Remco’s Mechanical in Algarve & Opening Weekend Is Here | LRCP Weekly #4

In the fourth episode of LRCP Weekly Patrick Broe and Benji Naesen recap the past week of the world of cycling and preview the opening weekend.

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Credits:
Photos | Cor Vos (unless stated otherwise)
Profiles | La Flamme Rouge

Timestamps:
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:32 Race recaps
00:24:28 Preview: UAE Tour
00:33:00 Preview: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
00:52:20 Preview: Kuurne – Brussel – Kuurne
00:59:51 Other races
01:05:30 Alpecin-Deceuninck’s new kit
01:10:10 Christian Prudhomme (ASO) talks One Cycling project
01:14:04 Vlasov, Kuss and Almeida call for Tour co-leadership
01:20:38 Bouhanni starts legal procedure
01:27:22 Wrap-up

Welcome back to the ltin Rouge cycling podcast for our fourth weekly show presented to you by join cycling this is the last well not the last one we’re doing but this is the last solitary weekly show a lot of you been saying where are the the daily Recaps they’re

Coming back don’t worry we’ve got World Tour racing like envelope like UA tour coming up this week we’ll be previewing those races in this episode as well as recapping Al gav the Andalucia that wasn’t as well as uh yeah some other talking points like alberon d kernick

Double denim kit um been like special but what have you been up to B I just pulled you out of a what a race or something um yeah just wrote a just wrote a zift race but wasn’t the best zift race in the first place so I thank

You for pulling me out of a zift race this time I I needed an excuse to to dip out I’ll be honest about I was suffering but I’ve enjoyed the week of racing and uh I don’t know I expected more races because some of them actually got

Canceled which is unfortunate but on the other end the racing that we did got I enjoyed quite a few races throughout that but I am I am craving the classics at this point I’m craving from I’m craving for for K as well which in previous years I wasn’t craving K as

Much but this time around I’m like bum I want it I want it right now on my plate I want to eat it but hey it’s a few days to go but U tour will uh will be a good T to I reckon beforehand there might be

Crosswinds tomorrow I think in the UA tour but yeah I’m keing for some Cobble action too uh the warm-up races certainly have felt like that but as I said this episode is brought to you by join cycling join cycling is an Adaptive training platform that I’ve been using

To get in shape for our Classics campaign Benji and I in the middle of March in Flanders I did the I’m in the middle of the classics program you put in your target event the target date and sort of the specifications of the event and then your availability all the

Parameters that you can control and then join creates an Adaptive training plan for you so I had a really really good week of training my biggest week in probably 5 years I would say I did back toback three and a half hour rides and then even did a f a really really good

Tempo ride yesterday got to 90 minutes and then bend it on down it was really it’s like that it’s in that in between Zone it’s really sunny but I was coming down Port kabo bam hit some shade too much break and my brakes on the ebike I set up the wrong

Way the Euro way which is incorrect I just grabbed way too much and uh slid out but that’s fine end of the ride Mrs Rouge had to go pick me up look down my join workout school was still 9 out of 10 so I was like maybe it was meant to

Be crashing question do you also have the issue that you switch between bikes with brakes on the opposite end me too it’s I’m going to change it I’m going to change it cuz like I just grab way too much uh like I thought I was going to be

Feathering back break a little bit and just Mash front break the wrong side uh so that was it and yeah I gone too fast obviously and I’m I ain’t Tom Pitcock so we move we yeah yeah we move on just a little luckily with winter gear I’m

Wearing you know it’s just my hands and stuff um in case people see those I thought it explain at the outset but if you want to check out join cycling many of you have and it’s great to see that and you’re already getting on board with the training programs for your training

You can get a special offer for listeners to the lrcp a 30-day free trial period without even inputting your credit card as well as then at the end of that free trial period you get a six-month subscription offer at a discount via email for some of you early

Activators that’ll be coming up shortly that offer so make sure you you stay tuned for that email you just need to download the join cycling app in the app store or Play Store and go to join. cc/ Lantern rou to begin or to get that offer uh rather so there’s no no strings

Attached go check it out if you like it which I’m sure many of you will uh then you you can got that uh free 30-day offer and you don’t have to bin it like me so I’ll be on the trainer this week I say I I broke my rear shifter my right

Shifter I just snapped off I was that’s the the worst bit all right enough about me we can talk about uh Mechanicals now though someone who did see he had a shifting issue same when he couldn’t shift in our G Mr Remco even AOL this week uh he wins GC at

Talav he does he wins the TT does the business there defends didn’t need to win the two GC days no other issues that’s fine uh but then today he got beaten by Martinez again in the Sprint he said he couldn’t shift he did the whole final of the stage in the big ring

Was that what he said yeah that’s what he said after the stage when he crossed the line I felt like he was like looking down to his stem and was like feeling whether his front tire was like flat or something so I was I was expecting the

The sprinter’s excuse of oh I’ve got a flat tire in the Sprint or something but then he comes with the uh explanation of the of being stuck in the big ring I I’ll be honest I haven’t checked whether he was stuck in the big ring on the

Footage or anything so I can’t say if he was or not what’s sorry I think he was but fa fabios taught him [Laughter] well I mean to be honest when you look at this the stage T Foya and Martinez Sprint Martinez Sprint would look he

Looked like he was back in that leage B on Le 2022 form he that Sprint he was really really impressive on foyer and also today I’m not sure the gearing would have made too much of a difference so he wins two stages second on GC uh

Vanat won he didn’t go for the first Sprint went for the third Sprint uh positioned himself quite well his TT was a bit lackl or not a bit was quite like cluster I would say his TT him and Ghana uh really not good TTS but he said he

Hasn’t been training it I guess the Toro did better than both of them so that was really impressive for a rider that I didn’t know had a TT so now we know that he has a TT for the future so that’s going to be curious for the other races

As well his climbing was not at top level compared to the Remos of the world but he’s still young so it’s curious what right top of rer he’ll turn into but about to Martinez Remco Sprint one thing I do want to mention is that I feel like I feel like Remco lost the

Second Sprint in the same way he lost the first Sprint as in if you lose a long Sprint against Martinez on alto de Foya then I feel like you got to try something differently on alto de Maya and there we see the same exact scenario happen where Martinez once again comes

Over him in the last bit of that Sprint so I would have either tried to attack earlier or force a a closer to the line Sprint because do you think Martinez beats rco in the last 200 me Sprint versus 600 meter one as well yeah I

Think so he just I don’t know about that I think Remco should have Martinez was too active closing people in the mid in the mid pH of the climb Martinez closed uh scaroni that was the moment for Remco to counter him and do his I think Remco

Was the strongest maybe on the climb overall uh and that was the moment but he didn’t need to expose himself like that because you know what if he then gets CED and loses GC so I guess he didn’t have as much to lose I do have this thing where whenever Remco loses he

Does end up saying something in an interview most of the time where he’s like oh I lost because of this and even if it’s true even if it’s true that he’s in the big ring or that he makes a mistake in the last kilomet that otherwise he would have won I would

Enjoy seeing that humility of like saying fair play Martinez won it stuff like that you know I kind I would like that more that make sense yeah I think he said something like that on stage two as well it’s like Martinez cooked you and put six seconds into third like sometimes another ride

Is just better it’s like if P Pitcock closed cous and and Malo and he shouldn’t have you know could he say oh I lost the stage cuz I may you maybe but not really like I don’t know sometimes the criticism of Remco is unwarranted a lot of the time sometimes I think he

Opens the door for people to have a crack at him as well so bit of both but yeah he wins GC hand handly his third win in this race and the Lucia unfortunately uh didn’t happen there was Farmers protests which kind of like when the tour of Britain got canceled in

2022 yeah when the queen died it meant that police resources were diverted and so I I think it meant they couldn’t they didn’t have the necessary police resources to run the race cuz the Guardia cille got called to Madrid yeah as I as I understand it and basically we didn’t know what the

Race would be we knew we’d have a TT then it was supposed to be a TT plus 200k stages on the weekend circuits and then eventually those didn’t even happen so we had one prologue TT a 5k 3 and half% TT uh on the Friday which you know is a real shame

For the race like yeah because yeah the organizers uh yeah like this is this is their race and it’s a lot of logistics and planning went into and it just doesn’t happen for outside external reasons uh but yeah Max and Van Hills wins bit of surprise to me

I thought wellin would win a a Uso and Lotto Destiny did really really well overall but the UCI should uh they got to knock this down to a DOT one or give it the chronal ranking Benji the chronal ranking like to be clear originally this is a a two.

