The Miscellaneous Sports Thread

[clandestino]

PDH, I'm sure you're more knowledgeable about the sport than I do, since I just try to see a few days of the major races (and the Portuguese one) while fighting tiredness that prevents me from keeping awake all the time (a family tradition).

I also would like to mention that I sympathize with Pogacar, seems a decent lad from a country that I like and where I've passed a few good moments.

I'm aware of the sport past, as most, and wonder what good can be achieved if we are always questioning each year winners/ best performers. Shouldn't UCI had established a strong doping prevention scheme by now that would let us see the competition without being suspicious all the time? I'm not naive and am aware that doping schemes are always an arms race between new drugs and avoidance techniques and the testing labs, but shouldn't we try to believe that a racer is innocent until proven guilty? We might be witnessing the greatest athlete in the sport of all time or another cheating scum, but in other fields most don't treat greats like Bolt or Phelps with the same level of suspicion.

I'll keep living the fantasy of being witnessing history and wonder why he keeps asserting dominance without need like yesterday where he just needed to follow the Ineos guys and not leave them behind like it was nothing. Sure if he was trying to avoid suspicion he would keep the lowest profile possible?

Dunno, maybe I'm being naive.

[Liep]

PDH, I'm sure you're more knowledgeable about the sport than I do, since I just try to see a few days of the major races (and the Portuguese one) while fighting tiredness that prevents me from keeping awake all the time (a family tradition).

I also would like to mention that I sympathize with Pogacar, seems a decent lad from a country that I like and where I've passed a few good moments.

I'm aware of the sport past, as most, and wonder what good can be achieved if we are always questioning each year winners/ best performers. Shouldn't UCI had established a strong doping prevention scheme by now that would let us see the competition without being suspicious all the time? I'm not naive and am aware that doping schemes are always an arms race between new drugs and avoidance techniques and the testing labs, but shouldn't we try to believe that a racer is innocent until proven guilty? We might be witnessing the greatest athlete in the sport of all time or another cheating scum, but in other fields most don't treat greats like Bolt or Phelps with the same level of suspicion.

I'll keep living the fantasy of being witnessing history and wonder why he keeps asserting dominance without need like yesterday where he just needed to follow the Ineos guys and not leave them behind like it was nothing. Sure if he was trying to avoid suspicion he would keep the lowest profile possible?

Dunno, maybe I'm being naive.

I understand that it's harsh on Pogacar because he hasn't been proven to be dirty.

But he didn't excel like this before he chose to work with a dirty manager who earlier has had titles revoked from his riders due to doping. I still enjoy watching Pogacar ride because it looks amazing, just as I enjoyed Ricardo Ricco's amazing attacks in the mountains. Sadly, the Cobra didn't last long and I fear Pogacar might not either.

They can't fool me more than twic... 8 or 9 times.

[PDH]

Dunno, maybe I'm being naive.

Naw, you are right and that I am a bit jaded.  I got into the sport way back with LeMond, and I saw how people he had been beating suddenly were dropping him - time trialists who became mountain climbers while still improving their time trial speeds, puncheurs who suddenly could last on a 20km climb, Riis (sorry Liep) riding the Hautacam on the big ring...superhuman.  Then came Armstrong, who not only juiced like it was Hawaiian Punch, but he also used intimidation, lawsuits, and numerous tricks to not get caught.  In my mind, all the results from the early 90s through 2012 should have that asterix...

A young talent is a young talent, and Pogacar has been that for a long time.  However, it has been known for a long time that the younger body is also given to more ups and downs - there is a reason for so long it was the 25+ riders who won the Grand Tours, their musculature was more mature and could recover better.  Throw in blood doping, off season regimes of EPO like substances, etc and suddenly a 21 year old CAN recover.  Mauro Giannetti has been just the sort to "help" riders with such efforts in the past, he is unrepentant, and he is the manager of Pogacar...

As I said, if Pogacar cracks in the Pyrenees or the heat, if he pays for these efforts early in the race, that is an indication that he may well not be juicing - he just hit a peak in the first week.  However, his recovery from Stage 8 to Stage 9 is not really normal, he should have been a bit blown after an effort that saw him make up 3 minutes (and almost take the lead) on Stage 8.  That was the stage, him climbing a Cat 1 on the big ring, that really set off the alarms for me.  The other riders are publically saying things like "he rode off like we weren't there" and to have that as great form when it happens on two straight days is...alarming.

