Road Cycling 2017 Discussion Thread

[Agger 1,700]

10 hours ago, heywoodu said:

Yep, a crash in a descent. Followed by the Giro d'Italia organizers announcing a new 'best descender' classification. 

 

Have they lost their fucking minds? Are they blind? Idiotic? Retarded maybe?

 

Yeah, read that one as well.

Seems absolutely stupid, though I'm hearing some say that it'll most likely not change much.

[heywoodu 16,004]

3 minutes ago, Agger said:

 

Yeah, read that one as well.

Seems absolutely stupid, though I'm hearing some say that it'll most likely not change much.

Possibly, but what about the dozens of riders who won't get any TV time or prize money or something and who basically ride around to give their leaders a drink now and then and finish around a 152th place? This could be an incentive for them to go for a prize, small as it may be, resulting in possible downhill battles that don't need to be motivated like this. It's dangerous enough. 

[Agger 1,700]

13 minutes ago, heywoodu said:

Possibly, but what about the dozens of riders who won't get any TV time or prize money or something and who basically ride around to give their leaders a drink now and then and finish around a 152th place? This could be an incentive for them to go for a prize, small as it may be, resulting in possible downhill battles that don't need to be motivated like this. It's dangerous enough. 

 

That's surely something to fear.

I believe most of the descends will either be for the breakaway (8, 12, 17,18, 19) or at situations where the descend would already be used by the experts (11, 15 (may also be a breakaway), 16 (the same) and 20 (the same as well)).

The only one that I fear will have a big pack is Chieti.

Don't get me wrong, I'm also against it, but I doubt that we'll see much different races due to these points. These riders respect the descends and if not, they'll get it from their team mates or DS's. It's a terrible idea to give incentive to go for it, but I believe these riders are smart enough to not go for it.

[heywoodu 16,004]

I hope you're right and I hope the Giro organizers won't have to name a climb after a cyclist again next year like they do this year (with the Mortirolo becoming the 'Scarponi climb'). 

[heywoodu 16,004]

Stefano Pirazzi and Nicola Ruffoni (Bardiani's attacker/climber and their sprinter) both tested positive for doping 

http://www.gazzetta.it/Giroditalia//04-05-2017/giro-100-italia-doping-positivi-due-italiani-bardiani-20066282442.shtml

[Gianlu33 5,276]

Pirazzi and Nicola Ruffoni was positive  What shame, i hope that TAS will give both 4 years of disqualification..

[heywoodu 16,004]

Blel Kadri, who won a big Tour de France stage in 2014, only retired a couple of months ago and has now turned into this....(on the right) 

 

 

[heywoodu 16,004]

Ruffoni says his positive doping test might be because of prostatitis/prostate inflammation 

 

 

 

 

[Gianlu33 5,276]

3 hours ago, heywoodu said:

Ruffoni says his positive doping test might be because of prostatitis/prostate inflammation 

Yes, sure  Yesterday the Bardiani's president cried and insulted the two cyclists in live tv. Very sad moment  

[heywoodu 16,004]

1 hour ago, Gianlu33 said:

Yes, sure  Yesterday the Bardiani's president cried and insulted the two cyclists in live tv. Very sad moment  

 

Sad for the president you mean, I hope? Not sad for Pirazzi and Ruffoni?