General racing chitchat

[MrsHJ]

Strade bianche! Love this day in the calendar, excellent races. Tempts me to go to Tuscany in tour and definitely to visit Sienna. Now for Paris Nice and Tirreno Adriatico. Photo from the Strade page- he seemed to have a spare tyre under his saddle!

[Jezrant]

Pidcock’s comments after Strade Bianche were a laff
https://youtu.be/IF3KxWJp2DQ
He would have been censored by the moderators on here.

[MrsHJ]

Milan San Remo I this weekend. It’s a good one to just tune in for thé last half hour of the race. Unless pogacar goes away with 80km to go like in Strade bianche.

[borisface]

Milan San Remo I this weekend. It’s a good one to just tune in for thé last half hour of the race. Unless pogacar goes away with 80km to go like in Strade bianche.

I tend to tune in for the crucial last 6 hours.

[Pendodave]

Milan San Remo I this weekend. It’s a good one to just tune in for thé last half hour of the race. Unless pogacar goes away with 80km to go like in Strade bianche.

I'm curious what he'll try, as what he's done before certainly hasn't worked.
The good thing about MSR is that despite (or maybe because of) the previous several hours, the last 20 minutes are always entertaining.

[mattheus]

Milan San Remo I this weekend. It’s a good one to just tune in for thé last half hour of the race. Unless pogacar goes away with 80km to go like in Strade bianche.

I'm curious what he'll try, as what he's done before certainly hasn't worked.
The good thing about MSR is that despite (or maybe because of) the previous several hours, the last 20 minutes are always entertaining.

Well, he tried to win a sprint finish this time, and he came pretty close!

I really admire his approach to TRYING to win these races that really don't play to his strengths. AND going for the Giro-Tour double this year - gotta love 'im!

[Pendodave]

Milan San Remo I this weekend. It’s a good one to just tune in for thé last half hour of the race. Unless pogacar goes away with 80km to go like in Strade bianche.

I'm curious what he'll try, as what he's done before certainly hasn't worked.
The good thing about MSR is that despite (or maybe because of) the previous several hours, the last 20 minutes are always entertaining.

Well, he tried to win a sprint finish this time, and he came pretty close!

I really admire his approach to TRYING to win these races that really don't play to his strengths. AND going for the Giro-Tour double this year - gotta love 'im!

Haha
Yep . really close.
Have to say, I thought it was a particularly good last 20 mins this time around. All sorts of people tried all sorts of stuff and the result was in the balance until the end.
I thought for a brief moment that pidcock might have got away, but there were two many 2 man teams working to reel him in and group 2 syndrome didn't really apply.
Looking forward to the next one.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Took the plunge last night and signed up for Discovery+.

I'm not greatly impressed at paying £6.99 a month and still getting very long advert breaks - GCN+ was cheaper and didn't have ads. That said, you can fast forward through them (on Apple TV at least), which makes them a bit pointless.

I wish they'd make more of an effort with their highlights "programmes". The Tour of Catalonia extended highlights were just the last hour of racing and some immediate post-finish wibbling. It'd be more interesting to have a few excerpts spliced together - and some post-race studio discussion in the bigger tours, though I suspect they don't do the Breakaway stuff for the lesser events.

The on-screen graphics were a bit lacking: no bottom-left identification of riders, just the time check in the top left. Suspect that's probably ASO's fault rather than Discovery's.

But it was a dramatic finish to the stage, the scenery was outstanding, and it's always entertaining to hear dear old Carlton Kirby again, even if he did manage to completely call the stage winner wrong.

[Pendodave]

Can't speak specifically for D+, as I use Eurosport, but I suspect the same applies...
For live coverage, there are 2 streams. One is "normal" with ads, the other is ad free. The commentary occasionally refers to the existence of both, so I imagine that a bit of digging around in D+ will reveal it.

I've never found the non-ad version of the highlights though. I wonder if it's because I normally watch them on catch-up rather than live.

Agree about highlight format. Although obviously it was perfect for MSR. I sometimes just use catch-up on the full coverage and ff through the quiet bits.

[VinceLedge]

Just got D+ - watched a couple of races on catch up - no adverts, seems just like it was on GCN +.
Are the highlights different?

[MrsHJ]

Just got D+ - watched a couple of races on catch up - no adverts, seems just like it was on GCN +.
Are the highlights different?

Yes, I think so. There is one stream that seems to pick up some adverts but not the live streams. So it’s better to watch the long version and just to skim it to the last 30km or so often to just see the end bits if I remember right.

So it’s just me that’s developed an addiction to “fixer to fabulous”? At least I’m not watching naked and afraid which is also somewhere on discovery plus!

[pjclinch]

I have written a cycle racing Haiku.

Marianne Vos
Has won another bike race
I am not surprised

A great race though shame about the car crash ahead shortening it, and of course major bummer for VL-a-B with Wout's list of injuries in the men's despite MJ winning.

Pete.

[Pendodave]

Going to indulge myself with some Flanders today.
Very sad that WVA is out, as it takes out at least one layer of intrigue.

I remember having a minor back and forth with someone a few months back about the perils of professional cycling. I retain the belief that it probably shouldn't be allowed, but I'm glad that it is!

[pjclinch]

No real surprise that MvdP disappeared off the front a bit out and won, bit impressive none the less, and the women's was a great race that turned in to a real humdinger all the way from the Koppenberg to the line.

LK unfortunately demonstrating that white shorts and rainy days on dirty roads are not a good combo...

Pete.

[borisface]

Enjoyable Flanders, no surprise about the winner but he still had to do it with all the pressure on him. A really noteworthy ride was Antonio Morgado in 5th in his first monument in his first WT season and only his 12th professional race aged 20. Youngest top 10 finisher since the early 60s. I've been following him since he was a stellar junior winning virtually everything he rode. He is a serious talent. And he doesn't like cobbles.

Morgado and the Mexican lad Isaac del Toro are two of the most exciting neo-pros for several years.