Can’t agree, there is no skill, it is just luck. There is no way you can avoid pot hole etc at 40km+ in a peloton.
This random factor and unsafe racing should be mitigated against whenever it can.
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Random potholes should be dealt with, I meant more broken choppy surface. Think the roads around Yorkshire for example, not beautifully smooth but a not off road.
Not that one hole randomly in the road, that is a risk.
So in too many words, I agree.
A rider at the front said the roads weren’t too bad. But that doesn’t explain ejected bidons.
When i was watching the roads were terrible. 4x4 would be more adapt not a cycling race. Which reminds me, in the girorosa there was so many complaints that the men would not race on such pacore, it would be relayed from them. Apparenty not.
No doubt G was unlucky. But bike handling is a skill - I would deffo not put him (or Froome) in the top of bike handlers in the peleton. People like Sargan and Fugelsang are way up there - both came into road from MTB backgrounds.
Bottle cages crashes (and a few other failures) discussed here too.
the UCI should hire Seth and his bottle smasher
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When I’m talking about roads, I’m talking about the stuff at the Dauphine and the like, where they were sending them down 12% grades that were filled with potholes and loose gravel on top of the pavement. It’s stuff like this were the UCI should have someone that looks out for basic safety items like that. Obviously we can’t require the roads to be in perfect condition, that’s really not possible. Orrrrrr, the UCI could allow an actually effective rider’s union to function, but we all know that won’t happen.
Totally agree. This would be by far the most efficient way to improve safety.
I think it’s kind of up to the riders to form an efficient Union. UCI approval or not ( honestly, it would probably work better if they just ignored the UCI approval) The Union on the women’s side works much better. Presumably because there is much more at stake for the women. Many of them couldn’t even make a living of cycling just a few years back.
So all these male millionaire cyclists just have to get their shit together if they want a decent Union imo.
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Rooting for Ganna! I didn’t realize that the, looks like a giant on a bike, world ITT champ can also climb.
This was a climb reasonably well suited to a TT specialist, not too steep, and very constant grade. Any time you drop de Ghent on a climb, it’s a good performance.
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Great performance! Ganna is 24 right now, he still has potential to grow. The guy can potentially dominate the northern classics if INEOS manages to train something that resembles a sprint into him.
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However, De Gendt said he wanted the Movistar guy to respond to Ganna’s accelleration since he didn’t help him before: De Gendt: I made it my goal not to let Rubio win stage 5 of Giro d'Italia | Cyclingnews
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Yep, my view has changed after reading that, although it does not diminish Ganna’s performance.
Don’t stop being you Thomas lol.
Yes indeed, as an Italian I was rooting for Puccio (or Conti) to win the stage since I didn’t think that Ganna could climb that well and also he worked a lot to create and maintain the gap of the break.
Needless to say that I was both amazed and excited to see him alone on the front on a climb and after a stage like that!
Nice jump by Demare to show everyone a clean set of wheels…that would normally have been an easy win by Sagan and he wasn’t even a factor.
Demare is pretty impressive this year 
What could he achieve in a team built around him 
Go João Almeida Go! 
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It bugs me that CCC and Trek went to the front and drilled it after the crash - hoping to improve Nibali and Zakarin’s GC positions.
It didn’t work though. The bunch got back together. Still, it’s a #!!**^##! move IMO.
It looks like Sagan is starting to find his legs again, which is good for more exciting racing. I’m not sure he’d have gotten over the top of Demare the way he’s riding but Sagan had to shut it down to switch sides when Demare closed the door on him.
Might explain his under par performances a few days ago?
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