Episode 64: Tirreno-Adriatico 2017 Pre-race Show
You’re not wrong, we did just do a Paris-Nice podcast. Take it up with the WorldTour schedulers. Tirreno-Adriatico is nigh upon us, which means it’s time for more preview show action. Buckle up for a closer look at the diverse route and compelling start list ahead of the Race of the Two Seas…
The Recon Ride podcast teams up with Cyclingnews to preview the first Italian WorldTour event of 2017.
Episode 63: Paris-Nice 2017 Pre-race Show
WorldTour stage racing arrives in Europe Sunday with Paris-Nice! Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano dive into the start list and the parcours of the “Race to the Sun,” which has something for everyone across eight days of sprinting, climbing, and time trialing in France.
The Recon Ride is again teaming up with Cyclingnews to get you ready for the action.
Photo by Conseil départemental des Yvelines (CC).
Episode 62: Tour Down Under 2017 Pre-race Show
As excitement builds for traditionalists counting down the days to Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the start of the real season, the Recon Ride is here to preview the action. What’s more, the podcast has a new home. We’ve joined forces with the excellent Cyclingnews podcast just in time for Classics season!
Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano talk routes, favorites, and stealth fighters ahead of Belgium’s “opening weekend.”
A revamped WorldTour gets started Tuesday in Australia with the 2017 Tour Down Under. VeloHuman previews the action as a familiar collection of names gets set to battle for the first stage race crown of the season over six days of racing in and around Adelaide.
The Tour Down Under has concocted a winning formula over its relatively short history, finding solid climbs and urban circuits to liven up an event with no small need of proving itself worthy of attention during an unorthodox time for most pros to race bikes. This year’s route stays the course with several well-known TDU locations, while providing a few new challenges that certainly fit the mold.
The race kicks off with a sprinter’s day from Unley to Lyndoch before the GC battle heats up with a more climber-friendly second stage. A tricky one-two punch at the end of the stage will likely create gaps in Paracombe.
The lumpy circuit that closes out stage 3 in Victor Harbor may also spring attackers, though tougher sprinters might be able to hold on. The speedsters will have another chance in stage 4.
The iconic Willunga Hill once again serves as the Tour Down Under’s queen stage on the fifth day. A pair of ascents to the finish line could decide the race, if it’s not already decided. A sprinters’ stage 6 closes things out in Adelaide.
The Tour Down Under’s unusual calendar location make it a somewhat unique target that seems to attract the same few contenders every year. Many are Australian, but not all.
Simon Gerrans is the defending champion, an Australian flying the flag of an Australian team. Elite on hilly profiles and packing a strong finishing kick, the veteran has the perfect skillset for this race—but at age 36, he is harder to see as the clear favorite. Orica-Scott teammate Esteban Chaves is a pretty impressive alternative.
Richie Porte and Rohan Dennis give BMC quite a one-two punch as well. Porte seems to be the guy for a very strong squad, and he has quite a history in this race, with multiple wins atop Willunga Hill. Not as punchy as other contenders, he has never won the overall title, usually lacking just a few bonus seconds to reach the top step of the GC podium, but with Gerrans another year older, maybe this is his year. 2015 winner Dennis can’t be counted out either, despite a stated focus on learning this season.
Neither of Sky’s Geraint Thomas and Sergio Henao is Australian, but this is a race that has seen both do well. Henao in particular has plenty of punch to hunt bonus seconds. Third in 2016, he’s certainly an overall contender this year.
The best-known name on the startlist, reigning world champ Peter Sagan, certainly merits a mention in the GC discussion as well. He’s certainly capable of winning this race, but motivation is a big question. It seems unlikely that he’ll be in form to outclimb a rider like Porte or Chaves on these hills in January, but you never know with Sagan.
Cannondale-Drapac’s Michael Woods and Tom-Jelte Slagter make a fine duo with punchy legs. UAE Abu Dhabi’s Diego Ulissi has had success in this race in the past, with just the right toolset for the short steep finales that typically decide the event.
Nathan Haas, Robert Gesink, Jay McCarthy, Jesús Herrada, Wilco Kelderman, Jarlinson Pantano, Gianluca Brambilla, Rafael Valls, Luis León Sánchez, and Lachlan Morton are others to watch this week in Australia.
