Gold for the Golden One S2E24

This week we’ll be discussing Remco Evenopoel, his performance over the weekend in the Amstel Gold race, and how we’re feeling about his prospects for the remainder of 2026 with Grand Tour season looming. We’ll also take a look at some great performances last week from some lesser-known names in both the Women’s and Men’s pro pelotons. And as always, we’ll finish with a ride in the Broom Wagon.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

It's your weekly breakaway for fun conversations on pro cycling. Come join us for another ride Beyond the Slipstream. I'm Matt Harper, and together with my brother Justin, we'll do deep-ish dives on professional bike races, teams, riders, and all sorts of cycling-related stories. So jump in the saddle and tighten up those shoes, the road awaits. Any hello and welcome to Beyond the Slipstream. I'm Matt, and this is my brother Justin. And today on the show, it's Goodbye Cobbles and Hello Hills as the spring classic season has pivoted from Belgium to the Netherlands. The kickoff event, the Amstel Gold Race, took place over the weekend with a fantastic race on the women's side and not so much on the men's. The women's race gave us a young rider getting easily the biggest win in her career, while a giant of the men's Peloton notched his first win in this very prestigious race and afterwards accounted it as one of the top eight wins of his career. Clearly, he's thought about that already. Elsewhere, the O Grand Camino stage race in the Celtic region of Spain, who knew, gave the stage racing monster juggernaut squad of the men's pro Peloton yet another almost a foregone conclusion win, plus two stages, just for good measure. We'll chop up all that and more on the show today. And as always, we'll finish out with a lovely ride past the windmills of the Netherlands in the broomwagon. Alayous. I'm here with Justin, and we are going to jump into the big race from over the weekend, Amstel Gold. Um, won by Remco Evanapol, his first win. Uh at Amstel Gold. Um, what'd you think of the race? What'd you think of the win? What do you think of Remco at this moment in time?

SPEAKER_01 2:12

Um, so Remco and I have an on-again, off again relationship where like I decide to shit all over him, and then for some reason I come back around from it, and then I go right back to I'm gonna shit all over him. So we're in a I'm gonna shit all over him stage, which is I don't think this win is that impressive, to be completely honest with you. I I think that he beat lesser opponents. Um and I it just like I think somebody of Remco's caliber should have dominated that race entirely, and it shouldn't even have come down to a sprint. Okay, if he's as good as Build or as everybody expects him to be, then um I there's against that those competitors, he should win every single time. All right. I think Sk you know he did a wonderful job cat and mousing Skelly at the end, but I I really do think that Skellnos's win last year against Pog, Remco, and Wout was way more impressive than Remco's win over Skelly, Cossenfroy, and and uh Roman Greg War. So I I don't know how you feel about it, but you know, color me not that impressed. It's a huge race, like don't get me wrong, it's great for his Palmares, but he wasn't he didn't there wasn't anybody there that really was challenging him all day.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Um he has beaten those guys in the past. He has beaten them at Liege Best on Liege, he has beaten them in the Olympics road race. Um so I do believe he is capable of winning against Tati Pagacar and or Matthew Vanderpol. Um at this moment in time, maybe maybe not. Uh his form certainly has not indicated that. I mean, he he wasn't supposed to race or or he put the Rondevan Volander on his on his calendar very late, you know, there they made the late announcement. I I I I would think that he was was planning to race it for a long time out. Nonetheless, it was his first appearance at that race, and he came third behind those two guys. Um so you know, I can cut him a little slack at that being his first time there, and you know, those guys being absolute assassins of that race. I mean, between the two of them, they've they've won it every time for like the past six or something.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

But I didn't expect him to win that race. I expect him to win this race.

SPEAKER_00 5:13

Well, yeah, I mean, those guys weren't there, like the he there wasn't any competition there. So, you know, what what choice did he have? Of course he won it. Um, and not only that, but Matthias Scalmos sure did make it easy for him to win as well. Like, why in the name of God Scalmos was taking turns is beyond me.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

At least, at least where where he I the re I him coming back around, he was sitting, he was sitting right the last little part of the race, and he could have just sat on his wheel. He's Remco Evanapol. Nobody would have given him anything for it. Why he came through and let M Remco get behind him, I I have no idea.

SPEAKER_00 5:55

Like, it's absurd.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Didn't make any sense to me at all.

SPEAKER_00 5:58

You weren't you weren't really watching cycling during the Sagan days, but like it just used to be a thing when Peter Sagan was out in front with other riders, nobody ever pulled. Ever. Like Sagan was always like so frustrated. You know how like like Pocachar, his big like mystery to unlock is like, you know, how do I win Milan Sanremo? How do I win Perry Roubaix? Peter Sagan's big thing was how do I win from small groups when no one pulls? And and he he managed to do it a lot just because he was that strong, but but like nobody was coming through and pulling with that guy ever. And it just seems like in today's Peloton, in the past year, two, three, you just see guys pulling with with other riders who are clearly stronger than them. And it's just like, what are you doing? I mean, I'm sure it provides lots of content for for uh Chris Horner, you know, knuckleheadism abounds, uh, you know, in the in the in the in the Peloton these days. But it's just like, yeah, I mean, scale modes, if you're gonna give rank Remco turns, I mean, Lantern Rouge made a great point about it too. It's like if you're if you're with Remco, if you're in front with Remco and you're taking turns with that guy, well, then it's not fit like if you're taking 50-50 turns with with Remco Evandapole in terms of time, right? It's not a 50-50 split because that guy is tiny. That man is arrow when he is in front, and you are not getting the draft off of him that he is getting off of you. Yes. It's absurd. So I mean, Remco has looked good this season, and Ren Remco has looked not so good this season, right? I mean, this he started off the season there at the uh Majorca Challenges and was just like cleaning up down there, if memory serves, right? Didn't he didn't he win? Yeah, you he he won like what like three of them or something like that. Yeah, he won those three, and then he took two stages plus the GC at Valenciana. So like his his season was off to a ripping good start, but to your point, wasn't wasn't racing anybody in those races. Gets to UAE Torres going up against Jonas Vingegaard, he gets 10th in GC. And uh the only stage he wins is the ITT.

