can be felt lastminute. It's not the first time Bora does this to him.

 

[Statze2]

At the moment some riders of the Grenke Auto Eder are training in the "Schwarzwald" area in an official team camp close to the headquarter of their team sponsor Grenke. On the training pictures two riders from Acrog Tormans appear regularly. Does anybody of you have any insights which riders this could be?

 

[RedheadDane]

For some teams not .
But if you are on the roll for your first GT, part of the Roglic group and a month before the start youre told not to go it can be felt lastminute. It's not the first time Bora does this to him.

When was the other time?
Last year?
Of course he was supposed to have ridden two years ago, but it was hardly team management on Bora that caused him to break his femur.

 

[Samamba]

At the moment some riders of the Grenke Auto Eder are training in the "Schwarzwald" area in an official team camp close to the headquarter of their team sponsor Grenke. On the training pictures two riders from Acrog Tormans appear regularly. Does anybody of you have any insights which riders this could be?

One of them is Sander Willems

 

[Links2003]

Losing four riders in two races in one day due to a crash is really tough. At the Giro, of course, the plan B is gone with Hindley. Do we already know what he has?
In Hungary, Wandahl in particular was probably worse off. First he is not allowed to take part in the Giro and thus once again not in a GT and then this happens to him in Hungary. Fortunately, Mullen and Welsford are not supposed to be quite as badly injured so that the rest of the season is not too badly affected.

Van Poppel shows once again that it might not be so stupid to let him sprint more often. He's not the fastest, but he's very clever.

 

[SafeBet]

Losing four riders in two races in one day due to a crash is really tough. At the Giro, of course, the plan B is gone with Hindley. Do we already know what he has?

A concussion for starters. He has no recollection of the crash.
Possible broken vertebrae as well.

 

[SafeBet]

Confirmed L3 fracture for Hindley.

 

[Cycling111]

What happened to Dani Martinez this year?

He debuted very late and his form is terrible.

Aside from finishing second last year, which was far superior to riders like Tiberi, the year Bernal won the Giro, he was the best Giro domestique and finished fifth.

 

[Links2003]

I still don't quite understand what RBH has in mind for this Giro. Very active at the front on the first few days. While UAE was hiding. Now they have pink for the second time and they have to ride from the front a lot again. UAE has hardly had to use any power so far. Hindley was of course a huge loss.
I don't understand Roglic either. He seems unusually relaxed before and after the races. He was super present on the first few days. Not in the last few days. And has now lost some time twice. Not by much. And he still made up a lot of time just before the finish. But he's not sprinting properly. He's actually really good at that. Yesterday it would have been possible to at least make up seconds on 2 or 3. Today, too, it might have been possible to close the gap. Somehow unusual how he rides.

Tomorrow they won't have pink anymore. But on the gravel stage you have to ride all-in either way and therefore have no advantage.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@Links2003

They can't afford defending the jersey for 3 weeks, especially after losing Jai.

 

[Oldman]

True, good point. However, at least the Anglophone commentators make it clear by context that it is the propulsive power, ie the gear ratio, that is being celebrated.

Good reason to take what hyper-ventilated talking heads spout with a huge dose of salt. They need to fill the time with something even if it's sometimes really silly.
Big rings definitely keep the chain in the sweet center spot of the cluster. Better for both mechanical and aero drag as it's not on an angle. Not for hill climbing and you still need standing start and accelerating ratios for it to be effective.

 

[Rackham]

I see Tom Danielson on X is speculating that Rog is riding the Giro as training for the Tour. That's a take, I guess.

Meanwhile some infidel who works for Eurosport France posted an article this morning with the headline "should clumsy Rog fear the gravel roads?".

Maybe Moscon should go and make that journalist an offer he can't refuse.

 

[Red Rick]

I don't understand how hard it is to understand that you can go into a race not completely 100%, aim to get there, aim to win the race, while also aiming to be at the highest possible level in the Tour.

 

[Gratemans]

. He seems unusually relaxed before and after the races

I really feel that this is a thing created by the media. How is Roglic being relaxed before and after a race in any way unusual?

 

[Rackham]

There was a story about 2 years ago which detailed some of the differences between Rog and Evenepoel during their altitude prep for the 2023 Giro. Namely the fact Rig apparently did far less. Like seriously fewer hours and fewer harder rides.

So based on how he's raced GT's in recent years I mean it's pretty logical IMO to assume that he's probably aiming for a week 3 peak on Finestre.

 

[Cycling111]

I see Tom Danielson on X is speculating that Rog is riding the Giro as training for the Tour. That's a take, I guess.

Meanwhile some infidel who works for Eurosport France posted an article this morning with the headline "should clumsy Rog fear the gravel roads?".

Maybe Moscon should go and make that journalist an offer he can't refuse.

For training, Bora doesn't take this team to the Giro.

And a Giro isn't the best thing before a Tour. It's not training, it's an added difficult for TDF.

Until last year, everyone said that doing Giro-Tour was difficult. Now, suddenly, it's a training session because Pogacar won it.
They've gone from seeing it as difficult to underestimating it.

No, Giro was never a training session for the Tour. Everyone who has won Giro-Tour has been very dominant in their prime.

 

[Red Rick]

For training, Bora doesn't take this team to the Giro.

And a Giro isn't the best thing before a Tour. It's not training, it's an added difficult for TDF.

Until last year, everyone said that doing Giro-Tour was difficult. Now, suddenly, it's a training session because Pogacar won it.
They've gone from seeing it as difficult to underestimating it.

No, Giro was never a training session for the Tour. Everyone who has won Giro-Tour has been very dominant in their prime.

The difficulty was always overestimated because no TdF favorites would even touch it, between Pantani and Contador, and Contador, at his best, cakewalked the hardest Giro this century and could have won that Tour without crashes and starting 1'40 back for no reason

 

[tobydawq]

I don't understand how hard it is to understand that you can go into a race not completely 100%, aim to get there, aim to win the race, while also aiming to be at the highest possible level in the Tour.

I think it might be a combination of silly accordion playing and not even trying to follow an attack by Ayuso due to inattentiveness that might suggest he is not mentally 100%. But it might be a choice for later in the race (I certainly don't think he won't go fully for it in the third week).

 

[QueenStagiaire]

I think it might be a combination of silly xylophone playing and not even trying to follow an attack by Ayuso due to inattentiveness that might suggest he is not mentally 100%. But it might be a choice for later in the race (I certainly don't think he won't go fully for it in the third week).

When did he play a xylophone?