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2019 Pro Cycling: Valverde's Magical Mystery Tour of Spain and Italy (but not France)


G650

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15 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Movistar is a mess. Quintana is leaving (according to his father) so Landa and Valverde can supply the entertainment next year.

 

Since I don't spend any time watching the other races (although I occasionally look for results), I got to thinking about last year because every year there is a wonderkind in the mountains. One year it was Bardet, another Quintana, Bernal had been touted but there was that former ski jumper. I went and looked him up Roglic(?) They left him off the Jumbo team in France to support Kruisjwik as the GC rider, but for you that have in depth knowledge regarding strategy, was it to let him rest? The Jumbo team look very strong as a unit, but that kid was crazy last year.

I wish Richie Porte had a better year. That crash he suffered a couple of years ago was unforgettable.

How many more green jerseys for Peter?

Roglic just podiumed the Giro (y u no watch the best event in the calendar)

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39 minutes ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

I went and looked him up Roglic(?) They left him off the Jumbo team in France to support Kruisjwik as the GC rider, but for you that have in depth knowledge regarding strategy, was it to let him rest

Yes. He was originally slated to ride the Tour but was significantly more fatigued after the Giro than he anticipated. 

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1 minute ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

I have cable. Is it on cable?

They should put him on the team next year. He was fun to watch. At the very least, he seemed to give Sky/Ineos fits. I don't mind Ineos/Sky all that much, but it has been nice to see a little more parity this year for most of the stages.

He will most likely be the leader for the Tour next year, depending on what goes down with the Dumoulin transfer 

 

Edit: Also, VPN + Eurosport. Hell with cable.

Edited by G650
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29 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

Valverde will be 57 years old next year, so movistar will finally have 1 clear leader and they'll actually fare better for it.

In 2057 Valverde will be a superdomestique for Valverde III

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1 hour ago, G650 said:

He will most likely be the leader for the Tour next year, depending on what goes down with the Dumoulin transfer 

 

Edit: Also, VPN + Eurosport. Hell with cable.

Thanks! Perhaps I should look into that. One of my teens is a computer minded tech so I should put him to work on that.

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I feel like Quintana could have won this tour if his team supported him.

I’m an amateur but I was hoping for NQ for the last week.

F landa, and Movistar.

Am I alone? Missing something?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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13 hours ago, CoTex said:

I feel like Quintana could have won this tour if his team supported him

I love me some Nairoman, but his form just wasn't there, regardless of Movistar idiocy. 

 

 

Meanwhile, on the Dan Martin front, apparently something going on with Team UAE nutrition affecting whole team.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/dan-martin-raises-questions-over-team-prep-after-disappointing-tour-de-france/

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14 hours ago, CoTex said:

I feel like Quintana could have won this tour if his team supported him.

I’m an amateur but I was hoping for NQ for the last week.

F landa, and Movistar.

Am I alone? Missing something?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Being on a team that has no idea what it is doing doesn't help.  From my perspective, Quintana often seems clueless about where he is supposed to be.  Also, I don't know if it is a lack of mental toughness or bad doping, but he has clearly given up on several stages in the past.  That does not exactly make teammates want to work for you.   

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Movistar did not have a very good team time trial, so that didn't help but Quintana had a slow start in the early stages and didn't seem to have a great Pyrenees section. I cannot recall if he was in the group that got split on one of the stages-the same stage that left Richie Porte and some other GC riders behind. That set quite a few riders back and they had to claw back time. Jumbo is looking more and more like a team to watch next year. In the days to come as contracts get sorted out, it will be interesting to see who lands where. I normally don't pay much attention until Tour time comes around, but I may watch a little more this year if I can carve out the time.

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1 minute ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

, but I may watch a little more this year if I can carve out the time

Please do. The Vuelta is up next, which truthfully I only half watch, but the season ends with probably my favorite race of the year, Il Lombardia.

 

I'll be in Como in a few weeks actually and can't wait to ride the Ghisallo and Sormano.

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Oh! I will write that down and look for it then.

