Why did nobody spot VdPoel deviating quite severely from his line in the sprint? Should he not have been demoted?
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It could also use a mountain-stage with a valley finish.Swap one of the flat stages for Hatta Dam and this is slowly becoming a good race, parcours-wise.
All the big sprinters seem to be going as usual, though, so a lot of opportunities for them is not necessarily a bad thing.
It appears most of the GC teams decided that they had no shot at the podium so who cares about the other positions. I wouldn't be surprised with so many races already being moved a lot of riders decided they had no interest in using energy for what they likely see as no worthwhile results. Tomorrow I suspect there will be teams attempting to figure out what Ganna and maybe Pogacar's best time in peak condition is and figure out an approximate time you need to finish in to stay in the race and that's what the vast majority of riders will be doing. Basically tomorrow will be nothing but a glorified training session for most riders. At this rate I suspect most are going to take the entire rest of the race as a glorified training camp.
Why did nobody spot VdPoel deviating quite severely from his line in the sprint? Should he not have been demoted?
Hardly. In 2020 I would've bet the house he missed the first echelon on a day like that, it's impressive he made it. After a day like this it's not a normal sprint.
Looking at the numbers for Pogacar, it doesn't seem like it was a super hard stage.
But on further reflection, I would say that I was needlessly harsh on Viviani, so hopefully things only get better from here.
General misconception about the deviation rule there. You can change your line as long as it is not dangerous. He cleared everyone and there was nobody directly behind he could have endangered. Thus it is perfectly legal. Confusion, but that's the rule. It only matters once endangering others.Why did nobody spot VdPoel deviating quite severely from his line in the sprint? Should he not have been demoted?
That road looks like an emir's five-year-old was allowed to design it.Tomorrows ITT may be short and flat, but it's very twisty
That road looks like an emir's five-year-old was allowed to design it.
Well that's really how you want to look at it. Over 13k, that's really only 4 tighter turns and a few mild or short ones. I think even the tightest bend, central on the map might still be huge. This has twice the length of an average F1 circuit, so that should put the bends into perspective.Tomorrows ITT may be short and flat, but it's very twisty
Alpecin left the race. Covid Positive among the staff: https://www.wielerflits.nl/nieuws/mathieu-van-der-poel-en-alpecin-fenix-stappen-uit-uae-tour/
Well that's really how you want to look at it. Over 13k, that's really only 4 tighter turns and a few mild or short ones. I think even the tightest bend, central on the map might still be huge. This has twice the length of an average F1 circuit, so that should put the bends into perspective.