No Ta Doctor
Veteran
I believe it was all Sky/Ineos's fault that most of his biggest wins came with Sky/Ineos and not after he left them...
*possible traces of sarcasm, remembering the noises made by Sky/Ineos hating peeps back then*
La Vuelta 2026 ***Spoilers***
- Thread starter wakemalcolm
- Start date
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I believe it was all Sky/Ineos's fault that most of his biggest wins came with Sky/Ineos and not after he left them...
*possible traces of sarcasm, remembering the noises made by Sky/Ineos hating peeps back then*
mididoctors
Veteran
Mads crawls across
OP
OP
wakemalcolm
Legendary Member
- Location
- Ratho
Think I'm being a bit too harsh, on further reflection: 7th on GC at the Giro and 2 Vuelta stages doesn't exactly spell out loser, but I recall things didn't end smoothly with Skineos.
Pross
Guru
I remember seeing him win the Junior Tour Of Wales, he was a superb talent. I've lost track of the incredible young talent that ultimately had solid, at best, senior careers.
mididoctors
Veteran
Gaps not big enough
OP
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wakemalcolm
Legendary Member
- Location
- Ratho
Seems to have shot up: more creative time keeping to add spice to the race?
mididoctors
Veteran
UAE almost desperately trying to let this break go
mididoctors
Veteran
UAE blocking
No Ta Doctor
Veteran
I don't really understand why anyone thinks Pog would gift the stage at all. He was comfortable for time, he went out to get a stage win. Mas collaborated for while and then he beat him in a sprint. It's absolutely standard bike racing and not in any way controversial. It was telegraphed in advance that UAE would try for the stage, and with a big Cat 1 gravel climb it was always going to be a GC stage. It's not like he hunted some unknown breakaway guy down in rolling hilly territory and caught him just before the line or something.
TBH I think the stage gifting discourse has got a bit out of hand. I doubt anyone in the peloton thought he ought to have let Mas have that, let alone the question of how on earth he could make it look like Mas had beaten him fair and square in a sprint 😱 For me the thing that might lose him friends is when he targets what looks like an obvious breakaway day for a stage win or patrols it hard so that his blacklisted riders don't get in it (I don't just mean riders that could potentially be dangerous to him in a break, as up the road helpers for rivals, but riders getting punished for past misdemeanours). The fact that he's picky about who he lets up the road - and who he allows off the leash for a stage win - could probably rankle with some riders.
OP
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wakemalcolm
Legendary Member
- Location
- Ratho
Has had 4 months of his '26 season gouged out after a scooter took him down whilst recovering from a crash at P-N.
No Ta Doctor
Veteran
That's usually up there with the World's Jnr TT as a performance indicator isn't it?
The major result missing from Geraint Thomas's palmares
matticus
Guru
A number of other riders came off at the same corner. Skoda team cars put 2 wheels down the side. (there's footage on T' 'Gram, no doubt other places).
Imagine the chaos from such a narrow road being blocked due to a proper accident!
Pross
Guru
Was surprised that it was only 2024 when he took two Vuelta stages. He's had one of those careers that seem to have constantly been blighted by illness or injury just as the form starts to return. Genuinely hadn't realised he was in this race until they mentioned he was bridging though and had pretty much forgotten about him. Stevie Williams was second to him on that final stage of the Junior ToW and seems to be having similar issues after a great 2024.
Legs
usually riding on Zwift or up steep hills...
- Location
- Staffordshire
The year I rode the JTOW, it was won by Johan Vansummeren, whose pro palmares was quite sparse apart from only going and bloody winning Paris-Roubaix!