 

That sounds like a wonderful time! Do you ship your bike there or just rent one? The cycling, the food, the scenery. Say 'hi' to George and Mrs. Clooney for me....

 

*There is a movie, I'm probably getting the name wrong but I think it was called "A Good Year"? I know it had Russell Crowe and Albert Finney in it. It wasn't a great great movie, but it wasn't bad either (I think my husband was half in love with the female costar: Marion Cotillard-she is ooo-la-la). Anyway, the scenery in that movie was just wonderful and both of us were like, "if we ever win the lottery/have some long lost fortune inherited, we are buying that house." And then I looked it up and it was contrived for the studio and doesn't exist. C'est la vie.

Have a great trip!

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I'm curious as well @G650.  Do you travel with your bike or rent one?  

I'm going to Vegas next summer and there's no way I'm not riding Red Rock.

BTW, there was a time when DirectTV had a shitload of channels that would show cycling.  Really, I only see it on NBCSN these days.  The couple of years I was able to watch Giro were awesome.  IIRC, Vuelta may be on the pay portion of NBCSN.

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4 hours ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Oh! I will write that down and look for it then.

 

That sounds like a wonderful time! Do you ship your bike there or just rent one? The cycling, the food, the scenery. Say 'hi' to George and Mrs. Clooney for me....

 

*There is a movie, I'm probably getting the name wrong but I think it was called "A Good Year"? I know it had Russell Crowe and Albert Finney in it. It wasn't a great great movie, but it wasn't bad either (I think my husband was half in love with the female costar: Marion Cotillard-she is ooo-la-la). Anyway, the scenery in that movie was just wonderful and both of us were like, "if we ever win the lottery/have some long lost fortune inherited, we are buying that house." And then I looked it up and it was contrived for the studio and doesn't exist. C'est la vie.

Have a great trip!

 

2 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

I'm curious as well @G650.  Do you travel with your bike or rent one?  

I'm going to Vegas next summer and there's no way I'm not riding Red Rock.

BTW, there was a time when DirectTV had a shitload of channels that would show cycling.  Really, I only see it on NBCSN these days.  The couple of years I was able to watch Giro were awesome.  IIRC, Vuelta may be on the pay portion of NBCSN.

 

Eh, it depends on a few factors. This trip there are local shops with nice Bianchi Infinitos for rent, and I'm only doing one or two days, so I'm on the fence. Next year in France I'm doing big days so 100% taking my bike.

I wouldn't hesitate to take your bike to Red Rock though, domestic is a breeze. 

 

TV in the states has gone way downhill tbh. Even NBC has maybe half the racing they used to. Gold is such a poor value proposition now.

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I love those Bianchi's.  Sadly, I have one in my shed that's about 4CMs too small for me to ride.  (I'm saving it for my 12 year-old.)  Three years ago, my Motobecane got stolen after a race.  A friend of mine called and said I could have his - the aforementioned Bianchi.  It's 52cm and I'm 6'.  I rode it for a couple of weeks before deciding I just couldn't make it fit/work.

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12 hours ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

I'm curious as well @G650.  Do you travel with your bike or rent one?  

I'm going to Vegas next summer and there's no way I'm not riding Red Rock.

BTW, there was a time when DirectTV had a shitload of channels that would show cycling.  Really, I only see it on NBCSN these days.  The couple of years I was able to watch Giro were awesome.  IIRC, Vuelta may be on the pay portion of NBCSN.

accept no substitue

 

515SizrLJoL._SX425_.jpg

 

(actually im really curious about these fuckers and always wanted to try one)

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1 hour ago, 52-80 said:

accept no substitue

 

515SizrLJoL._SX425_.jpg

 

(actually im really curious about these fuckers and always wanted to try one)

If you are built like a pro cyclist or teenage girl, they are great for tooling around town.  If you had aspirations of playing defensive tackle for the Horns, or if you are planning to retrace some of your favorite Tour stages, then ignore the allure of the portability, and pass. 

