Eugene Oppelt

On the days you only have 30, you give 30. On the days you have 80, you give 80. That means you gave 100%. You’re not a robot, you’re human. Now, go ride your bike, Sweetie. 💋

Sepp Kuss - The first American to wear a GC jersey in about a decade. Certainly makes for an intriguing tactical battle. Will the Bumblebees defend today on what will be another lumpy day. The race starts on the most southern point of the 2023 edition. And it ends with 9.5% garden in the final kilometre. Ayuoso wanted a stage win on his mother's birthday yesterday and could not achieve this tribute. Regardless he is riding well and right up there with the Belgian and Slovenian superstars. Geraint Thomas crashed heavily into a stone wall and seems to be in trouble. He says that “I feel like 37 every single day…”. Maybe Bernal and Castroviejo will be freed up already to try and go for stage hunting. Rumours of Remco on a Pinarello is still going strong with lots of trade secrets being speculated.

Ja nee 🫥

Top Ganna averaged 8 5 7 watts for the final kilometre when he freelanced in the finalè a few days ago. Thymen Arensman lost a tooth and expressed relief that “nothing is broken and that my helmet saved my life…”. There was great concern yesterday as he was stretchered off into the ambulance yesterday after an eina crash. Groupama-FDJ will fight to the end to retain the red jersey today and retain it for as long as possible. Geraint Thomas is struggling in the GC after crashing and losing time. He tweeted yesterday “Come to the Vuelta, they said. It will be chilled, they said…”

The day for the break? Or will Primoz do his customary seated power punch up the wall of Catî and take a stage win? 3, 600 metres of vert. It will likely be hot under the Spanish sun around Alicante. Xorret de Catî will definitely warm me up, hey - 3.9 kms averaging at 11,4% with 22% max.

Spring - it’s official. How time flies!

I want Sepp Kuss’s core strength 🙃 The red jersey was born in 2003. Just saying. Lots of illness around the peloton. Tummy goggas too. Jonas suffered too. Jay Vine, that Zwifter Aussie, had an eina crash and abandoned. Tough time for the UAE talent after returning from injury too.

Today. That'll warm me up!

“I want to be useful to the team. I want to end up finishing the Vuelta and make a difference. My heart and lungs are back to the my previous best level. My musculature are still getting there. If you look in detail, you can see that my left leg is slightly smaller than my right leg. I will have to do more work on the bike, and in the gym too.” ~ Egan Bernal Respect to this Colombian for his resilience *** Top Ganna expressed that his GC leader allowed him the freedom to compete in a small bunch sprint after passing the 3 km mark. Clever tactics in a race where there is not many sprint trains. Primoz is still mending after a crash. The Killer Bees are masterful at pacing and strategising over 3 weeks. Remco needs the time advantage. Dunbar crashed out. I imagine that the GC podium is between UAE, Jumbo (two spots likely), Bora and Wolfpack.

The healthy person has many wishes; the ill person only has one.

Durbanville Hillz

Another life honoured. That was some gritty racing. Beautiful words by Andreas Kron.

Ja nee, ek verstaan. Not easy. Better race event management today as the storm persists. GC classification to be taken from 9 kms out before the town circuit. Earlier it was 3 kms from the finish. Blown over fences at the finish, lots of standing water on the course, 15 punctures on a descent earlier on in the course, including Geraint Thomas and the Belgian jersey. After a heatwave of several weeks, it is not just rainy, but also cold. This morning I went out in 5 degrees. Tomorrow will be a max of 28, followed by max 30 on Tuesday. Yoh!

Her Cannondale Scalpel LAB 71. I want one. Pic: Cannondale Factory Racing

That meant a lot to Mona - I love it when a Scalpel takes top spot. First at Elite level in the XC. At. Last. Sublime form for the MTB Marathon Rainbow jersey wearer.

I can understand that deals are made with the city of Barcelona who hosts millions of tourists in the summer break and that road closure could not be easily adjusted for better light. The TTT started in reasonable conditions, however, no one expected the heavy rain clouds and poor light as a result of it. Most of the Mediterranean have been exposed to a heat wave for the last few weeks. Cycling is one of the few sports that is so affected by Mother Nature and the weather gods. Not easy to manage. The only real option at the time was to neutralise the TTT. And somehow the organisers did not. Team Jayco AlUla went down like a house of cards. Surprisingly, they were using rim brake TT machines as the disc brake version is yet to arrive. Jonas punctured and the team in yellow lost some seconds and, more importantly, came through safely. Ineos will miss one of their most powerful domestiques. Remco is correct with his statements. Pic: @Getty Sport Images

The Winteriest Winter 💚

One word: A N G L I R U

Time with Mama Nature is never time wasted. 🥰

Always interesting racing analysis

Malanshoogte Rd

There’s just something about staring obsessively at the naked carbon of your 50mm hoops, whilst sipping on your coffee at your favourite pitstop, and how it completes your bicycle… And when in motion, you hear this whooooosshhhhhh sound with a deep hum as the carbon echoes off the tarmac; just sublime… Of course, your best bra remark on it and you feel just lekka inside while playing it cool… And now your motivation to train and ride long goes through the roof! Don’t upgrade. Just don’t.

Love this verbal cue on Cecilie’s baaik at World Champs: Pic: Ivan Bon

Yet again, womens' racing shows its ever increasing thrill. The course was perfectly suited to the punchy Belgian. The course - something like 45 corners per lap. You either like it or not. To market and advertise the Glasgow architecture, it was quite a cool idea. Not the World Champs course for every 5 years. Excellent showing by Ashleigh, who burnt too many matches in the breakaway effort. And the kermesse style of the course would not suit her regardless, hence, I imagine, her tactic to escape with a few others. Volllering is the new goddess of women's cycling, no doubt, after the reign of Queen Annemiek. It seems that she was working for her compatriot at some point? Quite a cool Worlds. Lotto becomes the first Belgian woman in 50 years to win the rainbow jersey.

WOMEN ELITE Very aggressive racing from the start. A very powerful break, including Ashleigh. The favourites are Lotto and Demi, sitting tucked in behind teammates in the peloton. Many lesser riders spat out the back on a very hilly segment of the course. Scatterlings. Beautiful Scotland. Pic: @UCI_cycling