The Pro Cycling Thread

Somehow Richie Porte is captain of BMC for the Hammer Series in Hong Kong on October 14 - This is not a joke.

They are punishing him! Ha!

And Lucas Plapp finishes second to Evanapoel in the junior ITT - Evanopoel is from another world winning by 1m and 23s - Great effort by Plapp who beat the rest by 37s.

Porte riding the Hammer Series means he is riding the Tour of Guangxi.

Dutch clean sweep of the womens ITT - AVV from AVB and Van Dijk.

Evanapoel is one year older than Plapp, which would have been part of the difference, but a great ride never the less.

It will be interesting to see the career trajectory for Plapp in the next few years.

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Dennis dominates the ITT from Dumoulin and Campaenarts - Dennis did what he has threatened to achieve in the last 3 years.

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‪:rainbow: #InnsbruckTirol2018 ITT World Champion! :rainbow:

‪He’s done it! Rohan Dennis has dominated the ITT to win the :1st_place_medal: for the first time in his career.

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That was pretty awesome.
Can’t feel but thinking Tom’s big year took a bit out of him, but even then I doubt he could have beaten Dennis.

Realistically TD can only ride one GT per season if he wishes to win the ITT.

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Evenepoel shows he is super human in the junior men’s RR - Caught in a crash with 65kms to go, loses two minutes, gets half the deficit back on the climb single-handledly - Then bridges over to the breakaway riders,drops them one by one and wins easily by 1m and 21 seconds - Wow !

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Yeh, that was even more impressive than his ITT.

U23 RR tonight. Stannard in with a chance of a podium.

Australian’s were disappointing in the under 23 RR - Hamilton has fallen off the cliff late in the season - Good ride by Spratt in the women’s elite race, though AVB was on a different planet. And AVV crashed fracturing her kneecap - Have no idea who will win the Men’s race.

Valverde wins a deserved World Championship from Bardet,Woods and Dumoulin - France brutalised the final climb except they dropped their leader in Alaphalippe - Haig made the final selection but struggled in the final and ended up 21st - Beast of a ride by Valgren who attacked on the second last climb, rode like a hare on the descent and was only caught in the last 500 metres of the climb - S.Yates dropped with 40kms to go while A.Yates made the final selection but had nothing left and finished 40th - My information about Kreuziger being in top shape was shown by his 6th - I suspect that with no final climb he may have just about won - Also a good ride by Nieve to come 13th - I’d warehouse Yates x 2 and Haig for the rest of the season and rely on Kreuziger and Nieve for the Italian Fall races.

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In an interesting turn of events Brian Smith and Shane Sutton are allegedly setting up a Chinese tagged team to enter the WT in 2020 with the aim of having a Chinese rider win the TDF in 2024 - Mitchelton Scott have spent lots of time and resources in China in recent years with a view to obtaining a Chinese Title Sponsor - Congratulations to Miles Scotson on signing a two year deal with FDJ.

FDJ is about his level. Not quite a WT level rider yet.

MS lose Jolien D’Hoore to Bolemans

A bad loss for the women’s team - D’Hoore as a world class sprinter who gave MS an all-round team - In saying that Boels Doelman lost riders so probably had cap space.

It was funny watching Ackermann and S.Bennett sprinting against each other in the final of the Sparkassen Munsterland - One will be at another team in 2020.

I like you backhanded compliment as FDJ - Think FDJ have a well balanced squad, though AGR2 is a worry.

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AGR2 have had a couple of poor years.