Bud the Baker Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 ...as Gabriel Garcia Marquez might have written. Quote Team Ineos: Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas dropped for Tour de France Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas have been dropped from Team Ineos for this year’s Tour de France after paying the price for their poor form at the recent Critérium du Dauphiné. Froome, who was desperate to win an historic fifth yellow jersey after coming back from a horrific crash last year, will instead race the Vuelta a España in late October. The 2018 winner Thomas, meanwhile, will head Ineos’s challenge in the Giro D’Italia in early October. In their absence, the Ineos team at the Tour de France will be led by Egan Bernal, with Richard Carapaz, who won last year’s Giro D’Italia, alongside him. Only one Briton, Luke Rowe, is in the eight-man squad. As ever the prospect of wearing Lycra and taking drugs has perked me up considerably! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antrin Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 Pretty dramatic dropping Thomas as well as Froome, though he did seem off-form recently. Big Ineos gamble... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted September 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2020 Missed the two mountain stages in the Pyrenees because of work but the race looks interesting as we approach the halfway stage. All the Top10 GC riders are from different teams so I expect some unpredictable & exciting racing. Can't see anyone further down than Quintana(5th)/Uran(6th) both 32secs behind winning. Fancy Bernal to repeat last year's success although Rogic is in the Primoz position. **************** PS - That'll be "wee" Nairo Quintana to you Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antrin Posted September 9, 2020 Report Share Posted September 9, 2020 Naughty Sagan, the day! stuck the heid in front of a huge crowd and a hunger cameras. - sent to the back of the class quite rightly. I’m enjoying the wee skirmishes with Caleb Ewan and the new Irish green jersey. Big safeties bubbling up when he won his yellow jersey. great camerawork, great scenery when there’s nae mist and plenty interesting crashes. I've been enjoying all the days so far, cos I was unwell, back oot tae play the next few days, catch up somehow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted September 9, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2020 (edited) Yeah Sagan's got previous but then all sprinters are aggressive - right decision in the end. Edited September 9, 2020 by Bud the Baker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted September 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2020 Primoz Roglic takes time out of all the other GC contenders on what looked like a reasonably easy stage today - a 44 seconds lead is fairly significant these days. Sunday is the first day in the Alps with a rest day before another 3 days in the mountains - will any of the other teams have the balls to go for it on Sunday? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted September 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2020 (edited) Primoz Roglic takes time out of all the other GC contenders on what looked like it should've been a reasonably easy stage today - a 44 seconds lead is fairly significant these days. Sunday is the first day in the Alps with a rest day before another 3 days in the mountains - will any of the other teams have the balls to go for it on Sunday? Edited September 11, 2020 by Bud the Baker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted September 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2020 (edited) On 8/19/2020 at 1:17 PM, antrin said: Pretty dramatic dropping Thomas as well as Froome, though he did seem off-form recently. Big Ineos gamble... Which hasn't worked with Bernal dropping out of the Top 10 last week, they're riding as individuals now with 2 riders in the breakaway today finishing 2nd & 4th. Back in the peloton the GC riders all stick together 16mins behind the stage winner until Pogacer (2nd) makes a move with 3 km to go but is quickly covered by the Primoz rider! Tomorrow is the Queen Stage, Grenoble to Meribel (Col de la Loze) with the finishing line around 2300m - can Pogacer do anything significant? Edited September 15, 2020 by Bud the Baker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted September 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2020 Roglic increase his lead over Pogacar to 57 seconds. When you think back to the relatively innocuous Stage 7 and Pogacer getting caught on the wrong side of a split and losing 1min21 secs you realize how in Colemanballs terms it's much easier to lose the race than win it with a lack of concentration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted September 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2020 TT getting interesting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted September 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2020 Well I didn't expect that... Tadej Pogačar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted October 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2020 Crazy times in cycling - the Giro enters it's final stages with it being a "two horse" race between Almeida (Por) &Kelderman (Ned) 17 secs behind - still a few mountains to climb. Ineos-Grenadiers UK rider Teo Geoghagen Hart is 4th 2mins59 behind and must be looking to gain the 2 secs he needs for a podium place. Meanwhile in The Vuelta Chris Froome is out of contention after losing 11mins on the opening stage - shockerooney! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antrin Posted October 21, 2020 Report Share Posted October 21, 2020 Tao_Geoghegan_Hart Great name for a Hackney kid... I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted October 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 (edited) On 10/21/2020 at 7:34 AM, antrin said: Tao_Geoghegan_Hart Great name for a Hackney kid... I I'm thinking half-Irish. Trivia alert - when 13 he swam 1/6 of La Manche as part of a relay team from 'acknee. Edited October 22, 2020 by Bud the Baker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slarti Posted October 22, 2020 Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 On 10/21/2020 at 7:34 AM, antrin said: Tao_Geoghegan_Hart Great name for a Hackney kid... I I would have though "Cab" would be a more appropriate name for a Hackney kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted October 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 3 minutes ago, Slarti said: I would have though "Cab" would be a more appropriate name for a Hackney kid. Sadly that name had already been used... