Tirreno-Adriatico, March 7-13, 2.UWT

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Ah so you now only need 4 to cross the line? Presumably that's a consequence of reducing the team sizes. Is it 4 at GT's now too?

It has always been four in non Grand Tours (and yes, I think I have read that it will also be four in GTs from now).

I don't think it has always been four in non Grand Tours. Not only I rembember that you needed 5 riders but I just went and checked T-A GC from previous years after stage 1. No team is classified with fewer than 5 riders with the same time.

I think the number of riders needed to make a time in TTTs is based on the following formula: you divide the maximum number of riders allowed per team by 2 and then you round it up if it is a fraction or add 1 if it is a full number. In other words the number of riders that crosses the line has to be bigger (and not equal!) than 50% of the number of riders that is allowed per team to field during the race.
So for races with 9 and 8 men teams (like pretty much every WT race before this year) the number is 5 and for races with 7 and 6 men teams (like the WC TTT in previous years) the number is 4. Not sure if it is written exactly like that in rules but I have not seen an exception of this in any race.

Hmm, I can see that you're correct about previous TA TTTs. I must have confused it with the Worlds TTT.

 

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

Re:

Sky absolutely smashed Movistar, I have a hard time seeing them throwing this race.

Yes, they were smashed by half of the all teams.

 

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

Re:

Yeah Movistar nothing special today... but the wind conditions were not good at the very beginning. But still strange that they can't beat teams like EF Drapac or UAE...

Wind conditions were the same for Movistar and Sky

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I’d be concerned for Movistar if that was their Tour team, but it mostly isnt

 

[Jungle Cycle]

Re:

I’d be concerned for Movistar if that was their Tour team, but it mostly isnt

Same with Bahrain.. even with the Izaguirre`s...

 

[Climbing]

Yeah TdF TTT will be devastating for some teams, it’s way way too long.

 

[johnymax]

I'm always amazed how some teams perform way better in TTTs than the strength of their single parts (riders) would suggest. Sure BMC were the favourites, but if you look at Mitchelton-Scott and QS Floors, they had no business almost matching Sky's time or even beating them. That's why I usually don't mind TTTs in stage races if there is enough terrain in other stages to make up the time lost.
Also UAE did pretty well all things considered, while Movistar and LottoNL-Jumbo both with very poor performances.

 

[Laplaz]

Foliforov in the break, the hype is on.

 

[Rollthedice]

Re: Re:

I’d be concerned for Movistar if that was their Tour team, but it mostly isnt

Same with Bahrain.. even with the Izaguirre`s...

I am not concerned at all for Bahrain TTT in Le Tour.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

I'm always amazed how some teams perform way better in TTTs than the strength of their single parts (riders) would suggest. Sure BMC were the favourites, but if you look at Mitchelton-Scott and QS Floors, they had no business almost matching Sky's time or even beating them. That's why I usually don't mind TTTs in stage races if there is enough terrain in other stages to make up the time lost.
Also UAE did pretty well all things considered, while Movistar and LottoNL-Jumbo both with very poor performances.

QS Floors is the biggest example. In an individual TT they usually are not as good. And that is probably because most of the riders are saving energy. But when there is a TTT usually comes early, then they are fighting for position and they are one of the best. Other teams could be a similar situations for different reasons.

 

[rick james]

Out for a coffee ride it seems

 

[rick james]

Daft route

 

[rick james]

I'll be shocked if we don't have crashes on these last 2 laps

 

[rick james]

Big f*cking crash

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Re:

I'll be shocked if we don't have crashes on these last 2 laps

you got it right

 

[rick james]

Can't see dawg with the first group

 

[Laplaz]

Adam Yates is not in the first group apparently, the rest of the big guns should be there.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Re:

Big f*cking crash

hoped this would happen less with 7 men a team...

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Re:

Adam Yates is not in the first group apparently, the rest of the big guns should be there.

RAI confrim the Adam Yates was in the crash

 

[DNP-Old]

Re: Re:

Adam Yates is not in the first group apparently, the rest of the big guns should be there.

RAI confrim the Adam Yates was in the crash

Nice
That will teach him to stop sitting in the back all of the time

Shameless.

 

[Laplaz]

Kittel finally

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Kittel returns to normal service

 

[Cance > TheRest]

That was one hell of a strong sprint from Kittel. They just could not get past him

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

Kwiat bumping and barging in that sprint...

 

[LosBrolin]

Great leadout by Katusha, made it so much easier for Kittel. Usually they've been hitting to the front a bit too soon (early season), but seemed perfect this time.