Jump to content

Featured Replies

For those of us out there who think that too much sport is never enough, and who could blame you after today, Amstel Gold is on tonight!

In the Fog's opinion, Simon Gerrans in worthy of close attention tonight. This race, as much as any, looks prime for his taking!

 
On 4/17/2016 at 11:10 PM, the rolling fog said:

For those of us out there who think that too much sport is never enough, and who could blame you after today, Amstel Gold is on tonight!

In the Fog's opinion, Simon Gerrans in worthy of close attention tonight. This race, as much as any, looks prime for his taking!

And after the big game tonight (hopefully a win) we can settle in for the Leige/Bastogne/Leige classic on SBS (and Eurosports) ... lots of steep climbs involved and I believe it's the last of the Ardennes Classics.

The Giro d'Italia starts on the 6th of May (SBS & Eurosports are providing coverage)

  • 2 weeks later...

The Giro d'Italia kicks off tonight in the Netherlands ... in fact, the first 3 stages are being held there.  After the flat stages in Holland, many of the stages in Italy involve a number of gruelling climbs and it's quite relentless (especially stages 6, 8, 13, 14, 16, 19 & 20)  Both SBS & Eurosport are covering the event. 

Nibali is favourite whilst Mikel Landa is a top pick as well ... Valverde is also a big chance.

Here's a few sites to browse ... 

Cycling News

Giro - Official site

SBS - Cycling Central

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

Edited by Macca

 
Stage 6 in the Giro (tonight)  ...
 
Quote
"The first mountain stage and summit finish of the race. There are two early climbs: the 8km Torrecuso, then a haul to the summit of the Bocca di Selva, about a third of the way through. The last climb is a double whammy – first an 8km climb to Roccaraso, then a 3km false flat down to the foot of the Aremogna climb, 8km long, with a very hard start and finish, and flatter sections in between. The GC candidates must show here."

T06_Roccaraso_alt-PRE.jpg

Cycling News

Giro d'Italia - Official site

SBS - Cycling Central

 

Edited by Macca

  • 2 weeks later...

Stage 14 in the Giro (tonight) ...

Quote

"A historic, barbaric expedition through the Monti Pallidi, the Pale Mountains, that most have dubbed the “Queen Stage” or “Tappa Regina”. Putting riders in early breaks could be key for the overall contenders, as will the Giau – a worthy rival to the Fedaia for the honour of hardest climb in the Dolomites."

Giro d'Italia 2016: stage 14 profile

Cycling News

Giro d'Italia - Official site

SBS - Cycling Central


3 stages to go in the Giro ... tonight's stage and tomorrow night's stage will decide things ...

Here are the classifications going into tonight's stage ...

  • 1. NED   KRUIJSWIJK Steven        TLJ 73h 50’ 37”
  • 2. COL   CHAVES Esteban             OGE   3’ 00”
  • 3. ESP   VALVERDE Alejandro       MOV   3’ 23”
  • 4. ITA   NIBALI Vincenzo               AST    4’ 43”
  • 5. RUS   ZAKARIN Ilnur                   KAT    4’ 50”
  • 6. POL   MAJKA Rafal                     TNK    5’ 34”
  • 7. LUX   JUNGELS Bob                   EQS   7’ 57”
  • 8. CRC   AMADOR Andrey               MOV  8’ 53”
  • 9. ITA   POZZOVIVO Domenico     ALM  10’ 05”
  • 10. BLR SIUTSOU Kanstantsin       DDD  11’ 15”

 

Stage 19 ...

Quote

Climbed only thrice by past Giri, the 2,744m Agnello is a towering behemoth of a mountain road and the highest in this year’s race, its Cima Coppi. The long descent into France might deter would-be attackers on the Agnello’s airless upper reaches but the 2014 Tour stage to Risoul, won by Rafal Majka with Vincenzo Nibali in the yellow jersey, proved that there is enough bite to the stage to leave a nasty mark.