Pro rise which means it’s a stage raise of the pro level which means it has 200 GC UCI points and 20 for the stage win so that would deliver 220 towards moxim V Hills but let’s be honest about it for a 4.9 km TT I find that a bit overdone

That’s a bit ridiculous so I would expect lower option one is reducing it to a 1. pro which is a one day rise of the same level which would be 200 UCI points but in our mind that’s kind of still a bit much so but then again can

You I think it should stay the the do pro it is but the UCI points delivery should be different so should be like an exception to the UCI rules that is not written in the UCI rules I see nothing that they can apply on paper but I would

I wouldn’t give it more than a one1 125 points true because if you make it a one day Pro Race it’s still 200 points uh so bit of a bit of a strange one uh also the riders that were there you know they’re weak of training or whatever

They’ve been completely messed about so if you the teams that didn’t send Rish that race probably would thankful they didn’t uh in the end uh tur of Oman also finished midweek mager lamper were good again and then capio won a reduce Sprint and then Adam Yates cooked everybody on

Green Mountain jabal alakar breaking the record with ease I think he could have gone much much faster and uh that’s a very ominous sign for the UA tour coming up this week Al team and classic VAR they didn’t what they’ve done is instead of it being a three-day stage

Race they made it a one day race and a tway stage race so there’s more points I think that increases the points by like 30% is everybody robbing the the format of the tour down under as an a classic before they have the actual race then we have the muskat

Classic before the uh s man then doesn’t give UCI points I true it’s a non UCI race this time it is right classic VAR the problem for TDU is cadel’s is after TDU if cadel and the teams lead cadel needs to be start of January when they’re doing the jalong bay crits

Before TDU and serve Coast Classic so you get the team staying for TDU did you Long Bay crits or those those like Sprint Criterion where you have two Riders Sprint against each other or something yeah but they’re in that’s the same near Melbourne okay um they’re on

The New Year’s day but that’s that’s the same as the race T Keys around there so that’s the problem with cadel’s is it’s you have to wait another week and a half so teams like uh I don’t think Yambo vimo men’s team did it uh anyway classic V johanneson outsprinted everybody and

Then he thought the Finish Line was earlier it wasn’t puts the hands up and then Lenny Martinez scoots past him uh to win the race I don’t know I’ve looked at the finish a few times Benji they saying oh there’s an AR sign I don’t think there

Was an AR sign at 25 M I think that was at the Finish there was no AR sign at 25 me to go that I could see but there was like a metal construction that looked like a bit of a an arch around the road

At 25 met to go to me that didn’t really seem like a a Finish Line but if you’re in the middle of a very hard effort you just die to to try and win this race I can see how you could confuse that but it’s it’s so oh it’s so painful to watch

It’s painful and funny to watch and oh like to see Lenny Martinez win is always fun but to see johanis lose in this fashion because he was pretty dominant on on this final Hill so he was a great performance to against B who went too early so johanneson cooked but Lenny served the

Plate he ate it he ate whatever meal he served uh but yeah it is if you I can’t remember actually had a roof whatever Arch it was I guess by definition an arch must have a roof otherwise it’s not an arch uh I didn’t know that if it it’s

Very strange to go underneath a structure at 25 me to go like that that is strange so to under did it with Al FIP celebrating the km points was 100 me was just a line on the ground on the ground I it’s even worse it’s a Finish

Line on the ground for the km I I swear there’s some races where there like a million lines on the ground it’s I’m not surprised this doesn’t happen more often uh in the actual two day stage race uh a little bit not as good as the yester year of kintana against well but

Nonetheless uh Ethan ver want a reduce Sprint uh for Israel Premier Tech his new team they were here with woods and Fang and then uh I think Shan Flynn became like an option for DSM on on GC but y he got dropped today and then there was like a million Riders on the

French teams attacking each other on the final sort of gradual climb and then cro one A reduced punch uh Sprint an even thinner Sprint and importantly his teamate Parry pantra who let him out took the bonies away from Alban mini also won GC Alan I was surprised to see

Not picked up by another team a good signing for ARA so benoir back Benji deaon I think this is their this is the best they’ve looked in a long time I must say uh well g wasn’t too bad last year in the tour so that that’s a thing but I I

Agree that in the smaller French races that they’re more prominent that they were than they were last year in my opinion and to one to a stage like this shows that we’re probably going to see them winning more of these French type races throughout the season and

Hopefully they can also pick up a a race of a higher level throughout this year because we want to see uh benoa back in action on the on the punch Hills whenever they exist in Paran or to the frons or do or something who want benoa

Back but anyway those races are past us we’ve also got a women’s race a one we stage race four days technically Bama WS a Sprint uh won the Sprint on the first day ahead of mar bit of a I would say a redu Sprint there were but there were

Quite a bit of riders in the group as in it was reduced initially but then people came back stage two was more of a a GC kind of day where there was a a group that survived the climbs and then Royer had a very well-timed attack away from

The group and she took 30 seconds on the rest and that would be a very valuable 10 30 seconds because on day three is the actual like Queen stage with ch kti I think we know that climb from the VTA a few times uh in the past but NE Fisher

Black as The Works teammate of Royster was really strong that day winning relatively comfortably in my opinion over realini so I don’t know is it Rini that isn’t at the level I was expecting or have we seen fiser black neive Bradbury step up or is the combination of

Both I think Fisher black s seem to have stepped up uh I think she’s doing good numbers and yeah I think Fisher black looks really really good uh maybe she’s just targeted better races it is a super steep climb sh kti especially solo um and yeah the the SD Works

Machine keeps on rolling with the GC win for Royer like they just don’t stop winning and even holding on Royer on a climb that difficult I mean it’s not that difficult but you know it is it is the clim where cous actually that’s where he took the GC lead I’m pretty

Sure oh maybe I’m wrong uh that was the day before in of Welter last year I think this is the stage Rish one where Remco let him out and didn’t know where the Finish Line was um so that’s true but hey uh it’s w stage four as well so two Stags for

Balamo I’m hoping that this is a sign that we’re going to see her back at the old level but then again last year she also won uh two stages in valenciana which was before the classics where she wasn’t that the level I was necessarily hoping she would be so let’s hope this

Year is a bit better but anyway classic Ken the last one on the list when it comes to raise Recaps oh just one one point on that we got to start a track of uh cash noma in this race fourth fifth third second on GC she hasn’t won for a

Race in four and a half years we got to get her a win we have to will it as an organization as an institution we’re not counting gravel worlds no I don’t know what that is CX track gravel worlds this this doesn’t enter my estimation it’s like is

It on is it on PCS list as a professional win if it’s not maybe the gra ones are actually actually no it’s not so not to be dismissed of that but you know I this is this is Road cycling uh it’s a serious business so yeah we

Got to get her a win somehow and she’s she’s so good yeah uh maybe omope is not the one next week for that to happen but yeah sorry go on Benji Clan classic hayen was a bit of a raise where I don’t know it got reduced because of uh because of weather

Conditions if I recall correctly where there were limited yeah the rain for example but there were limited gravel segments left it was already changed the parkour to an easier climbs because in the past there were like long gravel climbs now it was like shorter gravel climbs that’s how I would uh explain

This parkour but o lascano was basically in a breakaway with four minute Advantage when the gravel segment started and I started watching this race when the gravel segment started and I saw lascano in a 4-minute breakway I was like who let him in there like I was

Shocked he was in there in the first place cuz I consider loano AR rider for for winning this from the group behind already I couldn’t believe it when I looked I saw five minute lead what’s happened there and I’m not sure it’s like there’s no television coverage we

