World Championships Discussion (With Spoilers)

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by nooneline

I dunno, I wondered who stitched things back together from 4km to 1km to go and when I watched the overhead footage, though I couldn't identify riders by name, I did see a white-and-blue Evade helmets at the front more than once. Albeit ones not wearing Slovakian jerseys.

In the post race interview he said, 'I still have some friends in the pelOton", or words to that effect. National pride is one thing and who signs your check another. The 'team dynamics' at the worlds are extensive and complicated.

[echappist]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

In the post race interview he said, 'I still have some friends in the pelOton", or words to that effect. National pride is one thing and who signs your check another. The 'team dynamics' at the worlds are extensive and complicated.

I saw a Dane pulling on the front for the last few Kms and wondered for whom that dude is working. Sagan's teammate, perhaps? Can't remember if Valgren was/is a teammate

[carpediemracing]

Originally Posted by nooneline

I dunno, I wondered who stitched things back together from 4km to 1km to go and when I watched the overhead footage, though I couldn't identify riders by name, I did see a white-and-blue Evade helmets at the front more than once. Albeit ones not wearing Slovakian jerseys.

I think they were the Italians, one of the few teams that are consistently super disciplined when it comes to the Worlds. In the past if an Italian wins they usually get a massive bonus/payout. The team is selected on national team loyalty, willingness to work for the designated leader, etc.

I read that Moscon and Bettiol were there to help Trentin for the bunch sprint:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/worl...-behind-sagan/

[carpediemracing]

Originally Posted by echappist

I saw a Dane pulling on the front for the last few Kms and wondered for whom that dude is working. Sagan's teammate, perhaps? Can't remember if Valgren was/is a teammate

I think Valgren races for Astana but he may know Sagan or some other sprinter pretty well. Or he was just doing it to fly the Danish flag in a lapland race.

Historically the riders with small national squads tend to be mercenaries or ride for trade teams. One huge exception I can think of is the Irish riders in the Sean Kelly / Stephen Roche era. The two best riders were great friends, the others understood their place, and they worked really well together.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by choke

If you doubt the value of a team, just watch the last 10k of the Women's Elite RR from yesterday. The Dutch women rode as a team and won precisely because they did. Chantal wasn't one of their protected riders but once she got clear the two other members of the team (arguably the top two favorites to win) in the breakaway did their part to keep her out front. The Italian team did much the same in the Junior Women's RR.

Sagan is a special case....he doesn't need a team to win. I don't think you can dismiss the value of a team because of his victories.

My point wasn't that teams are irrelevant in bike racing. It was that in the men's elite road race, for whatever reason, the so called strong teams seem to come up short.

The last 5 years winners have gone: Portugal, Poland, Slovakia, Slovakia, Slovakia....

If you just look at the podiums, you get:
Slovakia: 3
Spain: 3
Australia: 3
Great Britain: 1
Belgium: 1
Norway: 1
Lithuania: 1
Portugal: 1
Poland: 1

Yes, 5 years is not a great sample size to look at. We could just as easily go on a run that sees Belgium win 5 in a row. Just saying that the recent past would suggest that maybe some new tactics would be a good idea for some of the "power house" teams.

[KarlC]

Looking at the backside line ......

The line which tells today's story. Their backsides, this line shows the difference between their bike throws.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZcHK59lR3r

[enr1co]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaJGAboivHk

[GregL]

Originally Posted by enr1co

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaJGAboivHk

This video should be a tutorial for anyone looking to improve their pack handling skills ahead of a sprint. Watch Sagan smoothly move up into third wheel ahead of the second-to-last corner. A beautiful move executed perfectly. That's where the race was won.

Greg

[nooneline]

Originally Posted by carpediemracing

I think they were the Italians, one of the few teams that are consistently super disciplined when it comes to the Worlds. In the past if an Italian wins they usually get a massive bonus/payout. The team is selected on national team loyalty, willingness to work for the designated leader, etc.

I read that Moscon and Bettiol were there to help Trentin for the bunch sprint:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/worl...-behind-sagan/

Oops, fake news on my part. I went back to the videotape. It wasn't the Italians, it was what looked like a Dane in a B-H evade, but it wasn't. Sagan had a bunch of trad teammates in the race but other than Postlberger, who was reeled in and holding on for dear life, none of them were in the front group.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by cadence90

Huh. There's a pretty high vitriol-to-offense ratio then, but I guess some really disliked Anquetil's "antics" too. Seems all pretty minor stuff to me.
.

To borrow a Texas phrase. Its a whole lotta hat for relatively small cattle.

[acorn_user]

Originally Posted by GregL

Hopefully they can reconstruct the video that was unavailable in the last 2-3km. It would be great to see how the finish unfolded before the final kilometer of the race. Why does this image come to mind?



Greg

HAHA LOL

[Mzilliox]

Originally Posted by GregL

This video should be a tutorial for anyone looking to improve their pack handling skills ahead of a sprint. Watch Sagan smoothly move up into third wheel ahead of the second-to-last corner. A beautiful move executed perfectly. That's where the race was won.

Greg

good call, took me a few times to catch the move, as the heli was so far away, but you are right, he slipped into that gap perfectly then pounced.

[kramnnim]

Magnus Cort Neilsen was the Dane off the front there in the last km

[msngr]

Originally Posted by KarlC

Looking at the backside line ......

The line which tells today's story. Their backsides, this line shows the difference between their bike throws.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZcHK59lR3r

Sagan has a great throw.

When I saw the replay, I commented that the difference might have been age/limberness. Sagan' wife is a dancer and I wonder if he incorporates dancing into his training.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by msngr

Sagan has a great throw.

When I saw the replay, I commented that the difference might have been age/limberness. Sagan' wife is a dancer and I wonder if he incorporates dancing into his training.

Hubba hubba...