MN Peloton winter 2013/14 - Posting Through The Dark Months

[Pan]

The world of professional cycling didn't end for 6 months in Tuscan rain!

The route for the Giro 2014 www.cyclingnews.com/news/2014-giro-ditalia-route-presented-in-milan has been announced today, and it looks pretty sprinter-friendly. AND it starts in Belfast and takes in Dublin.

And the Tour course will be out some time soon as well. And with lots of too-ing and fro-ing and dramas and gossip it seemed a nice idea to have something like this to drop into and share from time to time. It's a winter feed station!

So pop in,and if you'd like, save this in 'threads:I'm watching' as a sort of book mark?

p.s you may recognise the title from David Millar's book Racing Through The Dark, which will be in my hot little hands as a b/day pressie this week!

I have a seriously heavy old hybrid. I'd like to cycle to work, which would only take me about 10 minutes there & 15 minutes back (it's hilly round here) but unfortunately have to tie in the school run with going to work so need to use the car. I suppose I could make the effort to cycle to work during school hols, but I like to come home for lunch to check on the teens get them out of bed & I only get half an hour's break so I need to use the car then as well.

And a Happy New Year to all lycra dudes!
In the middle of the off season it's been really wet, hasn't it? Getting wet twice a day, I'd rather just get out the cold weather stuff and have done with it.

Meantime here is the Vuelta course 2014 which is allegedly 'easier' than last years and Bertie Contador quite fancies it.

And it just gets wetter - it's often like riding through a car wash. Permanently.
Anyone getting any of the Tour Down Under on Sky? We've just had 6th stage, won by Greipel, looking scarily scary.

Women's Race to finish on the Champs Elysee

I missed this. Have just enjoyed the Tour of Dubai, Kittel was on top form.

Do we think we have gotten through the worst of the wintery stuff now? It was horribly wet and windy - do ducks ride bikes? With a week of more or less wall-to-wall sunshine it looks like things are on the up?

Just noticed Sky Sports 4 are showing highlights of the Tirreno Adriatico race in the evenings.

Just finished watching Paris-Nice which I Sky+'d earlier. Geraint Thomas had a nasty old tumble, but managed to finish the race. He's now seven minutes down after leading a few days ago.

I'll be catching up on Tirreno Adriatico this evening. It's been good to see Cav in the leader's jersey for a couple of days.

Had to record both races as it's been wall-to-wall rugby here today. DH is over the moon with Ireland's win. I'm happy for them but gutted for England.

Liking the new nickname Pan!

It's being a real nuisance right now DA and the front derailleur keeps throwing the chain off every time I change up. Halfords 'mechanics' tell me "it's temperamental".

Didn't know Paris-Nice was being Sky'ed at all!

Halfords? Do you have a good little independent bike shop near you? They usually know what they are doing.

Paris-Nice is on Eurosport, sorry, not the Sky channels. I tend to use the phrase "Sky+'d" the way we used to say "taped" back in the old days when we had a VCR!

Ha!

Yes we have a littley shop but he is a sole trader and takes days and days to get round to jobs, and mines is a 'working bike' daily. I'll just fiddle with the adjusters meself and learn how to do the cables too.

You could try a magic spanner

You mean a magic hammer

Prob. time to end this thread, n'est-ce pas? As we are no longer in the dark months and our lycra-clad heroes are already competing on mainland Europe in classic races ahead of les tours.

Should we have a new one for the early season up to the giro and see how far that takes us?

Mais oui, je crois que we need a nouveau thread for the new season. Will you start it Pan & post the link? I'm sure you can think of a snappy new thread title

I've been enjoying Tirreno Adriatico. Bertie Contador is looking in ominous form...

Yes Bertie is looking on fire. Accidentally stumbled across the news of Cav's win before seeing the highlights, damn. Not making the same mistake this evening!
Milan-SanRemo on 23rd, then a string of classics before Giro in May, so maybe we can come out of the 'controlled zone' for the 23rd...

The Irish Giro

Milan-San Remo and the rest of the classics

Phew!