Don’t know exactly what happened but I couldn’t I was like what the hell 5 minutes you’re never you you’re never going to bring it back because the Finish is not that hard anymore and it’s not like a 220k Race So yeah he basically van punctured any your sense

Y visma Lisa Riders were there with well they attacked it stopped laso trucked along with Nicola prom and uh never they never caught him so that was the race really I would say that’s why deaon the reason I say they’re having their better season so

Far is sort of this race where you see someone like Nicola prom who’s been he’s been canon fod in stage racing breakaways in the past yes and then I thought the same would happen here and then he’s attacking laano he’s finishing fifth he’s not collapsing and Tra who

Also was showed a bit of promise but not too much he beats tratnik and wellin admitted that he was sitting on but he beats tratnik and Wells to finish second in this race and so they got prudom prom and Tra second and Fifth and that’s just amongst Lano tratnik wellins and kovski

Etc that’s where I’m like oh so maybe they see camp they’re all in Grenada I think maybe that worked maybe the bikes are better I don’t know uh but certainly 19th last year in the ranking the sponsors want to want them to do better than that I also hope that we can see

That same effect on phix G because imagine phix go with like a bit of a step up again if he can find a way to TT like a like a a regular cyclist then he might be able to get CL he was 14 from

The and Lucia TT but that was a bit of a climbing one 3.5% so I’m not sure I can consider that 100% as the one we need to look at but I want to see that parin I think is his right next race I want to

See what he does there to be honest it’s it’s not in my head the ideal parkour for Felix gal no Tera would have been better but hey we will still see whether he has form or not regardless of that tra was also a name next to prom so

Fully agree I just wonder if or Lasana will also be underestimated when it comes to the classics that are coming because if you what he does inen he’s on the level of is he on the level of moic if you see the the type of Rider or like where would you play him

Asrin asrin well let’s be [Laughter] serious I mean depends what asran you get it’s kind of like laano right now might be better than asran but asen’s got a very wide range of what he can do uh World beater or dropped in from a group of 80 I don’t

Know which one you’re going to get this classic season uh but in terms of Las being allowed in the Breakaway again absolutely not opening weekend it’s not happening um the word the word has come down from everybody of course cuz he’s just so annoying if you were like in no cuz this

Is what happens right that’s why he’s so effective it’s like he actually is more like to me Dylan Van Bor is a better comparison uh is he just does his Pace the whole time this heavy heavy Pace he climbs really well especially on the gradual stuff and then you know UA Yambo

Inos is starting to infight behind the second they stop they give back another 30 seconds cuz he just keeps Trucking and technically pron was beating him a bit on the downhills and the corners but just the raw power of this guy is yeah so I I think Dylan vanal is a good uh

Comp for him that’s how I could see him winning rub in a similar fashion actually but yeah he’s unfortunately for him he’s put the marker down that last year wasn’t a fluke so and like be surprised he was allowed in the break he’s going to be arriving at Classics races Solo in his

Team like he’s not going to have much support surrounding him in the classics I would reckon so lascano is going to be a lone man but I feel like they also kind of frees him in some shape or form so I’m curious what that does but anyway

Let’s get to the previews of the of the next few races coming up we got cool races coming up U toop K how about we start with the UAE tour and then we jump into like a proper Classics preview because yeah we’ll do a Classics Deep

Dive I want to talk about it but anyway UAE tour two sprints plus jabel JIS then three Sprints then jabel haid the usual scenario jbel haid has last stage was a great change in my opinion but in reality I think Adam Yates cleans this

Unless they find a way to get rid of him in echelons well stage one I’m a bit of a specialist on the Parkour in the Middle East stage one looks different to me they’re going from Mad Zia to Li I don’t know if they’ve done this before but

They go south into what looks to me like a a a hilly June Zone around a cycle track and no categorized climbs but it looks very very up and down short stage don’t know the wind conditions but that looks different don’t we we don’t know how difficult those Hills are uh but

Maybe it is it is just a Sprint Al hudat Island uh TT we’ve seen before that’s a big loop oh yeah not a big loop 12ks Dan’s done well there before I think won that one Dubai Harbor we know as a Sprint and uh the other yeah the others

Are basically Sprints you know J and uh her feet so usually stage one was the crosswind stage but it’s a different stage this year it is in the desert so maybe if the wind is right we could get it tomorrow I guess to your point Benji if you’re not

UAE you guys got you got to try drop him tomorrow you have to yep I think so as well like there’s also the fact that when it comes to other GC Riders I’m looking at a bill b v Wilder on H who was good at Green Mountain but then

Again who knows he might get poisoned again U tour I know Rubio Simon Carr Simon car is also a name where I feel like aor who is good so I feel like top 10 here is not impossible veld top 10 I reckon is also possible P Bart

Lemon yeah he’s there I’m I’m seeing Ved also on the on the provisional start list I’m not sure if he’s confirmed or not but yeah vult is doing it so yeah I feel like I feel like Yates is like a lot Above All the Rest yeah cuz

And then poy other years yeah so there is a big gap and then PL was good in the really good in the TT so there’s not even like a a really strong TT GC Rider who beat him in the TT and defend on her feet because Yates has got a better TT

Than yeah most of the other serious guys here I would say he’s he’s no slouch so like Bill b he put 54 seconds into on her feet last year and there’s no way Bill ba beats him by 30 in the TT yeah correction I said sprint on stage two

But it’s obviously a TT it’s 12.1 KMS completely flat is the the typical one on the like little island thingy right yeah yeah there’s some good photos normally of that one with the city scap behind um the yeah there’s a TT last year which I believe quickstep one with

Merer and remle the yeah Yates is the is the prohibitive favorite frankly I don’t see him losing like unless heavy crosss tomorrow he crashes just there’s no way he can lose uh because he just the others can’t do his his 30 minute 25 minute numbers that he can do uh and he

Just showed on on Green Mountain he broke the record breeding through his nose he could have gone much much quicker and I like I like vanel but um to date he hasn’t shown the Watts yeah like y put the Tour of France last year we all know how good he is uh the

Sprinting Benji seems a lot more equal to me this is what I’m looking forward to perhaps more is this is like really really stacked I’ll R yakobson koyi decline Jesus Luke wrote this got three Dutch Riders first uh Groves Cavendish Milano bous grova merer wellsford

Bennett Mesko I don’t know how he got in here what the hell polar bear doing here viviani akiman gavia that is a who are we missing philipson yeah he ain’t here don’t you think it’s a bit strange they sent philipson to openings weekend and Groves to UAE I would have done the

Other way around I think it’s probably a personal decision that philipson wants to ride the opening weekend because I would have indeed said that philipson can clean these Sprints I think that’s fair to say instead we’re now going to see Gro most likely lose these Sprints because Gro

Was good at lavela but he’s was sprinting against lesser competition and he’s not a pure flat Sprinter 100% he’s a a versatile Sprinter in my eyes still and yes he can Sprint relatively well against second tier and third tier sprinters but against the top sprinters he’s unlikely to to beat them

Every time so I’m looking at I hope that yakobson gets it right because that means we’ve got another man at the top level again this year but I think it’s going to be Meier wellsford and Koy sharing the Sprints this year in UAE tour yeah M I think looks the sharpest

He just he’s had a really bad lead out the last two years like really really bad a lot of the time when he is in position he is he wins uh chud to have a good lead out visma don’t bring aeni or vanat so it’s the van djk brothers and

Vand uh with koyi so they won’t have the strongest lead out uh I would say in terms of yeah strongest lead outs and Sprinter it you can’t go past Bor hgar wellsford with malen Van Poppel gampa Masuk it’s they showed it in TDU we’ve got the same easy stages here van Popple

Put Bennett in position to win multiple times a couple of years ago or last year and he couldn’t finish it off and so wellsford and that train is is the is the team to beat I would say Cav comes here with meru serit no ball uh who was

With him in Colombia uh but we’ll see how they go against stiffer competition than he had in South America bows go doing the opening weekend he’s going to okay so that’s why why he’s not here but it’s still a lot of sprinting competition it’s still good to see but I

Wish philipsson was here because then we could see the top sprinters Sprint against each other in a race that is in my opinion one of the best races to see sprinters race against each other throughout the season because these are the most straight straightforward Sprints you often get and that’s why

