World Championship 2025: Men’s RR, September 28

[Devil's Elbow]

Where are you lot getting these viewing figures? I've seen this claim repeated many times on many different threads, I would be interested to see this and have asked several times on here.

As far as I know international numbers are down, the only ones I've seen on this forum are ones posted from France TV. They only measure audience numbers for that particular channel in a country where cycling viewership is at all all time high.

The go-to source for this is Daam van Reeth, a professor at the University of Leuven who compiles the viewership numbers for the main markets (where available) and compares to the rolling five-year average. At the Tour, audience figures were stagnant to decreasing everywhere except for Germany for obvious reasons. Which is especially worrying because typically competition for attention with the Worlds/Euros and the Olympics means numbers are a bit better in odd-numbered years (this is a big part of why numbers in France in particular were way down in 2024, with the Olympics being at home and the national team making it to the Euros final).

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Skujins is the Miroslav Klose of cycling.

He‘s gonna become world champion?

 

[gavia88]

I've never had more fun watching cycling these past 6 years. The late 2000s by contrast feel like some dark nightmare I never want to experience again.

I agree!

It understandable that after a while the Pog domination (and if he's not there MvdP, Vingegaard and Evenepoel are still there to win the race) get predictable and less exciting. But we should absolutely, I repeat we should absolutely not forget how boring cycling was during a lot of races between 1998 and 2020. Valverde winning classics in races in which everybody was waiting for the last possible hill to try something. Very controlled racing. Team liders were supposed to hide themselfes as long as possible. Doing something without the last 25 k was considered something suicidal. Grand Tours didn't had any attacks until the last 5k on uphill finishes. Attacking earlier was impossible (extreme control by US Postal, Sky) or considered impossible. While those teams US Postal and Sky mostly road very defensively. And the Tour only existed out 5 decisive (mountain and/or TT) stages ohter than that multiple sprint stages in a row (sometimes the whole first week) and a few transfer stages. Baraly entertaining hilly finals or dangerous Medium Mountains. World championships? You only had to start watching in the last 2 laps. The only acceptions were the cobble classic in that area. But even there some stars of the area prefered to ride conservatively even in Paris-Roubaix. Van Petegem really waited till Carefour de l'Arbre before he really tried an all out attack. Yes, maybe some finals had more tension. But personally that tension was not worth it, if the race before had been a snoozefest.

Even the domination gets predicatable at the current area, the races themselfes are still so much more entertaining nowadays, that I still prefere this domination over the racing earlier this century.

 

[Red Rick]

If everyone is riding solo and everything is just gaps getting bigger, is anyone really doing anything?

 

[AmRacer]

If everyone is riding solo and everything is just gaps getting bigger, is anyone really doing anything?

You can always follow wheels and attack the last kms.

 

[Rob5091]

When a race becomes a parade it's no longer a race.

 

[Brullnux]

The go-to source for this is Daam van Reeth, a professor at the University of Leuven who compiles the viewership numbers for the main markets (where available) and compares to the rolling five-year average. At the Tour, audience figures were stagnant to decreasing everywhere except for Germany for obvious reasons. Which is especially worrying because typically competition for attention with the Worlds/Euros and the Olympics means numbers are a bit better in odd-numbered years (this is a big part of why numbers in France in particular were way down in 2024, with the Olympics being at home and the national team making it to the Euros final).

Is there data for non-Tour?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

He‘s gonna become world champion?

I'd like to see him perform a celebratory somersault when he wins a race.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

There was one symbolic moment during the race highlighting the UAE dynamics we talked about a lot this year. Del Toro attacking hard, dropping Ayuso and with Pogacar staying on his wheel.

 

[Leinster]

Skujins is the Miroslav Klose of cycling.

Trek are wasting him carrying water for plodders like Ciccone, Milan and Pedersen.

 

[Breh]

I agree!

On top of that, there are still plenty of races without the aliens.

The aliens only ruined 1 Giro since 2020 and the others were an absolutely grueling watch.

The spring classics are still good fun except for Strade and LBL but the latter has rarely been very entertaining.

If Pog doesn't exist then Vingegaard would make the Tour just as dull as the gap between Vinge and the rest is bigger than the gap between Vinge and Pog.

