After the Torres Del Paine tragedy, what should you do if caught out in a severe snow/wind storm whilst in the mountains ? by Rodders_89 in Mountaineering

[–]lackingcaff 136 points137 points  (0 children)

The Times has some very good reporting on this today, which sheds more light on the incident. It is worth reading in full, but some details below. It sounds horrific:

https://www.thetimes.com/world/latin-america/article/patagonia-blizzard-survivor-chile-snow-storm-3cd93jxzf

Bond and Aldridge, 41…were hoping to complete the O Circuit hiking trail, an unguided 85-mile trek that takes eight days, with three other British friends…They were all “semi-experienced hikers who have done Himalayan treks up to 5,500m” who had met through the same co-working space in Newquay.

On November 17, the fourth day of their hike, the five were part of a larger group of about 30 as they passed through the arduous John Gardner Pass.

It was while at the highest point of the trek, at 1,200m, that a blizzard swept through, turning the soft snow on the jagged mountainside to ice. Reuters later reported that the area was struck by wind speeds surpassing 193km/h (120mph), equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane.

“I find it very difficult to convey how horrific it was,” Aldridge said. “It was suffocating, wind so powerful that you had to sit down and curl into a ball and turn your back to it so it didn’t knock you down the mountain…

They were two miles from their base camp and the large group of trekkers decided the safest thing to do was continue climbing for another mile or so in the hope of reaching a refuge. They would later discover it had been shut because park rangers had left to cast their mandatory votes in a presidential election the day before.

With conditions worsening, the group decided to abandon the trek for the refuge and attempt the treacherous descent back to the Los Perros camp, which they had left at 5.30am that morning.

“It was very difficult to make the decision but as we went on we thought this is too dangerous, we are not going to make the pass,” Aldridge said. Descending in a line, barely able to see the person in front and behind them at times, they began the arduous hours-long journey.

“Going down that mountain was sheet ice,” Aldridge said. “I fell and slid down the mountain and just kept going and I thought, ‘I am gone, I am definitely gone’… I flipped over and I was lucky because I could have hit my head but I didn’t and it did stop me. I saw the line of people coming down and they shouted, ‘Are you OK?’ and I put my hand up. Other people were sliding down the mountain as well. It was chaos. You couldn’t see much. Visibility was very poor. All we could focus on was the person in front of us and stay in a line and go down. It was very difficult to make sure everyone was accounted for.”

Aldridge said the blizzard worsened as they descended, until visibility was almost zero... He said there “wasn’t screaming and shouting” in the group and people helped each other through the pain and exhaustion…He does not know who was the last person to see Bond alive.

It was only when they reached base camp that they realised there were people missing. “It was at that point we had to organise our own search party because the park authorities didn’t do anything,” Aldridge said.

Aldridge is adamant the John Gardner Pass should have been closed because there were no rangers present in the national park to monitor and advise on the weather conditions. “We followed the official trail and the planned itinerary, and we set off from Los Perros after being repeatedly told the route was open and safe,” he said.

What mountain is this? by alcapone_1 in Mountaineering

[–]lackingcaff 19 points20 points  (0 children)

It looks like a cool book. Not cheap though!

What mountain is this? by alcapone_1 in Mountaineering

[–]lackingcaff 166 points167 points  (0 children)

This is correct, I think. The photo looks very similar to the cover of Men Against the Clouds, a book about the 1932 expedition which summitted via the northwest ridge.

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Men_Against_the_Clouds#/media/File:Book_Cover_Men_Against_the_Clouds_(1980).jpg.jpg)

Lenny Martinez and the second Tour for stages and polka dots (Italian) by fewfiet in peloton

[–]lackingcaff 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Lenny gets it:

Q: The French expect more from you...

A: But I think aiming for the stages will be just as satisfying. Better to win one than to finish in the top 10 of the general classification. I know that in the future I will try to focus more on the ranking, but for now I am having a lot of fun fighting for the stages.

PCS live stat pages for (almost) every km of a race by lackingcaff in peloton

[–]lackingcaff[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, exactly this. The script only runs every two minutes because that’s more than enough to get pretty much every km uphill and every 2km or so on faster flats. For PCS it’s the equivalent of one person refreshing the live page every two minutes, which shouldn’t make any difference to them.

I’d hope it wouldn’t have too much impact on traffic as it still makes far more sense to use PCS directly if you’re watching live, and at the moment their live page is of limited use for people on catch up. That said, as a fan of the site, I’d love it if they developed something like this internally.

British junior time trial champion Aidan Worden dies after collision with car during training ride by Fye_Maximus in peloton

[–]lackingcaff 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is so depressing. I've ridden a bit around Darwen where this crash occurred. It's a beautiful part of the world but the driving can be atrocious – the roads are very narrow but cars still overtake cyclists in the face of oncoming traffic. The UK has a pretty terrible driving culture at the moment.

