UCI WorldTour and other pro cycling nonsense 2011

andy why are you not going to set up frank

god what a weird finish. i wanted to see them try something, anything!

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01879/Philippe_Gilbert_1879685a.jpg

The dual leopard 'o's are cracking me up there. Like an emoticon or something.

Such a good shot, great race too. Why the schlecks didn't attack at he end is beyond me.

can I just say: lol schlecks

bizarre ending yesterday, the schlecks just delivered him to the line

and where were andy's legs on the final climb

great classics season, all in. bring on the tours

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/04/news/alberto-contador-on-giro-climbs-%e2%80%98hard-to-believe-until-you-see-it%e2%80%99_170127

http://video.gazzetta.it/contador-crostis-zoncolan/8e30eb22-6f41-11e0-9110-8563364cfd27

thats what i really wanted to link

http://www.climbbybike.com/profile/Monte_Crostis_Comeglians_profile.gif

meanwhile at gila:

And third placed Dombroski admits that even he does not know his limits.

“I was a Cat. 4 last year, this is all new to me,” the Pennsylvanian climber said.

whoa

Uh... no:
http://www.usacycling.org/results/index.php?compid=259375

to light:

05/30/2010 - Tour of Tucker County | Road Race | Cat 1/2/3 | |
1 Joseph Dombrowski 259375 40326.1166509259 454 Haymarket Bicycles/HomeVisit

05/01/2010 - Wintergreen Ascent 2010 | Individual Time Trial | Pro/Cat 1/2 | |
1 Joseph Dombrowski 259375 32:16.7 255 Haymarket Bicycles

Yeah but he raced in a cat 3/4 race last March.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/05/news/uci-files-defamation-suit-against-floyd-landis_171011

these ppl are really as dumb as boxes of rocks wtf.

i does not make me feel good to have to root for flandis, but there it is.

christ

RIP weylandt

One year ago Wouter Weylandt won stage 3 of the Giro. This year, may he rest in peace.

Can't say anything more RIP Wouter

terrible news.

Not sure how accurate but a journalist friend said WW was OTB and looking back to see who else was there with him to rally back in contact with the peloton, while looking back he clipped his pedal on a low stone guard wall and fell 60 feet over a switchback onto the road below, probably broken neck. His wife is pregnant with their first child. 26 years old. Awful news.

oh god

just watched the footage on Eurosport, really disturbing. RIP Wouter :((((

jesus

xps

Not good at all - just saw it on Eurosport (which I'd recorded) and his neck might well have been broken (I fast forwarded away from it, tbh)

Can't saw I'll be watching the highlights of this.

Millar:
“I will wear the pink jersey tomorrow, but it will be in memory of Wouter, there is no celebration or glory, only sadness. I will discuss with Tyler [Farrar], Leopard and the family of Wouter what we as a peloton will do tomorrow.”

I can imagine it will be along the lines of:
http://bit.ly/iwVzvQ

given that ppl say upcoming descents are super scary, will they re-route any?

I was wondering that, especially for that one before the Zoncolan that somebody (maybe you?) linked to (in a youtube Gazzetto dello Sport clip)

velonews reporting confirmation of shastas take
http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/05/news/crash-witness-‘weylandt-was-catapulted-across-the-road’_172140

Clarification: there was not a 60 ft. over the railing fall, he clipped the short wall on the outside and then sharply careened across the narrow road headfirst into the rocky cliff face "very hard" according to all witnesses. Also, GF not wife.

What a loss. Tomorrow will be very heavy.

Official team statement:
http://www.leopardtrek.lu/

Garmin-Cervelo’s Tyler Farrar released a statement Monday afternoon about the death of his friend Wouter Weylandt:

I am unbearably saddened by the loss of Wouter today. As many know, he was my friend, training partner, and in many ways, another brother to me.

His death marks an irreparable change in my life but more importantly, in the lives of his family and most loved. Wouter was one of the kindest, funniest, and most admirable people I have ever had the opportunity to know and his death is a tragedy to his family, his friends, and to the sport as a whole.

I can only convey my deepest of sympathies to everyone who cared about him as deeply as I did, especially his family, his friends, his team and his fans – we celebrate his life and morn his death in equal measure.

Wouter was and is the soul of this sport we all love – an athlete who sacrificed himself for the better of many and a champion who celebrated each glory as a victory for his family, his team, and his friends and fans.

I will remember him always, and will always strive to do him proud, as he has always done for the sport and people he loves.

just terrible, i don't really know what else to say that hasn't been said already.

i can imagine there might be pressure to re-route that zoncolan stage so they don't go up and down the crotsis - apparently they were looking at ski nets for the descent anyway? but then, if it was caused by him looking backwards then it could happen anywhere.

http://twitpic.com/4vtf0p/full

Stage will be neutral.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeYMzIk-aHM

That was heartbreaking. Tyler Farrar's face at the end says it all.

http://twitpic.com/4vzxa1

heard of ppl riding 108miles/km in tribute

way to go world championship sports network

The original clip was Italian, try this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=VkJw1s0vvek

http://www.facebook.com/notes/leopard-trek/leopard-trek-will-leave-giro-ditalia/161538327244198

that's leopard-trek withdrawn then

stage 5... this is where the giro heats up this year right?

I lived in Pisa for a couple of years, so a lot of yesterday's stage/procession was on roads I knew. (I appreciate this is not the most important thing about recent events, but just thought I'd mention it)

livetext made the stage sound tremendous; looking forward a bunch to the highlights

A moving article:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/jonathan-vaughters/to-live-and-be-alive

Paypal Donations to support Wouter's family

what's the board's take on the crostis descent then? I see they're going to look into it

I wouldn't be surprised is the peleton either rides together that day or stops at the top to descend slowly together.

^ I can't see that happening, to be honest. The climb of the crostis will have split things up too much. The descent does look terrifying, though. But having said that, there were some terrifyingly steep, twisty and wet descents last year - I remember Nibali charging off alone on one of them. The thing is, the descent on Monday wasn't especially steep or tricky - it was relatively straight and fast. The tragic thing is he was looking over his shoulder.

Today's stage was good, the Strade Bianche made for some great racing again. Millar did very well to chase back on to the leading group, especially considering how cut up he was from his crash, but then blew up on the climb to the finish line.