Also enjoy the Sprint stage in the o to More Than A lot of people apparently then again I also enjoy them with 5K to go so no cuz you compare the Sprinter star list here to the jro the Welter tour aside yeah it’s an unbelievable star list for sprinters every teams BR

Like araman I’ve not seen him on Israel Premier Tech yet Bennett seen him so far not looking good in in proval are too good but uh how will he go so to kathon so I’m really looking forward to it maybe Milano with not much of a lead out will

Steal a stage like he did uh last year but yeah UA with mcnalty Vine Yates honestly could uh not just winning but two on the podium is probably the the bare minimum they’ll be expecting yeah uh I would say anything anything else to look out for from this race

Benji probably the biggest world Tour stage race uh so far this year not really I think that’s the list I have I think yat is going to destroy GC I I’m curious to see what van eight Feld can do after the MAA challenges what but lemon can do after Santa to

Kind of see a a view on that again and to see what Yan can do as well because if yanh can keep that level throughout the entire year that he had at jabal alar then he can also be a strong nasque for Quick St you’re right ft yeah

There’s quite a bit of interesting things to look at so yeah yeah that’s you to uh and it’s during the day so I like it okay now on to the classics the season starting opening weekend with omope and kerer I’m pretty sure no I am sure the omope route

Is the same starting in hent uh going finishing in Neva it is a pretty hard race I went and watched the 2017 Edition today cuz someone shared on Twitter San uh riding with vanav Martin Van Mar van marker it’s actually I love watching the old racist

Benji because then I compare the Way San rode is so different to mvdp Sagan was in a group of six at 50ks to go and literally pulled to the Finish basically he never and he lost yeah of and he lost I was like no surprise he lost it’s like

Unbelievable uh you know what the worst part is we were watching the same video this morning when we woke up me and my wife and and the main thing that stood out to me was this was just after he won the the Olympics and he wasn’t wearing a

Golden helmet oh golden Greg yeah he had his gold on his shirt but not on his helmet did he get worse when they gave him the golden helmet and golden bike maybe it sapped his powers yeah who’s the current Olympic champion caras caras and they gave heavy biker

Inos cuz they painted it gold or bronze uh we’re not making that discussion again it’s bronze or gold heavier it was bronze it wasn’t gold no way uh is a gram of gold heavier than a gram of bronze I’ll let you answer but yeah omo very very hard puckle uh

Compared to that when you have the wenberg venberg and uh the molenberg baron Dre gone of the days I think what we saw last year but like the the mo Capal Mo waiting for a big blow out there Benji it’s like other teams are not going to wait

For there when you have I think you can’t really go past uh the vimma Lisa bike Team they’re bringing here is ridiculous vavu won in 22 vanalu won last year leaport ber tratnik Jorgenson aini uh six of those seven Riders could win this race fully agree to the point that

You’re thinking I fenus ruler in this team and you’ve got six riders that could be doing opening stuff already in like the the earlier segments and you’ve got you’ve got the obvious wild fards and leaport and v baras as well so you’ve got so many riders where you’re

Thinking is there any team other than vizmo on the start list that is going to think oh let me help with controlling the Breakaway like [ __ ] no that’s what we’re discussing like who’s a is going to have to work the entire [ __ ] race like aah you know what take a load off

Take a load off buddy we got case bow back there federov comes to front get my wheel Ado I’ll manage this you’re right it’s like it’s a ridiculous team I mean I’m looking through maybe I mean Tre are you surprised Tre the big new apart from that start list the the other classic

Rider who is not here who is in the best shape not to about mvdp or pogy that they never saw do opening weekend but Patterson don’t you think it’s strange that he did the farmers protest Classics at to bes and proval and then skips opening weekend with such good shape i f fully

Agree that I want to see Peterson at this race but with Milan coming to the team I think internally they wanted to make sure Milan could ride a bunch of these Classics so that Peterson can WR the ones that he actually wants to needs

To win like or or the ones that he wants to win needs to win is a bit is a bit over the top but I agree I would have liked to at least see myop and then Milan for example at K while if I take a look at the provisional start list of

Ker Milan nor Peterson is on it where I’m like Milan has to do ker my headset the same he has to but yeah like I was really really surprised to see that I would think with pison and Milan they’re complimentary you have P’s more the attack he gets in a group ahead

Doesn’t have to work CU I got this really quick Sprinter behind and he even without the Sprinter he does it yeah so I was really surprised to see that and I take your point he might be I’m sure there’s a reason this is more a fan in

Me speaking I wanted to see Pon at the race with the shape he’s got you because see I think he animates the race and it could be bad weather where he gets like 50 watt buff but I’m sure there’s a reason maybe he wants to Peak for Flanders or re but

Then I’m thinking like if your Tre isn’t winning one of the opening weekend races kind of a really like it’s actually attainable goal yeah and they don’t win a they didn’t win a big classic last year am like when Peterson won toam against vpol and wild vanard that was a big thing for

For tack that year and omop would also be pretty big in my opinion so I wanted to see styen plus Pon plus Milan with Pon as the obvious leader with Milan as the backup Sprinter Sten as domestique SL Rider that goes into early moves to try and upset other people a bit that’s

Kind of the vibe I get then again Sten would ride in any group even if it would be negative towards Pon but that being said that would be a team that I would put not at the level of visma but on a level where they could be seen as okay

You need to help control the race a bit if you’re Vima you’re thinking that but with a team they’re sending now I think Vima can’t show up at their at their team C and say you guys need to put Tim the cler for the break control at the

Start then again that’s what he’s made to do that’s what what he was born to do but you know what I mean right yeah exactly I mean maybe they try to put the clerk in the break I I don’t know I don’t know like well yeah why not

You got to use him some way uh probably the uh the fav so the favorite for the race vanard and probably three other visar Riders but then the probably the nearest favorite not on that team is Aro Dee on Lotto Destiny they look good in in January in the mean races uh then

They went to tenie and tday I would say thee looked uh it’s hard to it’s hard to say but in in classican I thought he looked a little bit yeah he got dropped earlier than I expected uh and and in meria and in alia his Sprint wasn’t what I expected it to

Be in addition to that so I’m not going to to the omope with full confidence that the Lee will be at the same level of last year I need to see something before I can say something like that like his team surrounding him comp Arts

The Bu burlin gard and and Von M I’m pretty sure if I go through this I’m on the right roster right that’s the professional start list so bin look good I think he’s a good Rider he was he was 28 for something in Ru last year so I

Think he’s really good as like a type Classics Rider uh vonm was at a good level in bass if I recall correctly comp ards I’m not sure about as in I would expect comp ards to be at a decent level but I can’t vividly recall him being amazing in the races

We’ve seen so far yet then again it’s very Li under Luci TT so far uh well no but no no but I actually thought I I know I thought he’d do better there as well so I think yeah dele it could be that he came down from altitude not feeling good

And he’ll be fine in a week I don’t know uh but he’ll be when you look at him in omope last year crashed in a corner came back uh in time for mullenberg Miss was right there and then dropped everybody on the mo except and the pulled then beat Le in the

Sprint that’s that’s the guy so I’m hoping we see that I’m hoping we see that as well but it’s also like he hasn’t won this year in the leadup either which last year he was he was cleaning up the SAG on um then in Mar he won something as

Well so he had been winning so for the I think that would also have helped if he already won on Mira or something so anyway let’s hope we’ve got a competitor in that Rider but how do you think the race will play out how do I think the

Race will play out there’s so many scenarios cuz last year if I recall correctly there was a split on the cuted already which was very early in the race like one of the earlier Hills where Vima had a group of like five to six Riders before coverage with the Lee in the

Group with some other riders in the group but the the thing that always seems to happen in those scenarios is that you you then suddenly get like a different split you know like cuz nobody’s going to be working with six yumbo riders or vismo Riders so then

They try and get another Rider ahead and so but eventually that that got crawled back and I think mullenberg is always the climb that I think of when I think of w up KN blood you know that’s logical right that’s like the narrow deep narrow running fight for positioning that’s super important