SPEAKER_01 8:23

Yeah. So you know, suddenly fast forward to uh what was the stage race they were just in uh a couple of years.

SPEAKER_00 8:29

Catalunya Catalunya Catalunya smoked. Yeah, doesn't win a stage stage there at all, and of course there's no TT in Catalunya. Um, and then uh uh oddly takes fifth in all three uh jerseys. I just noticed that on his PCS. He had fifth in the mountains, fifth in the points, and fifth in GC, an interesting symmetry there, but yeah, so disappointing. And then he seems to be coming back onto the upswing now. He gets third on his on debut at the you know, one of the biggest races of the entire year, and then he wins another one of the biggest races of the entire year. I put Amstel Gold kind of kind of right in there with Strade as kind of like sixth, sixth monument status, you know.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

Um it's a it's a it's a big race. There's no doubt it has given us you know uh amazing, you know, moments in the past. I'm gonna talk about some uh in the in the broomwagon later. But you know, I when it when it comes to the to the conversation of Remko Evnepol, all right, I I you know I'm I keep arguing myself out of the position of saying he is just he's a writer that's on the same level as a you know as a skelmos or a I mean maybe maybe he's one level up Eskelmos. He's in the Iuso, he's in the he's in the IUSO Almeida category. Like that that's where he's at.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

If anything, if anything, he's a level above them and a level below Pogachar, Venega Gard, and Vanderpol. Uh he's he's at least like Wout Van Art level. Like, I mean he's better than those guys. Like, because he can he can go out. I mean, he's won a stage race, he's won a stage race this year, and he can also go out and win huge one-day races, and nobody's better better than him at time trialing.

SPEAKER_01 10:24

I mean, you for some reasons he's the he is the best time trialist, period, full stop. I agree with you. That's part of it. 100%.

SPEAKER_00 10:33

But I think when you take those three things, when you take those three things, ability to win big one-day races, ability to win stage races, and ability um and and being the best T T T specialist in the Pro Peloton, he's a level above Juan Ayuso, for God's sakes.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

He's a level above Del Toro, and he's a but just like those guys, when he's faced with the with, you know, and again, outside you have to take you know, take Flanders out of out of it. All right, it was a that was a remarkable ride in third place, first time you've ever run the race. You know, Chapeau. But when it comes to stage racing, all these other things, he's he might as well be like those guys, because you know, those guys will blind squirrel, find a nut, and win a stage race here or there, okay, when when there's not a lot of competition. And, you know, but when the big riders come, just like Remco, they kind of will in this in the sunlight. All right. They they you know, they die on the vine when when there's real competition facing them. That's been the case with all of these guys of late, is that, you know, it's either injury or they just completely fall apart under the the bright shining light of Pagatra or Vingago uh or Vanderpal.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

I just disagree. I just disagree, man. Like, like, I mean, uh, number one, I don't understand why we have to take the Rondevan Blonderon out.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

Like he got a very credit for Ron Rondevan Blond.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

You just said you just said take out the Rondevan Blonderen or forget about the blind squirrels and nuts. This this this conversation will be a lot e easier to have next week after LBL. I want to see what happens at LBL. Then we can then we can make a harder decision on it. But I mean, a very impressive third on debut at at the at the you know, RV V, that's that's not a squirrel finding a nut. Like that's debut at like one of the hardest races of the year. The thing is like 250 kilometers long or something like that. I mean, like you didn't see Ayuso or any, like that they weren't even coming close in that race. You know what I'm saying? Like I I just he's I I really strongly have to disagree that he is on the same level as Del Toro, Ayuso, uh Almeida, um who else? I mean, he's he's he's just better than those guys, and he's more exciting. He animates races. Well, I don't know. Those guys, those guys are animators as well, those three at least. The the UAE three. Uh no, I guess Iuso is not UAE anymore. Um but I don't know. Well, we'll let's re- let's make sure we re-revisit this this topic when at this time next week after LBL.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

We can either we can revisit it then or we can revisit it after the tour. All right. Well, uh, you know, we can revisit it however we want. But at the at this point, like I feel like I like I I keep coming back to these situations where I'm like, oh, well, maybe it really is better than what I think he is. And then he then he continues to be right, be the guy that I think that he is. You know what I'm saying? And in like I said, I I really do think that Skelmos's win against those other guys last year is more impressive than his win this year.

SPEAKER_00 14:04

I think of course. Of course, Skelmos beating Pogachar, outsprinting Pogachar and Evanopol, of course. It's I mean, that's that that's that's like not yeah. Okay, I mean, nobody would disagree with that. Um but I'm not I'm not trying to make that case. I'm I'm trying to make a case that that n Remco is a level above Matias Skelmos, for God's sake.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

Um now is he now he also doesn't drink the beer on the podium. That also gets under my skin. I don't know if that is a personal choice, maybe he doesn't drink alcohol. You know, I don't know. But the the fact that, you know, two years in a row the women have showed up, the men on the podium when it comes to drinking the beers in the Amstel Gold race, by the way, sponsored by a beer company. Like, just drink the beer. I don't know. I've got the I've got the uh it's it's angry, it's angry Justin today. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 14:59

I did not watch the podium ceremony, so I can't say. I will say this. Uh looking at Remco's PCS, uh, he has got Quebec, Montreal, and the World Championships on his race program uh already. Will we see Remco at the Maryland Cycling Classic the week before?

SPEAKER_01 15:21

I mean, if he really wants to, you know, ride the North American route like he's got to, right? Oh my god, that would be amazing.

SPEAKER_00 15:31

If he just like goes there like for a warm-up or whatever. Oh my god, that would be incredible.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

Um I mean, it would be a very interesting race. There'd be, you know, you would actually draw way more people than somebody of that caliber in you know the Maryland cycling classic. I mean, and if if he's in that if he's in the same field as there was last year, he's gonna win like hands down.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

You think he'll beat you think he'll beat Sandy, he'll he'll beat Sandy Dujard now?

