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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2638
Location: Canberra, Australia9/19/22 1:57 AM |
UCI Worlds
Arrived yesterday just in time to watch the elite mens TT. Good reactions from the winner, who looked as though he didn't really believe that he'd won.
Had a really nice ride today up one of the local passes to the highlands and back down another. At the foot of the pass I climbed there was a sign saying that the road was closed, but I saw a couple of cyclists coming the other way, so kept going. There was a landslip about half way up that had taken out about half the road, and locked gates both sides of this section, but I just lifted my bike over the gates. This meant that there was absolutely zero traffic on the climb, other than some other cyclists.
On the descent of the other (much busier) pass, I saw quite a few teams and riders out training. A bunch of a dozen or so Italians were just cresting the climb as I was about to start the descent, then shortly after I saw about half a dozen English riders climbing (though not together), then about half way down I saw Wout Van Aert followed by three of his teammates, then when I'd reached the bottom and was heading towards the coast, there was a bunch of Spanish riders heading the other way. And finally, as I was coming back into Wollongong along the Princes Hwy with a strong tailwind, sitting on 35-40kph and feeling pretty good, the same four Belgian jerseys came flying past going a good 20kph faster.
I just had a look, and WVA posted his ride on Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/7831337905/overview. 50% further than my ride and 50% faster as well.
p.s. Had a look on Strava again the following day, and it looks like his ride yesterday was just a leg loosener. Today was 226km with 2800m of climbing at an average speed of 36kph:
https://www.strava.com/activities/7836683874/overview
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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2638
Location: Canberra, Australia9/23/22 4:47 AM |
The junior men's RR was one of the best races I've seen in a long time, finished with a really great sprint. Worth trying to find some coverage of it.
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RCoapman
Joined: 09 Feb 2005
Posts: 5225
Location: Back in the snowy homeland9/23/22 8:57 AM |
Awesome that you got to see the races and ride some of the course. Though I think anyone comparing their rides to WVT, including the other pros and even just out of curiosity, is a recipe for depression. ;).
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19246
Location: PDX9/23/22 9:47 AM |
I hear that right, Juniors UCI gear restrictions getting lifted??
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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2638
Location: Canberra, Australia9/23/22 3:52 PM |
Yes, junior gear restrictions are being done away with from next year. There seem to be two reasons:
1. It's getting increasingly difficult to find components for the restricted gearing - 52t chainrings and cassettes with a 14t small cog.
2. The medical evidence in support of restricted gearing isn't there.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19246
Location: PDX9/24/22 6:45 PM |
OK, Nick... were you a lawyer by chance?
VDP arrested from Hotel indecent prior to competition apparently.
I think in US there would be a pile of law suites. Dunno squat about OZ law. Well don't really know much [@US]
Least of which VDP team suing the Hotel. That lack of security will have loss of revenue ramifications to VDP/team via a Pro like VDP not competing conceivably???
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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2638
Location: Canberra, Australia9/26/22 4:40 AM |
Re MvDP, I know no more about it than I've read in the media. He was originally due in court tomorrow, but apparently he has pleaded guilty to assault and was fined $1500.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19246
Location: PDX9/26/22 9:26 AM |
Some Buzz:
"Mathieu van der Poel has been convicted in Australia for the confrontation with two girls in a hotel in Sydney. The judge fined him $1,000 for pushing one girl and $500 for the other girl."
"Van der Poel flies back home at 10 a.m. Dutch time. His lawyer says he will appeal against the ruling and hopes that the rider will be acquitted."
Sound like path to fastest plane home was chosen. Won't be over for a while. Some other info suggests there is video...
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RCoapman
Joined: 09 Feb 2005
Posts: 5225
Location: Back in the snowy homeland9/26/22 12:30 PM |
30 years ago if you heard about a professional athlete in this situation it would look pretty sketchy.
But with entitled, clueless teenagers who have no respect for adults these days I'm inclined to have a lot more sympathy to the adults. I have no doubt they were being utter little shits.
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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2638
Location: Canberra, Australia9/26/22 5:29 PM |
Here are some photos I took during the week. The first half dozen are from walks/rides we did, the rest are rather spotty coverage of the racing.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/QSYESCwQah9YbFbK9
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19246
Location: PDX9/26/22 6:50 PM |
Nice, thanks for sharing...
This end alright?
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19246
Location: PDX9/27/22 10:29 AM |
image from that page, look at the shadow on the tarmac. ;)
Some photo chopping?
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Nick Payne
Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 2638
Location: Canberra, Australia9/28/22 4:42 PM |
Belgian humour:
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dan emery
Joined: 11 Jan 2004
Posts: 6957
Location: Maine9/28/22 4:58 PM |
Excellent
That’s great.
Although we don’t know all the facts of course, but based on what I’ve read, I wouldn’t convict VDP for shoving those little twerps.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19246
Location: PDX9/28/22 7:16 PM |
Yeah, that's pretty good. Agree on the brats...
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Brian Nystrom
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Posts: 5130
Location: Nashua, NH9/29/22 5:01 AM |
While I certainly
sympathize
with Van der Poel, as an adult, he should have known better. He should have called the hotel management rather than taking matters into his own hands. literally. It was a dumb and forgivable action, but it doesn't prevent him from being legally culpable.
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Sparky
Joined: 08 Dec 2003
Posts: 19246
Location: PDX9/29/22 12:28 PM |
Wrong team, could be apropos with some jersey photo chop txt editing? #toolazytodoit
Post from PL thread I posted the first pic in.
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