An excellent decisions by Sunweb - How can you use the excuse you are hunting stage victories,when you are in the peleton which is seven minutes behind the peleton.
My rider Alaphalippe wins stage 8 from a breakaway defeating Polanc and Majka - Froome put the hurt on the final climb with only Contador keeping his wheel - Chaves lost 17 seconds and A.Yates 28s - S.Yates was sacrificed on the final climb while Haig punctured at the foot of the final climb.
Cannodale riders and staff have been released to find other contracts.
Writing on the wall.
There will be a shitfight to signup Uran. The others are going to struggle this late in the season.
Trek Segafreddo will have the inside running for Uran - Two riders that interest me are Van Baarle and Woods.
Woods is pretty good. Carthy is another.
Uran will go to Astana I think.
I suspect a bunch of Australian and NZ riders won’t be at WT level next year.
Van Marcke is an interesting case - Orica were super keen last year, though I think the signing of Trentin will probably stop interest - My guess is Israel Cycling Academy will sign 2 or 3 of the riders - My guess is around 15 of the 21 riders will find WT teams.
The DS of that team has overseen a bunch of teams fold, right?
Canty will want to make something of his remaining Vuelta stages to get a WT contract somewhere.
He was in the break last night but couldn’t make it count when it mattered.
Sep hasn’t had a great year. But with Keukeleire going (although yet to be officially announced), perhaps there’s a window there.
Personally, they’d be better getting younger talent in.
Looks like Simon Clarke made a poor call.
Simon Clarke had no choice because he was offered no contract by Orica - I am happy if they get one of Van Baarle or Woods.
I thought Clarke told OS he wanted to try his luck elsewhere?
My understanding is Orica thought Clarke had reached his level with the team - I’d be surprised if he ends up back at Orica.
He won’t be back at Orica.
Even money chance he won’t be WT next year.
Clarke is a certainty to be at WT level in 2018 - He’s well and truly a WT standard cyclist.
He’s done very little since he joined Cannondale.
That might be just Cannondale though.
Bretagne Classic tonight - Mezgec will do the final for Orica if the parcours is too challenging for Ewan - It’s a hot field.
Colombian young climbing sensation, Egan Bernal, has signed with Sky.
He’s won the 2 mountain stages and the GC in the Tour de l’Avinir.
Australian riders were a bit disappointing in this year’s edition.
Tour L’Avenir was a strange race - There were five leading contenders for GC Bernal,Sivakov, Powless, Fabbro and Hamilton - Only Bernal and Hamilton were competitive in the GC.
Froome wins stage 9 from Chaves and Woods - Froome leads Chaves by 36 seconds - Chaves holds his form and he will podium.
Hard to see Froome losing, although we haven’t had the long climbs yet.
Haig riding superbly, possibly even better than Adam Yates.
What’s the back story about Adam Yates being classified as Australian?
Sivakov also joins sky.