Caleb Ewan looks to be the class of the sprinting field along with the aforementioned Peter Sagan, whose goals remain to be seen. Sagan’s Bora-Hansgrohe teammate Sam Bennett may also feature in the fast finishes, along with Danny Van Poppel, Niccolo Bonifazio, Edward Theuns, Mark Renshaw, Ben Swift, and Nikias Arndt.
Winner: Richie Porte
Podium: Simon Gerrans, Sergio Henao
Other Top Contenders: Geraint Thomas, Esteban Chaves, Rohan Dennis, Diego Ulissi, Michael Woods, Robert Gesink, Peter Sagan
Episode 61: Tour Down Under 2017 Pre-race Show
Many of the pro peloton’s top names kick off their seasons this week at the Tour Down Under. The Recon Ride previews the WorldTour opener.
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Dane Cash of VeloHuman and Cosmo Catalano of Cyclocosm get the 2017 season underway with a Tour Down Under pre-race show. The podcast talks storylines, route, and favorites ahead of the Australian one-weeker.
Photo by robdownunder (CC).
After several worlds road races made for the puncheurs, climbers, and classics specialists, the 2016 world championship should come down to a bunch sprint. The Doha parcours does not much in the way of challenging topography, but if you’re a fan of mass gallops, this is a rainbow jersey battle you won’t want to miss.
Barring a race shortening for extreme heat, the men’s peloton will ride 257.5 kilometers Sunday in Qatar. The first 150 kilometers of the race will take the riders through the desert before they enter a twisting circuit on the manmade Pearl island in Doha. Though there are no climbs to speak of along the route, seven laps of 15.2km with plenty of hairpins and corners could certainly see some hectic racing.
The final 2km of the circuit are not without handling challenges, meaning that the expected sprint will require finesse in addition to speed—there is a right hairpin leading into the final kilometer, which then swings gently to the right on the run-in to the line. Positioning will be key in the waning moments of the race.
I see four riders as being the most worthy of favorite status in Doha: the top three fastest sprinters of the last few years – Mark Cavendish, André Greipel, and Marcel Kittel – and the reigning world champ, Peter Sagan.
To me, Cavendish seems best-positioned for the rainbow jersey given the excellent season he’s had and a course that puts handling and acceleration at a premium. The way he dominated the Tour’s sprints, it’s hard not to like his chances in Qatar.
German teammates Greipel and Kittel are worth watching too, of course, though each comes with question marks. Greipel can disappear in tricky finishes and hasn’t had quite the season in 2016 that he had in 2015, while Kittel, despite his incredible speed in peak form, just hasn’t looked at his best this year. Both are dangerous regardless, as is German John Degenkolb.
Sagan is the wildcard. He’s not quite as speedy in a pure sprint after a shorter Grand Tour stage, but anything goes after 250km and in a hectic finale. I expect Sagan to perform very well given his knack for placing highly in this sort of race, even if the win seems like a lot to ask.
Beyond those big names are several second-tier speedsters hoping to steal the show. Fernando Gaviria of Colombia and France’s Nacer Bouhanni are the two biggest names for me. Both showed by reaching the final kilometer of Milano-Sanremo this year that they can handle distance (though Gaviria crashed out of that race) and both have terrific acceleration. At the end of a long season, things could get unpredictable, and they seem most likely to take advantage if the likes of Cav and Greipel miss a beat. Arnaud Démare and Bryan Coquard are great alternatives for France should Bouhanni find himself lacking on the day.
Alexander Kristoff has not had a perfect year but few riders have his power in a fast finish after a long day. Giacomo Nizzolo and Elia Viviani give Italy a nice combination. Caleb Ewan and Michael Matthews are a terrific dynamic duo for Australia. Dylan Groenewegen and Danny van Poppel look strong for the Netherlands, while Belgium has Tom Boonen and Jens Debuscherre for a sprint.
Meanwhile, Greg Van Avermaet will be looking to surprise the sprinters with a late attack. Also watch out for the likes of Niki Terpstra, Zdenek Stybar, Edvald Boasson Hagen, and Magnus Cort Nielsen if an opportunity for an escape arises late in the afternoon.
Winner: Mark Cavendish
Podium: André Greipel, Peter Sagan
Other Top Contenders: Fernando Gaviria, Marcel Kittel, Nacer Bouhanni, Caleb Ewan, Alexander Kristoff, Michael Matthews, Arnaud Démare