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On 7/29/2019 at 9:06 PM, Mrs Whiggins said:

I've seen them, but the tiny wheels remind me of toddler bicycles and how I could practically walk and keep up with them. In a flat tourist town/commuter city they might work, but I sense they would be more frustrating than not.

they are geared to compensate for the wheel size.  supposedly, they feel very similar to standard sized bike.  but id like to find out

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11 hours ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

I stayed in Oñati for two nights (Friday & Saturday) in May and saw the finish of a women’s four day race my only full day before going to San Sebastián on that Sunday and staying there for 4 nights, so this hits close to home. 

F234-C840-BA66-4-AD7-9935-22-D511-C74-F2

5-EB95-A44-A004-4-B76-B782-FF3-E2-E3771-

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12 hours ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Bumping this thread as a reminder that the Tour de France 2020 has been postponed until August and will now begin August 29 and end on September 20. Organizers say the route will be the same as originally planned.

I guess that's better than nothing.    As a teacher, I'm going to miss my July, TDF morning routine.

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I hear you. It was disappointing but at the same time, I was glad they were considering having it. Lot of time between now and then so we'll see. Will be weird but they probably won't have the crowds allowed on the mountainside in the same density. The riders might be relieved; at least the ones that usually get spit on, etc.

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So I watched the Lance 30 for 30. It could easily be called "Lance is still an asshole."

There are a few new pieces of news in there. Most of the stuff you already knew, but this adds a few new pieces. Including a good where are they now about some of the guys (like Floyd Landis who runs a CBD shop in Leadville, CO).

Still it's a good trip down memory lane.

Ep 1 is pretty much the standard stuff: Lance's upbringing, starting racing in his teens, doctoring his birth certificate so he can race in triathlons at 15, getting into cycling, winning the worlds, starting his PED use, cancer, the comeback, his failed cortisone test in the tour and it ends with him winning Tour #1.

Ep 2 picks up from there, Talks about the 2000 Tour, which leads into a discussion of Armstrong vs Ullrich, it follows up with the next few wins and how Lance flexed his muscle to have his way until his retirement. Then they talk about Landis and his win and subsequent ban. This leads into Lance's comeback and how that ended up not going well because it paved the way for Floyd to spill the beans on everyone and Lance's eventual ban from the sport.

As a whole, if it was meant to be a step in the Lance comeback tour of his name, it really doesn't help. Lance still comes off as a massive dick. My wife asked why he gets under my skin so much, and there is a clip during it when he says "My life could be worse. I could be Floyd Landis and wake up every day being a piece of shit" that nails it. He has some "woe is me" moments, but by then, you've seen him be a dick, so who cares? And he still isn't fully remorseful for what he's done.

In no surprise, his comeback in 2009 was what caused him to "get caught." What I didn't know was that just about everyone told him don't do it, as the press (and everyone else) would be coming for him. Clearly they were right.

Still, it's a good watch. Even if it is all bullshit, the reminder of the Tours between Lance and Ullrich are something else. 2000 was so epic. Recommended watch, it probably won't change your mind about Lance, but that ride was wild.

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On 6/14/2020 at 12:25 AM, Captain Ron said:

As a whole, if it was meant to be a step in the Lance comeback tour of his name, it really doesn't help.

I haven't seen it, mostly because I already know all the stuff that's in it, but my impression from the film maker is that it's not supposed to be a Lance rehab piece at all.

 

Edit: He is right though. Floyd is a massive piece of shit.

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Meh, that Floyd rolled on everyone - I don’t really care. They explained why and frankly if you’re going to be the a-hole lance was, I’m not sure what he expected.

Lance was offered a deal and didn’t take it. That’s on him.

Overall I will say it does fill in a few more gaps.

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15 hours ago, Captain Ron said:

Meh, that Floyd rolled on everyone - I don’t really care.

It's not that. He is just an emotionally crippled self absorbed piece of shit. He can't get over himself for 10 seconds. It's been the story of his life from when he snuck out of his house as a teenager. Perpetual victim in every situation and unable to control the slightest emotional impulse.

15 hours ago, tx ind said:

Why the hate for Floyd?

See above.

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