2018 season thread

by Lowlandbrit Sat 13 Jan 2018, 10:02 am

New World Tour season is about to start and, in good news for commentators with airtime to fill, Vaughters' lot are now 'Team EF Education First-Drapac powered by Cannondale'.

AG2R La Mondiale (ALM - FRA)	Astana Pro Team (AST - KAZ)	Bahrain-Merida (TBM - BRN)
BMC Racing Team (BMC - USA)	BORA-hansgrohe (BOH - GER)	Team Dimension Data (DDD - RSA)
Team EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale (EFD - USA)	FDJ (FDJ - FRA)	Team Katusha-Alpecin (TKA - SUI)
Team LottoNL-Jumbo (TLJ - NED)	Lotto Soudal (LTS - BEL)	Mitchelton-Scott (MTS - AUS)
Movistar Team (MOV - ESP)	Quick-Step Floors (QST - BEL)	Team Sky (SKY - GBR)
Team Sunweb (SUN - GER)	Trek-Segafredo (TFS - USA)	UAE Team Emirates (UAD - UAE)

by Azabache Wed 07 Feb 2018, 11:46 am

No Basques again. Very sad. And no Italians?

by Lowlandbrit Sat 17 Mar 2018, 4:52 pm

What a win by Nibali in Milan-San Remo. Bad looking crash for Cavendish though, not having a great year.

by Azabache Mon 19 Mar 2018, 11:03 am

This does tend to happen (witness Contador's last years, Petacchi...).

Maybe Merckx's Tour record is safe eh?

by Lowlandbrit Sun 01 Apr 2018, 4:00 pm

Looks like Terpstra is the strongest today in Flanders, but what a ride by Mads Pedersen. 22 years old...

by No name Bertie Mon 09 Apr 2018, 2:51 am

RIP Michael Goolaerts Paris-Roubaix 2018.

France TV shows the "crash" as riders are cycling single file along a partly cobbled track. He just veers off into a mud embankment on a downhill slightly curved section of track in the countryside - suggesting he had the heart attack while riding. The only question I guess will be how soon was medical attention got to him.

Peter Sagan wins the race, but of course news of Goolaerts' death afterwards will forever cast a deep sadness over this race.

by Lowlandbrit Wed 18 Apr 2018, 3:25 pm

In an upset victory for the passage of time, Alejandro Valverde only managed to finish second in the Fleche Wallonne after winning the last four.

by Lowlandbrit Tue 01 May 2018, 4:41 pm

Giro starts in Israel on Friday. Here are the teams with wildcards for the Grand Tours this year, and there's good news for Azabache:

Giro: Androni–Sidermec–Bottecchia, Bardiani–CSF, Israel Cycling Academy, Wilier Triestina–Selle Italia
Tour: Cofidis, Direct Énergie, Fortuneo–Samsic, Wanty–Groupe Gobert
Vuelta: Burgos BH, Cofidis, Caja Rural–Seguros RGA, Euskadi Basque Country–Murias

by Azabache Fri 04 May 2018, 11:51 am

I see that the imminent start of the Giro has encouraged the BBC to trot out its usual guff about Froome. Just on the right side of "balance" but boringly insinuating in its classic slimey style...

by Lowlandbrit Mon 14 May 2018, 4:34 pm

Nine stages down, looks like Yates, Dumoulin and Pinot in some order on the podium to me.

by Lowlandbrit Wed 16 May 2018, 4:09 pm

Does Froome finish this race? It's not like he's completely out of touch, but it's hard to see him doing better than top 5.

by Azabache Wed 16 May 2018, 4:15 pm

He either abandons final week or...from sheer pride finishes the thing but makes sure he doesn't knacker himself.

Not sure here......

by Lowlandbrit Wed 16 May 2018, 5:10 pm

Azabache wrote:from sheer pride finishes the thing but makes sure he doesn't knacker himself.

I just can't see the point of just using the Giro as a warm-up race for him though. If he doesn't win the Tour he looks sillier than Quintana did last year, if he only barely wins it everyone asks why he put the result at risk by doing it, and if he wins easily everyone asks why he didn't put a bit more effort in to really go for the double.

by Azabache Wed 16 May 2018, 5:39 pm

Yeah! I never really figured his strategy here. The records are full of disastrous failures. Is he getting ideas of emulating Cannibals or Badgers? I'm full of admiration for him but I sense a slight delicacy comparedf with those Beasts.

by Lowlandbrit Sun 20 May 2018, 4:24 pm

Mixed weekend for Froome: wins on Zoncolan yesterday but takes another hit today. Great weekend for Yates though, would need a serious collapse to give away the pink jersey at this point.