I do really want to believe the sport is cleaner - however an entire team was tossed out of the Giro for doping this year, former dopers are running teams, and there are enough pharmaceutical companies in places like China that very well could be a generation ahead of the controls for me to assume it is true.  I think it is no real coincidence that the two teams with ownership in the Arabian Gulf (UAE and Bahrain Victorious) are the two raising the most eyebrows for their performances this season...

[clandestino]

So... what about today?

Another great stage and it seems that Pogacar is human after all. Unfortunately that downhill part allowed him (them) to connect with Vingagaard again, if not it would be around a 40'' advantage.

Wout van Aert was great! The commentators kept referring that he was second yesterday in a sprinting finish... maybe someone to look for in the near future?

[PDH]

So... what about today?

Another great stage and it seems that Pogacar is human after all. Unfortunately that downhill part allowed him (them) to connect with Vingagaard again, if not it would be around a 40'' advantage.

Wout van Aert was great! The commentators kept referring that he was second yesterday in a sprinting finish... maybe someone to look for in the near future?

He got topped by 30 seconds, but by no means did Pogacar crack.  If he is human, then this will continue in the Pyrenees.  His biggest weakness is not losing 30 seconds - which in the end he made up and looked sprightly at the line (he has a far bigger gap than people have had in the Tour after the 1st week than we've seen in a long time), but rather his team is weak.  You can see the effects of the fighting on Carapaz who doesn't have that spring on the climbs, and he has the strongest team remaining.  Pogacar on Ineos would be unstoppable I think.

Van Aert is a big name - if it weren't for Van der Poole coming up a couple of years behind, he would be talked about like MVDP.  He can sprint, he can time trial, and he can climb steady climbs.  If anything, last year was a better year for Van Aert, but he is a huge talent.

[mongers]

He got topped by 30 seconds, but by no means did Pogacar crack.  If he is human, then this will continue in the Pyrenees.  His biggest weakness is not losing 30 seconds - which in the end he made up and looked sprightly at the line (he has a far bigger gap than people have had in the Tour after the 1st week than we've seen in a long time), but rather his team is weak.  You can see the effects of the fighting on Carapaz who doesn't have that spring on the climbs, and he has the strongest team remaining.  Pogacar on Ineos would be unstoppable I think.

Van Aert is a big name - if it weren't for Van der Poole coming up a couple of years behind, he would be talked about like MVDP.  He can sprint, he can time trial, and he can climb steady climbs.  If anything, last year was a better year for Van Aert, but he is a huge talent.

Yes he's awesome. 

[Maladict]

Djokovic ties Federer and Nadal at 20 grand slam titles.
If he takes the golden slam that would make him GOAT, no?

[celedhring]

So, Barcelona intends to bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics. I still think it's a bad idea given there's very little tradition of winter sports over here, and not many people will care, but we'll see. The city already tried to run for the 2022 and 2026 Olympics but lack of internal support nixed those bids.

[The Larch]

So, Barcelona intends to bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics. I still think it's a bad idea given there's very little tradition of winter sports over here, and not many people will care, but we'll see. The city already tried to run for the 2022 and 2026 Olympics but lack of internal support nixed those bids.

Did you see that Madrid wants to bid again for the Summer Olympics. They just won't give up... 

[Liep]

Danes finish as 2nd and 3rd on the final time trial and Vingegaard is 2nd in the GC. Amazing. First time since Riis that a Dane finishes in the top 5 in the tour.

[Syt]

This showed up on German reddit. Andre Greipel (admittedly never heard of him) finishes his career at Tour de France, and has a beer for retirement:

https://streamable.com/hesmcm

[Liep]

This showed up on German reddit. Andre Greipel (admittedly never heard of him) finishes his career at Tour de France, and has a beer for retirement:

https://streamable.com/hesmcm

If he wins in Paris tomorrow I guess beer will become a staple diet for cyclists.

[Liep]

There's been some controversies surrounding the Euro Beach Handball tournament because Norway was denied a request to wear hotpants. They were told rules are rules and they say that the bottoms should cover no more than 10 cm.

I mean, it feels a little outdated. But I trust in IHF when they say the rules are there to optimise the players ability to move freely.

[Josquius]

Sponsors paid for bikinis

[Syt]

Do they guys in beach handball get to play in speedos, too?