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted October 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 She messed around with a guy named Smok-eee She loved him tho he was Coke-eee he took her down to Chinatown and showed her how to kick the gong around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antrin Posted October 22, 2020 Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 2 hours ago, Bud the Baker said: Sadly that name had already been used... W6 could do something similar... call and return.... I liked that. Could be rocked up more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slarti Posted October 22, 2020 Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 5 hours ago, Bud the Baker said: Sadly that name had already been used... I've already got that lined up for doing at karaoke - when "normality" returns, probably in 2027 (if bat flu doesn't get me before then). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted October 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 Back to the serious stuff - after a splendiferrous stage our Tao is up to 3rd place with 3 stages to go... General classification after Stage 18 (1–10)[13] Rank Rider Team Time 1 Wilco Kelderman (NED) Team Sunweb 77h 46' 56" 2 Jai Hindley (AUS) Team Sunweb + 12" 3 Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers + 15" 4 Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain–McLaren + 1' 19" 5 João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck–Quick-Step + 2' 16" 6 Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) Astana + 3' 59" 7 Patrick Konrad (AUT) Bora–Hansgrohe + 5' 40" 8 Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) Trek–Segafredo + 5' 47" 9 Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck–Quick-Step + 6' 46" 10 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora–Hansgrohe + 7' 28" 19 23 October Morbegno to Asti 258 km (160 mi)[N 2] Flat stage 20 24 October Alba to Sestriere 190 km (118 mi)[N 3] Mountain stage 21 25 October Cernusco sul Naviglio to Milano 15.7 km (10 mi) Individual time trial Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud the Baker Posted October 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 24, 2020 (edited) Well fuck me sideways going into the final stage a time trial Tao is joint leader with Australian dude Jai Hindley - for once the old cliche "it couldn't be any closer" is actually true. Quote Tao Geoghegan Hart is on the threshold of Giro d’Italia victory going into Sunday’s time trial stage into Milan. After winning Saturday’s mountain stage at the Sestriere ski resort, the 25-year-old, London-born Scot is level on time with the new race leader, Jai Hindley of Australia, an unprecedentedly tight and tense situation after more than 85 hours of racing. No Grand Tour has been this close going into the final day, but Geoghegan Hart is a stronger time triallist; a single second’s advantage would suffice, meaning that he will be expected to give Great Britain its second Giro d’Italia win in three years after Chris Froome’s last-ditch victory in 2018. General classification after Stage 20[26][27] Rank Rider Team Time 1 Jai Hindley (AUS) Team Sunweb 85h 22' 07" 2 Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers + 0" 3 Wilco Kelderman (NED) Team Sunweb + 1' 32" 4 Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain–McLaren + 2' 51" 5 João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck–Quick-Step + 3' 14" 6 Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) Astana + 6' 32" 7 Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) Trek–Segafredo + 7' 46" 8 Patrick Konrad (AUT) Bora–Hansgrohe + 8' 05" 9 Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck–Quick-Step + 9' 24" 10 Hermann Pernsteiner (AUT) Bahrain–McLaren + 10' 08" Edited October 24, 2020 by Bud the Baker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antrin Posted October 24, 2020 Report Share Posted October 24, 2020 This is gob-smackingly amazing! I’ll need to check out where the Scot bit comes in. ...found a Grauniad thing on him... ”after Geoghegan Hart took last Sunday’s mountain stage at Piancavallo. It was at that point, two weeks into the Italian Tour, that the young Scot – he claims the nationality through his part-Irish, part-Scottish father – first emerged as a potential race winner. Ironically enough, the two Britons who started the Giro as favourites, Geraint Thomas and Simon Yates, had earlier been ruled out of the race by, respectively, a crash and a positive Covid test.” I bet he’d be denied a once in a lifetime vote, too..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antrin Posted October 25, 2020 Report Share Posted October 25, 2020 15 hours ago, Bud the Baker said: Well fuck me sideways going into the final stage a time trial Tao is joint leader with Australian dude Jai Hindley - for once the old cliche "it couldn't be any closer" is actually true. General classification after Stage 20[26][27] Rank Rider Team Time 1 Jai Hindley (AUS) Team Sunweb 85h 22' 07" 2 Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers + 0" 3 Wilco Kelderman (NED) Team Sunweb + 1' 32" 4 Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain–McLaren + 2' 51" 5 João Almeida (POR) Deceuninck–Quick-Step + 3' 14" 6 Jakob Fuglsang (DEN) Astana + 6' 32" 7 Vincenzo Nibali (ITA) Trek–Segafredo + 7' 46" 8 Patrick Konrad (AUT) Bora–Hansgrohe + 8' 05" 9 Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck–Quick-Step + 9' 24" 10 Hermann Pernsteiner (AUT) Bahrain–McLaren + 10' 08" I've watched that stage now - signed up to s4c. Straightforward. (once you switch from Cymru... to English) You can watch today's Time trial, if desired... https://www.s4c.cymru/en/press/post/39606/2020-giro-ditalia-on-s4c/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Monster Posted October 25, 2020 Report Share Posted October 25, 2020 Must remember not to look on here until after this evenings highlights. [emoji85] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antrin Posted October 25, 2020 Report Share Posted October 25, 2020 This is the LIVE link. https://www.s4c.cymru/clic/Live The program has started... Jai Hindley is already 1 up... with 63% possession... Apologies, CM... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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