Watching the peloton - Professional Road Racing thread 2026

Looks like the peloton underestimated the break. I really didn't think it would come down this close to the end. Lidl Trek has already used Derek Gee and their lead out man to try to pull the break back
 
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BlackHand said:
Looks like the peloton underestimated the break. I really didn't think it would come down this close to the end. Lidl Trek has already used Derek Gee and their lead out man to try to pull the break back
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How do 2 guys pull a break back, as opposed to the peloton just catching them? Disrupt their cooperation? Wear them down with repeated attacks? Tractor beams?
 
Jeremy McCreary said:
How do 2 guys pull a break back, as opposed to the peloton just catching them? Disrupt their cooperation? Wear them down with repeated attacks? Tractor beams?
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?? Somebody has to lead the peloton. Several teams were taking turns at the front to keep the break within reach but other teams didn't commit. It was basically NSN, Rose Rockets and Lidl Trek with some QuickStep. And Lidl Trek is a split GC/sprint squad so they resorted to using their GC rider (who is a strong time trialist) and their last lead out man.

3rd fastest stage in Giro history - kudos to those four riders for a crazy strong ride.
 
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BlackHand said:
?? Somebody has to lead the peloton. Several teams were taking turns at the front to keep the break within reach but other teams didn't commit. It was basically NSN, Rose Rockets and Lidl Trek with some QuickStep. And Lidl Trek is a split GC/sprint squad so they resorted to using their GC rider (who is a strong time trialist) and their last lead out man.

3rd fastest stage in Giro history - kudos to those four riders for a crazy strong ride.
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Sorry, still not clear on this. So sending 2 guys out front to "pull back the break" is really to pull the peloton forward to catch the break?
 
Of course, I had to step out with Mrs. Stomp for a bit, and missed the finish lap. They neutralized the race to protect the GC riders, but the motors in front of the leaders did not, which kept them away to the finish. The sprint teams are rightly pissed off, but this happens more often that people think. The commissaires don't get everything right all the time. That said, talk about collusion with an Italian rider out front is stupid. This was a mistake, not a planned problem.
 
Jeremy McCreary said:
Sorry, still not clear on this. So sending 2 guys out front to "pull back the break" is really to pull the peloton forward to catch the break?
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That's how it went down, but that's not the plan. The idea is to have the two riders from the teams with a stake in the sprint to whip up the chase. The problem was with the front of the field not willing to chase hard. The whole neutralization disaster didn't help. I'll have to watch the replay to figure out the sequence of events before I can clarify further. Maybe someone who saw it live can fill in.
 
Most of the teams wanted to preserve their own sprint trains and wanted to force other teams to burn their sprint trains in the chase. Great strategy, as long as the peloton actually catches the breakaway.

They really underestimated the breakaway. Once they got onto the city circuit the peloton needed more teams to fully commit. The peloton would gain 10-15 sec and then when someone would peel off the front they would lose 5-10 seconds while everyone waited to see who would take up the chase next.

Meanwhile, the breakaway fully cooperated. The only hesitation was around 1km out, someone failed to come through to the front basically signaling that one of the 2 Malta riders needed to use themselves up leading the other 3 out. They lost 5 seconds of their lead almost instantly in that moment of hesitation.

I didn't notice anything unusual about the moto's in front of the break. I did see Uno-X riders waving off the moto in front of the peloton at least once.

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After watching the replay from 25km out, I saw no reason to neutralize the GC at the bell, as the course seemed fine. However, I don't think this had any effect on the outcome. The GC riders had almost 10km to get out of the way, which was plenty of time to avoid causing issues.

I think that BlackHand nailed it, there was too much looking around by the field inside of 10km to go, when they still had time to catch them. I saw leadout riders coasting 10 riders back, which means that one guy at the front is hammering and the rest aren't. It has to get wider at the front to get faster. That said, the shot BlackHand posted above shows a reasonable gap between the lead motors and the break. What I saw was nothing like that. They were much closer, clearly giving the break a draft. Commissaire 2 was right behind, and could see this, but took too long to push the motors up. Sometimes this happens on tight downtown circuits, because riders can go faster than the motors in the turns, but this was not the case.