SPEAKER_02 16:02

Yeah, yeah, yeah. 100%.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

Oh, they sell Remke running around Dundalk.

SPEAKER_00 16:17

Absolutely. Um what I want to talk about, speaking of Remco, is the very curious uh ranking of Amstel in his personal top eight. So what let's let's run through it. Okay, what what would Remto Remco's the top seven be that where Amstel slots in at eight?

SPEAKER_01 16:43

Well, to win has to be above it.

SPEAKER_00 16:46

Alright, that's one.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

LBL's gotta be above it.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

Two Olympics, Road Race, Olympics TT. That's three and four. Road race NTT. That's six.

SPEAKER_01 16:58

Alright. Uh so what's the what's the seventh one that's bigger than that?

SPEAKER_00 17:04

Tour de front stage win.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

Okay, we'll give you a tour de front stage win there. And then Amstel Gold. He doesn't have another race on his palmaris that's bigger than that.

SPEAKER_00 17:15

Pull him out.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

There's gotta be something. There has to be something that we're forgetting.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

I just loved how specific that was when he said that. Eight. Oh, I know what it is. I know what it is. It's the Donastia San Sebastian Classicoa. Of course. That's that's what it is. He's won that he won that three times. Um I I think it's his three GC wins at the Volto, Volta Al Algarve and Bicicleta. No, no, no, no. It's gotta be the Tour de Poland stage win. That's what it is. I don't know. I think I think we have it. Quite curious.

SPEAKER_02 17:54

It's gotta be those, right? What else is there?

SPEAKER_00 17:56

Quite curious, yeah. How many how many Tour de France uh stage wins does he have? Uh two. One in 24 and one in 25. Um you know what? He's always interesting to talk about. Uh he is an exciting writer.

SPEAKER_01 18:17

Um and look, I do I think that Remco Evanopol is good for cycling? Absolutely. He gives us stuff to talk about. He's got great interviews. He doesn't, you know, doesn't really pull punches when it comes to speaking his mind. All things that I absolutely love. I just I'm wholly unconvinced by his status in cycling as you know, somebody that's on the level with the best. I think he's very good. Don't get me wrong. I I don't want this to come off as I don't think that he's very good. I do think that he's very good. I just don't think that he's on that level. And most of those other riders, the Ayusos, the Almeidas, the Del Turos, I put on that next level below. You know what I mean? Yes, you're, you know, I think that in any other given age, Jonas Vingigo is the greatest cyclist of a generation. He wins everything that he touches. But he happens to be in the same era as uh Pagacar. And Pagachar just is, you know, going to be the greatest cycling cyclist that there ever was. You know what I mean? Barring some sort of end, you know, uh injury or you know, he decides to exit cycling altogether. I mean, if the guy continues on his current trajectory, he will end up being the greatest cyclist to ever, you know, ride, especially fucking given the era and the scrutiny of the you know, the anti-doping stuff and you know, all of it. You know what I mean? He he is he is racing in a harder time because the competition level is is way, way different. And these races are way, way faster than they ever were, you know, 30, 40 years ago. Like it's just it's you know, we can all we can all say whatever we want and make the arguments that you know that that Merc was the best, but if it's transposed and you give Merckx all of the same, you know, uh upgrades and and you know, quality of life things and nutrition, I I don't know that he's necessarily better than Pagachar if you put them head to head. I I like it's it's impossible to say.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

Yes, it's ridiculous to consider.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

But Pagacar right now has his card out and he is just punching holes in it. He's going, I want this one, click, I want that one, click, and it's very, very few races that he targets and misses. You know right?

SPEAKER_00 20:48

It just Yeah, with every with every big win that he targets and gets, he he, I think, just increases the ability to argue that he's the greatest ever, and decreases the ability to argue that Merckx is. But the fact remains, Merckx still has uh some some big things that that Pog doesn't have. Merc Merck's won, won all five monuments, Pog hasn't. Merck's won 19 monuments, Pog's won 11. Um Merck's won all Merck's won all three grand tours, Pog has not. So so you know what I'm saying? Like, like it's very easily if you are in the camp of Eddie Merckx is the greatest writer of all time. Merck's and and Eddie Merck's also had like 200 and something odd wins, and Pogachar's got like, you know, in the low hundreds. So um, I mean, it's easy to make that argument now. But as I say, as his per career progresses and all of those numbers, you know, become get get closer together or are neutralized by Poggachar, Merckx also has more tour de front stage ones, you know, which we obviously all agree is a very big marker of career success. So, you know, he's got he's still got a lot of stuff to do before you can I think make a definitive claim. Um, you know, because there's still plenty of room to argue on the other side.

SPEAKER_01 22:04

Um did did Merckx have a competitor that was on his level the way that Vingegaard is on his on Bagacar's level?

SPEAKER_00 22:17

I think for Grand Tours, I mean, I think there were a few guys out there. I mean, I think um Um Devlomic was like one of his one of his big rivals, but that may have been more on the on the one-day classics side. And as for his com competition in in the grand tours, I'd I'd have to take a look. I can't think of anybody off the top of my head. Um, but I reckon there was probably some. I mean, it's not like he just won every single grand tour that he raced in, you know, for his entire career. So um, but uh back on the subject of Remco, um, I did want to you mentioned that he gives a good interview. Um, he gives he he is so good on camera, it's ridiculous. Like his English is really, really good. Like you can you can tell that that dude, that dude has like had some coaching or has just been so deeply sort of steeped in the like English speaking world of sports and stuff. Like, like he just cracks off in an interview like it's like it's just nothing. You know what I mean? Like that dude, that dude would have no problem as like a uh as like a commentator slotting in, slotting in on GCN, you know what I mean? I mean, he's probably probably too big of a of a superstar to ever consider a career move like that, you know, until until he's Sean Kelly's age. Um but I don't know, maybe Sean Kelly's been commentating all along, but um it would be cool, and and he is willing to he is willing to you know say speak his mind. However, sometimes I feel like his interviews come across as just like so polished. He's just like so polished, it's like he's already thought about what he's gonna say. I feel like, you know, like and uh I I don't know. I I want more out of him in his interviews.

