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Irishj9

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Everything posted by Irishj9

  1. Yes March 8 or thereabouts. Its now March 10 and we are in the middle of a rainstorm
  2. The rainstorm in Capetown is much appreciated. The worst of it hit last night, March 9, only one day after the normal Cycle tour date. Sunday itself was overcast with rain showers, no spectacular cape scenery shots for the TV. But thanks to COVID19, there was no "real" event and I did not slide down Chappies and Suiker hoping to get home in one (wet) piece. The storm strengthened and continued last night, D-day plus1 for cycling fans. I suggest everybody in Capetown go out their front door and take a picture to send the race organisers. My neighbours bins are blown open and the debris is everywhere. In case they forget the changing Cape weather patterns, first week of March Next year, same again? J
  3. Yes certainly But Sam is assisted by the early in the stage nature of those intermediate sprints remaining Trentin will climb better, for no green points gain Then face Sam on the Champs Elysee in a flat sprint
  4. Trentin always a more likely challenger than Sagan
  5. 15 riders over a minute clear soon the 45minute rule kicks in and the peleton stops chasing Sagan's green jersey challenge puts one foot into the grave
  6. It is a tough one to call however Bennet has the lead Sagan does not have the pure speed. He used to overcome this by cleaning up in intermediate sprints. Thats no longer possible. Bennet has the wolfpack. A team of high quality rouleurs. The points will be gone when Sagan hits those intermediate sprints
  7. Well done Sam Bennett. Finally the pressure is off. Sagans lack of grace at the finish tells you all you need to know. He's not as strong as his publicity machine. Ewan may win tomorrow. Doesn't matter. I don't see him finishing this tour. The green jersey is still undecided.
  8. Round 2 of the Tech wars: Alaphilippe won on clinchers! https://cyclingtips.com/2020/08/tubed-clinchers-just-won-their-first-tour-de-france-stage/?fbclid=IwAR3P7_H2zqYmak6QEgaB8JT7bdX5jZhmcjsLPa_3ewwCYnTgxy7nDCCKnic lol
  9. Hmm I actually did ride stage races, back in the day in Ireland. That 8 day Ras is a bitch. Particularly since there are constant attacks every one of the 8 days
  10. The fans stop watching. The TV paycheck goes away, and so do the salaries.
  11. WTF? The books?????? We are cyclists not accountants! ( well, ok I am an accountant - full disclosure) Let the sodding Ineos outfit P*ss off and read books This is the TDF. not a local junior crit whose result gets posted in the local free rag outside SPAR. They are not racing for the books. They are racing for me and you, the fans. Let them go out and F**********king earn strava segments if thats all they want
  12. What would DQS do?. Well that's easy. DQS area Belgian outfit. The first thing a Belgian thinks when assessing tactics is "What would Eddy do? The answer is always the same. Eddy would attack. But Wiggins, Froome, Thomas, Bernal would not attack. They would sprint the final climb only. Another boooooooooring victory. Does anyone care?
  13. Finally COVID forced me to work from home where I can have a large screen running the Tour all day and no boss to object. But will it be the usual 6 hours clubrun plus a dash up the last climb?. Initial signs are not good. Again the wait for the final climb yesterday. Again Alaphilippe ( Go Wolfpack!) the only bike racer worthy of the name. He single handedly carried the 2019 tour. Probably will do so again But there were a lot of sore bodies out there after the stage 1 crashes. A bit too early to pass judgement....... And I can always enjoy Ineos struggle.....
  14. Thats hilarious! Imagine capitalising your ransomware fees!. 2020 is a blast!
  15. Yes it works through Express vpn. ITV live coverage every day. very simple to set up. Not free of course
  16. Im pretty negative about how a number of morons ride down Hospital Bend ( oh how well named that is!) waving to mama at 70kph, EVERY SINGLE YEAR in the funride Champs, However' thats risk appetite. Everyone has a different version. Others ride into walls trying to gain a micro advantage on day 1 of a 21 day race. It is a deliberate attempt to gain advantage off the fear of your competitors. When it works ,its fun to watch from the couch. When it fails, I do permit myself a wry smile....
  17. LOL Let us wait. Its only day 1. I wanna see those disk brake guys leave the rim guys behind on those mountain pass descents. I wanna see them brake later into the corner on the Champs Elysee and gain 50 meters every time the race turns. I call BS. Face it. The king has no clothes. The top 3 contenders know it. On a personal note I was in CWC today drooling over a scott foll which had disks. I thought, oh well, I gotta join the early adopters some time. It truly is a beauty, if you like big butt. Have you seen the rear end on that gorgeous piece of porn. Front looks like Sofia Vergara. Back end Mrs Dlamini Zuma. ( HAt and all!)
  18. And the major takeaway from todays stage is: 1) Disk brakes are no better than rim brakes. Nobody on disks gained ANY advantage on those wet descents 2) You need a mechanic with a power tool following you if you puncture ( on disk brakes) and want a wheel change. Wait, no that didnt work, did it?. He failed. Right in front of the whole world on live tv. So what chance have you, 50km from home in the wet with your cute little 5mm allen key?
  19. I read a press release on the new Specialised which boasted that it had 'eliminated the shimmy" of the previous model WTF!. It had a shimmy...... Most terrifying ride of my life was when a previous bike developed a shimmy descending off Red Hill Still gives me the trembles But Specialised is ok. Now. Apparently....
  20. I cycled 30km to Camps Bay for coffee, VERY slowly, and three people gave me kudos next day. I was embarassed. Of course strava calculated I climbed 16000 metres from TableView. Maybe that had something to do with it?
  21. Many good points made above. As a transplanted cyclist, I am in the very high risk COVID group, staying away from all crowds and groups, and yet, and yet..... The way forward must include smaller groups, and even groups where trusted friends or clubmates ride together. There is little pleasure for me in HUGE events. The crowds, the crazies trying to impress mama down the blue route, the toilets(!). The EXPO has already been mentioned. Google what Sean Kelly has to say about wandering round an expo before a big event. For me the Argus has always been about the journey to get there, not the day itself. Many of my most enjoyable events have been the preparation for the big one. The day itself can be a big let down, and I never place too much reliance on it Its just like planning new Years Eve for weeks only to find it cannot live up to expectations. It must be Smaller events. Tighter groups. Better sanitation. All admin done online. And please dont cough near me, as a smack in the mouth often offends, lol
  22. I ride with an amateur Irish team, essentially a club team, albeit a fairly high profile one. Its been made VERY clear to me and my teammates that wearing the Team Jersey carries with it a responsibility to beheave in a manner which ALWAYS reflects well on the Teams excellent reputation for friendliness and fun. No member of my team would have caused this this situation, then chirped at officials to escalate it. I would have imagined higher standards applied to Pro teams
  23. Does anyone know offhand if Tri spoke wheels are UCI legal ( for tt's) under the new rules JP
  24. Brief history: After a major blood pressure incident last September I was diagnosed with end stage renal failure. One kidney removal ( October), and one kidney transplant ( end May) later, I am really concerned about....yes, my cycling of course!. Doc says I can go back on the bike soon. I have a strong feeling that fun rides are going to be a lot more about the FUN from here on, but would like to hear from any other kidney patients who have managed to resume something like a normal exercise plan after treatment. Just dont ask me to take a drug test, Im popping 17 tablets each morning at present!
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