Men's Road Cycling UCI World Tour 2020

[Grassmarket 3,448]

Flèche Wallonne survives today.  This is the one that finishes at the Church on the Mur at Huy, not in the citadel at Namur, as I mistakenly thought until I watched the women’s half an hour ago. It’s on ES, filling in the hole in the schedule left by the Dutch big girls’ blouses.

 

 Anna van der Breggen took the women’s version this morning, 6th year in a row.  

[heywoodu 15,174]

Alex Aranburu has been pulled out of the Giro d'Italia because of a positive test. Again, not that test, the COVID-19 one. Jonas Gregaard was standing at the start of the Fleche Wallone today, but was pulled out and so didn't start, the reason is probably obvious  

 

 

[Grassmarket 3,448]

Wow, Flèche was being led by yet another Belgian Boy Band member, Mauri Vansevenant, when he crashed with 3k to go.

 

Hirschi gets it!

[heywoodu 15,174]

Hirschi, one of the riders of the year, takes the win

 

Perfect opportunity for him this year.

[Olympian1010 7,990]

3 hours ago, heywoodu said:

Hirschi, one of the riders of the year, takes the win

 

Perfect opportunity for him this year.

 

3 hours ago, Grassmarket said:

Wow, Flèche was being led by yet another Belgian Boy Band member, Mauri Vansevenant, when he crashed with 3k to go.

 

Hirschi gets it!

Hirschi was great and all, but can we just acknowledge the performance from Cosnefroy for a minute! What the hell was he doing in the mix for the win?

 

I will say that Hirschi is quickly becoming one of my favorite riders to watch. 

[heywoodu 15,174]

15 minutes ago, Olympian1010 said:

 

Hirschi was great and all, but can we just acknowledge the performance from Cosnefroy for a minute! What the hell was he doing in the mix for the win?

 

I will say that Hirschi is quickly becoming one of my favorite riders to watch. 

Yeah, good to see Cosnefroy get attention for something way better than scraping points for the 'mountain' jersey  

[Grassmarket 3,448]

Twisty, narrow finish on wet roads in Aalter today for the BlinckBank, high likelihood of crashes if there’s a sprint. 20k to go.

 

Phew, got through it thanks to many outrageous diversions through front gardens & pedestrian precincts.  Did Mads Pedersen get any wins in the WC jersey? Got one today.

 

In the TdF we see beautiful monasteries & stately homes.  In Belgian we get helicopter views of remarkable transport intersections.

[Grassmarket 3,448]

Binck Bank today is a short, hilly, twisty ITT around Riemst.  Ought to see some changes in the GC.  Kind of improvised at the last minute, but in Belgium there’s always plenty muddy fields of root vegetables willing to welcome a hastily-organised cycle race.  Bit hard to tell if those are spectators or scarecrows, though.

[Grassmarket 3,448]

Good day for  - Soren Kragh Andersen takes the stage, Mads Pedersen retains the overall lead.  
 

Final stage tomorrow over some of the classic Flemish bergen,  

[Grassmarket 3,448]

Mathieu van der Poel off on a solo attack in the BinckBank, using the Kapelmuur at Gerardsbergen to break up the race.  40k to go.

 

20k to go, van der Poel still has a minute, peloton has broken up.

 

Now got an an exciting three-way chase for the overall between vdP, Kragh Andersen in Chase Group 2 & Pedersen in Chase Group 3.

 

van der Poel gets the stage by seconds, Kragh Andersen screams with rage because he misses out on the bonuses.  Great race!