 PW_T19_Risoul_alt-2.jpg

Stage 20 ...

Quote

Ambitious in its scale, stunning in its vistas and probably very cold. Any stage featuring three such climbs as the Vars, Bonette and Lombarda might normally terrify the leaders into stalemate but Mauro Vegni hopes to have reduced that risk by restricting the length to 134km. The 2.3km ramp to Sant’Anna di Vinadio could decide the Giro.

 

PW_T20_SAnnaVinadio_alt-1.jpg

Cycling News

Giro d'Italia - Official site

SBS - Cycling Central

Edited by Macca

  • 1 month later...

The Tour de France starts tonight (8.30pm SBS) ... the big news is the tour hits the Pyrenees quite early this time around .   Four of the early stages (stages 5, 7, 8 & 9) involves various climbs of varying degrees.  So the GC riders will start to be sorted out quite early. 

Froome is favourite again but there are any number of cyclists who will feature ... Quintana,  Contador,  Richie Porte,  Pinot,  Fabio Aru,  Nibali,  Tejay van Garderen,  Bardet,  Thomas,  Dumoulin,  Valverde,  Landa & Rodriguez all have claims.  Richie Porte heads up the BMC team (along with Tejay van Garderen) so he's no longer playing 2nd fiddle to Froome.  BMC announces Tour team for super motivated Porte

Official Site

SBS Tracker

Cyclingnews.com

First day in the mountains tonight (stage 5) ... here's tonight's profile and Friday's profile (stage 7)  Tomorrow night's stage (stage 6) is a flat stage but the riders will have to contend with the Pyrenees on Saturday & Sunday as well.

Any of the GC riders might make a move in the next few days especially those who have already lost vital time (Porte & Contador)

Profile

 

Profile

Official Site

SBS Tracker

Cyclingnews.com

 

The big guns are all nearly 6 minutes behind Van Avermaet but the next 2 stages will start sorting the GC contenders out (and Van Avermaet as well)  Tonight's stage looks brutal but tomorrow night's stage looks just as difficult.  Porte is 1:49 from the main contenders so he's not out of it ... Contador is 1:25 behind those same main contenders.

Stage 8 profile ...

Profile

Stage 9 profile ...

Profile

 

Official Site

SBS Tracker

Cyclingnews.com


Decent climb to Chalet-Reynard tonight ...  originally the riders were required to climb all the way to Mont Ventoux but gusts of wind have been predicted to exceed 100km/h for today's stage ... all the same, with those sort of conditions the stage could get very interesting - the climb beginning at Bedoin should begin a little before midnight (or thereabouts)  Here's the preview from the official site ...

 

Profile

 

Official Site

SBS Tracker

Cyclingnews.com

 

 

Edited by Macca

On their way to the Alps the riders encounter the 'Grand Colombier' tonight ... there are 8 climbs all up tonight and the stage promises to be a good one. 

Froome is looking very strong though and his Sky team have backed him to an immense degree but ... he still needs to get it done.  Porte is working his way up the standings and could still get a podium finish as long as he doesn't have a bad day.

*SBS are covering tonight's stage from 8.30pm.

                    General classification after stage 14

1    Christopher Froome (GBr)    Team Sky                  

2    Bauke Mollema (Ned)           Trek-Segafredo           01:47 

3    Adam Yates (GBr)                 Orica-BikeExchange   02:45 

4    Nairo Quintana (Col)             Movistar Team             02:59 

5    Alejandro Valverde (Spa)      Movistar Team             03:17 

6    Tejay Van Garderen (USA)   BMC Racing Team       03:19 

7    Romain Bardet (Fra)            AG2R La Mondiale       04:04 

8    Richie Porte (Aus)                BMC Racing Team       04:27 

9    Daniel Martin (Irl)                  Etixx - Quick-Step        05:03

10  Fabio Aru (Ita)                       Astana Pro Team         05:16

 

Profile

 

