shova1

Hautacam fastest times Year Winner Time 1994 Luc Leblanc 35:20 1996 Bjarne Riis 34:40 2000 Lance Armstrong 36:19 2008 Leonardo Piepoli, Juan Jose Cobo 37:28 2014 Vincenzo Nibali 37:21 2022 Jonas Vingegaard 36:34 2025 Tadej Pogačar 35:08

Freedom Challenge seems to regularly coincide with severe winter conditions. Got to feel for the riders this week.

Stage 20 will be fascinating to watch for this very question. At times I thought he burned matches unnecessarily which could come back to bite in the latter stages. That said, he has also ridden with maturity beyond his years & experience at this level.

Masterclass ride by Adam yesterday bringing UAE into contention leading into a much needed rest day for the peloton. Much suffering lies in wait from tomorrow, climbers to show their mettle....who will be in red come the weekend I wonder. Will Ben hold on, or see his near 4min lead evaporate?

What a ride by Ben O'Connor! How did the GC favourites let him get away in the break? Anyway, will be interesting to see if he can take red to Madrid.

Huge respect to all the riders, finishers or not! Obviously a huge achievement to those who did. The leader coming in under the 48 hour mark & others not that much more - surely superhuman!! Once all the pain subsides & circulation is in good working order again, the smile on the face will remain! Well done

Bugger, Rog has such bad luck with crashes! These last few days could have dished up a mouth watering contest from Rog for red.

Pretty sure Ineos are plotting an ambush, probably Thursday, but may test the waters tomorrow or Wednesday if the lads are feeling good.

These back markers are made of tough stuff; physical exhaustion, sleep deprivation & the stress of a cut off....

So sorry Vetseun! Heal up, there'll be another opportunity 💪

Er, looks like HJ is actually 1km up the road from KB.......

Quite stupendous that KB is over 500km in! This in under 24 hours ????

The hub sure is a changin. Friday's used to be about fighting, now that the fighting 'clubs' are being 'cancelled' It's about tears & nostalgia. Thanks for sharing Gen, I too, am battling to let go of attachment to the home shared with my deceased wife, so completely identify. Now where is that tissue box.....

Will interesting to see what tactics Caruso & Yates unveil to wrestle the maglia rosa from Bernal come Sunday. I think they somehow need to crack him mentally today if they can, not gaining much time today could make it difficult tomorrow. May the strongest legs prevail.

With regards the COC, your local municipality will probably require one in the event of ownership transfer should that happen. Importantly, you should check with your liability, property & home contents insurance if it's required. It could get nasty if injury or damage occurs as a result of the fence & there's no COC.

Racing conditions look grim.

Reminds me of driving to a meeting with a business acquaintance some years ago who was regaling about when he was a sales rep for a company. When the usual time came to replace his co car, the co decided to extend the time required before the reps could get new cars, so no problem to my acquaintance, he drained the oil from his Corolla to speed up the process. I was horrified that anyone would do such a thing, but he was more horrified that it took a really long time before the oil-less Toyota motor took to die.....

One wonders where the line will drawn on 'deception' & gamesmanship. Will spin bowlers not be allowed variations and quicks prevented from bowling slow deliveries where they're deemed to deceive! It's good that there has been a clamp down on unnecessary & nasty sledging and blatant cheating, but the nature of the game and as an entertainment spectacle is not just about bowling the ball, hitting the ball & catching the ball.

Strange times indeed, The Great Reset not limited to economics & politics....et tu le hub

Coffee accounts for 5.6% of SA drinks spend https://twitter.com/StatsSA/status/1311639910990872576/photo/1

It was incredible to watch, he had a good qualifying & like the commentators, I thought an improbable top 5 would be a good result..... Then watching the race & watching him ride so confidently all the while catching passing those ahead of him was breathtaking! Leading with a couple of laps to go, my nerves were near shot! So chuffed for him & for us South Africans as well, truth told. Not a bad 25th birthday pressie for the Bradster!

Definitely a Bucket List ride! Glad you listed it. I've done this ride & was going to put it here, but requiring a border crossing, I'm not sure when borders might open for leisure....

With international leisure travel possibly not happening this year, and the probability of inter provincial travel opening soon(ish), perhaps it's time to plan a local destination visit you may not have been to before, either with your family or a couple of mates. The idea is enjoy a new cycling experience & support the local tourism industry. If you've done a local ride (non organised ride/race) you think could be on a Bucket List, here's the place to post it. Details to include: Location - and, is it point to point or start/finish at same place Discipline - road, gravel, XC, enduro, etc Distance - or ride time estimate Difficulty - beginner, average rider, etc