Pro Cycling Thread

[Matteh]

How often do break aways like these actually work out for the riders involved? i mean, i don't think i've ever seen one work, maybe only once or twice at best, so whats the point?

Get their face some airtime, gets their team some airtime, can pick up the most combatant points, break on the offchance that it'll work (Oscar Pereiro anyone?), a breakaway usually picks up most the sprint/mountain points/time bonuses as well.

[Matteh]

Results so far

Mathew Mitchell - 57 pts (22nd place)
Håkon Mørk - 48 pts (184th place)
Neil Pickup - 43 pts (285th place)
Manjunath Reddlapalli - 39 pts (340th place)
Craig Walsh - 33 pts (424th Place)
Greg Thomas - 32 pts (437th Place)
Jeff Rangers - 24 pts (514th place)

Gun.

[JBMAC]

How often do break aways like these actually work out for the riders involved? i mean, i don't think i've ever seen one work, maybe only once or twice at best, so whats the point?

The last of Armstrong race....his final...it was in the mountains and both Hincapie and Martinez broke away like this and each won that particular stage.

[Matteh]

Cancellara did pretty well there. Went at exactly the right moment to catch the breakaway and beat the sprinters.

[BoyBrumby]

Yeah England is such a parochial little island isn't it? I can't stand it sometimes, the whole nation is run by ignorant, xenophobic Daily Mail readers. But you musn't think we are all like that. I mean I support whoever I like regardless of nationality and I think most people do. Such behaviour tends to be confined to the right-wing press.

The crowds have been really impressive. I normally make contributions to Tour threads but since this particular thread started I am going to look like a five-minute fan. Maybe I am, but I do love the Tour, ever since 1994 (when I was 8) I've watched it.

Speaking of the Daily Mail, I don't read it, but saw this in Richard Williams's column in today's Guardain. Link:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/20..._their_pa.html

Millar's tell-tale sorrow

The Daily Mail outdid itself on Saturday, welcoming the Tour de France to London by "exposing" Robert Millar, the Scot who won the King of the Mountains jersey in 1984 and now lives quietly in an English village, apparently as a woman. It's an old story - or at least an old rumour - and contributed the only sour note to an otherwise astonishingly enjoyable weekend for sport. Millar, the only Briton to finish a Tour in a winning jersey of any colour, is an authentic hero with the right to live the rest of his life as he pleases. The Mail is a rag.

Obviously it's Millar's right to live however he pleases, but I nearly dropped my lunchtime pint when I read it! Can't help but wonder if the drugs he used during his cycling career have had any affect. IIRC he was pinged for excess testosterone once upon a time.

[Matteh]

Speaking of the Daily Mail, I don't read it, but saw this in Richard Williams's column in today's Guardain. Link:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/20..._their_pa.html

Millar's tell-tale sorrow

The Daily Mail outdid itself on Saturday, welcoming the Tour de France to London by "exposing" Robert Millar, the Scot who won the King of the Mountains jersey in 1984 and now lives quietly in an English village, apparently as a woman. It's an old story - or at least an old rumour - and contributed the only sour note to an otherwise astonishingly enjoyable weekend for sport. Millar, the only Briton to finish a Tour in a winning jersey of any colour, is an authentic hero with the right to live the rest of his life as he pleases. The Mail is a rag.

Obviously it's Millar's right to live however he pleases, but I nearly dropped my lunchtime pint when I read it! Can't help but wonder if the drugs he used during his cycling career have had any affect. IIRC he was pinged for excess testosterone once upon a time.

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1064202007

The Scotsman rehashed the Daily Mail article, but what interests me is the comments on it. Everyone is disgusted that it was printed, given that it's fairly needless.

What i find most suprising about Robert Millar is that he's no relation to David Millar.

[Craig]

How often do break aways like these actually work out for the riders involved? i mean, i don't think i've ever seen one work, maybe only once or twice at best, so whats the point?

Get their face some airtime, gets their team some airtime, can pick up the most combatant points, break on the offchance that it'll work (Oscar Pereiro anyone?), a breakaway usually picks up most the sprint/mountain points/time bonuses as well.