That’s where a Vima could literally put AA at the front with six Riders behind him and then they hope that they’ve got a split with four vismo riders or something out the road but that also feels like a telephone in thing as in that’s what a lot of teams will expect

Fsma to do so will they try to do it earlier on um I’m not sure which clim really fits with thinking Vulcan b w wol is that a scenario where you can see that happen because how I see it is that Vima is the only team on the start list

That I expect to pull on that to fullon initiate at a certain point in this race and the other teams will have to like rack up and be ready when that happens and and unlike the tour of Flanders you look at the parkour and you’re like well can they anticipate that whenever that

Bomb is going to get dropped it’s like well okay well let’s sayans and amoric and asran go in like literally the first Hall of EG or something and let’s assume it’s good weather there’s a 50% chance of rain if it’s if it’s bad weather cold

5° wind all bets are off [ __ ] can hit the fan from literally the ha hook with 40ks done like it really depends on the weather assuming good weather like if they go on the p with 8ks to go there like half an hour of ashfold yeah sort of big roads where

They’re going to get chased down it’s not like T Flanders when Pon went on the tiberg and then it was hard so yeah it’s going to be I don’t see philipsson I don’t see how philipson can win can win this race unless he is taking a big big step up I think it’s

Been very very difficult for someone like that what about bny I don’t know man I think he might be too isolated does that make sense yeah one so classic good good in the TDU Sprints the thing I see with the Lee with bam with all those wiers and I’m

Not sure Milan has the has it to get over all these Hills if if [ __ ] hits a fan eer in a similar way as Phillipson like he’s versatile Phillipson versatile as well but when [ __ ] truly hits the fan they’ll need to be there too you know

And then I look at bin and and those are riders that can get over a hill or two that can get over these hillers and maybe make these splits and so forth and then I’m thinking well then you’re stuck in a group with with 75 vismar Riders so good luck solving that

Scenario so then there’s so much that can that can occur here but it’s also I agree with this with what you’re saying when it comes to the parkour it’s not rvv it’s not likely that you can open up the race with 100 kilm to go in an easy

Way and it just lasts cuz last year it happened like that eh it opened up early but it didn’t necessarily last and no it opened and then vanal anticipated straight after the regroupment after mullenberg and that was it y there it really wasn’t too much else

And then Milan went with him uh the big name I guess we haven’t mentioned is Pitcock who I’m glad he’s here and is someone he looked pretty good in Al gav uh like he came third on the stage to malal today so uh he also brings with him sorry he

Brings with him Turner and haiduk but he doesn’t have Sheffield at least on the provisional start list they’ve only got six listed so it’s not inos best classic team maybe Chef is going uh so he might be I think he’d be isolated early uh Pitcock surely will do it as

Well if Turner shows up then he’s normally if if he’s in decent shape also relatively good surrounding Pitcock I would reckon but those are also The Limited names so I feel like in is not here with their best team that’s that’s how I perceived that list and there

There’s other teams where I’m also thinking okay there’s a few Riders missing that I expected to perhaps be here uh like the obvious one is that vpol is not here of course that we don’t have the P gotar of the world that we’re looking at ad vanad and and the vismo

Team as the obvious favorites and quickstep we’re looking at Al fipe and oin and like yeah two rid where wasn’t expecting them oh what do you expect from them oh I I kind of feel like I’m expecting them to try and follow whatever [ __ ] hits the fan and

Then try and benefit from a situation like that because I don’t see this team as necessarily the the initiation one I’m curious to see what moscon is like back at quickstep that’s one where I’m really curious because that could that could do something I maybe expected a

A lamper or Mana shop in K or one of them inop but to see I think lamperti might be Inon I’m not sure about it but I might have expected one of them to show up in the on the quickstep St list forlo no yeah I’m surprised that neither

Neither of those two are here and uh that Hil helders is not here uh and he’s not doing UAE to either so he’s back from the Middle East so I’m surprised maybe they didn’t want to have the young guys do Oman and then do opening weekend

Because all three of them did that uh but Hill helders impressed me in uh in TDU he won Ken vhem jior or U23 like frankly I would have him instead of Casper Pon uh they do have War how do you say Benji relatively perfect actually I’m

Proud of you I’m flying uh he’s a class young t in French R CID this uh I got to say he consistent in proval uh but I hoped he would beat pedison I was looking for that extra step up when peton did all the work uh barin you

Can’t count out there’ll be active as well as I’m surprised C FR is not here for de cathlon there’s a lot of those sort of riders who I’m surprised are not here uh like they’re in good shape I know he’s probably going to do the French Classics or like Michael Matthews

They’re kn going to win T of Flanders and uh they’re not doing this race where I think they can get a really good result uh especially someone like Matthews is surprising to me but are we uh are we disrespecting wellins by mentioning him in a limited fashion

Cuz I feel like he’s in the same scenario that I see uh it’s it’s you you said comparing lascano to moich might not be perfect but I feel like when it comes to their role in the race the way they should probably play it they’re all going to be think thinking similarly

Like well loano like mic they’ll all try to try to anticipate cuz he can’t Sprint that’s the problem for wellin he really can’t Sprint uh at all so well he he was what top three strongest in opening weekend last year better to say cuz he got

Caught at the Finish Line in nelope and he was he him and morage dropped to Lee on on the mo and then ker he was very strong but visma tactics played him and morid but he’s just if you’re isolated and there’s four visas and you got Jorgenson now in the team

Tratnik who is unbelievable shape like it’s so difficult to to do anything or to do your own race you just have to you’re always reacting um maybe maybe the other team should align and against fsma maybe I think we’ll see that and we’ll see that from probably

Coler zero where they’re like no you Chas the Breakaway you brought six leaders and one ruler yeah spend the rouer for three hours uh but that’s omope uh who you got winning well who I got winning oh that’s a difficult one oh my God tring’s been looking so good the

Last two weeks I was going to pick tratnik I want to go with trtnik too but well I said his name first so I can yeah you can go but I think it’s boring to pick a vizar rider when they show up with six leaders so we we’ve been talking about about a

Lot about dafflon Riders but we mention them like do we expect the Resurgence of of the klon in the classics do we expect the b n and the pestl and so forth to show up the pest was I don’t know he he had an okay time TR at on the Lucia I guess

But a I I think Kung is going to do well I think K will yeah but winning I’m not sure he has it to win omope so um fuckman I’ll go with Dr okay I will go with yeah trck was who I would also pick

Uh but I’m going to go I’m going go the favorite W for not uh I don’t think he’s giving yeah I think he’s going to want to make a statement and Al gav was the prep race uh Ker’s the next day ker is like a a different sort of race in that

It’s flat uh in the last 80 or 70 km but there’s a a much longer Hill Zone with longer Hills the uh churg C the triu 1.2k 7% the clurg uh the Moran laon so it’s really can the the hairs or the the climby boys get

Enough of a gap so they can hold on for 60k before the after that Hill Zone uh for the sprinters team so I really like ker it’s really delivered excitement the last few years uh I seem to remember the oh the asgr one was very very good but

That start list is usually very very similar a few more sprinters come in like dear for ARA and Riders like beanie I think become much more realistic in winning because there’s no if if visma don’t get it right in the Hill Zone and they don’t get enough of a gap or

Predictably no teams work with them after that and Inter marhe and other teams can band together on a flat parkour to chase then it’s much more realistic that Benny can win a Sprint or uh philipsson can win the Sprint he’s here for alberon to kernik so I see kerer is much

More not much more but quite more a bit more open than omo I um it’s it’s kind of the one year where I feel like I don’t have confidence in a sprinting K really yeah and the reason that I think that’s the case is because when I look at the provisional start

List there’s only one Sprinter there so that helps that helps my case actually the Mar’s here as well I I hadn’t noticed thear yet but I’m looking at philipson if I recall the Mar if I recall and then we’re looking at a piffy a goar well bie like if you’re bie you

Don’t want to Sprint against Phillipson on the line either he won the harder race anyway so would you rather Sprint against philipson then ker or be in a group of four visas I agree but I think beating Phillips into the Sprint is also an unlikely scenario the Lee is not on the

