Any Zwift users?

[Fore Warned]

Sorta Zwift related since they’re a sponsor of the women’s Paris-Roubaix race and no sense starting up a new thread….

The women’s race is new with this being only the 3rd edition, but lots of tradition on the men’s side in the “Hell of the North” and arguably the top one-day race on the UCI calendar as one of the 5 Monuments of the season. Canadian Alison Jackson gets the win today after being in the early breakaway and holding off the charging peloton:

https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-roubaix-femmes-2023/elite-women/results/

Looking forward to the men’s race tomorrow….

Wow, that is amazing. Probably the toughest single day race going. The field usually gets so strung out that Team work often gets ruled out pretty quickly - and one mishap or puncture can often be the end of any chance of winning. Steve Bower missed winning this race by a hair one year.

Used to do the Paris (....Not the Paris-Roubaix) to Ancaster race in the 90's, as a sort of tribute to the actual race.

[Ignatius Reilly]

Sorta Zwift related since they’re a sponsor of the women’s Paris-Roubaix race and no sense starting up a new thread….

The women’s race is new with this being only the 3rd edition, but lots of tradition on the men’s side in the “Hell of the North” and arguably the top one-day race on the UCI calendar as one of the 5 Monuments of the season. Canadian Alison Jackson gets the win today after being in the early breakaway and holding off the charging peloton:

https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/paris-roubaix-femmes-2023/elite-women/results/

Looking forward to the men’s race tomorrow….

Wow - that's quite stunning! Good for her.

We rode "The Hell of the North" on Rouvy just last week, and it really wasn't all that difficult.....

I like the chaos of the cobbles, but prefer it in the single day vs seeing cobbles in a Grand Tour event. There's just too big an element of luck involved and great riders can get injured and have to abandon through no fault of their own.

[beeker]

I’ve done the Paris-Ancaster, or P2A, event a number of times, but not for the last few years. Always a fun, messy, and agonizing with the Martin Rd climb being a killer - we often joke that getting up it without cramping / legs seizing is victory in itself. Hope to take another crack at it next year as dates didn’t line up for this one. There’s a similar event called ‘Hell of the North’ that starts / finishes around Ballantrae.

I know some guys that have done the Roubaix and Tour of Flanders sportifs and have said they’ve been a lot of fun - not sure I’d try Roubaix on a road bike though and would opt for a cyclocross / gravel bike more suited to the conditions.

[beeker]

Not Zwift related, but will post a cycling comment here….

Canadian neo-pro Derek Gee is participating in his first Grand Tour in Italy and said at the outset that he was just hoping to survive - he’s had three 2nd place and two 4th place finishes on stages to date and won the ‘combativity’ award on two stages. One of those second place finishes was losing a sprint finish by half a wheel.

He’s also sitting 24th overall in the GC with 3 stages to go.

Such an amazing performance from a likeable guy and it’s clear he’s doing a lot more than just surviving!

[Ignatius Reilly]

Not Zwift related, but will post a cycling comment here….

Canadian neo-pro Derek Gee is participating in his first Grand Tour in Italy and said at the outset that he was just hoping to survive - he’s had three 2nd place and two 4th place finishes on stages to date and won the ‘combativity’ award on two stages. One of those second place finishes was losing a sprint finish by half a wheel.

He’s also sitting 24th overall in the GC with 3 stages to go.

Such an amazing performance from a likeable guy and it’s clear he’s doing a lot more than just surviving!

I hadn't heard his name before when suddenly the announcers on Stage 8 kept mentioning "this is the best we've ever seen the Canadian ride".

I figured he would get dropped on the last climb or in the final sprint but he prevailed in both. Could have been a win if Ben Healy hadn't jumped ahead and time-trialled his way to the finish all alone.

24th overall ain't exactly nuthin' either!

A really outstanding introduction to a GT event and he seems really down to earth. Hope we see a lot more of him.

[beeker]

He was also going well at Paris-Roubaix, getting into the early break and led into the Arenberg Forest before he got a flat and lost touch waiting on a wheel change.

He’s impressed with his climbing abilities in the Giro as he’s a “heavier” guy at ~75kg.

He’s ridden a lot near me as he was a member of the National Track team and would need to be at the velodrome - some of his Strava KOM’s are mind boggling in terms of how fast he goes and his power output.

[Ignatius Reilly]

So I checked the Giro standings today and.... Derek Gee is currently

Speaking of the giro, Derek Gee continues to impress:

26 in GC
2nd in points
5th in mountain
3rd in sprint

He’s also gotten 4 or 5 “most aggressive” awards and leads the Peloton in total minutes in breakaways.

He just might be pretty good....

This is an incredible debut. Would have been nice if he'd gotten a chance to wear pink. Next year?

[beeker]

So I checked the Giro standings today and.... Derek Gee is currently

Speaking of the giro, Derek Gee continues to impress:

26 in GC
2nd in points
5th in mountain
3rd in sprint

He’s also gotten 4 or 5 “most aggressive” awards and leads the Peloton in total minutes in breakaways.

He just might be pretty good....

This is an incredible debut. Would have been nice if he'd gotten a chance to wear pink. Next year?

And after another day in the break, he gets another 2nd place on the stage.

Looks like he’s now 2nd in the Points and Mountain classifications.

Being a young guy at 25, it’ll be interesting to watch his growth and how much more he can progress in the pro peloton.

[jaybudhwani]

A good quick interview with him in the latest edition of Canadian Cycling- was imressed with how committed he seems to be to the idea of learning the craft of becoming a reliable domestique.

[Fore Warned]

Uh-oh...Polly wants more than a cracker....


Parrot gets peckish, destroys wheel - CyclingTips

[Ignatius Reilly]

Uh-oh...Polly wants more than a cracker....


Parrot gets peckish, destroys wheel - CyclingTips

Hmmm... soon to be an "ex-parrot"?

[beeker]

That’s an expensive “oops!”

Nice move by Gee’s team to surprise the biggest surprise of this race

https://twitter.com/IsraelPremTech/status/1662824842222026753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1662824842222026753%7Ctwgr%5E19de87e88d23c9c5981375a1d705f90ae297d21f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cyclingnews.com%2Fnews%2Fderek-gee-the-unofficial-giro-ditalia-mvp%2F

And how about the storybook ending for Cav to close out his final “Gee-ro”??

[Fore Warned]

Another surprise......


Derek Gee the unofficial Giro d'Italia MVP | Cyclingnews

[Ignatius Reilly]

That’s an expensive “oops!”

Nice move by Gee’s team to surprise the biggest surprise of this race

https://twitter.com/IsraelPremTech/status/1662824842222026753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1662824842222026753%7Ctwgr% 5E19de87e88d23c9c5981375a1d705f90ae297d21f%7Ctwcon %5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cyclingnews.com%2 Fnews%2Fderek-gee-the-unofficial-giro-ditalia-mvp%2F

And how about the storybook ending for Cav to close out his final “Gee-ro”??

The best part of that surprise was that it came from his team, not his family. Absolutely priceless. "Aww...."

Ya gotta love the sprint finishes. I loved Gee's crazy 5 km attempt to go for it and for a moment I thought he might but then..... they just reeled him back in effortlessly.

I thought Cav might have gone too early but what do I know, I can't put out 1580 Watts or whatever he's doing. There will be a hole in the GT when he retires, he's such a big personality.

Another surprise......


Derek Gee the unofficial Giro d'Italia MVP | Cyclingnews

What a perfect 3 weeks for Gee. It could hardly have been any better.