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Tour Down Under 2025 - Men's (Jan. 21-26)

Page 10 - Get up to date with the latest news, scores & standings from the Cycling News Community.
Punishing riders for the actions for their teammates comes with a whole new set of problems, but it's clear that the current yellow card system is far too lenient to deter leadouts from this kind of move. Three offences in one month almost never happens and even if it does, a week's suspension is minimal. It's like saying you only get a suspension in football if you get multiple reds in the same month, that never happens either.
 
Punishing riders for the actions for their teammates comes with a whole new set of problems, but it's clear that the current yellow card system is far too lenient to deter leadouts from this kind of move. Three offences in one month almost never happens and even if it does, a week's suspension is minimal. It's like saying you only get a suspension in football if you get multiple reds in the same month, that never happens either.

Well, in Football you still have yellows though. And they work on a similar basis.

Maybe cycling should implement yellow-red card system and everything that's deemed too dangerous should be punished with a straight red, meaning an instant DSQ.
And I don't think you can go with only a red card system either as anything on the first stage of a GT which is borderline red but still punished with a red, would have a long-term implications over the GT and not just a game or 2, like in football.
 
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There should be a rule that the entire team gets moved to last place in an incident like this.

Van Poppel looks over his shoulder and clearly does it on purpose. Just filthy from Bora.
That might be a bit harsh, but a DQ from the rest of the stages would be a meaningful sanction with an effect on Welsford, within the context of the race, for this.

Punishing riders for the actions for their teammates comes with a whole new set of problems, but it's clear that the current yellow card system is far too lenient to deter leadouts from this kind of move. Three offences in one month almost never happens and even if it does, a week's suspension is minimal. It's like saying you only get a suspension in football if you get multiple reds in the same month, that never happens either.
It's not only 3 in a month (and that would be 14 days, not 7): 2 in a race (7 day ban) or 6 in 12 months (I think that is a rolling 12 months rather than a calendar year, and triggers 30 day suspension).

But if he does something to deliberately get a card on the final stage (DQ from a race that is finishing, 7 day ban when he wouldn't have been racing anyway, and elimination of today's card from his record) then we know that they are playing the system. How cynical is his team manager willing to be?

The system definitely has flaws: van Poppel is far better off breaking the rules on Sunday than riding legally.
 
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Well, in Football you still have yellows though. And they work on a similar basis.

Maybe cycling should implement yellow-red card system and everything that's deemed too dangerous should be punished with a straight red, meaning an instant DSQ.
And I don't think you can go with only a red card system either as anything on the first stage of a GT which is borderline red but still punished with a red, would have a long-term implications over the GT and not just a game or 2, like in football.

I don't think what Van Poppel did was too dangerous, it was just cheating basically.
 
Well, in Football you still have yellows though. And they work on a similar basis.

Maybe cycling should implement yellow-red card system and everything that's deemed too dangerous should be punished with a straight red, meaning an instant DSQ.
And I don't think you can go with only a red card system either as anything on the first stage of a GT which is borderline red but still punished with a red, would have a long-term implications over the GT and not just a game or 2, like in football.
There are DQs, sometimes applied before the end of the race/stage in question.
 
There's clear flaws in the yellow/red card system but it's a start. I can see the accumulation of yellows being a good thing longer-term - probably needs to be tighter than the current rules but again that could always be tweaked.

Leadout penalties should probably be harsher, although I do get frustrated when people seem to think the leadout riders should just evaporate when they peel off - they do have to go somewhere and on some finishes it's not easy. However, DVPs is a straight-red if we're honest, lots of room to get out the way and no need to swing into the line.
 
did Phil Ligget die and really shitty AI is impersonating him?
He can't be well. He is soooo monotone
brutal
Liggett just about lulled me to sleep with his ASMR voice... I mean, there wasn't much going on till the final sprint after the break was caught but still, it was a battle to stay awake with the way he was commentating.
...

Final sprint controversy aside I have to say I'm really enjoying the podium ceremony. The atmosphere is fun and the flower bouquets are just lovely (I want the blue one!)... speaking of bouquets, Welsford tried to toss his into the crowd but it went into the ceiling instead. So then it was raining flower petals - it was pretty funny but he took the slight embarrassment like a champ. (He didn't try to toss the next one into the crowd. :tearsofjoy:)
 
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Do they not ride Corkscrew Hill anymore?
Not this time around, but they'll be climbing Willunga Hill twice in stage 5. And today they're supposed to be trying out Knotts Hill for the very first time. Speaking of today...

For fans of maps here's the upcoming stage 3 map, as aforementioned, Knotts Hill is making its debut but for some reason it's not highlighted on the stage map or stage profile. So I don't know where it is. lol! And it's supposed to be about 23C - 27C depending on which weather site you check.

 
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Not this time around, but they'll be climbing Willunga Hill twice in stage 5. And today they're supposed to be trying out Knotts Hill for the very first time. Speaking of today...

For fans of maps here's today's stage 3 map, as aforementioned, Knotts Hill is making its debut but for some reason it's not highlighted on the stage map or stage profile. lol! And it's supposed to be about 23C - 27C depending on which weather site you check.


Knotts Hill and Pound Reserve are different names for the same climb. I don't know why PCS/LFR aren't using the same name as the organiser.
 
It's about 7am in my area right now and coverage will start later at 4:30pm, so for me it's today, Jan. 22. For the Aussies it'll be Jan. 23.(Aussie time zones mess with my head, the usual European race CET times not so much.)

I thought you were somewhere in South East Asia...

So, you'll be watching stage 3, which takes place on the 23rd in Australia, on the 22nd where you are?