Cosnefroy seems to have a sense of humor:
https://twitter.com/...-d4-og6anAQ&s=19

Translation: "Did I win this one?"

That is phenomenal. I can't wait for him to bag his next win after the display of talent and class today.

I'd like to think I'm a good hearted bloke, but boy I've pouted like and absolute loser at points in my life getting pipped at the wall or on the line...and MUCH less was on the line.

That reaction from him today says a lot. Chapeau.

Sorry, I wasn't clear - no direct support is needed. USA Cycling is just looking for your history of races to be sanctioned by some UCI-recognized federation, so they can ensure it's not "Thursday Night Worlds" you're passing off as race results.

In the past it used to be someone from your USAC local association who made license upgrade decisions, and often that was someone who'd respond to email questions, and could smooth things over for cases like yours.

I have a tougher time answering today because recently USAC moved all upgrade decisions to their corporate HQ in Colorado Springs, and it's harder to pin a name to the request.

By the way, upon review, Tiesj is the winner. He assassinated his beverage.

I had a couple of guys on my team back in the day that came over from Europe with lots of racing experience, one was from France and one from Holland, they both manged to get a USAC license in cat 3, but couldn't get a 2 or 1 license here.
They had to provide proof of their race results back over there, one guy even had a newspaper clipping with a picture of him on a podium in France.
It's a bit of a hassle but it can be done.

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http://www.instagram.com/cyclewise

Don't you have a UCI id#? Normally you have to get an international license and then persuade the local powers that be that you're experienced enough to race at a cat 2 level.

If they're unsure they'll dump you into cat 4.

If you're resident in USA now they may just allow you to get a usac license. Proof of having raced at a high level should be fine. Usac has gone to an honor system now for upgrading. You can imagine how successful that's been.

When I lived in Illinois you'd get guys who had raced in the tour of Poland apply to cats 4 and 5, clean up for a season or two. Bitch like hell when forcibly upgraded and vanish again after a few cat 3 races. One guy even won USA crit nationals as a pro.

They are going to sort me out and it seems straightforward on paper. How it works in practice we shall see.

Ill provide them previous licenses, race results from sanctioned races and its probably overkill, but access to some power data.

Well, in a beer chugging contest between a Frenchman, a Pole, and a Belgian... that should have been a foregone conclusion.

He looked confused at their relative slow speed.

I donno, man

Fine Belgian ales are for sipping and not chugging

I don't know what the ABV of amstel gold is but I can't imagine chugging that is not a pleasant job. However by the looks of it all 3 of them know their way around the beverage.

People who can do that amaze me. The thought of it nearly makes me sick.

Good thing it was a cheap Dutch lager. :)

Agreed, though not all Belgian beers are "fine"... It's not like they're pounding Trappist ales at CX or six-day races. And as was just pointed out, the beer in question here was neither Belgian nor particulalry special.

In her defense, she said ahead of the race in her interviews that the climbs were too short for her to make a difference and she needed others to commit to making the race very hard throughout for her to have a chance. Her tactic is just the way she rides - the course just didn't suit it. She's not a puncher. She doesn't have the team support or personal attributes to make a race like that work for her unless others decide to make it a long, grueling attack from long range rather than a punch fest. There are other tactics perhaps, but none of them likely give her any more of a chance to actually win a race like that.

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"It's good enough for who it's for" - Grandpa Wayne

I would tend to agree with this assessment. Its just not a course that fully.suits her.

I agree with all that - my point is also the 2nd places at Strade and Flanders, where SD Worx and co. were just camped out behind her waiting for the patented attack. There was a time when only van der Breggen could stay with some of those attacks. It's starting to look like maybe that's no longer the case. Movistar might consider finding ways to be more creative, putting riders up the road or something (easier said than done). Otherwise SD Worx will just continue to use numbers effectively. (though FDJ did a good job at using SD Worx' fixation on Annamiek against them on Sunday).

Did I miss something? It looked like Benoot had one sip and put the glass down. That's a DNF in my book!

IIRC MvdP didn't even pretend to drink on the Amstel Gold podium (2019). He kind of raised the glass, then set it aside. Wine drinker.

White shoes, white shorts - probably white wine. :-)

Huh. Too late for April Fool's...


On-the-fly tire pressure adjustment just in time for P-R.


https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/in-race-tyre-pressure-management-system-to-be-used-at-paris-roubaix-by-team-dsm/

I like it! Who wants to sprint Wout in the velodrome on mushy 60PSI tires? Or try to chase him over sectors on 90PSI road tires?

But I don't think the similarly-considered Pinarello dynamically adjustable full suspension ever made it past the experiment phase in 2019.

Unfortunate that the company picked DSM who are front and center in Relegation Watch 2022. They're likely to be outside the top 10 again this weekend. Though I'd love to see Degenkobble dial back the clock one more time.

high praise indeed! I have learned and continue to learn so much about bike racing from the folks on this thread that I am careful to chime in. I'll remove the quote from my signature moving forward as the truth of it may never apply again!

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"It's good enough for who it's for" - Grandpa Wayne

Just remember that me endorsing anything is considered a liability. ;)

This is a good chance to acknowledge this thread in general. You all do really make this even more fun. What a wide array of knowledge and characters.

I am with you there. I thought there were a few chances for them over the past races to get satellite riders up the road and at least change the way the race is going so that she has different options

I would love that. I am curious if it can be pre-programmed for a known course, i.e. TT.