Professional start list yeah I would have prefer to cuz if you’re dele you want to get your goal if you’re dele is winning a classic right yeah so and coner is a prestigious race yeah so I I would have liked seeing him in Cur instead of like lad the next

Week for example stuff like that um but he ain’t here so we got to live with it kristof’s of the world should we still count that as like top Sprinter I don’t know n Kristoff can’t Sprint anymore sc’s better so I’m not looking at the biggest Sprint

Field and as a consequence I feel like we’re just going to have an open race have a hard race wind will play a role most likely and I think this is the one where vizar could clean if they really get it right I’m going to go with Marius mof for

Winning this race uh just because chuda look all right he looked okay in a Sprint in Al gar decent in mayorca decent on a a hilly course uh in fuera so I’m going to go with him and another one who’s doing K is VTO bra 23y old on

Anto Mar just watch out for him he might sneak a top 10 uh if it’s a really really hard race he seems to climb decently well so but yeah otherwise I’ll go for laort probably i’ say leport winning this I’ve got a A onew for Vima with fard gifting it to

Vanara why would he give to voma makes no sense is he gifts Benard is like previous winner but benard’s just been I think he had Co at the start of the year then crashed last week in algar if I recall correctly so I’m not sure if we

Can expect the benol that we had last year he was also sick last year but I was earlier before this prep uh so I don’t know I’m I’m not sure what to expect from bod but I don’t expect him to to be on level of trotnic is the preview of these two

Races does that mean we both think Benji that the what happened last year is set to be repeated this year which is that essentially visma will dominate most of the classics up to the tour of flers and rube and then the big boss comes in Vanderpool and everything changes once

He’s in the race I think that’s a scenario I’m looking at because fsma has the team that they should be CLE cleaning up these smaller Classics to be honest and then when it comes to these big races the ones where we’re looking at R vandon where we look at at uh at

Peru Bay those are ones where it is more difficult to apply your numerical Advantage than it is on these smaller Classics because it’s harder to get through 250 km of a a tour of flounders there’s more altitude meters half of your team will end up dropping by the

Time the final really happens you will have to respond to more anticipation because more space to anticipate in the big races so in rvv the group with was it oin last year together with um was it marier that was in the group helping him for example with jensson and so forth

Those kind of groups happen in rvv in rub you’ll have anticipation as well rup is an added luck percentage on top of that I I do feel like this is the best year for w fad compared to last year to win rvv because while Vanderpool is there and I consider vanderpol to

Have an advantage on vanard I would say that poacha not being an rvv is a major bonus for vanard because if pogacha is there vard can’t win yeah when P Pacha can do the last 50 kilm 3 minutes faster than vard yeah so what tactics I’m all is what there’s not

Many tactics to to defend against that uh like pagat is just special in the final tour of Flanders so uh Ru is different Ru van is probably is his best race or the race he most naturally suited towards but yeah whereas Vanderpool still is the best overall classic St in the world

But the sort of on the on quamon I’m less expecting him and he to just like ride away from vanat with 55 km to go uh in Flanders but yeah that’s that’s the sort of I expect a similar pattern to last year and so hopefully we have exciting race on

Opening weekend hopefully it’s well not if it’s bad weather and cross winds unfortunately we probably won’t see that before coverage starts coverage normally starts around the par H hook first H hook with about 100 or 990ks to go uh but yeah that was our opening weekend preview we’ll obviously have daily

Coverage of those uh races Twitter Rwanda also kicked off today uh quickstep Dev team won the TT the GC favorites William L Surf uh who look very very good in Saudi when he attacked on Sky views climb so he’s against lur I guess lur Chris F we we we

Got to keep in mind Chris F there was another name that I I thought of when I was looking through the start list outan yeah g g on the on the UAE kiddo team on the Gen Z team I think was the name of it but that being said I reckon

Ler lur gar might end up being the the top three of this race they had a TTT today not counting for GC but allowing teams to use TT bikes if they have it so some teams that don’t have that to their availability Road road bikes some TT

Bikes I don’t know it’s weird for me to have a t TT that doesn’t count for GC my head does not make sense but I guess it’s a compromise for the fact that not every team can Pro can have have TT bikes but then just do the the TT with

Normal bikes my guess would be don’t do a TTT at all yeah exactly the point what is the point the teams I guess it’s a practice like it’s an advantage for the the dev teams otherwise when are these young guys going to practice doing a TTT

The first TT they’re going to do is in a world Tour stage race yeah at UA tour so maybe or parin E so maybe that’s the attraction for it I think they should do the same in lavenir I don’t think in lavenir it should count for GC even if

They do want to do it for development it shouldn’t count towards uh GC uh otherwise Gran Camino is probably the the other stage race that’s worth watching this week very very strong start list weakened a little bit because quana’s out with uh Co infection that he apparently picked up yeah he Ain moving

The needle mate yeah yeah uh but this is where I mean inos team is much stronger uh than its UAE tour team hater Rodriguez Castro frer Bernard tyon kovski they ain’t messing about that’s one of their that’s like a Welter team frankly caraz here for EF alongside

Piccolo palus uran uh and karthy that’s they have weled or two team Sosa here uh but canana supposed be here and Lenny Martinez and goodu that’s their two of team G fdj and obviously then uh vingard Returns the Twitter France Champion with uh tulet and Al Brooks

Kelderman uh not sure who else so this race Benji restarted uh two years ago in 2022 and now has a ridiculous start list I agree but despite the ridiculous start lists fer go should clean this I know it’s start of the season but fer go should clean this

Well I mean his his GC Rivals that I’ve just read out unfortunately there’s a hilly it 15ks he should be beating uh Rodriguez in that sort of TT if he carry if he’s in any sort of shape uh but I guess there’s some tricky medium Mountain stages like stage one uh stage

Two from tabuada to shant is they do repetitions of a 5k 6% climb EF I dare say might try something there yeah there’s another Hill to early yeah and then the final stage is 7K is 8% so it’s going to be a good race I mean if you see these guys attacking

Each other it’s it’s always exciting in a 2.1 I can’t wait to watch do you think is hater the favorite for the TT or no Tarling Tarling even with the the hill and the slide c section at the end it’s not a crazy Hill right let me check it to be

Sure they’re not spreading nonsense 1.5 km 4.8% tling should win this time trial okay uh and then haer it’s going to be tough for him if they kick off on this on stage two it is a flat finish but after 5K 6% climb but yeah I’m really

Looking forward to this race and bwick yep he starts here for for kahar Ral he did under Lucia and meria but yeah let him go on the Breakaway come on let him have a break Queen I uh I also want to mention Jefferson Alo sea yeah he did a shockingly good well Andalucia

Fourth he’s look he looked good last year in Andalucia too uh there’s also David panoli who just won the Tour of antalia which Benji attended he also beat uh Isaac deloro in the Mountaintop finish TT in lavenir last year the Italian climbing Prospect he was second to Rell the other Italian American climbing

Prospects so how will he go on these shorter climbs uh against more serious competition that’ll be an interesting acid test uh for him on py Keta there’s also the French opening Hill Classics they’re good races but I’ll be honest with you I watch them during the week after opening weekends uh

Because yeah uh I want to focus on the Belgian Classics that’s all the race previews and Recaps Benji we’ve got I want to talk about the Alon to keric Kit first I think the UCI has to step in and do something and obviously the opportunity for that has passed because

I presume kits go to the UCI for approval the amount of Navy with white accent kits in the peleton at the moment is unbelievable if we look look through the teams Quick Step now alerson and they already had it moar little Tre group arm fdj it’s five kits Israel

Israel sorry yeah a pro team Israel is very very similar but like alerson is identical to Quick steps now they’ve changed the kit to yeah it’s a double denim but it goes blue then a white band in the Middle with a red with Alon but that’s sud on theep the same R

Patch is there and then blue again on the bottom of the Jersey it looks so similar to Quick steps it’s shockingly similar even from up close obviously you see the difference from up close but like if you’re like squinting a little bit you wouldn’t see which Jersey it is so that’s that’s how