Official Site

SBS Tracker

Cyclingnews.com

Edited by Macca

General classification after stage 18

1   Christopher Froome (GBr)

2   Bauke Mollema        (Ned)  03:52 

3   Adam Yates              (GBr)  04:16 

4   Nairo Quintana         (Col)   04:37 

5   Romain Bardet         (Fra)   04:57 

6   Richie Porte              (Aus)  05:00 

7   Fabio Aru                  (Ita)    06:08 

8   Alejandro Valverde   (Spa)  06:37 

9   Louis Meintjes          (RSA) 07:15 

10 Daniel Martin            (Irl)     07:18

Froome has almost certainly got the tour wrapped up but Richie Porte can still get a podium finish.  2 tough stages to come so there may still be a few surprises.

Tonight's stage ...

Profile

Saturday's stage ...

 

Profile

Official Site

SBS Tracker

Cyclingnews.com

Edited by Macca

  • 9 months later...

Quintana takes the lead in the Giro d'Italia after a gruelling climb to the finish in stage 9

Unfortunately the Giro isn't being shown on SBS due to rights restrictions but the event can be seen on Eurosports if you've got cable. 

Here's a stage by stage preview ... stages to look out for with regards to difficult clubs are stages 11,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18,  19 & 20 (mainly the last week)

 

Edit: And now Dumoulin takes over the lead after a superb time-trial in stage 10.  Dumoulin holds a 2:23 minute lead over Quintana after Nairo had a poor time trial.  There's plenty more to play out though.

 

Edited by Macca

  • 1 month later...

Here are the stages that involve various category 1 climbs in the 'Tour de France' ... click on the highlighted areas for details. 

Cadel Evans gives a summary of each stage as well (provided by the links)

Wed 5th ....... Stage 5

Sat 8th ......... Stage 8

Sun 9th ........ Stage 9

Thurs 13th ... Stage 12

Fri 14th ........ Stage 13

Sun 16th ...... Stage 15

Wed 19th ..... Stage 17

Thurs 20th ... Stage 18

 

  • 1 month later...

SBS are covering the  Vuelta a España (starts tomorrow night) and this version of the Grand Tour looks to be as tough as it gets. 

There are no fewer than 43 climbs over 14 of the stages (including 12 x Cat 1 climbs)  That includes 8 mountain top finishes. 

It promises to be a grueling affair and Froome has been installed as the short-priced favourite.  He'll get strong competition from Nibali,  Contador,  Fabio Aru,  Bardet and a number of others though. 

The Vuelta might prove to be the pick of the Grand tours (this year)  Blisteringly hot conditions have been forecast as well.

BBC Podcast - Can Froome do the Tour/Vuelta double?

Cyclingnews.com - stage by stage preview

Edited by Macca

  • 5 months later...

This might be of interest to any cycling fans on here, or just fans of endurance stuff generally.

In a couple of days my cousin is about to start a world record attempt at cycling the Pan-American Highway. It's 22,000km from Ushuaia in Argentina to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska. The current record is 117 days and five hours. Dean's aiming for 110 days.

He's doing it for charity, trying to raise GBP1million for Heads Together, a mental health awareness charity which seems to be similar to Beyond Blue. Sounds like they're about 1/3 of the way there.

Tracking will be available through the main website here, and plenty of background info is also on their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pah2018/

  • 1 month later...
On 28/01/2018 at 10:56 AM, Kumamoto_Ken said:

This might be of interest to any cycling fans on here, or just fans of endurance stuff generally.

In a couple of days my cousin is about to start a world record attempt at cycling the Pan-American Highway. It's 22,000km from Ushuaia in Argentina to Prudhoe Bay in Alaska. The current record is 117 days and five hours. Dean's aiming for 110 days.

He's doing it for charity, trying to raise GBP1million for Heads Together, a mental health awareness charity which seems to be similar to Beyond Blue. Sounds like they're about 1/3 of the way there.

