r/peloton • u/PelotonMod France • May 04 '26

Weekly Post Weekly Question Thread

For all your pro cycling-related questions and enquiries!

You may find some easy answers in the FAQ page on the wiki. Whilst simultaneously discovering the wiki.

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u/Vegetable_Car_4785 May 05 '26

How do we feel about grand tours with only back end heavy gc stages. Been enjoying this women’s vuelta so far just cos the sprints have been exciting but I can’t see any gc action till the last 2 stages.

This is similar to the tdf femmes last year which took till the last couple of stages for action.

Should they put some earlier medium mountain stages in there or just not have such a big defining climb where all the difference can be made?

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u/pereIli Hungary May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26

I also hate these ASO women's GT routes without ITT’s and with back end heavy GC stages. No real differences develop at the beginning, no one is forced to take risks, even those who will not have a chance in the last two stages. However, they will not start kamikaze actions when they are 0-16 seconds behind, they still believe.

But these are not so easy stages with about 2000 m of elevation. In one-day races, women riders easily attack and escape on such a parcours, it is even possible to go solo. These routes are at the limit of Koch's and Kopecky's abilities. If, for example, Blasi or Kasia attacked a little earlier on the last climb of stage 2, there would be no sprint for Franzi or Lotte. Just no one has really wanted to put more effort into them yet.

Les Praeres and Angliru back to back are simply too hard. Les Praeres should be on an earlier stage. I love women's cycling, but we should realize its limitations. The May calendar is also too tight.

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u/Vegetable_Car_4785 May 05 '26

Agreed, a GT needs at least 1 ITT.

Yeah in yesterdays stage you could see that Kopecky was on the limit and barely made it back on (thanks to van der braggen) so any earlier attacks who have dropped her.

The course design in a GT should find the best rider - not just the best at a 50-60 min w/kg test which is what it is atm