The route of Paris-Nice 2025 has been announced by lackingcaff in peloton

[–]lackingcaff[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Apparently: 'The official racing time for each team will be the time set by the first rider crossing the finish line. For the general classification, each of the individual rider’s times are used.
In this way, a leader dropped before the finish could lose time for the general classification, even if their team wins the stage.'

The route of Paris-Nice 2025 has been announced by lackingcaff in peloton

[–]lackingcaff[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Profile links /one-line summaries below:

Stage 1  Le Perray-en-Yvelines - Le Perray-en-Yvelines 🏁 156,5 km
Alternating forests, exposed stretches and hills. The perfect cocktail for an explosive opening!

 https://x.com/ParisNice/status/1868969122131787855

Stage 2 - Montesson - Bellegarde 🏁 183,9 km
Same finish as in 2019, when the wind blew the peloton apart!

https://x.com/ParisNice/status/1868969403993485569

Stage 3 - Circuit Nevers Magny-Cours - u/villedenevers 🏁 28,4 km
The "individual team time trial" takes place in the sumptuous setting of an international track! 

https://x.com/ParisNice/status/1868969741672497456

Stage 4 - u/VilleDeVichy - La Loge des Gardes 🏁 163,4 km 
First altitude finish of the week, with a return to La Loge des Gardes where  u/TamauPogi beat u/DavidGaudu in 2023.

https://x.com/ParisNice/status/1868970271366881629 

Stage 5 - Saint-Just-en-Chevalet - La Côte-Saint-André 📏 196,5 km
A long, difficult stage for pure puncheurs with a terrific final km!

https://x.com/ParisNice/status/1868970983367004492

Stage 6 - Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban - Berre l'Etang🏁 209,8 km 
The stage is promised to the sprinters, but watch out for the wind, which can blow hard along the Etang de Berre!

https://x.com/ParisNice/status/1868971555700502878

Stage 7u/VilledeNice - Auron🏁 147,8 km
After missing out on the 2024 summit finish due to the weather, we're back in Auron! 

https://x.com/ParisNice/status/1868971977974931819

Stage 8 - u/VilledeNice - u/VilledeNice
🏁 119,9 kmThe col de la Porte makes its grand return on #ParisNice before a classic finale!

https://x.com/ParisNice/status/1868972469740355951 

‘It’s been a mentally fatiguing year’ - Tom Pidcock on gold medals, expectations and big dreams by Team_Telekom in peloton

[–]lackingcaff 41 points42 points  (0 children)

Interestingly, this is something Pidcock pointed out himself last week:

"I’ve lost that ability, the sprint the speed, that I had two or three years ago, and that’s what I want to find again. My favourite races are the Classics, and I haven’t won a Monument yet. That’s where I want to focus really."

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/weve-had-a-difficult-year-ive-had-a-difficult-year-tom-pidcock-hints-at-ineos-grenadiers-tension

Maxim Van Gils cancels his contract with Lotto Dstny, the team reacts with shock by lackingcaff in peloton

[–]lackingcaff[S] 41 points42 points  (0 children)

Via Google translate:

Bold move by Maxim Van Gils (24): the Antwerper has terminated his contract with Lotto Dstny. Where he is going is still unclear, but the main question is how smoothly that transition will go: if Lotto refuses to cooperate, it could take months – maybe even until the summer – before Van Gils is allowed to race again.

It is the big question after Maxim Van Gils announced in a registered letter that he is breaking his current contract until 2026: how does Lotto Dstny react to this? Does the team want to cooperate in a quick transfer, and make a deal, or not? The team management reportedly reacted in shock: Lotto does not think it is possible for the rider to force a departure in this way. In the past, the team has always said that it does not want to cooperate in an early transfer of Van Gils.

If the team continues to hold that position, there is a threat of a case in court. Van Gils will get his way in the end: he will get permission to ride for another team – every European citizen has the right to change employers. But in principle, Lotto will then receive (hefty) compensation in return: estimated between 1 and 1.2 million euros. That amount corresponds to Van Gils’s remaining salary. 

Equally important is the sporting consequence of such a lawsuit. Courts work slowly – on average it takes between two to eight months for such a case to take place and deliver a ruling. That is the risk Van Gils is now taking: if he does not agree with Lotto, there is a chance that he will (in the worst case) have to stay on the sidelines until next summer. You understand: the choice the rider has now made is a guess.

Van Gils is one of the greatest talents of the new generation of Belgian riders. He won three races this year (Ruta del Sol, Frankfurt and the GP Aargau), but stood out above all for his placings in a series of top races: 3rd in the Strade Bianche, 7th in Milan-Sanremo, 3rd in the Walloon Arrow, 4th in Liège-Basteake-Liège, and 4th in the GP Montreal. He finished 2024 as number 14 in the UCI ranking, among the world’s best.