SPEAKER_01 24:05

Um, I do give him a ton of credit. He goes on podcasts, he's been on with with Garrett Thomas, he's been on um he did one of um Ordinary Rob's videos. Like he's he's willing to put himself out there. Like, and I do give him all the credit in the world. And he is he is, I mean, look, he is a superstar. He's given us great moments. All right, him hanging up the phone, I will, I it'll be you know, it'll be hard for me to ever forget him hanging up the phone under the Eiffel Tower at the Olympics in 24.

SPEAKER_00 24:39

I mean, the guy is, you know, incredible.

SPEAKER_01 24:41

Look, I just I like I said, I just don't know if he belongs in that same conversation with those top guys, and he's always in the conversation with those top guys.

SPEAKER_00 24:54

We we shall be, I I I reckon he will remain in the comp in the conversation. Uh he'll we'll definitely talk about it this time next week, and we'll certainly we'll certainly be discussing it after the Tour de France this year. It'll remain a topic. Um But uh I for one am glad that he is on my team this year, and uh I'm glad that's why I'm salty. I'm glad that he's racing bikes and not playing soccer as uh he he could have uh based on the earlier uh part of his career. Um we will leave it there, take a quick break, and when we come back, we are going to be discussing some young riders that are on the come up. So stay with us. Please check out our other show, Inglorious Brothers, a pop culture show with Cult Classic Swagger. Search and subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, or click the link in the show notes. All right, we are back, and now we are going to pivot to some uh conversation about some young riders on the come up. Um, we saw some some big wins from some young some big wins, some first-time wins, uh, and just uh you know, a lot of a lot of action happening with some some names that we that are not often in our mouths. The biggest, of course, has to be Paula Blasi's huge win at the women's Amstel Gold Race. Uh Blasi, the teammate of uh was it last year's winner, ELB, or am I thinking of Brabanza Pale?

SPEAKER_01 26:27

Uh, Amstel Gold was uh Misha Breadabold.

SPEAKER_00 26:34

Oh, that's right. That's right. That's right. Nonetheless, teammate of uh Eliza Longer Borghini on UAE, one of the I would say top two or three teams um in the women's Peloton this year for sure. Um and she basically got off the front with Ninka Vinka um and got the lead up, and they were not seen again. Blasi uh got away from Vinca on the Cowberg uh with like twenty-something kilometers to go, got a lead on the main group. Ninka Vinca couldn't catch, and Blasi held it.

SPEAKER_01 27:12

She got it in a rhythm, all right. And once she got into that rhythm and she was moving, there it didn't seem like there was any answer from the group behind being able to to pull her back. Because it just seemed like that lead just stretched a little bit more and a little bit more and a little bit more, and it wasn't ever really coming back. Like if you look at how things were last week, you know what I mean? Things were on a yo-yo. You were you they were pulling those groups back, you know, within you know, 10, 20 seconds, you know, and they're just it didn't seem that way. It seemed like her advantage just kept going, kept going. And you know, she just looked so stoic. All right, she was out there, she was just doing her thing, she was in time trial mode, and the the you know, it would they just waited too long in the rear. I mean, they they should have uh pushed way harder, way sooner, to try to pull her back, because by the time they really started to make an effort, the only two people that had it in the legs were you know Demi and and uh Cassie and the Doma. And you know, uh you even they as as strong a riders as they were, they were not making a dent in pulling Paula Blasi back.

SPEAKER_00 28:28

It just wasn't. Well, and that's it, and it's interesting that um that Demi, especially, that that like her team um is without question the strongest of the the Peloton this year, um FDJ United. And they they should have been all all over that. I mean, she had Ali Shabet with her. Um why why that move was not pulled back, and and Franzie Koch last year, last week's Perry Roubaix winner, like why that move was not pulled back. It didn't make sense. Not not acceptable. Um Paula Blasi uh has not raced a ton this season, but when she has, she has been crushing it. She's just got a whole string of top tens. I mean, she won the Mountains classification at the Santos tour down under, third on GC. Um, and I recall her animating the heck out of that race. Um, she she got a third and a fourth on on stages uh three and two and three. Um, and then yeah, like uh eighth in the eighth in the Santos one day race, fifth in Classica Almeria, ninth in Trofeo Oro, ninth in Brabenza Pale earlier this week, and then bam, she comes up with a huge win at Amstel Gold. Um 23 years old, and the the future looks bright.

SPEAKER_01 29:54

Yeah, she's um she's in the mix all the time. She's a she is a solid workhorse for that team, and given opportunities, she capitalizes. It was good, you know. I and look, hats off to her, all right. She'd be two of the biggest riders on the planet. Yeah, all right, and handily. Like they she they were, you know, they weren't anywhere near you know, she had time to sit up, zip up the jersey, all right, get comfortable, look back, make sure she was good, and come across the line with her arm spread. Like, you know, she uh won that race handily and she deserved it. She deserved every bit of you know the accolades that she'll receive this week because she works really, really hard. She's like I said, she's always in the mix and she deserves it. And she I love seeing the workhorse riders on big teams win, you know, win races because what a reward it is for her and all the hard work that she does for other people to be able to pull out a monster win. And again, it's not a monument, but look, it is a very well-respected race, man, and and and a race that absolutely, you know, calls is is in the conversation for some of the best races of the year every year.

