Weight Weenies

dennis needs to put together a good long tt , i dont think there is a standards he's set for himself outside of aussie nats. I'm talking about a superb worlds/ olympic (only one i cycle i know / grand tour TT. That mechanical at rio and this crash really stand out

tymon_tm wrote:IMHO it's just a clumsy marketing stunt. it's like claiming your life would be more comfy if you replaced your sofa with a kitchen chair

Makes me wonder what they'd have done at the Vuelta this year if they'd been riding that bike. Ride a team issue 2x version? Run a small chainring and struggle on the downhills? Use a totally different bike?

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wingguy wrote:Makes me wonder what they'd have done at the Vuelta this year if they'd been riding that bike. Ride a team issue 2x version? Run a small chainring and struggle on the downhills? Use a totally different bike?

They will ride a 9-32 cassette, possibly even 12 speed.

GonaSovereign wrote:Not sure about single ring for ProTour-level road.

Here's another story on Aqua Blue's new bike.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/aqua-blue-sport-to-compete-on-3t-strada-disc-bike-with-1x-drivetrain-in-2018/

Those 3t Strada bikes are hideous, the Aquablue Ridley's this year are lovely bikes. I know which one I'd rather pick...

Who do people have for the women's and men's RR?

My money is on Coryn Rivera and EBH. If Rivera gets over the last climb within spitting distance of the leaders, well, good luck to them.

EBH will never win worlds, the Olympics, or any sort of Monument.

Sagan is the obvious choice, then GVA, then Matthews. I'd like for GVA to win just because he always goes for it and it would sort of complete his major win haul.

LeDuke wrote:Who do people have for the women's and men's RR?

My money is on Coryn Rivera and EBH. If Rivera gets over the last climb within spitting distance of the leaders, well, good luck to them.

she might be too depleted from the climb, i'd like it if she won though!

Marin wrote:

wingguy wrote:Makes me wonder what they'd have done at the Vuelta this year if they'd been riding that bike. Ride a team issue 2x version? Run a small chainring and struggle on the downhills? Use a totally different bike?

They will ride a 9-32 cassette, possibly even 12 speed.

That's the thing though. A 44x9 is almost identical to a 53x11, but the speed you get with a 36x32 at 90rpm needs a cadence of 75rpm on a 44x32. Granted the Machucos and Angliru are very rare events in pro cycling, but that's a heck of a difference in usability.

KWalker wrote:EBH will never win worlds, the Olympics, or any sort of Monument.

Sagan is the obvious choice, then GVA, then Matthews. I'd like for GVA to win just because he always goes for it and it would sort of complete his major win haul.

I know. I'm an optimist.

Sagan is just so god damn strong. The climbs on this course aren't long/steep enough to distance him. If he does get distanced, it's going to be because he's still sick or recovering from his illness, or because other teams are targeting him and making him and his team chase.

You're also right about GVA. He seems to be in the hunt at most big races, plays his cards right a good portion of the time, and positions himself better than most.

Matthews might be more dependent on team support than those two.

LeDuke wrote:Who do people have for the women's and men's RR?

My money is on Coryn Rivera and EBH. If Rivera gets over the last climb within spitting distance of the leaders, well, good luck to them.

Matthews or Gilbert and VD Breggen. After seeing the u23 it's hard to predict the race. Will a small group keep up? In that case I guess on Gilbert and VD Breggen at the women's. But if it stays together for a sprint I'd say Matthews and Vos. With by far the strongest team I expect the Dutch to make the race hard enough for Rivera to get dropped (like Halverdson today) If she doesn't get dropped I can't see anyone beating her.

LeDuke wrote:Who do people have for the women's and men's RR?

My money is on Coryn Rivera and EBH. If Rivera gets over the last climb within spitting distance of the leaders, well, good luck to them.

I think EBH has the power to win, but he always seems to miss out on that big win. I don't know how he does it but he almost always either goes with all except the winning move or gets gassed on the climbs and loses the sprint. Would be awesome to see him win in front of a home crowd though.

wingguy wrote:and no reason to suppose that any of them even like me.

+1

Rooting for Kwiato actually. If he got some rest after the Tour then he should be on point. And of the guys that are more of roleurs, he can climb the best and might stand a chance of attacking and staying away before it comes to a sprint

The problem with the last k's is, that there's the small climb 10k's out, and then a 10k straight to the finish line. It's a bit similar to Flanders. It's probably gonna be a small group of 5-10 riders over the last climb, and then a sprint at the end. So the small final selection of riders will be riders, that can power up those climbs and work together towards the finish. Problem is, no one want to work with Sagz, and he wont be able to get there alone at the front. But it'll probably be Sagz, Kwiato, GvA, Mathews and a couple others at the end. My money is on Kwiato as well.

Kwiato should be there or thereabouts, he's so f&$ken strong this season.

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tymon_tm wrote:

petepeterson wrote:I'm not there yet for 1x and discs for racing. Looks gross. I must be getting old.

same here. and how on earth will they get their cadence right? I can hardly cope without a 16t cog in a 11-28 cassette, can't imagine riding with just 11 gears.. and I don't race for living.

IMHO it's just a clumsy marketing stunt. it's like claiming your life would be more comfy if you replaced your sofa with a kitchen chair

Never understood how people can be so sensitive to 5rpm...