As Mitchell said and you never know what could happen. This break nearly succeded but as typical nobody is going to help anybody, and why would you? Why do a big long turn on the front and only for the rest of the break to go past you and get the win? If there were two guys from the one team in a break then it is a different story, but not if it is four rival teams. There are some guys who base their whole careers on being in random crazy breakaway attempts, Jacky Durand being the most notable one. And besides it is an unwritten rule for a smaller team to send guys up the road anyway.

Fair play to Cancellara though, deadset his tighs must be bigger then your average flyweight Spanish climber.

[Matteh]

As Mitchell said and you never know what could happen. This break nearly succeded but as typical nobody is going to help anybody, and why would you? Why do a big long turn on the front and only for the rest of the break to go past you and get the win? If there were two guys from the one team in a break then it is a different story, but not if it is four rival teams. There are some guys who base their whole careers on being in random crazy breakaway attempts, Jacky Durand being the most notable one. And besides it is an unwritten rule for a smaller team to send guys up the road anyway.

Fair play to Cancellara though, deadset his tighs must be bigger then your average flyweight Spanish climber.

But obviously too big to make him a decent climber for some reason. Astana haven't done much this week, but as soon as we hit the Alps i expect them to make their presence felt much greater.

[Matteh]

After Stage 3:

Håkon Mørk 106 (71st) [58]
Mathew Mitchell 100 (129th) [43]
Neil Pickup 100 (129th) [58]
Manjunath Reddlapalli 80 (316th) [41]
Craig Walsh 70 (405th) [37]
Greg Thomas 64 (448th) [32]
Jeff Rangers 46 (534th) [22]

First number - Total points
Second number - Overall Rank
Third number - Points earned into today's stage.

[alternative]

Good thing i looked at this thread before updating the scores.

[Craig]

After Stage 3:

Håkon Mørk 106 (71st) [58]
Mathew Mitchell 100 (129th) [43]
Neil Pickup 100 (129th) [58]
Manjunath Reddlapalli 80 (316th) [41]
Craig Walsh 70 (405th) [37]
Greg Thomas 64 (448th) [32]
Jeff Rangers 46 (534th) [22]

First number - Total points
Second number - Overall Rank
Third number - Points earned into today's stage.

No concerned just yet though. Although if Boonen or McEwen win it will be handy for me. My lot should come into fore during the Alps, and Pyrennes.

[thewizard1o1]

As Mitchell said and you never know what could happen. This break nearly succeded but as typical nobody is going to help anybody, and why would you? Why do a big long turn on the front and only for the rest of the break to go past you and get the win? If there were two guys from the one team in a break then it is a different story, but not if it is four rival teams. There are some guys who base their whole careers on being in random crazy breakaway attempts, Jacky Durand being the most notable one. And besides it is an unwritten rule for a smaller team to send guys up the road anyway.

Fair play to Cancellara though, deadset his tighs must be bigger then your average flyweight Spanish climber.

It reminded my of the good old CM4 days (just riding away from the front of the bunch at the end of the stage .

Would it be fair to say that Cancellara is some what similar to pre cancer lance? (in terms of body size and shape as well as favourite terrain...)

[Johnners]

As Mitchell said and you never know what could happen. This break nearly succeded but as typical nobody is going to help anybody, and why would you? Why do a big long turn on the front and only for the rest of the break to go past you and get the win? If there were two guys from the one team in a break then it is a different story, but not if it is four rival teams. There are some guys who base their whole careers on being in random crazy breakaway attempts, Jacky Durand being the most notable one. And besides it is an unwritten rule for a smaller team to send guys up the road anyway.

Fair play to Cancellara though, deadset his tighs must be bigger then your average flyweight Spanish climber.

Thought he was Swiss?

[Craig]

Thought he was Swiss?

He is.

Spain has a history of producing climbers (since there are a lot of mountains there) and then not weighting a great deal.

[Matteh]

No concerned just yet though. Although if Boonen or McEwen win it will be handy for me. My lot should come into fore during the Alps, and Pyrennes.

Did notice that your team wasn't quite as sprinter friendly as mine. Thinking Haakon will struggle in the mountains given that he has 8 out of the 15 as sprinters.