SPEAKER_00 31:15

Yeah, well, she uh she does not have anything on her on her race calendar uh for this year on on PCS, but she is part of this just like stellar UAE team. Um that I I just I really think the sky is the limit for this team, um, especially going into stage racing season. Uh of course, Eliza Longa Borghini is like their big GC um rider, but they have just got uh such a stacked team. They got Vladichek, they've got Carline Swinkles, they've got Sylvia Persico, uh, and uh uh Eleanora Gasparini, like all of these women are hitters and have been animating races all year long. So looking forward to what she can come up with. Now let's talk about some of the uh the other um big young riders. Uh stay staying on the the women's side. Um earlier in the week at the Brabanta Pale, we got um a huge win by a teammate of uh Demi Vollering on FD FDJ United Suez, Celia Jury. Um and that was I I believe, yeah, yeah, that was her that was her first win. Um and then I don't know if you if you noticed, but she went out and followed that win up two days later at the Grand Prix Feminin de Chambéry. So pretty sick, like boom, gets her first career win ever at the age of 20, and two days later wins again.

SPEAKER_01 32:52

Um sometimes, man. She's already winning breeds winning.

SPEAKER_00 32:59

Yeah, she's already, and she was ninth in uh Alfredo Bindosh. Um, she's already contributed uh 715 UCI points to that team. So um also very impressive. Do you uh how how how did that did you watch that race? How did it how did it finish?

SPEAKER_01 33:18

Uh I did watch it and I hold on, let me see what Rubay took it out of me this week, man.

SPEAKER_00 33:27

Um I know at one point she was ahead with Von De Bregan and Lois Atahist, I think. I can't remember.

SPEAKER_01 33:37

Brady Ball came in second and Persico came in third. That that was the only notes that I really had.

SPEAKER_00 33:44

Oh well. Um an impressive win. All right, let's talk about the men. Um and this will get us into our conversation about oh grand camino. I mentioned in the uh in the uh intro that um the the the juggernaut stage racing team uh got another one. That would be UAE team emirates. I mean, this team just wins just about every single stage race they enter, it seems like. I mean, last year they won all, but like two stage races the entire year, something ridiculous. Um, now my boy Paul Seychoss did did pick their pocket uh a couple weeks ago in um in uh Bass Country. Um, but Adam Yates was kind of a foregone conclusion. I mean, when you looked at who he had as competition in this race, there there just wasn't anybody there that was anywhere close to an Adam Yates type level for a for a week-long stage race or even a five five-day stage race.

SPEAKER_01 34:42

I thought the exact same thing. Like this this race had next to nobody, you know, big in it. And you know, when you look at it and you look at a rider of Adam Yates' caliber and he's leading that team which had some hitters on it. And like I I I feel like the same way that I it's a foregone conclusion that if he's in the mix, he's winning this race. And yeah, you know, stage shh was it stage four, I think. Yeah, stage four, that final climb was one of the most brutal things I've ever seen in my entire life.

SPEAKER_00 35:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:18

When he launched, they had this great overhead shot, and it literally looked like the four riders behind him were just you know, about to fall off their bikes. It was so hard. Like they were just left, right. They weren't, you know, nobody was pointed straight. Like they're all struggling, and he, you know, and he and he was not like it wasn't like a Bagatar ride where you see them just, you know, boom, boom, with the with the straight, you know, hard cadence up the hill. He was struggling a bit too. But I mean, oh my god, it was like someone dropped a bomb on the front of that race because dudes were everywhere. I mean, it was just like the whole thing split apart.

SPEAKER_00 35:54

So, you know, really those Yates brothers are just such assassins when it comes to those kind of things where it's like they just ride away, they're they're just so stone faced, you they never put on a grimace or anything, and it's just like the tempo just ticks up and ticks up and ticks up. He was doing it again on stage five, but he didn't end up end up winning. Um, I thought he was going to. Again, it was looking like it was gonna happen just that way. Again, it's just like it just makes it a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 36:21

It was very similar to that win that that his brother had last year in the Giro where he just all of a sudden out of nowhere was just gone. Yeah. Um very like this is an interesting, and I really one of the things I want to say about this race in particular, and I want to get to the guys that won, but you know, for a smaller race, it seems extremely well organized. Extremely well organized. And you know some of you and I want to get to it, we'll get to it w uh in a in a bit. I want to talk about the the camera work, but I think it's funny how we can see a giant race that is just a mess, and we can see a small race that's a mess. But when you see you know, a sm you know, a smaller, you know, week-long stage race like this, and it's so well organized, you know, you I start to scratch my head, I'm like, why is every race not like this? You know what I mean? Why is every you know what I mean? There were there you didn't see any you know any riders off course. There's plenty of you know, people all over the place, you know, directing the traffic, you know, good climbs, great camera work. There's just so much going on. And the televised coverage was really good too. So I I don't know. I mean you had you had Adam Adam uh Adam Blythe and um and Rob Hatch all week. Yeah like on this race, I what? Like that that blew my mind. And it's it's a it's not even a world tour level race.

SPEAKER_00 37:50

Yeah, yep. So let's get into um some of these uh these young up-and-comers uh who got wins at this race. So up first on stage one of O'Grand Camino, Julius Johanneson of team uh UAEM or it's who else, uh takes the big ITT stage win. Uh first of all, I love this guy's look.

SPEAKER_02 38:15

Thank you. Coolest looking dude in the whole race, right?

SPEAKER_00 38:18

It's like he's like, he's like him and Quinn Simmons need to need to go camping together.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Um I'm sorry, dude. Where Quinn Simmons has that like, you know, I'm America, you know, got my this dude, that dude is like, I bet when you I bet when I bet when Julius Johanneson gets gets uh dressed up to go out, he is stunning.

SPEAKER_00 38:43

He just he I just clocked him as like the what is he, uh a Norwegian or something? Uh the the Norwegian no, he's a Dane uh version of of Quinn Simmons. He's got that long, that long hair. He looks like yeah, he looks like a he's a he looks like a Viking. I mean that's he's a Viking.

unknown 39:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:03

Um so yeah, he gets the uh ITT stage win on stage one of O Grand Kamino, and I believe that was his his first win ever, yeah?

