Paris-Nice stage 1 relocated.....???

Quoted post said:

Paris-Nice stage 1 relocated.....???

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/mar08/parisnice08/index.php?id=/
photos/2008/mar08/parisnice08/ )

I did not see the Paris-Nice start video, but since when is wind and
rain a reason relocate a start of the race. Unless we are talking
about hurricane and or 100mph winds it makes no sense.

The race was 94km or so, I don't recall exactly. It was super windy
and pissing rain most of the time. The field got broken up into
several groups with lots of guys finishing 6+ minutes down. That's a
lot on a super short flat stage. If it had been the full length it
would have been a disaster. I would have liked to have seen that!

Joseph

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted post said:

Paris-Nice stage 1 relocated.....???

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/mar08/parisnice08/index.php?id=/
photos/2008/mar08/parisnice08/ )

I did not see the Paris-Nice start video, but since when is wind and
rain a reason relocate a start of the race. Unless we are talking
about hurricane and or 100mph winds it makes no sense.

The race was 94km or so, I don't recall exactly. It was super windy
and pissing rain most of the time. The field got broken up into
several groups with lots of guys finishing 6+ minutes down. That's a
lot on a super short flat stage. If it had been the full length it
would have been a disaster. I would have liked to have seen that!
--------------------

Given the crosswinds, it's not that much. The stage was essentially mainly
flat, so echelons must have been the order of the day. Conditions like that
are optimal for exposing less powerful riders, thus these guys probably
worked harder on this stage than they imagined they possibly could.
Considering that shattering the field with an all out effort is what days
like today are designed for, the average speed isn't that fast, but shows
how hard the crosswinds must have been. This stage must have exploded from
the start as everybody fought to make the front echelon.

Quoted post said:

Paris-Nice stage 1 relocated.....???

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/mar08/parisnice08/index.php?id=/
photos/2008/mar08/parisnice08/ )

I did not see the Paris-Nice start video, but since when is wind and
rain a reason relocate a start of the race. Unless we are talking
about hurricane and or 100mph winds it makes no sense.

Didn't they stop the race at the 7hour mark on stage 4 at this year's
Tour of California?

On Mar 10, 8:29 pm, Fabrizio Mazzoleni <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted post said:

Paris-Nice stage 1 relocated.....???

Quoted message said:

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/mar08/parisnice08/index.php?id=/
photos/2008/mar08/parisnice08/ )

Quoted message said:

I did not see the Paris-Nice start video, but since when is wind and
rain a reason relocate a start of the race. Unless we are talking
about hurricane and or 100mph winds it makes no sense.

Didn't they stop the race at the 7hour mark on stage 4 at this year's
Tour of California?

No. They rode in the wind and the slop and Rollin kicked ass while the
rest of those pro pansies quivered in their chamois (yes, including
Hincapie).

On Mar 10, 4:29 pm, Fabrizio Mazzoleni <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Didn't they stop the race at the 7hour mark on stage 4 at this year's
Tour of California?

2008 Stage 4 Results:
ROLLIN Dominique TUP 06.56'08
BOONEN Tom QST 07.02'40

7 hours? That's just the point where you and others lost interest,
wonder why...
ABS

Carl Sundquist said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...

Quoted post said:

Paris-Nice stage 1 relocated.....???

Quoted message said:

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/mar08/parisnice08/index.php?id=/
photos/2008/mar08/parisnice08/ )

Quoted message said:

I did not see the Paris-Nice start video, but since when is wind and
rain a reason relocate a start of the race. Unless we are talking
about hurricane and or 100mph winds it makes no sense.

The race was 94km or so, I don't recall exactly. It was super windy
and pissing rain most of the time. The field got broken up into
several groups with lots of guys finishing 6+ minutes down. That's a
lot on a super short flat stage. If it had been the full length it
would have been a disaster. I would have liked to have seen that!
--------------------

Given the crosswinds, it's not that much. The stage was essentially mainly
flat, so echelons must have been the order of the day. Conditions like that
are optimal for exposing less powerful riders, thus these guys probably
worked harder on this stage than they imagined they possibly could.
Considering that shattering the field with an all out effort is what days
like today are designed for, the average speed isn't that fast, but shows
how hard the crosswinds must have been. This stage must have exploded from
the start as everybody fought to make the front echelon.

I meant in terms of historical GC gaps on early stages. Usually the
big powerful guys like Hushovd and Steegmans get a few seconds lead
from bonuses in GC for the first few days, then get clobbered in the
hills. With days like yesterday, if it had been full length, they
could have taken so much out of the little guys they could have been
holding onto the GC for a long time.