Pog and Vinge didn't feature in any 1week race so you can't blame them for that.

 

[search]

Skuijns claims he won the 70+ kg championships, by the way. Not sure @Red Rick agrees

'I think I’m the world champ in the 70 kilos plus category' - Skujins takes pride in fifth at Worlds

Toms Skujinš left Kigali with mixed emotions after finishing fifth at the World Championships road race. The Latvian had set his sights on a medal, but on…

www.domestiquecycling.com

 

[hayneplane]

On top of that, there are still plenty of races without the aliens.

The aliens only ruined 1 Giro since 2020 and the others were an absolutely grueling watch.

The spring classics are still good fun except for Strade and LBL but the latter has rarely been very entertaining.

If Pog doesn't exist then Vingegaard would make the Tour just as dull as the gap between Vinge and the rest is bigger than the gap between Vinge and Pog.

Pog and Vinge didn't feature in any 1week race so you can't blame them for that.

Strade is still awesome simply due to the parcours and stunning scenery with the iconic final as well.

We haven’t had a really good Giro this decade although, even with all the covid quirks, 2020 delivered some memorable action like Jai Hindley vs his rain jacket on the Stelvio!

 

[Peyroteo94]

For those who don't know, Thymen said (before the race) these Worlds were perfect to him because it was a long and attritional race.

“It’s a bit much” – Thymen Arensman believes brutal world championships course was too difficult

Tadej Pogacar secured back-to-back victories at the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, confirming once again his status as the best rider in the world, if not of all time. Behind him, Dutch leade...

cyclinguptodate.com

 

[Brullnux]

On top of that, there are still plenty of races without the aliens.

The aliens only ruined 1 Giro since 2020 and the others were an absolutely grueling watch.

I don't think this year's Giro was dull at all.

 

[Oldman]

Trek are wasting him carrying water for plodders like Ciccone, Milan and Pedersen.

Skujins is definitely a hard man. He's managed to finish well in varied and somewhat tortuous WCships, classices and hard GT stages. I'm not sure they can afford to let him on his own agenda based on the dollar$ going to the other 3 you mentioned.

 

[Red Rick]

Skuijns claims he won the 70+ kg championships, by the way. Not sure @Red Rick agrees

'I think I’m the world champ in the 70 kilos plus category' - Skujins takes pride in fifth at Worlds

Toms Skujinš left Kigali with mixed emotions after finishing fifth at the World Championships road race. The Latvian had set his sights on a medal, but on…

www.domestiquecycling.com

I agree, gravity is weaker around the equator, so Evenepoel would definitely have been under.

 

[KenFiamingo]

I agree, gravity is weaker around the equator, so Evenepoel would definitely have been under.

If gravity is weaker, then how could Remco's saddle drop??

 

[Red Rick]

If gravity is weaker, then how could Remco's saddle drop??

It only dropped inside his own noggin

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I agree, gravity is weaker around the equator, so Evenepoel would definitely have been under.

Even in zero gravity, he would still consist of the same amount of matter, so still the same number of kg.

{/sometime science teacher mode]

 

[Red Rick]

Even in zero gravity, he would still consist of the same amount of matter, so still the same number of kg.

{/sometime science teacher mode]

Perhaps we need to ask Skujins if he was talking about weight or mass.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

If he said 70kg, he was talking about mass. Whether he knew it or not.

 

[ChasingPotatoes]

do you really pronounce it 'sex ass' ?

View: https://youtu.be/-PMIw85MPJs?si=j7INmWuI3kZueq5x


2:20

I was wrong. It’s say ksas (so with hard K)

 

[Peyroteo94]

View: https://youtu.be/-PMIw85MPJs?si=j7INmWuI3kZueq5x


2:20

I was wrong. It’s say ksas (so with hard K)

No. It's "Say" "chas" (ch of chewing). She is not saying it correctly.

 

[tobydawq]

No. It's "Say" "chas" (ch of chewing). She is not saying it correctly.

I don't think many people outside Portugal pronounce household names like Ronaldo or Fernandes correctly because it just sounds too weird to ears from other countries. And to expect that a Frenchman with a Portuguese name should have his name pronounced the Portuguese way is expecting too much.