U23 races and talents

[WKA311]

I was wondering why Ramses Debruyne wasn't featuring in either Baby Giro or Course de la Paix U23. He's a climber/GC guy, so i'd have expected him there. Turns out he's been suffering with a knee injury for a while.


It's easy to oversee guys in this category, with guys like Ponomar, Brenner, Simmons, Van Wilder, Evenepoel and even Pogacar... all still being within the age bracket of U23 races.

Yeah, I read about Debruyne being injured. Hopefully he'll be back for the later season!

Lotto got De Lie at Giro though, he should be able to net them nice results. Only a 1st year U23 but should be good enough already to be prominent in flat/hilly stages.
The other guys I'm not that familiar with but according to a Directvelo interview they are all going for stages in different terrains. They haven't raced much, so might be coming in undercooked early in the race.

 

[Samamba]

De Lie basically has his pro contract with the WT team already in the bag being a Walloon. Might be the first one in a long time that can become more than a domestique tho. He's really strong and pretty fast. A typical classic rider.

DeBruyne is the other rider from LTS U23 that should have enough talent to make it to the pro ranks, but he is indeed injured.

 

[Walter1234]

I was wondering why Ramses Debruyne wasn't featuring in either Baby Giro or Course de la Paix U23. ...

Good to see how you keep your favorites under the attention ;-).

 

[Samamba]

First win for Ayuso today.
Colpack 1st, 2nd and 4th.

 

[WKA311]

Course de la Paix U23 Stage1:

1. Pavel Bittner
2. Wessel Krul
3. Jon Barrenetxea

This stage is often very open between groups staying ahead and bunch kicks. This time it was a bunch sprint of 80 guys. Bittner is having a really good start to his U23 career, especially for a DSM Devo guy. They often take their time. Behind him the usual names and no real surprise.
The only guy noteworthy for GC who lost time today was Michel Hessmann. But with him it was always a question if he'd go for GC or be stage hunter/super domestique here.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Course de la Paix U23 Stage1:

1. Pavel Bittner
2. Wessel Krul
3. Jon Barrenetxea

This stage is often very open between groups staying ahead and bunch kicks. This time it was a bunch sprint of 80 guys. Bittner is having a really good start to his U23 career, especially for a DSM Devo guy. They often take their time. Behind him the usual names and no real surprise.
The only guy noteworthy for GC who lost time today was Michel Hessmann. But with him it was always a question if he'd go for GC or be stage hunter/super domestique here.

Bittner has been a having good results for a while, no?

 

[WKA311]

Bittner has been a having good results for a while, no?

Yeah, he was a great junior. Very exciting talent for classics.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Pira lost almost 3min yesterday.
It's his first race in Europe and he only started cycling 2 years ago, so it's gonna be a learning experience.
That said, the numbers he did on the climbs at altitude in the Vuelta a Colombia were outstanding.

 

[Walter1234]

@Mayomaniac What is your reference for outstanding numbers?

 

[Mayomaniac]

@Mayomaniac What is your reference for outstanding numbers?

His Strava account, I'm gonna post some of his rides in the Vuelta a Colombia later.

 

[Walter1234]

His Strava account, I'm gonna post some of his rides in the Vuelta a Colombia later.

I meant more; as of which power (/kg)for what time do you call it outstanding numbers for a u23?

 

[Mayomaniac]

I meant more; as of which power (/kg)for what time do you call it outstanding numbers for a u23?

He put over 1min into everyone else on the Alto de la Linea in the Vuelta a Colombia.
He climbed the whole climb in 1H exactly: https://www.strava.com/activities/5163041068
The climb is 22.08km at 6.1%, a Vam of 1354 for an hour on a climb with a rather low average gradient that finished at just over 3,200m of altitude, that's a high level performance.

 

[RedheadDane]

Alessio Bonelli wins stage 3 in the Giro.

 

[Samamba]

Alessio Bonelli wins stage 3 in the Giro.

8 rider break made it, De Lie won bunch sprint. Ayusu still in butchered pink.

 

[RedheadDane]

8 rider break made it, De Lie won bunch sprint. Ayusu still in butchered pink.

Why is it butchered?

 

[Samamba]

Why is it butchered?

This is pink

This is butchered pink

 

[RedheadDane]

It's salmon coloured!

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Why is it butchered?

Butchered, as in more bloody, as in more red. OBVIOUSLY.

 

[RedheadDane]

Butchered, as in more bloody, as in more red. OBVIOUSLY.

Some of us have minds that don't immediately jump to blood and violence and gore!

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Sivakov really doesn't want to be there, while Hindley is giving it his best Joey Tribiani impression.

 

[RedheadDane]

Filippo Zana wins the second stage of Course de la Paix.

 

[Samamba]

Filippo Zana wins the second stage of Course de la Paix.

Was it out of a breakaway or did he just demolish everyone on Dloehe Strane?

EDIT: Oh it's the guy that already rode the Giro and was 7th in a stage. Explains a lot.

 

[railxmig]

Some of us have minds that don't immediately jump to blood and violence and gore!

I thought you were a Viking. But then you come from a country that did shalalalala. Not that my country is any better.

 

[RedheadDane]

EDIT: Oh it's the guy that already rode the Giro and was 7th in a stage. Explains a lot.

And I guess that brings us back to the frequent discussion about whether riders sometimes should be excluded from doing U23 races, despite technically being young enough. I'd say having done a whole GT (twice, in Zana's case) is definitely on the limit of when it's reasonable to do a U23 race right afterwards.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I thought you were a Viking. But then you come from a country that did shalalalala. Not that my country is any better.

Hey, we only did the original and not quite as irritating version of it! (but we did make some even worse songs during the 90s and early 2000s though)