by Azabache Mon 21 May 2018, 11:13 am

Terrific stage on Sat. from Froome. Seems to have knackered himself the next day, though that's a relative term at this level. He might still surprise us with a podium finish given a good result in the TT.........speaking of which, this will be key for Yates. We'll have a good idea by Weds...

by spencerclarke Tue 22 May 2018, 5:36 pm

Great result in the TT for Yates and a strong finish for Froome gives him a podium chance. Looking forward to the highlight show. Oh and well done to Denis. He's having a great Giro.

by Lowlandbrit Thu 24 May 2018, 4:20 pm

How does this race keep getting better?

by Azabache Thu 24 May 2018, 4:29 pm

Stuck at work here I can't easily get progress on the Giro (unlike the Tour where the BBC up to now have had refreshable live coverage on their website-aargh! they will probably discontinue now in line with all their other cuts), so have had to rely on the Quest highlights in the evening. So has something particularly momentous happened?

by Lowlandbrit Thu 24 May 2018, 4:44 pm

Yates lost nearly 30 seconds to Dumoulin, Pozzovivo and Froome on the last climb. This thing's not over yet.

by Azabache Thu 24 May 2018, 5:29 pm

Thanks for the update-wow!

Yates has to knuckle down to it and use his team to protect him. Mental strength is key here. He's young and strong but it's his to lose if he succumbs to the mental pressure. No silly escapades to gain a few seconds, unless he's super confident within a certain situation.

We know Dumoulin is a tough nut. As for Froome, I've thought for a few days that he might make the podium. Pozzovivo-a dark horse.

Can't wait to see the highlights later!

by Lowlandbrit Fri 25 May 2018, 1:49 pm

Nearly at the highest point of the Giro, two more climbs left after that today, and I have no idea what the top 10 is going to look like at the end of the day. Yates has been dropped, Froome has gone off on his own, it's an absolute battlefield.

http://www.giroditalia.it/eng/live/

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Fri 25 May 2018, 1:55 pm

Absolutely mental stage ahead - Froome is out on his own 75km out, and the field is completely strung apart behind him, Yates is done now

by Guest Fri 25 May 2018, 2:23 pm

Incredible from Froome. Cracks were appearing yesterday with Yates, so not surprised he’s blown. Interesting to see if Froome holds that gap in the valley.

by Azabache Fri 25 May 2018, 2:31 pm

At work but managed to get onto Cycling News Live-is this true?!

Sincerely hope not shades of Fl*yd L*nd*s!

by Guest Fri 25 May 2018, 2:44 pm

Froome 27 seconds away from virtual lead

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Fri 25 May 2018, 2:48 pm

Dumoulin looks cooked to me

by No name Bertie Fri 25 May 2018, 2:50 pm

So Simon Yates is not even going to finish on the podium? He is blown as Just John says?

by Guest Fri 25 May 2018, 2:51 pm

Yates going to lose over 20 minutes possibly.

Froome now 9 seconds away from virtual lead

by No name Bertie Fri 25 May 2018, 2:51 pm

Azabache wrote:At work but managed to get onto Cycling News Live-is this true?!

Sincerely hope not shades of Fl*yd L*nd*s!

No way. The issue is - is he going to get a back dated ban for having twice the legal amount of asthma drug in his system on one of last years Tour stages.

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Fri 25 May 2018, 2:51 pm

No name Bertie wrote:So Simon Yates is not even going to finish on the podium? He is blown as Just John says?

Yates ain't gonna finish top 20, let alone podium - he's gonna be around 30 minutes down on the stage today, he's just completely gone

by Guest Fri 25 May 2018, 3:01 pm

Froome is virtual leader by 5 seconds

by Guest Fri 25 May 2018, 3:31 pm

11km to go. Froome virtual leader by 33 seconds.

by Azabache Fri 25 May 2018, 3:45 pm

"The issue is - is he going to get a back dated ban for having twice the legal amount of asthma drug in his system on one of last years Tour stages.."

Well..we can rely on a totally fair, unbiased approach from the new head of the UCI, who has demonstrated in spades these qualities....

by No name Bertie Fri 25 May 2018, 3:59 pm

Another huge mountain stage tomorrow. How will the leaders recover for tomorrow?

by No name Bertie Fri 25 May 2018, 4:02 pm

Azabache wrote:"The issue is - is he going to get a back dated ban for having twice the legal amount of asthma drug in his system on one of last years Tour stages.."

Well..we can rely on a totally fair, unbiased approach from the new head of the UCI, who has demonstrated in spades these qualities....

I personally can't see how Froome can avoid a lengthy (four or two year) ban. It was in his blood stream, it was over the limit ...

by Guest Fri 25 May 2018, 4:06 pm

Froome wins the stage, and is in Pink. Incredible ride.