Much it it looks and on the helicopter you definitely won’t see the difference so I fully agree this shouldn’t be this shouldn’t be happening like a kid shouldn’t be allowed to have the exact same shape and colors as as quickstep yes it’s denim yes it’s kind of jeans

Like but sorry but the the differences are way too limited for th this is first of all bad for newer viewers or mainstream viewers to really H who’s who’s this guy writing for again oh we’ve got cep no it’s alason wait are those the same team stuff like that but

It’s also for brand recognition this can’t be great for for alpas the king for so and quickstep neither like everybody must be hurting that’s what I mean it surely okay you want to have your goal is to the sponsors have requirements of how their colors look

Etc I understand that but if if no one knows where your team is or where your Riders are or doesn’t stand out isn’t that a problem like EF you know where every EF Rider is at all times visma is actually yellow there’s no other solitary yellow kit there’s into my sh

Though sometimes you can see Andis going to have to change in the tour at least I’m surprised these teams don’t want to be to stand out more because it it all Blends into one inosa very very similar like on the road it looks really really close the inos

Shade now is um much closer to Aras this year I just don’t I don’t get it I yeah I don’t get why they like no way like surely they know what they’re doing Benji when they make that kit alberon to kernick like maybe maybe it’s some purpose maybe it’s some

Purpose maybe they thought we’ve stolen their team format which is having multiple sprinters and a classic steam that’s the good old quick step format as in like five six years ago Alon the Kink is now doing that better we’ve we’ve shown ourselves to be that team now they want to now they want

To steal the actual cloning as well and they want to actually immerse themselves in being that but anyway like jokes aside their bike looks absolute fire their kid I don’t like and the fact that it looks like Quick Step carbon copy paste of it that’s garbage so sorry but

That’s f here are we rting it yeah I also don’t know why it’s released now but maybe they just didn’t why is a denim your gimmick you guys in Benelux love your denim jean shorts [ __ ] no yeah you do come on I don’t I don’t even own

Denim um I see denim a lot in Balu the amount of times you’re in Ben you went once you guys love the distressed denim man came to Netherlands once I see it on TV 25 million hours a year it’s all I watch is crowds of people in the Benelux region you have a

Million races I’ve seen enough of Benelux and I’ll be there in a month um okay otherwise um you could listen to the full interview or if you speak French or or read the full interview if you want on CSM actu they had a sit down uh full interview with Nichol oh with

Not Nichola prom the with with Christian prom uh the effectively daytoday boss of uh ASO ASO another video is automatically played which I can’t turn off which is very annoying part of the website but basically the the gist of this interview or what I got from it

Was he just didn’t seem faced by the one cycling project at all it seemed to him to be like it’s another Hammer series it’s another Breakaway League attempt it won’t work they don’t have the ducks in a row we’ll outlive this yeah and I feel like the other

Things I I heard of like I saw something about an interview with Milan Eden for example the bahin boss and He was discussing the fact that that they might now be talking about all these big races like rvv and World Championships we want some kind of three-day format and one of them could

Be a time trial and stuff like that I’m like dude you’re you’re discussing the hammer series again it didn’t work last time it ain’t going to work again like no matter if you name if it’s a Flanders Classics race or not and even why would Flanders Classics want that in the first

Place change the format of their races like the more I hear from it from the more people involved the more it seems like how the people don’t even know what it’s about I think ASO normally don’t that’s why it’s an interesting interview having the uh the big boss

Most senior person outside of the Amar Family Christian PR speaking about about this normally ASO don’t really comment on ongoing things like this too much they’re pretty tight lipped they keep to themselves uh and I think the fact that he’s even speaking about it to me is almost like

He’s he just doesn’t see it as a threat like if he was like this is a big thing we might have to negotiate in the next couple of months or year with this I feel like he would have said I’m not commenting on about it but yeah to me it

Seems like ASO is unfaced certainly they’re not involved and so it’s proceeding without them if it is proceeding uh but whatever idea there was maybe two months ago of like everyone around the table ASO RCS flers classics all the teams that certainly does not appear to be the case anymore

And I feel like the initial conversation was okay we want the calendar where races don’t overlap where the top Riders can be at every single race and now the conversation seems to have changed towards okay now we’re going to have like an extra Racing League under the

One cycling banner and that’s going to be outside of ground tours that Riders can still use that to prepare for ground tours and the one cycling top Riders will then use that and be there and that’s a completely different storyline already yeah like major difference so I’m curious what format it

Will land on because that will 100% decide whether it’s successful or not cuz the initial storyline it being like a one cycling thing that basically is the new calendar that’s a thing but if you then have like the other old calendar next to it with other races that aren’t part of

It and then riders jump from the one cycling events to the others then you’ve gone Hammer series again I know yeah and so stay tuned but uh whether this sort of drops in in 3 four months as some as a big game changer I’m not uh I’m not so

Sure it doesn’t sound like that at the moment uh based on people that are speaking publicly about it but yeah go and read the transcript of that interview if you’re interested in hearing more uh otherwise there’s a curious interview with vlasov I think in the Italian press Benji and this is

We’ve seen this with UAE first with ala ala said it’s not my job to decide how I race in the tour I’ll race for myself it’s for the directors to Fig figure it out paraphrasing here uh when people said well it’s all in for pogy

Cuz they go are you saw Mater Yates pogy then you had vov this week he said I’m not going in as a domestique we go in as as co-leaders and then we see who’s the strongest with Rog liard Bora for the tour and then cous gave an initial

Interview where people asked him his Ambitions and he said uh yeah he’d like to go in and and Lead the tour team as well and I think he in a subsequent interview he backtracked a little bit and said I didn’t want to appear under ambitious I I know that you know vingard

Is is the boss at the end of the day in the tour but still three different teams Benji potentially with leadership quarrels yes but I think Vima the one I’m is the one I’m least worried about as in Ving is going to be all out leader

There but I think they’re all is going to use CZ as SK leader initially if it’s possible it’s worked before they might as well try it again until it doesn’t and if it doesn’t work they still have him as domestique anyway so it’s not like that we’ll remove him from his

Domestique duties he will be super domestique co-leader and if he sees an opportunity they’ll use him in GC in some shape or form that’s why I perceive that and the manest won the vaa as well he was better than all the other competition in that in that race out

Outside of Vima so he has the right to talk as well he he has the right to say uh I want to be Co leader in some shape or form I don’t think he sees himself as I’m I’m on the same level as Vaga I don’t I don’t I don’t believe that phase

And that’s also not the way he said it in my head then UAE when it comes to almea and so forth Pacha Uso and8 I’ve got no clue what’s going to happen with Y at the tot France that’s the beauty of it the beauty of it is that we don’t

Know cuz Pacha has done the jro what shape will he come into the to fron for we don’t know that a usual meta and Yates we know Yates has spum to to FR he could be some kind of Co leader fashion is he better than vingo no but it’s

Going to be really cool to see all four of these leaders try and upset vingo in some shape or form so I think that could be a good vibe going on in that race I reckon almea and Yates have got not necessarily the confidence in to really

Put pressure in that shape or form but when it comes to AO he’s kind of unpredictable in my head whereas if he can get to a higher level than he was last year then I want to see him try some some crazy stuff I feel like he’s

He’s got that cism in him when it comes to Bora RIT main leader the team has already said it kind of hindley I think he has right to talk I think he has right to talk and say I want to be a co- leader at the start flov zero right to

Talk when it comes to the twit FR co- leadership he’s not shown anything to be able to say I want to start of the Twitter front at co- leader stuff like that hindley full warranted he can say that stuff he was in the yellow Jersey initially then crashed and dropped out

Of top five if I recall correctly but vazov no for parin he said in the same article something about parin co- leadership sure I’m fine with that I’m fine with that but at TT France [ __ ] no dude show it first the problem is both hinley and

Vlasov out of contract and so we saw this situation with Adam Yates in the tour to France in 2022 at inos where basically he didn’t have a contract extension offer from them and so he was like I can’t sacrifice my GC position for Thomas and then worsen my

Contract offers and I think even G said on the what’s the Steep 2.7k 10% climb where pogy did like 7 wats per kilo for 12 minutes and vingo was in his wheel anyway that steep climb helped g a little bit and G was like thanks I was

