# 2016 build up *contains spoilers*



## Pro Tour Punditry (12 Dec 2015)

So it looks like the new kits are appearing, the teams are getting together with sponsors and starting their training camps.

Thankfully.

It's been an empty few months...

Here's Lotto Soudal being all "together"






And Sky just before they start beating each other with pool cues due to Viviani pulling the "Italian pool laws" card


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## Pro Tour Punditry (12 Dec 2015)

User said:


> I'm friends on Facebook with a cycling training group from Spain and they have been posting photos of a some teams on the Costa Blanca North....



I'm glad you didnae share them


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## ColinJ (13 Dec 2015)

User said:


> all the above images are from the last week or so on the North Costa Blanca between Calpe and Denia......


I recognised some of the roads, and that sunshine reminds me why I want to go back out there in Jan and/or Feb!


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## Pro Tour Punditry (13 Dec 2015)

ColinJ said:


> I recognised some of the roads, and that sunshine was reminding me why I want to go back out there in Jan and/or Feb!


It does look rather pleasant, compared with the cold frosty view from my kitchen window.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (13 Dec 2015)

FDJ obviously not sure if they should go for a wee ride or for a wee bit of scuba diving in the sea


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## Pro Tour Punditry (13 Dec 2015)

The new Katusha kit should keep the anti-black-kit fans happy


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## 400bhp (13 Dec 2015)

User said:


> I'm friends on Facebook with a cycling training group from Spain..



It's not Nozad is it?


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## Dayvo (13 Dec 2015)

Those cyclists on the right don't look very serious, do they!


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## Pro Tour Punditry (14 Dec 2015)

Dayvo said:


> Those cyclists on the right don't look very serious, do they!


There was a tweet on their twitter feed a few days ago saying that they had whizzed past Astana and then looped around to ride gently past them in the opposite direction


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## ColinJ (15 Dec 2015)

Why do we live in the UK!


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## ColinJ (19 Dec 2015)

User said:


> Jean Christophe Peraud at Tarbena today...... http://www.traininspain.net/
> 
> View attachment 113001


I was up there with a mate a few years back and we stopped to have a bite to eat. He jumped back on his bike and began his descent while I took a couple of photos. I turned round and saw that the daft bugger had forgotten which side of the road he was supposed to be on and was going downhill fast on the LHS of the road! I chased after him but didn't catch him until the road flattened out. He remembered that he should be on the RHS just before a bend and swerved across the road just before a car came up the hill round the bend towards the spot that he would have been in ...


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## HF2300 (20 Dec 2015)

User said:


> some more from traininspain http://www.traininspain.net/



Can't help noticing the URL could read 'Train In Spain' or 'Trainin's Pain'...


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## ColinJ (21 Dec 2015)

Traininspain's average ride speeds are 28-32 km/h, and for that reason - _I'm out!_


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## Berk on a Bike (22 Dec 2015)

Too early for a 2017 thread but Dusseldorf's been awarded the Grand Depart for that edition...


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## Dayvo (23 Dec 2015)

Nice photos IotCB but are you some kind of stalker? 

I'd love to base myself in southern Spain (Andalucia - Albox area) 2-3months one winter. I was there 11 years ago for four months and loved it. Except when it got cold. And it was fakn cold in my mate's stone house.

Great to ride when the almond trees are in blossom and the sun is shining.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (23 Dec 2015)

The Dimension Data kit is a bit meh


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## Bollo (23 Dec 2015)

Marmion said:


> The Dimension Data kit is a bit meh


Nice ... errrrr ..... use of Helvetica?


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## Flick of the Elbow (2 Jan 2016)

Don't like the new Etixx QS kit at all. What was wrong with the old shade of blue ? Much nicer than the boring new one. And as for the matching blue shorts ! Maitre Jacques would surely not approve.


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## Flick of the Elbow (2 Jan 2016)

User said:


> Sean Kelly on the bike earlier today...
> 
> View attachment 114824


You'd think, coming from Ireland, he'd have learned the value of mudguards.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (3 Jan 2016)

User said:


> mudguards are for the weak....


Never rains here anyway, it pours


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## SWSteve (3 Jan 2016)

It's nice that Sky have borrowed the JLT kit, just added a bit of blue.


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## SWSteve (6 Jan 2016)

Id never realise just how big his chin is until now


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## Pro Tour Punditry (7 Jan 2016)

Spoiler incoming re Aussie Nationals....










