UAE Tour 2021, February 21 - February 27

[Lequack]

Very weird racing today.

 

[King Boonen]

Looks like they're desperate to shut down any splits in the bunch.

 

[wheresmybrakes]

More eschelon attemps? Gap is just 2 minutes now.

Don't tell koronin! Sshhhhh!

 

[WKA311]

I love the efforts, guys, but you all know it's pointless so why keep arguing?

Back to racing, I'm glad Higuita rode a solid ITT. Hopefully this means he's back to 100% after his crashes in the second part of 2020, which effectively ruined his season.
Buchmann also looks ok.
I'm a bit disappointed with Arensman's performance, but perhaps he's planning to peak later in the year.

It has since been deleted by Arensman but he wrote a bit about the ITT on his Strava upload yesterday. Apparently DSM seem to either have trouble with acquiring their ITT materials in time or they didn't bring them to UAE for everyone. Arensman didn't have aero overshoes/socks, he didn't have TT wheels (just normal road wheelsets) and had no training on the new TT bike so far. Thus struggling with position and power.

Looking at a picture from Arndt, he did have wheelsets and at least socks. Can only assume that DSM have had problems with acquiring material in time for the first races due to Covid (theres been a few comments from teams who struggled with that over winter) and they had to make decisions on who would race with material and go for a result.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I learned yesterday in the Tour du Var thread, that neck problems don't actually have to occur in your neck.
Now I'm wondering about where my nakheel is located.

25°03′16″N 55°07′53″E

 

[Lequack]

Ganna and Pogacar chatting away.

 

[Lequack]

The scared away the animals

The camels don't mind though

An ibex decided to poop

 

[sir fly]

Here we go again...

I wonder if desert peoples have as many names for the sand as Eskimos have for the snow.

 

[BlueRoads]

I love that AG2R kit and their bike so much.

 

[Lequack]

Chris Froome suffering at the back. But then again that's how Froome looks when climbing.
Lutsenko dropped as well.

 

[tobydawq]

I love the Anthony Roux train. Without echelons we wouldn't see that.

 

[tobydawq]

Froome outlasts Valverde.

 

[Lequack]

Valverde also being dropped. These really are different times, I remember when Valverde was the man to beat on this climb.

 

[Lequack]

PS: Valverde overtook Froome again!

 

[jarvo]

Adam Yates doesn't look like he is even sweating yet

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Froome has found himself a comrade in Konrad.

 

[Lequack]

Ineos on the attack now, all Pogacar's helpers gone.

 

[luckyboy]

Wonder if ISN will get anything from the millions they're paying Froome

 

[Lequack]

Froome has found himself a comrade in Konrad.

Konrade.

 

[Lequack]

Yates looks like he will about to go thermonuclear again. Kusss looking really good as well.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

How far behind Almeida is Masnada this time?

 

[Lequack]

The three amigos are away.
Meanwhile a strong attack by Yates dropped Kess.

 

[jarvo]

Pog is holding him but looks more pained

 

[Samu Cuenca]

The three amigos are away.

And then they were two...

 

[tobydawq]

Stork? Huh?