2024 Races with Spoilers !

[mjr]

The final 60? km of the race is similar to Tro Bro Léon and the farm tracks are quite like the "ribinous" dirt roads. No they aren't tarmac. They are gravelly. It's like P-R in that it's a road race with mucky sectors but they aren't pavé. I think they were introduced in 2019(?).

2018. They're gravelly but the ones I've ridden a few years ago were not gravel. They were compacted limestone, mostly through or around vineyards. Near but not on the Loire à Vélo (part of EV6), on some of the related routes like the Châteaux à Vélo. It's the sort of thing you'll find on good-but-not-tarmac Sustrans routes in this country, such as NCN26 Strawberry Line through the Mendips, or NCN1 / NCN61 Lea Valley Route. I suspect there's probably one within 100 miles of anywhere in England.

Historically it has a reputation of being a race for the sprinters, but now I guess it's a race for sprinters covered in mud.

Not so much for sprinters since the wide and famously long 4km finishing straight was cut short to avoid sprinting on new tram tracks. It's now under 1km. I don't think the race takes the old fastish and flattish southern entry into the city either, bumping over hills at Vouvray and Rochecarbon instead, so the ability of the sprint teams to catch a breakaway is much reduced. For a few years between 2011 and 2017, the "sprinter's autumn race" struggled to find a new identity, until it lost some distance and added the vineyard roads.

 

[tarric]

Victory for Stan Van Tricht at Coppa Bernocchi....first ever pro win !

View attachment 748356

Hopefully help him get a contract for next year.

 

[Adam4868]

Pog back today at Tre Valli Varesine and the weather forecast is rotten....the woman's race has already been shortened due to heavy rain and its supposed to get worse later on this afternoon.
On a plus note it's forecast to get better by weekend for Lombardia 😁

 

[rich p]

On a plus note it's forecast to get better by weekend for Lombardia 😁

Take your umbrella just in case..

Or stay in the bar, watching it on the telly, drinking negronis😄

 

[Adam4868]

"Due to heavy rain, the organizers of Tre Valli Varesine 2024 have altered the route, cutting two laps of the 15.9km 'short circuit.' Start time moved to 12:20"

No Rogla for Bora...I know he raced yesterday and pretty sure it was a dnf,last two races dnf for him 😲
Sergio Higuita
Jai Hindley
Florian Lipowitz
Daniel F. Martinez
Matteo Sobrero
Aleksandr Vlasov

 

[tarric]

Tre Valli Varesine race paused then cancelled due to heavy rain.

Hopefully the Gran Piemonte will go ahead, the forecast for Thursday afternoon doesn't look to bad.

 

[Adam4868]

Shame but too dangerous,I think it was the riders in the end who decided it should stop.... shouldn't have started really.

 

[TomDW]

Cat Ferguson wins Binche Chimay! She’s 18 and has had two WT wins and two World Champion wins in about three weeks! I have wasted my life!!

Things are about to get very good for British women’s cycling!

She's on a another level compared to her age group. It'll be interesting to see how she fairs over the next couple of years. Looks like Charlotte Kool had a dropped chain right at the end but Cat may have won anyway.

 

[Adam4868]

End of the season for Rogla....no big surprise really as didn't finish last two races.

View: https://x.com/RBH_ProCycling/status/1843985107054698559?t=-gDCX1B4ht59GzXep8QjTQ&s=19

 

[Dogtrousers]

Incidentally @matticus and @mjr I learned another interesting fact about Paris Tours from GCN. Blame them if it's rubbish.

Patrick Lefèvre disapproves of the new format so much that he has refused to send a QS team there since it changed.

 

[matticus]

Gosh darn it - and I was hoping to get his autograph. <sigh - my hero ... >

 

[mjr]

Incidentally @matticus and @mjr I learned another interesting fact about Paris Tours from GCN. Blame them if it's rubbish.

Patrick Lefèvre disapproves of the new format so much that he has refused to send a QS team there since it changed.

shoot GCN. QuickStep did it the first year of the vineyard roads, were hotly tipped to do well on muddy rough roads, but they lost, and only then Lefevre emptied his pram and hasn't returned since. https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-tours-2018/results/

 

[DCLane]

Zoe Backstedt is leading the women's Simac Tour for Canyon SRAM. Only she's now doing the final four stages without any team-mates: https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ca...stedt-without-teammates-at-simac-ladies-tour/

Has anyone else led a tour solo?

And this is her (possibly) thinking; "where'd they all go?"

 

[matticus]

Has anyone else led a tour solo?

I have no idea, but I'm wondering if she'll still have to share her win/placings bonuses?!?

 

[matticus]

Zoe Backstedt is leading the women's Simac Tour for Canyon SRAM. Only she's now doing the final four stages without any team-mates: https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ca...stedt-without-teammates-at-simac-ladies-tour/

Has anyone else led a tour solo?

And this is her (possibly) thinking; "where'd they all go?"

View attachment 748651

Thanks - this has given me something to watch in the evenings!
Zoe has hung on, riding smart. But it looks like the mighty Sdworx may be reeling her in:
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM) was part of the first group and defended her yellow jersey. However, she lost four seconds to the first five riders on the stage and is now three seconds ahead of Kopecky and eight seconds ahead of Ellen van Dijk (Lidl-Trek) in the overall classification heading into stage 4 on Friday.