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Looking fairly tricky, but Brits like Hayter, Wright, Turner all have a chance at making a break and kicking it....
But with VdP, WvA, Girmay and Evenepoel also playing, you'd think it would be a tough ask for the Brits....
I'd say there's no chance of being a British winner when there's VdP and WvA racing.
My money would be on van Aert for the win.
Fred Wright for 2nd based on his recent performances. 😂. Poor dude can't buy a win despite always putting himself in the right place.
I think there will be a few close to it, but more odds of a British Winter (you know - we are hoping for thick snow in December and a proper cold, dry weather (that will help reduce the number of midges next year!) - but what we actually get is wet, damp and cold with everyone complaining that their low profile summer tyres can't get them to work due to the treacherous conditions that 0.5cm of snow creates).
I do hope there will be many challenges and high placed finishers though as we have many great talents just now so all it might take is a wee fail by someone else and they can capitalise and get through.
High odds.
Zoe Backstedt.
Two already - as Stevious said, Zoe Backstedt and also Joshua Tarling.
Might see something in the Junior or U23 RRs.
Women's elite RR, unlikely.
Men's elite RR... we've got a few cards to play but will depend on someone being in the break or a late attack and all the favourites looking at each other.
As a gravel fan boi, I secretly want Keegan Swenson to win 🇺🇸 🤣🤣
Will be fascinating to see him thrown into the deep end- the lad has got an insane engine, especially for longer events.
Two already – as Stevious said, Zoe Backstedt and also Joshua Tarling.
JT crashed out of the Junior Men's RR today. 🙁
Really hope AvV can start the Women's RR, her crash at the start of the Mixed TT Relay was horrific.
I had a ride around the Mt Keira circuit on Tuesday - LOADS of pros out on recce rides, all looking ridiculously smooth and fit as they cruised up the climb effortlessly faster than we were going; saw Remco Evanpoel, WvA, Emma Langley (USA), some of the NZ team and then saw AvV and Ellen van Dijk at the coffee shop a bit later on.
I'd really recommend going to a Worlds if you can... Glasgow next year for example. A friend and I went to Ponferrada (2015?) and the atmosphere was amazing. So many friendly fans from all over the world. In a stroke of luck we ended up staying in the hotel being used by the Australian and US teams as well as the BBC. I think we were the only people not connected to the event and got a few strange looks.
I’d really recommend going to a Worlds if you can…
I was working on the 2019 event in Harrogate.
The weather was absolutely atrocious which killed some of the atmosphere a bit but there were some cool areas such as the section where all the camper vans had parked up - dozens and dozens of them, it became a bit of a Eurozone.
Was cool to see so many of the riders though. Chatting to one of the UAE women, she was amazed to see such rain, had the time of her life riding in it cos she'd never seen anything like it before!
Heading back to Wollongong for the weekend and hoping the weather improves a bit!
oh good call, had been meaning to look into the Glasgow worlds next year, will have to check out our options.
I see Haute Savoie has been announced for the "super worlds" in 2027, that's a definite maybe
IN the senior / elite races, pretty slim.
I also don't think WvA will win as the Belgians will fall out with each other (too much talent) and he and Evenepoel don't get on so they'll invariably compete with each other like last year.
I get the feeling it might be someone a bit leftfield in the mens RR
Junior Womens RR on now and Zoe Backstedt has over a minute on the chasers with 45k to go.
Not even sure she needs to do that tactically, and she already has her pro contract sorted so I think she's just doing it cos she likes to ride bikes fast. Fair play.
She made it look easy.
Just gearing up for the Elite Women now. I rode in along the start route from Helensburgh along with several thousand other cyclists. It's absolutely heaving here!
Saw loads of the male pros riding out to various spectator points.
Quite breezy, could easily shred the peloton if there are any gaps. Other than that, nice weather, the early rain has blown through, roads are dry.
bit grim in the rain, setting up nicely with a selection just getting made
Lol you could see that coming! Epic pull back from G2 to get the 5 leaders back.
