Yeah, I think that's accurate. I was being sincere, though. Both aggressive when it makes sense...reminds me of the Piddles/Iserbyt clash a few weeks ago.

Except that there's no love lost between Tom and Eli.

I'm not sure there's even grudging respect.

Most of the Dutch women seem to get along pretty well.

Yeah, it's pretty visible dislike. But in the recent instance where Pidcock rolled Iserbyt just before the final turn, Iserbyt did fully own that it was his mistake, and Pidcock didn't cross a line of etiquette (or actual rules). Iserbyt used to not be my favorite guy, but I've gained a lot of respect for him this year.

Quote:

In the last corner, I actually let myself be outsmarted. I did not expect that maneuver anymore. Tom was a few meters back, but he was cunning enough to come through the inside of the corner. It was just within the limits, so hats off to him.

I fully agree about the women. I love Puck's course recon videos because you can see all the women genuinely enjoy each other's company. It's refreshing.

I asked my wife if we were going to see a replay of his Amstel Gold win when he made that move. Just mega power to accelerate like that.

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That finish is one of the most bonkers I have ever had the privilege to witness and even re-watching it my jaw drops. Your post reminded me that he uploaded the power file from the race and how utterly amazing his performance was.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2307958367

Broadway Joe calling time on his career. He rode with some legends!

Puck was trying to dummy her. Shoulder check was her trying to cut back inside to take the tight line to the next corner, but Fem saw it coming and blocked her. Really solid racecraft.

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Pidcock and Iserbyt have *a lot* of history. They spent two years in the U23's beating up on each other, and in those days the slight edge generally went to Eli. They've got close to ten years of rivalry working, and it can't have been fun for Eli to see Tom reach the stratospheric levels he has in recent years. I would imagine it's particularly sweet for him to take it to Pidcock on those rare occasions he can these days.

If anyone hasn't seen them, it's worth digging up some of those old races... the U-23 race in 2017 would be a timely one given the Tabor venue, and it's every bit the nail-biter finish the women's race was this past weekend.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
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Yep. He waited for a call for a bit but is moving on. Knowing him, I can attest to his getting the most out of his talent and career. Could've bailed legitimately years ago but worked through the injuries. He'll distinguish himself elsewhere pretty quickly. And as LTD said on insta, he was "never an asshole". High praise in that line of work.

His release/statement was really nice to read.

Chapeau to a great career and living his dream.

It was a nice statement and a heck of a career. I'm still a bit surprised he didn't get picked up though. I wonder what's in store for him next? The gravel dream? ;)

Good question. It's not so easy to totally walk away. Wouldn't surprise me to see him at Leadville again and some big gravel races. But he has a lot he wants to do besides cycling.

I always thought he came off as an intelligent and articulate person from interviews.

Bora released a photo of Primo on the new TT setup. His position has been changed in numerous ways its seems. The helmet remains ugly, but it is clearly fast.

 
tt setup seems to be working, martinez stomped everyone at the colombian tt championships today.

gotta say i'm losing hope for a happy ending to the bernal story.

Dani has always been a superb time trialist, but that was a stomping as he was 1:28 to Rivera. Bernal being over 3 minutes back is not the greatest sign but thankfully he's healthy and alive.

Bernal beat Rigo by a pretty good margin, and Rigo's a decent TTer. Hard to read too much into form at this time of year.

But yeah, looking less and less likely Bernal will get back to being a GT contender, but he's still pretty young and can afford, to a degree, to be patient in his comeback. Hoping for him to get some results this year, at least as a stage hunter. Not giving up on him for GC over the long term just yet.

Plus - big picture - Bernal's comeback story is already extremely happy given what could have resulted. We're just hoping he gets that last percent or two of performance that he's had trouble reaching.

Lamperti with the leadout AND still takes 3rd. Kid might have a future
3:35 mark

Way early season for sure, but besting Dainese, Van den Berg, and ole man Kristoff is worth celebrating.

So GvA is going to Unbound. He seems like the right kind of rider for that.

Does seem like a good course for him, with relentless rollers. Heat and luck are always major wildcards.

Btw, this is a good interview with Jim Miller about how Keegan trains. He’s an absolute beast with WorldTour power— I remember seeing a video clip of him putting Terpstra deep into the box and ultimately dropping him at SBT.

For sure.

And Cool Hand is showing he can play up.

Keegan's results (and power files) speak for themselves. He is a WT pro if he wanted to be.

Eurosport apparently just had Liggett commentating on the women's Great Ocean Road Race. He had two others with him, and neither seemed that good. At one point, the lady commentator uttered something inane like "the Dutch are known for their tenacity", as if her competitors (from other countries) were somehow lacking in that department.

Otoh, interesting finish to the race.

Spoiler Alert

Thinking ahead, I am contemplating max point value a MvdP pick this spring will be 2pt.