Rohan Dennis wins Aussie ITT champs ahead of Richie Porte


Also, elsewhere, Dumoulin to ride the Giro in 2016
http://www.gazzetta.it/Ciclismo/06-...lin-giro-berlino-degenkolb-140175624570.shtml


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## Pro Tour Punditry (8 Jan 2016)

Another incoming spoiler...NZ ITT champion



Patrick Bevin. And here he is being interviewed inside DFS during their Winter Sale - 40% off all leather chairs!


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## rich p (8 Jan 2016)

Marmion said:


> Another incoming spoiler...NZ ITT champion
> 
> 
> 
> Patrick Bevin. And here he is being interviewed inside DFS during their Winter Sale - 40% off all leather chairs!


It's not real leather - don't be fooled.


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## Flying_Monkey (10 Jan 2016)

Mystic Monkey's predictions for the men in 2016:

The Yates brothers both win big
EQS find it difficult to accomodate both Kittel and Gaviria 
Froome wins the TdF quite easily, but neither Landa nor Thomas do as well in the other GTs
Degenkolb wins more (semi-)classics, but not Paris-Roubaix, where he is beaten by both Stybar and Tony Martin.
Kwiat does the job in the Ardennes for Sky, Dan Martin just misses out again due to tactical mistakes. 
Sagan wins the Olympic road race. 
Uran continues to disappoint but Betancur is back to form and gets on the podium in a GT. 
Zakarin gets near to a major win and then is done for doping
Cav doesn't win anything big on the road and also fails to get an Olympic place; however, Wiggins and the UK pursuit team win and destroy the world record.


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## Strathlubnaig (10 Jan 2016)

The end is nigh for Sky, first they ditch the campervan and now the Jag ! http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/team-sky-to-replace-jaguar-with-ford-cars-in-2016-news-shorts/


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (10 Jan 2016)

Strathlubnaig said:


> The end is nigh for Sky, first they ditch the campervan and now the Jag ! http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/team-sky-to-replace-jaguar-with-ford-cars-in-2016-news-shorts/


Focus RS in Sky livery would ne NICE!


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## Flick of the Elbow (10 Jan 2016)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Focus RS in Sky livery would ne NICE!


Cortina or Capri ?


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## Flying_Monkey (10 Jan 2016)

User said:


> for the love of god, I'm still struggling with GC for the Tour down under,



Yeah, well at least that means you are unlikely to be as wrong as me!


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## Flick of the Elbow (11 Jan 2016)

User said:


> SKY in Mallorca
> .
> View attachment 115557


Sadly, I see that the fashion for long socks continues unabated. Another Armstrong legacy.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (11 Jan 2016)

For all those complaining about black kits...this is your fault:


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## Flick of the Elbow (12 Jan 2016)

Marmion said:


> For all those complaining about black kits...this is your fault:


Whatever was so wrong with short white socks ? I long for the days when pro kit designers go back to them.


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## Berk on a Bike (12 Jan 2016)

Strathlubnaig said:


> The end is nigh for Sky, first they ditch the campervan and now the Jag ! http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/team-sky-to-replace-jaguar-with-ford-cars-in-2016-news-shorts/





Flick of the Elbow said:


> Cortina or Capri ?



I dunno. This could actually work...


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## Flick of the Elbow (13 Jan 2016)

User said:


> SKY's new Fords
> .
> View attachment 115743


Frankly, a cortina would be an improvement.


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## themosquitoking (14 Jan 2016)

User said:


> *Peter Sagan* ‏@*petosagan*  16h16 hours ago
> A bit of a training, my hands are equally important
> 
> View attachment 115870
> ...


I hope he doesn't drop those weights on that floor. It looks amazing.


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## rich p (15 Jan 2016)

themosquitoking said:


> I hope he doesn't drop those weights on that floor. It looks amazing.


It's a bit parquet out there today


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## fimm (15 Jan 2016)

I'm enjoying all the photos, thanks @User


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## Flick of the Elbow (16 Jan 2016)

User said:


> *Mark Cavendish* ‏@*MarkCavendish*  2h2 hours ago
> Mark Cavendish Retweeted CVNDSH
> Love the new @*TeamDiData* race kit. What do you think?
> Mark Cavendish added,
> ...



Underwhelmed.


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## Flying_Monkey (16 Jan 2016)

Team kit is generally crap these days, isn't it? And this season, more and more kits have gone predominantly black.


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## Louch (17 Jan 2016)

More lookimg non black to me


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## Buddfox (18 Jan 2016)

I do all my recovery rides on a time trial bike...


