Which Ardennes Race To Watch!
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Which Ardennes Race To Watch!
What's your favorite Ardennes race?. What should we (I) get up at 4 am for?. Or is it time to turn off the pirate feeds until the Giro?
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I've gone back and watched a few Lieges from the last few years. It's always a great finish with the winner in doubt into the last km, but at the same time, whoever's in there at the finish has earned his way there.
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It seems like Universal Sports and NBC/SN are taking a cycling break for awhile.
Nothing scheduled until mid-May. Weird, being that they were all over the cycling coverage up until now...
Nothing scheduled until mid-May. Weird, being that they were all over the cycling coverage up until now...
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NBC Sports Group 2015 Cycling TV schedule - NBC Sports | NBC Sports
S
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This is the Universal Sports and NBC Sports schedule:
Universal Sports:
2/23-27 Vuelta a Andalucia (replays).
3/4 GP Samyn.
3/27 GP Harelbeke.
3/31-4/2 Three Days of De Panne.
5/6-11 Four Days of Dunkerue.
5/23-24 Worlds Port Classic.
5/27/31 Tour of Belgium.
6/13-21 Tour de Suisse.
7/26 La Course.
8/10-16 Eneco Tour.
8/22-9/13 Vuelta a Espana.
8/30 GP Plouay.
9/6-13 Tour of Britain.
9/16 GP Wallonie.
9/20-27 UCI Worlds.
2015 USN Cycling Schedule | Cycling Videos and News | Universal Sports
NBC Sports:
3/8-15 Paris-Nice.
3/29 Criterium International.
4/13 Paris-Roubaix.
4/29 Fleche Wallonne.
4/29 Liege Bastongne Liege.
5/10-17 Tour of California.
6/7-14 Citerium du Dauphine.
7/4-26 Tour de France.
8/14-23 USA Pro Challenge.
9/21-27 UCI Worlds.
10/11 Paris-Tours.
NBC Sports Group 2015 Cycling TV schedule - NBC Sports | NBC Sports
The rest should be covered by BEIN Sports channel.
S
Universal Sports:
2/23-27 Vuelta a Andalucia (replays).
3/4 GP Samyn.
3/27 GP Harelbeke.
3/31-4/2 Three Days of De Panne.
5/6-11 Four Days of Dunkerue.
5/23-24 Worlds Port Classic.
5/27/31 Tour of Belgium.
6/13-21 Tour de Suisse.
7/26 La Course.
8/10-16 Eneco Tour.
8/22-9/13 Vuelta a Espana.
8/30 GP Plouay.
9/6-13 Tour of Britain.
9/16 GP Wallonie.
9/20-27 UCI Worlds.
2015 USN Cycling Schedule | Cycling Videos and News | Universal Sports
NBC Sports:
3/8-15 Paris-Nice.
3/29 Criterium International.
4/13 Paris-Roubaix.
4/29 Fleche Wallonne.
4/29 Liege Bastongne Liege.
5/10-17 Tour of California.
6/7-14 Citerium du Dauphine.
7/4-26 Tour de France.
8/14-23 USA Pro Challenge.
9/21-27 UCI Worlds.
10/11 Paris-Tours.
NBC Sports Group 2015 Cycling TV schedule - NBC Sports | NBC Sports
The rest should be covered by BEIN Sports channel.
S
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I show both Fleche Wallonne and Liege being broadcast on 4/29:
NBC Sports Group 2015 Cycling TV schedule - NBC Sports | NBC Sports
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NBC Sports Group 2015 Cycling TV schedule - NBC Sports | NBC Sports
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Doh!
How did I miss them?
Thanks for posting it.
I actually have my DVR set to record anything that comes up with cycling, so I'm good to go!
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Amstel Gold was just added to the Verizon schedule.
S
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All of them! De Brabanse Pijl was a cracking race. And I can't wait for Amstel Gold. Living in EDT is great: catch a steephill.tv feed on a weekend morning from about 8-11. Or watch the last Ks on YouTube by Noon or so.
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Interesting finish at Amstel Gold. (SPOILER)
I hadn't realized the winner had that sort of finishing speed. Yes, the best sprinter in the final pack had maybe burned too many matches trying to lead up the Cauberg. But it's not like the winner had been hiding up that climb, he was digging too. And he beat a number of riders who are also considered reasonably fast finishers, and who went up the Cauberg behind him.
I hadn't realized the winner had that sort of finishing speed. Yes, the best sprinter in the final pack had maybe burned too many matches trying to lead up the Cauberg. But it's not like the winner had been hiding up that climb, he was digging too. And he beat a number of riders who are also considered reasonably fast finishers, and who went up the Cauberg behind him.
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Yawner at Fleche Wallone (spoiler)
Yes, the final climb of the Mur is impressive to watch, but otherwise I didn't get too much interest from this race. Unsurprising winner, I guess. Froome crashes, which he seems to do a lot?
Yes, the final climb of the Mur is impressive to watch, but otherwise I didn't get too much interest from this race. Unsurprising winner, I guess. Froome crashes, which he seems to do a lot?
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They might want to take the finish away from the Mur. Summit finishes in general have become a bit predictable in recent years, with the favourites almost always together at the foot of the final climb, but at least in the Alps or Dolomites or Rockies or wherever it means there's a good 30-40 minutes of racing to get up that climb.
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I like a summit finish after a long climb, or better yet a series of long climbs. The Horner-Nibali duel on the Angliru in the 2013 Vuelta, for example. Or, more recently, the mountain battles between Contador and Froome in the Volta this year.
And short final climbs after a race that has created separation are great too. Strade Bianchi's final ascent into the Palio of Sienna, for instance.
This finish, and the parcours that precedes it, are not as good.
And short final climbs after a race that has created separation are great too. Strade Bianchi's final ascent into the Palio of Sienna, for instance.
This finish, and the parcours that precedes it, are not as good.
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Good point about Strade Bianche. I guess it's not the Mur's fault if the breaks can't get away sooner.
I guess my point about the summit finishes is that it takes away from the climbs earlier in the day. What's the point in going over the Tourmalet or the Galibier if the only real racing happens on Hautacam or Alpe D'Huez?
I guess my point about the summit finishes is that it takes away from the climbs earlier in the day. What's the point in going over the Tourmalet or the Galibier if the only real racing happens on Hautacam or Alpe D'Huez?
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I figure the earlier climbs are for breaking down the peloton. We don't see the GC guys breaking away with three categorized summits to go any more - no more Hinault suicide attacks - but at least they come to the final climb with just a couple of teammates instead of the whole train. Usually.
I see the Mur climb takes 2m:40s nowadays. I mean, less than three minutes of pushing and grimacing and that's it. When I do that, the reaction is "is that it? are you done already?" :-)
I see the Mur climb takes 2m:40s nowadays. I mean, less than three minutes of pushing and grimacing and that's it. When I do that, the reaction is "is that it? are you done already?" :-)
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A very deserved win by, well, I won't spoil it. Stayed at the front, covered the attacks, with no teammate, when he made his move, was clearly the strongest. Pity about the crash. A couple favorites got surprisingly dropped in the last climb.
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