There was a 3 man break that got to do what it wanted until about 40km
to go. That's when the peloton started to ride and things broke up big
time. This pic shows what it looked like once the hammer went down:

http://tinyurl.com/2us7um

Not much hope for those caught out in the middle!

Joseph

in 565895 20080310 213500 said:

Paris-Nice stage 1 relocated.....???

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/mar08/parisnice08/index.php?id=/
photos/2008/mar08/parisnice08/ )

I did not see the Paris-Nice start video, but since when is wind and
rain a reason relocate a start of the race. Unless we are talking
about hurricane and or 100mph winds it makes no sense.

There was extremely severe weather yesterday in Southern England and the
northern half of France.

Today's forecast is for more of the same.
http://www.meteofrance.com/FR/mameteo/prevPays.jsp?LIEUID=&ECHEANCEID=&GRPID=vent

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Quoted post said:

Carl Sundquist said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...

Quoted post said:

Paris-Nice stage 1 relocated.....???

Quoted message said:

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/mar08/parisnice08/index.php?id=/
photos/2008/mar08/parisnice08/ )

Quoted message said:

I did not see the Paris-Nice start video, but since when is wind and
rain a reason relocate a start of the race. Unless we are talking
about hurricane and or 100mph winds it makes no sense.

The race was 94km or so, I don't recall exactly. It was super windy
and pissing rain most of the time. The field got broken up into
several groups with lots of guys finishing 6+ minutes down. That's a
lot on a super short flat stage. If it had been the full length it
would have been a disaster. I would have liked to have seen that!
--------------------

Given the crosswinds, it's not that much. The stage was essentially mainly
flat, so echelons must have been the order of the day. Conditions like that
are optimal for exposing less powerful riders, thus these guys probably
worked harder on this stage than they imagined they possibly could.
Considering that shattering the field with an all out effort is what days
like today are designed for, the average speed isn't that fast, but shows
how hard the crosswinds must have been. This stage must have exploded from
the start as everybody fought to make the front echelon.

I meant in terms of historical GC gaps on early stages. Usually the
big powerful guys like Hushovd and Steegmans get a few seconds lead
from bonuses in GC for the first few days, then get clobbered in the
hills. With days like yesterday, if it had been full length, they
could have taken so much out of the little guys they could have been
holding onto the GC for a long time.

There was a 3 man break that got to do what it wanted until about 40km
to go. That's when the peloton started to ride and things broke up big
time. This pic shows what it looked like once the hammer went down:

http://tinyurl.com/2us7um

Not much hope for those caught out in the middle!

Joseph

That's a great photo!

--
Ryan Cousineau [email hidden] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Quoted post said:

Carl Sundquist said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...

Quoted post said:

Paris-Nice stage 1 relocated.....???

Quoted message said:

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/mar08/parisnice08/index.php?id=/
photos/2008/mar08/parisnice08/ )

Quoted message said:

I did not see the Paris-Nice start video, but since when is wind and
rain a reason relocate a start of the race. Unless we are talking
about hurricane and or 100mph winds it makes no sense.

The race was 94km or so, I don't recall exactly. It was super windy
and pissing rain most of the time. The field got broken up into
several groups with lots of guys finishing 6+ minutes down. That's a
lot on a super short flat stage. If it had been the full length it
would have been a disaster. I would have liked to have seen that!
--------------------

Given the crosswinds, it's not that much. The stage was essentially mainly
flat, so echelons must have been the order of the day. Conditions like that
are optimal for exposing less powerful riders, thus these guys probably
worked harder on this stage than they imagined they possibly could.
Considering that shattering the field with an all out effort is what days
like today are designed for, the average speed isn't that fast, but shows
how hard the crosswinds must have been. This stage must have exploded from
the start as everybody fought to make the front echelon.

I meant in terms of historical GC gaps on early stages. Usually the
big powerful guys like Hushovd and Steegmans get a few seconds lead
from bonuses in GC for the first few days, then get clobbered in the
hills. With days like yesterday, if it had been full length, they
could have taken so much out of the little guys they could have been
holding onto the GC for a long time.

There was a 3 man break that got to do what it wanted until about 40km
to go. That's when the peloton started to ride and things broke up big
time. This pic shows what it looked like once the hammer went down:

http://tinyurl.com/2us7um

Not much hope for those caught out in the middle!

Are you saying the race organizers deliberately
organized against the big guys? Is this turning
into NASCAR?

--
Michael Press