My point is that I don't think that TomD can or should complain about that particular crash. From the replays it really looks to be mostly TomD's fault/mistake than anything Kwaito (yes Kwaito was the other rider) did. I am happy TomD is ok but I won't be to happy if he winds up having harsh words for Kwaito mostly because it'll be total BS imho.
He should've made sure that he wasn't overly close to another rider. As far as I am concerned that crash is of his own making by not paying attention to what's happening ahead of him.
Yeah will make the next few days pretty interesting especially with the fact that JA is such a whole hearted entertaining racer. He doesn't seem to know how to do things in half measures. He had a fantastic 2019 and is highly capable so the other teams won't underestimate him. Again this just means the next few days will be very interesting. Also Hirschi gave it a good go too! Another good young rider to keep a eye on.
One helluva opening stage! Crashes galore and a wonderful win for Kristof. Tomorrow's also sounds like it's going to be a spicy one too based on the profile! A hard hard start to the TdF!!!!!!!
Seems like that they've sorted some of their issues. Matt Stephens has joined CK and they also just had a Wiggins alert regarding the weather and how the teams are handling it. But Ja First day jitters!!!
The paint will be slippy as well. Weather conditions making a difficult opening stage even harder. The Eurosport commentator reckons the weather might actually help the breakaway nick a win!
It's going to be an exciting opening stage regardless of the result. I got a feeling that Sagan could be a potential winner today as well. A lot also depends on how hard the teams with sprinters are willing to work because the two cat 3 climbs could help a strong breakaway be in the hunt for a win. Agree with you about La Course and how well Trek Segafredo used their numbers. ELB really dug deep to give Lizzy such a good shot at taking Vos down. That Lizzy had the legs was fantastic for the race that always delivers a dramatic one. Also thought that Demi Vollering had a fantastic race and to try and get the best result she could when others might've settled for sixth also says a lot about her attitude.
Hey Raymond It won't be reckless if it's planned properly. I know both GMBN and GCN have done a number of videos on bikepacking (as has a number of other YouTube posters like Juliet Elliott) so maybe have a look there for some guidance. Additionally think about how you're going to travel to your start point and then from your end point of this bike packing adventure. It would also probably be wise to make use of a buddy system ito having someone know where exactly you are on your trip. Also think about the electronic devices you're going to take and how you're going to keep them charged especially your phone and whatever head unit/bike comp you're using. Those would be my main concerns when I get round to doing this route myself because I'd also probably do this solo as well.
Hopefully the choice for him not to start yesterday was just to ensure that he had enough time to recover for the Tour in two weeks time. It would be sad if he ain't there. Fantastic competitor!
Yeah Jumbo Visma's guys in particular have been pretty scathing about the descents used this year. And while I feel that there's a definite onus on the race organisers to ensure a spectacular race they also need to ensure that it is as safe as they can possibly make it. The riders also need to do their bit too on both sides of the equation. It's a very very fine balancing act and we need to accept there might be the occasional fail as long as it isn't the type of total breakdown in safety we saw in Poland with Jakobsen's crash. A crash like that is entirely unacceptable and all parties involved need to look at how to ensure that never happens again.
Would they be as entertaining though? Agree that they do need to use common sense about when to take risks and when not. Didn't see either accidents so not willing to cast blame onto them as such because of other potential factors towards their respective crashes. Hopefully recent events will inform their racing acumen without negatively affecting their confidence in themselves and their abilities.