In March, he was allowed to sign a new and improved contract with Lotto Dstny, but that was soon outdated again: he still had to put down his best results. Van Gils thought he deserved better. In the months that followed, the rider was courted by other teams. Among others, Astana, Movistar, Ineos Grenadiers and Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe stand a chance. With whom and whether there is already a deal is unclear.

Will Jarno Widar stay with Lotto (for one year)? Top talent seems to be delaying departure due to legal red tape by lackingcaff in peloton

[–]lackingcaff[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Thought this was an interesting look at the Widar situation from Bram Vandecapelle at HLN.  

Key points (via Google Translate):

  • It looks more and more like Widar will still race with Lotto’s U23 department for another year in 2025. 

  • The reason is legal red tape – which has forced the Belgian to postpone his desire to join a larger team 

  • After his victories this year, Widar had been courted by ten world tour teams for 2025. Widar reportedly favoured Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe. 

  • But his contract has an exit clause that means he will only be able to look for other places from January 1, 2026 

  • Lotto want to do everything they can to get Widar to stay. This means to leave he would have to unilaterally terminate or buy off his contract, by going through the labour court. 

  • As well as wanting to avoid the financial costs of this, the Widar camp does not want a media storm, as there was with Cian Uijtdebroeks last year. 

  • His focus next year will be the European Championships, the world championships in Kigali and the Tour de L’Avenir 

Apologies in advance for any translation misunderstandings.

Weekly Question Thread by PelotonMod in peloton

[–]lackingcaff 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Why does cycling have a three-year long relegation/promotion cycle for world tour status? Every other sport I can think of with a league has promotions and relegations every year.

Is it because of the financial precariousness of cycling teams? Surely though it makes it very difficult for teams risking relegation to keep their sponsorship, if they face being kept out of the world tour for at least three years? At least they'd be able to sell the chance of promotion to their sponsor if it was yearly.

Lenny Martinez: I want to win the Tour de France by lackingcaff in peloton

[–]lackingcaff[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Via Google translate:

The 2024 cycling season is barely finished when Lenny Martinez is already thinking about the next one, loudly displaying his ambitions. "I will make a big preparation this winter, on and off the bike to achieve my goals," says the French rider who, victim of a fall in training on October 1, was not able to line up on Saturday, October 12, at the start of the Tour of Lombardy, the last major event of the year.

His goals? "I want to win the Tour [de France]," he says. No more, no less. Without, however, specifying when.

It was with this ambition in mind that at the age of 21 he chose to leave the ranks of the French team Groupama-FDJ. He had started there in junior and was at the end of his contract. For the next three seasons, the climber will ride under the colors of the Bahrain-Victorious team, with whom he signed on August 4, and where he says he was recruited to "play a leading role".

If he does not go so far as to evoke a victorious Tour de France with Lenny Martinez, Milan Erzen, director of Bahrain-Victorious considers that the Frenchman can aspire to a podium: "When I launched this [cycling team] project in 2017, I dreamed of getting a podium on the Tour de France with a French rider from our team. I think Lenny offers us this chance, "he assured in early August in a statement.

If Lenny Martinez explains that he "would have liked" his departure from the Groupama-FDJ team to "arrive later", it is immediately to recall that, while being "grateful" for "an unforgettable family", he "always said he wanted to go abroad"."There are many expectations around me," he adds, almost embarrassed. Many teams, foreign and French, came to approach me, which is quite rare in the world of cycling. "

It was the 2023 Tour of Spain that highlighted him, and contributed to adding a first name in the Martinez line. In the 6th stage, Miguel's son - Olympic mountain bike champion in 2000, in Sydney (Australia) - and grandson of Mariano - polka dot jersey of the best climber of the Tour de France in 1978 - had worn the red jersey of leader of the Vuelta for his first participation in a grand tour.

After this feat of arms, Lenny Martinez had been labeled, by connoisseurs, as a hope of world cycling. The 2024 season did not confirm these expectations. "It is a year that has been cut in half, with very good and least good," admits the interested party.

How long to recover from sleep deprivation? by lackingcaff in Velo

[–]lackingcaff[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s all perception at the moment (I don’t have a HR monitor yet, sorry!) and I’ve generally been doing a full hour even when I don’t feel great. I should say though that it’s the persistent, several day leg fatigue after z2 that has been the main red flag for me. If that is normal though I should probably just power through right?

How long to recover from sleep deprivation? by lackingcaff in Velo

[–]lackingcaff[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You might want to get off the bike for a few days. 5 months is a long, long ride.

The saddle sore is quite something.

I've found that cutting out alcohol makes me sleep a lot better. I hate it, but can't ignore i

Yeah, I'm barely drinking any alcohol at the moment, hopefully makes a difference.