Then boom!
mugged 😀
well done - but frankly that's pretty amateur by the rest of the group. "She took the whole of the group by surprise...." bollocks, anyone with a hint of knowledge knew that was going to happen so to let her just breeze past and gain 50m just like that was just daft.
You’re looking in the wrong place. Zoe Backstedt. And it’s her birthday.
but frankly that’s pretty amateur by the rest of the group. “She took the whole of the group by surprise….” bollocks, anyone with a hint of knowledge knew that was going to happen so to let her just breeze past and gain 50m just like that was just daft.
I think most people had written her off. Elbow injury, clearly suffering on the climbs so when the group came back together, no-one was really thinking of her, everyone was watching Kopecky (probably the best sprinter within the group), Vos had been on and off the group so probably wasn't a threat, you could almost see them all working out who was a threat, who's wheel to go for and besides which they were all wrecked anyway, you lose a lot of mental faculty after 100 miles like that.
And AvV just took the chance.
Place went absolutely wild when she launched and then went up another notch when she won. Popular win, definitely.
Also Pfeiffer Georgi got a silver in the U23 so Team GB salvaged something from the race after the great early break from Elynor Backstedt.
Interesting fact: there are severe supply chain issues in the Netherlands at the moment due to the sheer volume of storage required for the jerseys that AvV has won this year.
https://cyclingtips.com/2022/09/annemiek-van-vleuten-has-been-fined-for-her-sock-height/
What a naughty winner... 😉
How long is the race forecast to be @crazy-legs? Deciding what time to get up and watch.
How long is the race forecast to be
Men's race starts 10.15, finishes 16.50 local time which is 9hrs ahead of the UK so it'll be about 01.15 - 08.50 in the UK.
The first bit is more about the scenery (and it is stunning) but there won't be a lot of race defining moves happening until mid way through the city centre circuits.
Cheers 👍
Just thinking about the line-up for the race, and it's just so good. So many riders in with a shout of winning and most of them will have to do it in an exciting way. I really hope my janky wifi can cope in the morning.
MvdP has pulled out.
Up on Mt Pleasant, it's heaving already. Kids out drawing on the road, all the residents have opened up their front lawns, brought out benches and gazebos, fired up the barbie...
Any naysayers have just gone away for the weekend so the atmosphere is really laid back. People sharing food, clustering around TVs, playing in the road. Amazing. 🙂
the MVDP news is bonkers, i thought i'd clicked on a parody news site on Twitter
wtaf 😂
Yep, arrested for pushing a couple of teenagers who kept knocking on his hotel room door :(.
All beginning to blow to bits now, can see how some of the riders are suffering. It's hot as well.
Two of the Aussie riders dropped from the peloton were riding up the hill side by side just milking all the applause, high fiving, pulling wheelies and the crowd went wild cheering them on.
The pressure in the main group is really on now, it's shedding riders out the back and splitting the bunch all over the place.
Remco's other worldly isn't he. End of a Vuelta winning season you'd have though a group working together couldn't lose that much time against one man.
What a finish! A fairly stellar top ten in the end with a Brit sneaking in as well.
Edit: good interview with Evenepoel as well, found him a lot more likeable for that
I know she's worn them before but are Orla's socks a political statement today, will she be fined by the UCI?
Trying to avoid too many spoilers, but 4th place thought he was sprinting for 3rd, hadn't realised how far up the road the winner was! 😖
Overall medal table:
https://twitter.com/timbonvilleginn/status/1573931798828023808?s=46&t=0xFNqai_vGclB8mKQr9FXw
Zoe Backstedt would be 4th in that table
The TV coverage was a bit rubbish on the final lap - the motos effectively drafted the chasers up to Lutsenko and we had no TV coverage of the pelton chasing who eventually caught the chasers on the line - I’m suspecting that Wout did some monsters turns when they knew they were sprinting for second.
Remco was imperious though - the hype about him being the next Merckx might just be true as he also won his first WC at 22.
I’m suspecting that Wout did some monsters turns when they knew they were sprinting for second.
He didn't know Evenepoel was so far up the road, he thought sprint was for win! Think that's why he sort of sat up thinking he'd at least got bronze
Are you over there is some sort of official capacity or just a regular punter?