SPEAKER_01 39:13

Yes, first pro win.

SPEAKER_00 39:15

Um next up, the very next stage, Carlos Canal of Movie Star, of Movistar, uh gets gets a win in a bunch sprint from a sick leadout from his team at teammate Ivan Romeo. And uh Rob Hatch called it out. I had to go back and look. Did you catch him like on the radio immediately after he gave him the leadout? I guess I'm so great. So so Romeo, of course, is the Spanish champion. Um, so he's got that cool jersey on, that that that really cool like dark blue flame jersey. Like, love that jersey. And he leads out canal and he's on the left-hand side. It's kind of a it's kind of a kind of a tight shoot that they're sprinting down. It's only like maybe like five five riders wide or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 40:08

I was obsessed with the drone photography, so I'm sure I missed whatever you're about to say.

SPEAKER_00 40:12

Well, actually, actually, there was a great drone shot leading into leading into the shot that I'm talking about, there was a drone shot. Like the drone was following the front, like 12 riders kind of from the behind on the right hand side. But then when it and and that's when that's when he sort of finishes his leadout, is while the drone shot is going on. But then like uh the they switch the the shot to the head-on shot from a fixed camera, and as you see them coming through right at you, you can see Romeo like getting on his radio, and he's literally like yelling into Canal's ear, go, go, go! Like, I just love it that like these dudes are going, you know, 45 miles an hour in the in a sprint at the end of a race, and he can still like just like just smoothly like hop on his radio and be like, All right, but my man, get the get the job done, close the deal, buddy. You got this. Um I absolutely loved it. And Rod Rob Hatch's call, the Galician doing it in Galicia. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:18

Can't go wrong with a Rob Hatch call, man.

SPEAKER_00 41:20

The guy just makes the in a Spanish race, too. Like in all the Spanish races, because he's like such a Spain guy, you know. I'm pretty sure he lives down there. No, he lives on uh Mallorca, right? He lives on Mallorca, yes. Yeah, and uh so he's his Spanish is just like next level and all of his pronunciations for the Spanish stuff. And and I was loving, I mentioned in the in the intro about like the whole like Celtic thing that he kept mentioning with that. Like I did not realize that there was like a Celtic region in the north of Spain, but I looked at it on the map, and of course it's like the closest spot to like the the British Isles, and uh so it makes sense that you know Celtic Celtic nomads would have would have you know ended up on the coast of of Spain, yes. Yeah, on the northern tip of Spain, and uh that's wild. So now so they have all this like cultural crossover, and the music there kind of sounds like Irish music. It's wild.

SPEAKER_01 42:13

By the speaking of like cultural crossover, the things that I find like really interesting. So you know, I my John pointed something out to me the the other day about we were talking about um about Scotland and he was like he was I we both heard we both m must have s heard or seen the same thing this you know in the last couple weeks that the Appalachian Mountains and the mountains in Scotland are are literally the same mountains. They were just they were separated by you know millions of years of of you know teutonic separation, but like where our people left and where they settled are like the exact same rocks, which is pretty interesting. Yeah, isn't that crazy?

SPEAKER_00 43:01

Yeah, that's wild. I wonder I wonder if like the they like if they're this sort of same geological age and and therefore like the same amount of like warning.

SPEAKER_01 43:12

They are. I mean they are the same, they are literally the same mountains.

SPEAKER_00 43:15

It's wild, yeah, absolutely wild. Um, there was a great shot on stage five. Um the fit the they they had the finishing climb, and uh right as they went past the flam rouge, there was just this wild cultural site called Castro de Santa Trega, and it was like what looked to be, if not dozens, uh I mean, if not hundreds, at least dozens of like like circular stone somethes like just all over the place. Like it looked absolutely wild. I was just loving that, and of course, that was leading on to the phenomenal like finishing climb with cobbles. Wasn't that crazy? And and when they showed the wide shot of it, they're coming up the Road. The road kept going around, so you could drive up to where they were going, but but they had to hook a hard right and go straight up the old like cobblestone path up to the top of this thing. Awesome.

SPEAKER_01 44:12

So and this is this is this so this is you might as well get it. We might as well get into it now. So this is what I was talking about earlier with this race being so seemingly well organized and so well done. You know, great use of drone photography, all right. Efficiency with like the podiums and like all of the stuff at the end, no, you know, big crazy, you know, things, you know, crazy, you know, people going off-road, none of that stuff, all very uneventful in that in that sense, which is great, which is exactly what you want, uneventful, so that the race is uninterrupted. But on stage five, all right, those are from like it really, I think in my notes I put like 19 or something like that, but it's really from like 21 or 22 kilometers down to about 14. They're on this descent.

SPEAKER_00 45:08

You said you said stage four. Did I? Like you texted me.

SPEAKER_01 45:14

And I said stage four, it's stage five. I'm gonna ask you.

SPEAKER_00 45:17

No, you no, you did say stage five.

SPEAKER_01 45:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 45:19

But somehow I had stage four in my head, and I watched 19 to 15 kilometers on stage four, and I was like, what in the world is he talking about?

SPEAKER_01 45:26

But the it was one of the most beautiful descents that I've ever seen between the camera work, between the bikes and the helicopter. It was absolutely amazing. It was like one of those really long, strung out descents where you have, you know, probably 30 riders in the front group, and they're, you know, they they are literally a quarter mile long, and they're they're all just kind of like hitting these great hairpin curves and you know, through little towns, and like it is it was just the most beautiful descent that I've watched, you know, maybe ever, but like definitely this year. I mean it it it it was but uh you know all all that is to say like even a small race can get this right. Like we you know, we talked about it earlier, you know, in the beginning of the year where the Santos tore down under stuff. So well done. All right, such great coverage, you know, really, really, you know, well-organized race, you know, rider safety at the forefront. There was a ton of different little things that happened during that race where you're like wow, you know, but the coverage was excellent, and the coverage for this race was excellent. And how we have bigger races that aren't as good as this, like just boggles my friggin' mind. Like, take some notes, folks. Like, you can make a great race out of not a lot.