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## Pro Tour Punditry (18 Jan 2016)

The 4 wildcards for the Giro have been announced: 
Gazprom - Rusvelo, Bardiani - CSF, Nippo - Vini Fantini, and Southeast - Venezuela 

Read more at http://velonews.competitor.com/2016...as-gazprom-rusvelo_393103#GXUbbUWDKA5mfAHV.99

I have heard that Rusvelo got their place after another team declined the invite.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (18 Jan 2016)

'Lympic men's road and TT quotas announced
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-announces-mens-road-olympic-quotas/


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## BrumJim (19 Jan 2016)

Marmion said:


> 'Lympic men's road and TT quotas announced
> http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-announces-mens-road-olympic-quotas/



Selection headache for the Slovakian team. Who to pick?


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## rich p (19 Jan 2016)

BrumJim said:


> Selection headache for the Slovakian team. Who to pick?


Bob Jungels has got his work cut out too.


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## Berk on a Bike (23 Jan 2016)

There's been a terrible accident in Spain between a group of Giant Alpecin riders on a training ride and a car (apparently driven by a Brit) http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/giant-alpecin-riders-injured-in-training-camp-accident/






Edit: Six riders were Warren Barguil, John Degenkolb, Chad Haga, Fredrik Ludvigsson, Ramon Sinkeldam and Max Walscheid. All are described as stable. Jeez.
http://teamgiantalpecin.com/update-on-training-accident/


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## Pro Tour Punditry (23 Jan 2016)

Holy Crap!


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## Pro Tour Punditry (23 Jan 2016)

According to Velonews on twitter "Degenkolb reports injuries to his index finger, lip, thigh and forearm in crash"

ah yes, those fecking lip injuries. Career changing so they are. And as for not being able to point at people...


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## Berk on a Bike (23 Jan 2016)

Degenkolb's index finger was virtually severed and "...just hung on to the last corner of my hand".

*faints*


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## Flying_Monkey (24 Jan 2016)

Marmion said:


> According to Velonews on twitter "Degenkolb reports injuries to his index finger, lip, thigh and forearm in crash"
> 
> ah yes, those fecking lip injuries. Career changing so they are. And as for not being able to point at people...



Is it really something to joke about?


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## Louch (24 Jan 2016)

Marmion said:


> According to Velonews on twitter "Degenkolb reports injuries to his index finger, lip, thigh and forearm in crash"
> 
> ah yes, those fecking lip injuries. Career changing so they are. And as for not being able to point at people...



Could easily have been any of us, not cool


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## Berk on a Bike (26 Jan 2016)

Chad Haga sounds to have come off the worst. Amongst other things he needs surgery to repair his eye socket. A 73-yo woman who reportedly lives in Spain half of the year has been charged and released in connection with this incident.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (1 Feb 2016)

Some good news for coverage of women's cycling, Sporza have announced they are gong to provide live coverage of Women's Tour of Flanders this year.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (2 Feb 2016)

User said:


> *nicholas roche* ‏@*nicholasroche*  1h1 hour ago
> Good to catch up with @*DanMartin86* . Looking good in new kit



There's one thing I think I can state without fear of contradiction - Dan Martin will never "look good" in anything. #facelikeaneep

I, of course, am gorgeous


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## Crackle (7 Feb 2016)

User said:


> *Chris Froome* ‏@*chrisfroome*  6m6 minutes ago
> Loved doing this photo shoot with @*Surface_Mag* Not every day I get to jump on a trampoline with my bike #*BlueSteel*


My first reaction to seeing that has not changed: WTF!!!


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## User169 (9 Feb 2016)

No wildcard for Dimension Data for Brussel Kuurne Brussel, so no opportunity for Cavendish to defend last year's win.


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## Flying_Monkey (10 Feb 2016)

He's really trying too hard to change his image and acquire some 'character'...


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## Flying_Monkey (14 Feb 2016)

How Well Do You Know The Spring Classics? Quiz...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/cyclingnews-quiz-how-well-do-you-know-the-spring-classics/

I got 9...


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## rich p (15 Feb 2016)

3! Piss poor


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## Pro Tour Punditry (16 Feb 2016)

Now that Andy Schleck no longer cycles, he has opened Andy Schleck Cycles


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## Pro Tour Punditry (24 Feb 2016)

Greipel out of KBK due to broken ribs.


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## Pro Tour Punditry (25 Feb 2016)

Oops


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## SWSteve (25 Feb 2016)

Yikes


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