Tracking will be available through the main website here, and plenty of background info is also on their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pah2018/

This is worth a bump...after 48 days ol Deano made it to Cartagena in Columbia and smashed the South American World Record by 10 days!

Now in Panama and cycling on. 

He's had food poisoning twice, ran into a highway sign at 40km/h (not food poisoning related), and has gone from 88kg to 81kg so far. Bloody Legend!

 

29496987_1956088941275358_820787815267466636_n.jpg

  • 1 month later...

Aussie Rohan Dennis is leading the Giro and he might keep the pink jersey for a few more days yet.  Eurosports are covering the event but unfortunately,  SBS aren't covering the event as they have done in previous years.  You might be able to find the race online with a decent search. 

Although tonight's stage isn't easy by any means and whilst Wednesday's stage is quite tough,  Thursday's stage (stage 6) sees the riders take on Mt Etna and that climb might start sorting out the GC riders from the rest. 

Other stages to look out for with regards to difficult climbs are stages 8 (Sat)  9 (Sun) 14 (Sat) 15 (Sun) 18 (Thurs) 19 (Fri) & 20 (Sat) ... so the grueling climbs are set for the next 3 weekends.  See more at CyclingNews.com

Here's the profile of stage 6 (Thursday) with tonight's profile underneath. 

image.png.6675a24395f9b82b8e49ac45fc88b071.png

image.png

Edited by Macca

  • 3 weeks later...

The Giro hots up tonight and tomorrow night ... the riders are just about to tackle Colle delle Finestre with Yates having a 28 second lead over Dumoulin with Pozzovivo trailing by 2:43 and Froome trailing by 3:22. 

Coverage on Eurosports. 

Tonight's profile ...

image.png.29e71de715f24c7ffe158ad35d6a90a8.png

And tomorrow's penultimate stage ...

image.png.84eebd99b90c5076ba56eb935f57150c.png

 

Edited by Macca


Ah yes! Welcome back to this thread.

I've been looking for ward to this time of year to roll around for a while now, although after Froome's result last night I'm not sure what to think anymore...

Now with all the one day classics done, it's time for the big GC's and we're in for a good couple of month's I think!

  • 1 month later...

The Tour de France started last night and for the first week all the stages are flat and mostly suitable for the sprinters ... but the 2nd week sees the riders venture into the Alps whilst in the 3rd week we're in the Pyrenees. 

In fact,  from stage 10 (Tuesday July 17),  8 of the 10 stages involves 19 Category 1 climbs & 6 Category 2 climbs .. it's relentless.  I'll post up some stage profiles when we get closer to the mountain stages.

There is only 1 individual time-trial and that isn't flat either - and that time-trial isn't being held until the penultimate stage (Stage 20)  The team time-trial will be held tomorrow night (Stage 3)

Official Site

CyclingNews.com

Tour Tracker

And here's a profile of stage 12 ... Robbie McEwan has put this stage in amongst his top 5 for relevant importance ...

image.png.33b1e4927226feb21e1d5ab6675bf784.png

Edited by Macca

  • 2 weeks later...

We're in the Alps for the next 3 days and also in the Alps on the weekend for another couple of mountain stages ... what a shame that Richie Porte won't be there to put the pressure on Froome and the Sky team.  Rotten luck breaking his collarbone again. 

Official Site

CyclingNews.com

Tour Tracker

Here are the stage profiles for the next 3 days ...

image.png.59b4f4736a860690bdf4bfccb0b8209d.png

 

 

image.png.6b1c96a6d87634df3b835a0e86d87c0f.png

 

 

image.png.d86cf40f7fa3cc7e9a8569368ffc3135.png

 

Edited by Macca

  • 11 months later...
 
  • 2 weeks later...

We've made it through the first rest day and I think the incredible racing and fascinating results are characterised by the nightmarish first week for some of the GC contenders, sprints and stage finishes that no one could've foreseen , and some of the up and coming next generation riders have announced themselves on the scene.