Froome leads by about 32 seconds (not sure how bonuses change that)

by No name Bertie Fri 25 May 2018, 4:11 pm

Excellent & courageous victory for Froome. Let's hope he can recover well for tomorrows mountain stage.

by Lowlandbrit Fri 25 May 2018, 4:21 pm

Think he should have a 50 second lead over Dumoulin. Certainly not a stage that's going to be forgotten...

by Guest Fri 25 May 2018, 4:25 pm

40 second lead?

by Lowlandbrit Fri 25 May 2018, 4:34 pm

Yeah, small miscalculation; was 2'54 behind at the start, Dumoulin came in at 3'23, Froome picked up 13 bonus seconds and Dumoulin got 2.

by Azabache Fri 25 May 2018, 4:44 pm

And here is our wonderful slimey BBC take in their report:

He is involved in an ongoing anti-doping case after being found to have double the allowed level of a legal asthma drug in his urine after a test at last year's Vuelta a Espana.

Had it slipped to the back of his mind, he was reminded as a spectator ran alongside him holding a giant inhaler on Friday's stage.

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Fri 25 May 2018, 5:02 pm

Had wonder boy Brad put in a performance like that he’d be have tea with the Queen and living at Downing Street within the month

by dummy_half Fri 25 May 2018, 5:10 pm

No name Bertie wrote:
Azabache wrote:"The issue is - is he going to get a back dated ban for having twice the legal amount of asthma drug in his system on one of last years Tour stages.."

Well..we can rely on a totally fair, unbiased approach from the new head of the UCI, who has demonstrated in spades these qualities....

I personally can't see how Froome can avoid a lengthy (four or two year) ban. It was in his blood stream, it was over the limit ...

Won't be a 4 or 2 year ban - Salbutamol doesn't carry that level of sanction even if Froome is found liable. Somewhere between 6 and 12 month ban, likely to be back-dated to the Vuelta, so losing all results from then would be consistent with previous sanctions.

One of the issues is that there are two limits for the use of Salbutamol - a level in the urine and a permissible dose by inhalation over the course of 24 hours. Froome's argument (as far as is in the public domain) is that the dose he took was in the permissible level, so the concentration in his sample does not indicate a breach of the doping regulations. It's already accepted that the level was not in truth twice the permitted dose, as there was evidence of dehydration that would increase the concentration of Salbutamol in the urine sample (brings the effective level down to about 1500 mg/l rather than 2000 mg/l).

Of course the other issue is that an AAF for Salbutamol does not trigger an automatic suspension until the case is sorted (unlike most other substances).

Generally, the case has shown that the rules regarding Salbutamol are a complete mess at the moment.

by No name Bertie Fri 25 May 2018, 5:39 pm

dummy_half wrote:... there are two limits for the use of Salbutamol - a level in the urine (1000 mg/l) and a permissible dose by inhalation over the course of 24 hours. Froome's argument ... is that the dose he took (by inhalation) was in the permissible level ... the concentration of Salbutamol in the urine sample ... 1500 mg/l

Thanks for that clear summary. So the issue is going to be
a) whether he can prove that the inhaler dose he took was within the permissible level
b) If he cannot prove that directly - whether tests will show that taking the permissible inhaler dose results in him having 1500 mg/L in his urine.

ps: this gives me hope that there is a possible path for Froome that would vindicate him.

by Lowlandbrit Sat 26 May 2018, 1:45 pm

I think we can scratch out Pinot for the top 10.

by Guest Sat 26 May 2018, 2:56 pm

Froome has won the Giro. Dumoulin has blown

by whocares Sat 26 May 2018, 3:25 pm

Well done Froome.
When was the last time someone won the Vuelta, TDF and Giro in a row ?

by No name Bertie Sat 26 May 2018, 4:29 pm

Froome should be a national sporting hero. But bad publicity has turned him into someone most people don't want to talk about. Then there are a few left over who either support him strongly or hate him (for various reasons). On the whole he is a very approachable and open person and has done more than many others in releasing medical and physical test data and working towards a drugs-free sport.

ps: I think the main problem with regard to Froome's reputation is the phrase "he has failed a drugs test" used by the BBC and everyone else I think. So the narrative goes he has failed a drugs test and he will be banned unless he can "show how he failed a drugs test in an acceptable manner". Which sort of doesn't make sense. Most people will have their mind made up once they hear "he has failed a drugs test". The real issue is that at the moment whether or not he failed a drugs test is open to debate - as yet he has not failed a drugs test - he has only allegedly failed a drugs test. It may turn out that the drugs test itself failed.

by No name Bertie Sun 27 May 2018, 11:01 pm

The BBC absolutely hammering Froome over the Salbutamol issue which they claim can be used for affecting muscle mass. They are saying if the UCI don't reach a decision before the Tour de France, they can lobby the TdF organisers to get him excluded. They are saying Froome's reputation is irreparably damaged no matter what the decision.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/44273794

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