Watching the peloton - Professional Road Racing thread 2026

[stompandgo]

Amazing rides for both Tiberi and Del Toro. Two riders to keep an eye on this year.

I haven't seen the highlights yet, just the top 15 finishers - Del Toro 2nd, NO REMCO in top 15, Yates all the way back in 12th minute and a half back! What happened, was it a breakaway? But with Del Toro second what happened Remco, did he blow up, or mechanical? And where is his much vaunted team to help him on the climbs, the main reason to leave Quick Step?

It was a multi-step climb with lots of attacks. A group got away at about 7km out, Remco bridged, making it look easy. When they were caught, another counterattack went, and they rode Remco off of the back, while he was pounding his right quad. It looked like he cramped. The PCP had decided to allow feeding until 5km to go (normally 20km to go) so there was no excuse not to be hydrated. Del Toro was caught at the back of the group at 7km to go and had to work hard to get to the front. At 4km to go, Tiberi hit the gas in a group of four and rode away. Del Toro rode through them, but was not able to catch Tiberi.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Interesting. Chalk it down to a one off perhaps, early season first long climb. But not what Boro or public wanted to see.

Tiberi (5th in Giro last year, wasn't on my radar) Italian, age 24, looking good. Great win for him. Del Toro looking good for GC.

 

[stompandgo]

Tomorrow's stage is lumpy with a flat finish. I like Del Toro's chances in that one.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Finally got to see the last 6km of the climb. Van Elves finishing third- I never expect to see Lotto riders on big climbs! Luke Plapp did well, faded a bit when Del Toro caught him but still making the top ten. Remco as you said, banging his thigh. But the commentators even mentioned his lack of teammates. Bit odd that. Next Boro rider was over 3 mins back. Doesn't help that Van Wilder from Quickstep going past him to finish 9th. Del Toro had Yates pulling for him, good help that.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

You're going to love the higher slopes during races like the Giro when dangerous idiots set off pink flares, the entire road filling with noxious, carcinogenic pink smoke the gasping riders have to race through.

Oh, I nearly threw something at the TV the first time I saw those flares! Why aren't they illegal and subject to arrest for assault?

 

[stompandgo]

It just shows the infrastructure and budget needed to run a top pro team these days, early in the season yet, but today there are 3 stage races in three different countries, UAE, Portugal and Spain and some teams have riders competing in all three: That's a lot of air fares and hotels and vehicle rentals!

There was a good article this week in INRNG about team costs.

"If you prefer data, the UCI collates all the team budgets and this leaked to La Gazzetta (€). The total for the 18 men’s World Tour teams went from €473 million in 2023 (average: €26m per team) to €663 million for 2026 but note this latter number is for 18 World Tour plus two more, presumably Tudor and Pinarello-Q36.5, (average: €33.1m per team). That’s 27% per team in four years, or 6.5% a year. 2023-2026 is not exceptional as high single digit and sometimes double-digit increases have been ordinary for the past 15 years."

UAE sponsorship is at the country level. Think about that.

As long as I've been involved in bike racing, sponsorship has been a rollercoaster. I got in 4 years before the 1984 Olympics in LA. The bike boom was crazy back then. Races paid big, the best regional riders had sponsorship, foreign domestiques were paid $2K-$5K plus travel to start (they didn't even have to finish) a regional criterium, and there were 2-4 races to choose from every weekend. Then came Festina, and that Texan prick next, and the bottom fell out. Bike racing was radioactive. Sponsors slammed the door. Covid messed everything up as well. It's just been tough. In my little world in New England, we have had benefactors step up the past few years to help jumpstart racing by underwriting race losses. This has helped a lot, but the same obstacles remain: high event costs (mainly police and medical), lack of volunteers for driving and safety, and a weak club structure that is not interested in road racing.

All of which has little to do with WorldTeam/ProTeam, but the struggles are similar at the appropriate levels.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

.. a weak club structure that is not interested in road racing

Recently heard England's oldest cycling club described by one of its own members as a drinking club with a cycling problem. Maybe that's spread to New England.