We'll soon be at the foot of the Pyrenees which is where the race will truly begin, for mine. It almost feels like we've had a week's worth of one-day classics in terms of how the stages have unfolded.

In a year where the Australian presence is a bit less than in recent years, the performance of many Aussie riders has left a lot to be desired, with Ewan the possible exception. The accepted logic seems to be that Trek are a team with a weak roster that have brought a weak contingent of riders to this years tour and this has significantly curtailed Richie Porte's 2019 chances. I think once we get into the Pyrenees we'll have a clearer idea of this. It's interesting to see that SBS continue to put him forward as a GC contender, understandably as the highest rated Australian, however he seems to barely rate a mention in European or US media.

The only thing I do know for certain is that nothing is certain in the Tour and everyone seems to have a different theory on what will play out over the next two weeks. Looking forward to watching the race unfold and dissecting it! 

 


Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

Featured Content

  • REPORT: Hawthorn

    There was a time during the current Melbourne cycle that goes back to before the premiership when the club was the toughest to beat in the fourth quarter. The Demons were not only hard to beat at any time but it was virtually impossible to get the better them when scores were close at three quarter time. It was only three or four years ago but they were fit, strong and resilient in body and mind. Sadly, those days are over. This has been the case since the club fell off its pedestal about 12 months ago after it beat Geelong and then lost to Carlton. In both instances, Melbourne put together strong, stirring final quarters, one that resulted in victory, the other, in defeat. Since then, the drop off has been dramatic to the point where it can neither pull off victory in close matches, nor can it even go down in defeat  gallantly.

      • Clap
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • CASEY: Footscray

    At twenty-four minutes into the third term of the game between the Casey Demons and Footscray VFL at Whitten Oval, the visitors were coasting. They were winning all over the ground, had the ascendancy in the ruck battles and held a 26 point lead on a day perfect for football. What could go wrong? Everything. The Bulldogs moved into overdrive in the last five minutes of the term and booted three straight goals to reduce the margin to a highly retrievable eight points at the last break. Bouyed by that effort, their confidence was on a high level during the interval and they ran all over the despondent Demons and kicked another five goals to lead by a comfortable margin of four goals deep into the final term before Paddy Cross kicked a couple of too late goals for a despondent Casey. A testament to their lack of pressure in the latter stages of the game was the fact that Footscray’s last ten scoring shots were nine goals and one rushed behind. Things might have been different for the Demons who went into the game after last week’s bye with 12 AFL listed players. Blake Howes was held over for the AFL game but two others, Jack Billings and Taj Woewodin (not officially listed as injured) were also missing and they could have been handy at the end. Another mystery of the current VFL system.

      • Thanks
    • 0 replies
    Demonland
  • PREGAME: Brisbane

    The Demons head back out on the road in Round 10 when they travel to Queensland to take on the reigning Premiers and the top of the table Lions who look very formidable. Can the Dees cause a massive upset? Who comes in and who goes out?

      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 124 replies
    Demonland
  • PODCAST: Hawthorn

    The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Monday, 12th May @ 8:00pm. Join Binman, George & I as we dissect the Demons loss to the Hawks. Your questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human.

      • Clap
      • Thanks
      • Like
    • 52 replies
    Demonland
  • POSTGAME: Hawthorn

    Wayward kicking for goal, dump kicks inside 50 and some baffling umpiring all contributed to the Dees not getting out to an an early lead that may have impacted the result. At the end of the day the Demons were just not good enough and let the Hawks run away with their first win against the Demons in 7 years.

      • Clap
      • Love
      • Like
    • 354 replies
    Demonland
  • VOTES: Hawthorn

    After 3 fantastic week Max Gawn has a massive lead in the Demonland Player of the Year award from Jake Bowey, Christian Petracca, Kade Chandler and Ed Langdon who round out the Top Five. Your votes please. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 & 1.

      • Thanks
    • 34 replies
    Demonland