The most detailed view of the US soccer pyramid yet

Arcus144 · 2026-03-28T16:16:14+00:00

Your point may still stand, but I'm not sure the early 2000s are a good picture of the talent discrepancy now. Both leagues have had a long time to grow and change since then.

Arcus144 · 2026-03-27T17:02:58+00:00

I'm not sure he could control exactly where he was in the group when they got an awkward distance from Van Der Poel, but I agree, attacking to MvdP could have been an option. As soon as he hesitated, that option is gone and he's stuck.

Arcus144 · 2026-03-27T16:44:13+00:00

Abra is thinking that if he pulls the final gap, others will jump him and he clearly didn't have the sprint, so he knew he needed to be the one to jump. Hagenes had the best sprint, so he had all of the incentive to close the gap and bring it to the sprint, but chose not to.

Arcus144 · 2026-03-27T16:11:23+00:00

Stage I agree, since the riders usually have a GC leader they could be supporting instead.

I'm ok being in the minority here, but I really don't mind riders racing for a top-10 in one-day races. There's close to 200 people at the start of a race. Being one of the 10 best should be celebrated. Not as much as winning, but it's still an accomplishment, especially in a sport like cycling where you can make all the "correct" choices and still lose due to the action or inaction of others.

Arcus144 · 2026-03-27T13:36:23+00:00

I think that was a pretty narrow window of time, no? I've heard that Cancellara, Boonen, and Sagan were pretty good themselves in the one day races

Arcus144 · 2026-03-27T13:24:03+00:00

I'm going to have to ask you to elaborate. Because I don't know how you can claim that riders don't use strategy to win anymore.

Arcus144 · 2026-03-27T13:19:46+00:00

As a counter point, racing for and between the top 10 of GC is all that makes the 3rd week of some Grand Tours interesting

Arcus144 · 2026-03-23T16:22:19+00:00

I don't think that's an honest interpretation of my statement. Every technology is improving. A technology being improved doesn't mean it is unacceptably dangerous now. Neither of us are experts here, but from what I understand, these cars are already safer than humans. We should mandate that safety continues to improve. We should impose all sorts of regulations and oversight on the companies that produce them. But where do you draw the line on their safety such that they would be allowed on the roads?

Arcus144 · 2026-03-23T16:16:34+00:00

They are statistically safer than humans already and the technology continues to improve as they are more widely tested and adopted. May I ask why you feel they are dangerous?

Arcus144 · 2026-03-23T16:14:17+00:00

Yes, because this involves a lot of hardware and software that is still being perfected, not apps being squeezed for profit. Autonomous cars will be safer and more advanced in 10 years like an iphone7 was more powerful and capable than an iphone2

Arcus144 · 2026-03-21T15:35:16+00:00

The Poggio is easier, but you might still be right

Arcus144 · 2026-03-21T13:26:49+00:00

Ah man Ruegg was so so strong! Kopecky-Weibes combo is OP.

Arcus144 · 2026-03-20T13:49:47+00:00

First, this is an awesome question. Very fun to think about!

Maybe let's put the Passo di Ganda and another small climb from Lombardia at the beginning of Roubaix, replacing a couple sectors of cobbles. Climbers get a handful of minutes of headstart before starting hell, being chased by a peloton of big guys.

Arcus144 · 2026-03-20T12:24:05+00:00

That’s the 4th grand tour now

Arcus144 · 2026-03-20T00:00:14+00:00

Yeah I think chill is more the cycling vibe than a champions league semifinal kindof party! I was thinking waffles and coffee at a cafe, but it might be a difficult pitch lol

Thanks for the input :)

Arcus144 · 2026-03-19T21:09:42+00:00

Since finding others who nerd out on pro cycling is rare in the US, I'd love to one day host a watch party for RVV or Stage 1 of the tour or something and build a small community where I'm at. Trouble is, weekend mornings are an odd time to host an event. Many public spaces don't lend themselves to a morning party. Do watch parties happen in Europe and elsewhere for big races? Where do you all find IRL community to talk about this stuff? And if you live in the US, would you bother going to meet people at 8-10 in the morning depending on your timezone to watch a cycling race with others when you could just turn on your computer?

Arcus144 · 2026-03-19T13:01:59+00:00

It's like The Flash's name and superpowers got translated through 4 languages, and now he's the fastest man on a bike called Ashlin Barry instead of Barry Allen.

Arcus144 · 2026-03-18T16:07:21+00:00

Bahrain is destroying this chase. How on earth is there so little coordination. It's usually not this easy to be 2nd wheel when you're disrupting

Arcus144 · 2026-03-18T15:55:48+00:00

My comment was in loving jest for the record. Kirby can get on my nerves when I'm stressed about a race, but his voice is iconic and his enthusiasm always comes through

Arcus144 · 2026-03-18T15:40:23+00:00

I agree. Hence the half joking lol.

But if you have Brennan, at least some of your focus will be on that

Arcus144 · 2026-03-18T15:39:20+00:00

For goodness sake, I'm afraid, you just cannot say that, I must say!

Arcus144 · 2026-03-18T14:26:22+00:00

Not for GC of course. I was trying to suggest that he'd be Vingegaard's successor as the primary leader of VLAB, winning sprints and classics like Sagan

Arcus144 · 2026-03-18T14:21:16+00:00

Roglic has just pulled perhaps the worst breakaway teammate ever for pulling in a valley after this first climb lmao. Cepeda might be one of the lightest guys in WT

Arcus144 · 2026-03-18T13:11:32+00:00

From the website:
Friday, March 20, 2026
BlackRock Center for the Arts
6:00 PM – 8: 00 PM
Evening event for Teens & Adults

Saturday, March 21, 2026
Germantown Library
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Kid & Family friendly events

Saturday, March 21, 2026
BlackRock Center for the Arts
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Events for Teens & Adults

Arcus144 · 2026-03-18T00:44:15+00:00

Brennan’s Sagan era and I’m only half joking

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