SPEAKER_00 46:53

Yeah, I feel like these these companies uh over in Europe, especially, um, you know, Flanders Classics, and you know, that you you can sort of tell from the iconography of some of these races, like the logos and stuff, that they're part of like a family of races. So you've got these like smaller race organizing companies, and they've just they've been doing it so long, and they sort of they because they're smaller, like like it's it's not so sprawling, it's easier to manage, I feel like, you know. So the combination of just like the experience of having done it for so long, and it's self-contained, they know exactly what their parameters are, and it's I feel like it's a little easier to control for variables. The people in the area are used to those same races year in and year out, and um, yeah, they put out these good products. You know what? I it was stage five that I watched. I thought it was four that you had said, but I don't know where I'm getting four from. Nonetheless, I did watch it. Um, I wanted to comment on it actually, uh, because at first I was just kind of like, what is he talking about? This is just like bouncing back and forth between helicopter shots and camera bike shots. Like this, this this doesn't seem like anything. But I I will say, I don't know if you caught it, but on on multiple occasions you could see the helicopter in the in the camera bike shot, and it was this badass orange and black helicopter, and it did not it did not look like the usual helicopters that you see in those shots. It looked like a little bit smaller and more maneuverable. And I was it was it was really like cool when I when I saw it for the first time because like so you you you had texted me, hey, you gotta watch, you gotta watch the the uh camera work from 19 to 15 kilometers on stage five. So I made sure that I went and and checked it out. And when I start watching, I'm like I said, I'm just seeing this like this like helicopter shot. Or is it because like suddenly it's getting like real close in, and I'm like, wait, is this a drone shot? Are they like and and for for a while I was thinking to myself, okay, wow, they've they've now because I think things are sort of headed this way. I think we're gonna start seeing, you know, slightly larger, more sort of durable drones that can that can hang in the in the higher altitudes, you know, a little bit better, so that we're so that we can get like really wide from above shots that zoom all the way down, and then it's right next to the rider all in one shot. You know what I mean? Like it's like it goes from it goes from like a quarter of a mile away to like three feet away. I think I think we're gonna get that. And for a while I was like, oh wow, they're they're now taking the drones a little bit higher. And then I realized, no, no, no, wait a second. This is not a drone shot. No, it's a helicopter shot. I I and and yeah, and I my the confirmation was when they they went to like a behind the Peloton shot as they were rounding a bend, a left-hand bend.

SPEAKER_01 50:11

You could see the helicopter, like and the helicopters out there. And what I realized And then they switched right to that same helicopter's shot, and that's what I mean. It wasn't it wasn't that it was like anything special in and of itself, it was the choreography of it, the way that it it s that it switched back and forth, like and again, that's probably has a lot to do with the people in the control room as well, like going, damn, like let's you know, let's this camera, not this camera, this camera, right. And I'm sure that that has a a big part to play in it, but it was it I'll put it to you this way I was passively watching it while I was doing something else, all right. And like I am right now, and it completely caught my attention that what that was not on it. Because like I looked over and I was like, oh man, huh? And then I like looked away again. Then I looked back again, I'm like, uh. And it just kept drawing me back, and I was like, wait a minute, I gotta go back and watch it. I ended up re- re-watching that that five kilometers like three different, you know, three times. And I was just like, at the end of it, I was like, oh my god, this is just absolute beauty cycling video. Like, this is just exactly what you want to see on a really long descent. Because it was, it was a really long descent. It reminded me.

SPEAKER_00 51:33

I mean, like, I've been I've been watching it here as we've been talking. It's I'm down to like 13 kilometers to go. And like they just like seamlessly weave in these cultural sites. Now they're going past the Muños de Folón, which is like this series of what look like little tiny stone huts that are just like stair-stepping down the side of this mountain. I've never seen anything like this before. And what they're so good about, like you were saying, is the choreography of these camera shots where like this shot's gonna finish up, and like the moment they finish this shot, boom, the Peloton's just gonna come right into this thing. You know what I mean? Like they just know exactly where to position that helicopter and what shots to go and grab, go get this, go get that, back to the Peloton. And it's just like you're you're absolutely right. It's a it's a it's a terrific package.

SPEAKER_01 52:24

Yeah, and it just like I said, you know, when I when I'm it I've taken to highlighting these these spots in my notes, like that's how I'm gonna do this because last year it was so hard to go back through and find like drone shots and this. So now I have two different color highlighters and I'm highlighting stuff. So then when I go back through my notes, if I see those two colors, I know that that's a thing. So I can like then at the end of the year I'll be able to pull that stuff out of our notes.

SPEAKER_00 52:51

Funny you should mention that because I I conversely was dumping stuff into my like because I I made us up each a 2026 end-of-year superlatives page. So I'm trying to get into the habit of just like any time I'm I'm working on on stuff, I just have that particular document up and ready to go. Um, you know, so I can I can pop stuff in there. So I got a few things that I'm already already working on in there, thank goodness. Um yeah, so back on subject. We've been we've been talking about uh stage five. We can just go ahead and point out the win of Alessandro Pinarello from uh NSM Pro Cycling, who took the stage win on stage five. Uh another, I'm not sure if that was his first win, but he doesn't have a lot. Um but he had also spent a day in yellow. I think he was in yellow the day before.

SPEAKER_01 53:48

He he didn't have it at the at the podium, but and then and he ended up getting it after the fact.

SPEAKER_00 53:54

Do you know? Oh, that's right. Yeah, that's right. They they had a they had a strange thing where they had calculated the points incorrectly or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 54:01

Yeah. So they so at the end of the day, uh Jorgen Nordhogen was in yellow, and it ended up that he shouldn't have actually been. So the next morning when they went to leave, it was actually uh Alessandro Penerello that was in yellow that day.

