It’s actually shocking. Most of the women in the “pro” peleton have to work regular jobs. It would be really nice to see ASO throwing a bit of their marketing muscle into promoting the women’s races because they’re usually quite entertaining, but they don’t seem much interested. Though I think they have indicated a proper multi-stage La Course finally, and we get a women’s Paris-Roubaix for the first time ever this year.
I did hear Vande Velde say, “These women are much smarter than us men”, meaning many had advanced degrees and actual careers outside of pro cycling.
Didn’t know that but I’m going to look it up and try to watch it if it’s available.
Oct 25
I’ve yet to see anybody doing that “super-tuck” position on their bike. Women ARE smarter than the guys.
Now can van Vleuten sprint for second with a broken wrist?
Apparently yes. 1st, 2nd, and 4th for the Dutch.
Unbelievable.
It is kind of frustrating for the other countries, Lizzy Deignan admitted as much after the race today. I think that is partially why the last 3 World Chanpionships are won after a long solo. Everyone else knows that bringing Van der Breggen or Van Vleuten back, will just lead to the next attack. Towards the end of the race there will typically be about 6 Dutch riders left, with maybe 3 for any other nation. They have Blaak and Van Dijk to close any gaps, Vos (maybe Pieters as well) for any sprints… and the best two riders in the world to attack. This is how Chantal Blaak won her rainbow jersey, she went and everyone was just looking at Van Vleuten and Van der Breggen.
Nowadays the Dutch riders are spread over a number of teams, so getting everyone to play the team is always discussed as a potential issue… but for the last few years it hasn’t proven a real problem (although today was touch and go, when Annemiek tried to follow Anna… but once at the top, she nicely played her role as annoying anvil in the wheel of Uttrup Ludwig or Longo Borghini). you can see from the awkward hugs afterwards, that they aren’t really friends or anything like that.
The situation might become a bit more equal in the near future though, since Van der Breggen and Blaak will call it quits after the Tokio olympics. Van Vleuten just signed a 2 year contract with Movistar, but she will be pushing 40 when it ends… and Vos is also getting to her mid thirties. Her first WC on the road was in 2006!
What the money is concerned, they talked about this on a very recent GCN video (youtube channel, Global Cycling Network). They estimated that Van Vleuten makes about 120000 Euros a year… many others actually have full time jobs next to cycling. They compared it to some estimates for male cyclists (Sagan 5.5 million, Oss 550 thousand), just to show the discrepancy. Van Vleuten is an epidimologist by the way, has a master degree in Animal Science and interned at the Dutch version of the CDC (the RIVM).
Shouting ‘Allez! Allez!’ at my screen the last 10km there.
Alaphilippe finally is able to stay away. Well done.
Also well done Valverde, in eight place. Not bad for an old man.
Great win - avec panache as one would expect from the man. Thought Wout looked supremely comfortable but then no answer when Ala threw in that dig on the final climb.
Pog lit things up - animated the race when the Belgians were driving it round steady.
Belgian commentary salty AF by all accounts about Roglic doing the minimum in the chase group, given Wout rode his balloches off for him every day for three weeks in the Tour.
Driving Wout to the line doesn’t sound like the most logical play for Roglic, but that aside I think he was just empty - if Roglic has the legs then he goes with Ala. He didn’t and was just hanging on by that point.
Understandable disappointment from the Belgians though - they rode a really strong race, clear focus on WvA, but a brilliantly timed moment of bravery from Alaphilippe and that was it.
Not sure what they’d be complaining about. Wout finished second, same as Roglic in the Tour. 
And of course you’re correct. Roglic was barely hanging on at that point. There were a couple points where I thought he was about to drop off the group, actually.
Wait. So in World Road Championship, the Belgians are pissed off that a Slovenian national champion wasn’t working for the Belgian national champion?
It’s silly yeah to think that the most prominent riders in the world would be working like that.
Deep in the peloton it’s a shadier situation I reckon in this race, or at least murkier allegiances. The trade team puts food on the table and the national setup might be doing v little for you. About 15 years back two British riders were fined and denounced for pulling for the Italian team at Worlds (for payment IIRC), failed to support the leader Roger Hammond.
Sounds egregious, and it is, but both riders were on Italian trade teams, living and working in Italy. This was back before British Cycling was a serious outfit, so was prob sending a shoestring team out were you were doing well to get a jersey that fitted. A cycling domestique was more of a hand to mouth proposition so it’s a different calculus. Different times, though, the sport is higher profile, more countries involved at a professional level.
Finding it hard to feel bad for the guy who so far this year has won Milano-San Remo, Strade Bianchi, a stage and the points jersey at the Criterium du Dauphine, two stages at the Tour de France, and the Belgium ITT championship. Only gets silver in the TT and road race at the Worlds, oh woe!
Oh man, what a messy finish at Liege-Bastogne-Liege! Alaphilippe celebrates way too eary and Roglic comes back and pips him by a tire width with a bike throw. And honestly, Alaphilippe ought to be relegated for deviating from his line and taking Hirschi and Pogacar out of the sprint. Anyways, winning a monument ought to offer some consolation for the loss at the Tour.
Where are you watching this? Do you have a subscription or was this on cable/network TV?