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This shot was taken seconds before BlackHand's shot. The motors are way too close. If you think that's perspective, look at the lines on the road, and how many people are on the barriers. They are way too close. I started to notice this on the backside of the course, where the video motor was right in front of them getting the heads-on shot. These things happen in racing. Also notice that Commissaire 2 is behind the break in my shot, and well past the break in BlackHand's. The Commissaire moved themselves along with the unnecessary motors ahead of the race towards the deviation point, as the gap was coming down. They have to do this, where it's wide enough to do so, but that pass of vehicles gives the break a push.
 
Jeremy McCreary said:
Please elaborate.
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Normally the GC neutralization, which is what defines the start of the "safety zone", from that point until the finish, where the GC times are taken, is at 3km to go to the line. A timing device and a Commissaire are set up there. GC time is set by the group that you are in at that point. That is the UCI regulation. This is why you will see GC contenders up at the front of the race close to the finish, surrounded by teammates, so that they get to that point safely, and get the same finish time as their GC rivals. However, organizers are allowed to change this, usually at the morning safety meeting, to something a bit farther out, like 5km. This is why you will see different safety zone points in different races or stages.

What happened yesterday was a group of GC contenders, one at a time, dropped back to the Commissaire/Organizer car (red car, Commissaire 1) to discuss the neutralization point. I don't know what was said, but at least Campanaerts, Hindley, O'Connor, and Jonas each had a conversation. Different points were discussed. This is not rare, but the end of the race is not the best time and place to discuss the finish for the GC riders when the finish is minutes away. It causes a lack of focus and confusion for the riders and their DS. Since the finish was on a circuit, they eventually decided to take the time at the line on the bell (last) lap of the (9.7km) circuit. After that point, in the middle of a chase to catch the break, GC riders and their teams were drifting back to get out of the way. I heard that there was one crash between that point and the finish, but I don't know who and when.

There are times when course changes on the road make sense. A typical one is if the race is underway, and a thunderstorm with lightning is suddenly closing in on the race. The race can be stopped to let the riders take shelter. The finish line can be moved to an intermediate town along the way. The course can be rerouted around the storm, as there is always a parallel route to the course that race vehicles, like team buses, can use. With a criterium or circuit race, the number of laps can be reduced on the fly and the bell rung earlier. However, I am not in favor of these rider "protests". I saw nothing unusually dangerous about that circuit or the 3km point. If it was such a big concern, it should have been brought up at the safety meeting. I understand that the course isn't really set until the barriers are put up a few hours before the finish. I just did not see the concern from what I saw on tv. Not enough to make a change like that so close to the finish.

Rest day today. Jonas (Visma) has 2:26 on Eulalio (Bahrain), 2:50 on Gall (Decathlon), 3:03 on Arensman (INEOS) , 3:43 on Hindley (Bora), and 4:22 on Pellizari (Bora). There are lots of tough climbs ahead in the final week, those are some very strong teams.
 
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Head butting is a way to create space and disrupt a rider next to you during a sprint without violating the "hands on the bars" regulation. I'm sure the crash was not intentional but it was a direct consequence of his dangerous action. UCI regulation 2.12.007.8.2.1 indicates a fine of 200 to 2,000 Swiss Francs, a deduction of 10 to 100 UCI points, and/or a yellow card. Looks like the jury went straight to the DSQ. As for criminal charges, that is up to the jurisdiction where the offense occurred.
 
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Another short stage today with multiple category 2 and 3 climbs, followed by the category 1 climb to the finish in Cari, 11.2km at 8% average. A break of four including Narvaez and Cicconi are under 2:00 out. Narvaeez is going to sprint points and Ciccone is going for mountain points. Visma is clearly going for the stage win, hammering at the front of the peloton, keeping the break in check. The climb to Cari starts in 10km with the break at 1:52.
 
9km to go, Bora pulled back off the front, Visma on the front. Campanaerts, Kuss, Piganzoli, Jonas. Decathlon next. Elalio dropped. The front is going 25kmh on a 9% grade. The rear is exploding.
 
Elalio and O'Connor 25s back. Up front, Arensman and Bernal are right up there with Hindley. 7km to go and Jonas is down to Piganzoli. Piganzoli has shredded the front group to 6 riders.
 
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