Thankful to Adam cuz I know he’s in a difficult spot with the contract hinley and vlasov are both out of contract they have to first Henley they should probably extend he won the jro and Stor bring vlasov vlasov why is he not doing the jro it’s got ttk’s in a really shallow start

List yep makes no sense to me got Martinez doing the jro and it’s like Martinez and vlasov co-leadership that makes sense that the jro cuz Martinez he’s you don’t know what you’re going to get with him in a grand tour so but I do want Martinez at the tour to France instead

Of lazov then I think he is at the tour no oh okay well if if he does both then that’s fine but I would have expected Martinez to be like a domestique in in the Tour of France for RIT and and and hindley as as as Co leader to try and

Use hindley as go leader but in let’s be honest in the team they should know RIT is the guy that is most likely to win the race hinley can be that Co in the same way that Kus can be for Forma to try and upset things put pressure on the

Other teams like he did on stage five last year he got in the big Breakaway took the yellow Jersey won the stage so he’s proven he can do that but yeah they’re they’re tour a team Henley Lov C RIT the brero Martinez I would I would take jungles

Instead of Lov so uh based on what I saw today and send vov as co-leader to the J which suits him better anyway and then you don’t have those problems and then if he podiums or wins at jro okay extend him if he doesn’t because he didn’t have

A good year last of last year he was better in 22 uh but yeah certainly uh that was surprising to hear that well actually it wasn’t it wasn’t surprising because I also understand it from vaso’s perspective like were you going to prepare altitude all and and I know you should say be a

Good teammate you’re still under contract but I get it but as a team you just don’t send to the tourron then exactly yeah exactly whereas Henley I would expect before the tour a grud of that quality he’s either extended there or signed somewhere else uh before July

That’s 90 what happens in 99% of the cases uh the the last bit of news was uh an article on NASA bani uh he gave an interview in leip and basically said it’s a bit sad to be honest the interview you and listen a lot of people don’t like bani and the

Pelon are outside punching rers or dangerous moves in Sprints but just because a rer has done those sort of things or lashed out in in a race that doesn’t mean that you know a a really dangerous parkour that ends their career should just go by The Bu and that’s what

Happened essentially in the tour of Turkey uh in 2022 he had a really heavy crash um and like really badly injured his neck and back I think and basically ended his career and he was psychologically damaged from that crash as well he had a number of crashes in

Short succession he had merer I think in um one of your chat GPT Belgian races maybe mer did a move yeah and came back and just chopped the [ __ ] out of him and crashed him I think and 2022 I think that’s right and um how the

[ __ ] do I know that well cuz I think we spoke about at the time and we said what if NASA bani had done this to somebody else he probably would have been yeah uh attacked on Twitter attacked on Twitter or was eggmon or something uh but yeah basic he’s the

Interesting thing though the really interesting nugget from this is he says he’s commenced legal proceedings against the organizers of the tour of turkey and I don’t remember this happening too much except for it was moted with the yakobson crash in the Twitter Pia and I don’t think it

Actually LEF got he was like we’re going to do this do that take him to court um send this guy of of uh yber to prison what did he say about what was his tweet fav’s tweet send this guy yeah send this guy to prison or something something like that it never

Really happened and also uh to get into the legal weeds a little bit basically from what I can see bani is had uh workers disability insurance or he had like opponent disability insurance or some sort of insurance that uh if you get injured and I know a lot a fair few

Riders have this all riders in my opinion should have this I know it’s expensive uh but maybe he had it through the team because he was the French team and they got they pay a huge amount to French teams for these sort of things should teams provide this or is that I

Think they should provide the option or like recommendation that you should get this I mean agents should be doing this really really it should be the agent that should be sorting it out and making sure the rider has it or at least saying listen you know yeah it’s going to cost

You 40 Grand a year it’s a lot of money if you’re on you know I’m not talking about Neo Pros here I’m talking about guys like bani who probably on yeah over 500k but uh yeah it sounds like he’s claiming under that insurance and then the insurance probably want to uh go after

The the race organizer because it says he says I could have raced for at least another 3 years so he’s probably claiming under his insurance or or one or maybe he doesn’t have the insurance maybe he’s claiming for his lost wages for those 3 years and to be honest that

Was a horrific crash and it wasn’t good enough uh to Safety in that race uh frankly so oh yeah it’s also the specific scenario in which a crash happened was that there was a spectator physically uh physically disabled spectator that that walked onto the course or that stumbled

Onto the course in some shape or form and I said in in some shape or form so many times in this podcast I’m sorry about that but that cost The Graduate bhani and I’m like how can bhani prove that that is the organizer’s Fault is it can an organizer prevent like I fully

Agree tur of turkey organizes horrible the last five years when it comes to parkour safety but how can we expect an organizer to keep every person of the road across 200 kilometers yeah it’s impossible really so that’s the thing it’s it’s if an organizer has failed to comply with safe organization rules be

It the barriers uh Bend uh road infrastructure potholes something like that and then rer crashes I can really see okay they’ve breached a rule here yeah they’ve breached their obligations for the safety of the writers uh and I can see how he could there’s a legal argument there but you’re right if

Someone just the person just wandered onto the road what can you do I guess was should it be barried off at that point was it supposed to be I don’t know I don’t know but uh certainly there’s been some issues with that race uh but not just

That race other races and I guess this is where like the safe R initiative is supposed to like have another independent body looking at safety in in the races but to be honest I don’t know why the UCI doesn’t uh you know but again UCI can’t stop someone

Wandering onto the course that’s just you’d have to completely change cycling you can’t barrier off 200 km yep I agree uh otherwise he also said uh when he was referring to his years with cofidis uh that it was all or nothing at cof this led by team boss of ver I

Became the victim of psychological harassment there it manifested itself in public humiliation and constant quarrels it really made me hate cycling so uh yeah just a really really sad interview with bhani uh who yeah not everybody’s favorite but also uh seems like he had a pretty tough

Time of it not just at the crash in Turkey but from the last 8 10 years uh as well giving that this guy won um yeah in 2014 like four grand tour stages just about or four or five with between the jro and the Welter and then it kind of

Went downhill uh from there when he joined kidus in 15 any other news Benji I I don’t think so I think uh I many wanted to talk about my training side for the for the March challenge we’ve got going on FL the end Challenge and I got to be quickly because I’ve got

About 9% of my battery left so I’m getting worried so my training this week sucked like it’s my fifth best week in the last two years when it comes to training hours but it’s not the amount of hours I wanted and I felt like every single kilometer that I I did during

Training today uh this week felt like an obstacle it was one of those weeks where I think you look at is it motivation is it fatigue and I think it’s more motivation than fatigue this time around because I before the rides I feel like oo I can I

Can take on the world I get on my bike and I think it’s because when I’ve got these weeks where I want to get a certain video out or two videos out or or stuff like that my mind is like I want to spend my time on that and

Everything else is exhaustion does that make any sense yeah I get the same thing I kind of need even though you say I only got to train 2 hours I got plenty of other time do stuff throughout the dayses that’s why in Australia it was good because I’d ride 4:30 to 6:30 and

It’s like you’re in a fug State you don’t even realize you’re riding at that early in the morning uh whereas here waited a bit long well at least you didn’t crash Benji so has the benefit uh I’ll show you off there what my what my

Hip situation is so um not sure I want to see that maybe yeah lrcp only fans you get to see see Road Rash people would panny know it no that’s that’s messed up all right that seems like a good place to draw a bow on it regardless I’ll be doing my join

Cycling program I’ve put in I put in today a rest day and I’ve I’ve uh there’s also the Readiness score uh that they’ve just brought out and so that’s pretty handy because my Readiness to train I can put that at Z for the next H maybe couple of days see how I go

Midweek I think I’ll be all right to get back into some Zone 2 stuff uh then but hope you enjoyed uh the podcast as always we’ll be back with UAE tour daily Recaps I believe Benji uh this week if I’m not mistaken so stay tuned for them and then obviously opening weekend

Recaps uh next weekend thanks for listening ciao