SPEAKER_00 54:20

I believe that was like his second win, uh second career win. He won the GP Palaio del Reciotto Trofeo CNF Restinatura Blocchi back on back on March 2nd of 2024. So essentially, definitely the biggest win of his career. Um so yeah, a lot of these youngsters are on the come up and uh crushing it. Um there was another another big uh second win of the season for a young rider this week as well. Did you happen to catch up with the uh with the um what was it called?

SPEAKER_01 55:03

The if it wasn't the bronze pale or the Amstel Gold or this race? No, because I did not watch any other cycling this week.

SPEAKER_00 55:14

The tour the Tour de Ura was on uh it was on HBO Max, won by American Matthew Ricotello. Oh to get his second win of the year, and that was a 1-2 for uh Decathlon. Um that team is just looking so good.

SPEAKER_01 55:35

Dude, I I said it all last year that this team was gonna be all over the place. I told you. I was like so the moves that team made were so smart, and it doesn't hurt that they've got you know the the the second coming of Pagacar, you know, in in Paul Sexos, but I'm telling you, it's it's it's the Watts occurring effect. I'm it's I'm I I attribute every bit of it to Luke Rowe. No, I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_00 56:05

Never know. Luke Rowe may have found his true talent in life uh off the bike, near the bike instead of on the bike, near the bike. Um, all right. Well, lots of uh lots of young riders uh to keep our eyes on uh as the as the year moves forward. Uh enjoyed the heck out of O'Gran Hamino.

SPEAKER_01 56:25

Did we talk about Anders Fall Dogger?

SPEAKER_00 56:28

Oh no, we did. Well, that's that's the other one what I missed. Uh yeah, that was the yeah, that was your men's brabanza pale winner from Jaco.

SPEAKER_01 56:36

Yes, from Jaco. He's a he's a Dane. Um he was fifth overall, the tour of Lalany last year, so you know, they definitely due for a a big, big win. So good good on him. Love that name too, Anders Foldauger.

SPEAKER_00 56:55

Yeah, I was uh I was enjoying um the that like long drawn out like sprint up the final climb towards the finish, and and uh Burgado got out in front the uh the other Ala Philippe. Um the other Al Philippe still still sporting the Ala Philippe goatee. Um and it just got me in mind of uh that win that he got. It was back in I I looked it up, I think it was like back in 2024 in Paris Nice, like stage two or something like that, where Burgadot uh was had had a real short, like late breakaway and just held off for the win. And I'll just never forget that shot because I like within 10 meters of him crossing the finish line, there were already like six guys past him. You know what I mean? Like he somehow just barely got it. Everybody that was coming up was going faster than him, but he got there first. It was amazing. Uh, but he was not able to pull it off. Costa Fois got third on that stage, and that was his second third. And I think he also got uh third like a week ago in something. That was a really good pickup once again by UAE, you know, who were just desperate for good riders. Uh that Ben that of course, of course, Coastna Foy gets to UAE and suddenly he's just like on fire. That team, dude.

SPEAKER_01 58:17

That that look, you man, that dude's a good rider. All right, he is like always in the mix when he's in a race, man. That guy is he's very good, Causan Freud.

SPEAKER_00 58:28

For sure. So um, all right. Well, we'll put a pin in that and move on to uh a real quick uh fantasy update. Not a whole lot going on. Um now I am I currently have both of my substitutes in play. We had a little we had a little sort of regrouping on the on our rules, and we've we've settled upon this. So we each have a we each have a 12-rider team comprised of six men and six women, and we each have one alternate, a men um for for the men and one for the and one for the women. Um and so what we have decided on is this if a rider goes out through is out for illness or injury, um indefinitely, yeah. They the the very next day the your your alternate is active. So not the same race. Like if I've got Mava SquiBon and Kim Lacourt gets injured and SquiBon is in that race, she does not score that day. For that day, but starting the next day, SquiBon is active. Um, so that being the case, I I have both uh Tim Merlier and Mava SquiBon active right now because Isaac Del Toro and Kim Lakourt Pinot are both out. Um your your squad is is complete right now. You don't have any either of your subs in, right?

SPEAKER_01 59:53

They're complete, they just don't do anything.

SPEAKER_00 59:56

Um, three riders.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:00

So you have I have garnered I have garnered exactly zero points from Juana Uso, exactly zero points from Zhao Meida, both guys who had plenty of points by this point last year.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:12

True. Has has Bradevald gotten you any points this year?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:18

If she has, it's been like you know, like a third in a stage or something. It's not yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:23

No, Vingigaard and Shabe have both scored for you. Yeah, you better you better hope Gigante does something in Grand Tour season. Like that was this that's a sketchy pick.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:34

Um It was an outsider, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:37

I know, I know. You gotta I I like it. You gotta take a chance. Well, um, yeah, so this week, what did you say? I got 10, or I got 20 and you got 10 or something.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:46

No, you got 12 with a with a one-day race win uh with Remco. I got six, and that was it. That was all the points that were scored this week.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:56

So what is it, 12, 8, and 6?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:58

12, nine, 12, 9, 6.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:00

Or 12-9-6.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:01

Yep, 12-9-6 for first, second.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:03

Yeah. Shout out to Casia out sprinting Damie to take three points out of your pocket for me. Oh, dude. I was so surprised to see Casia win that sprint.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:18

Yeah, well, like nine times out of ten, that doesn't happen. Nine times out of ten, she doesn't win that sprint.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:24

Shit, 19 times out of 20 with her. Yeah, probably.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:27

Yeah, but you know, it is what it is, man. I got the Giro coming, dude. Like, I'm I'm just like just holding my breath for the Giro, man. Just like let's like I've got multiple riders in it. Like, hopefully, we got some stage wins.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:41

We got 21 days of racing that we can put points on the board, baby.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:45

Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:47

And no Pagachar.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:51

Yep. All right, so I have one last, I have one uh news roundup item. The other two I've already discussed earlier in the show, and then if you have anything, you can squeeze it in. Um, Mateo Jorgensen out of Amstel Gold, collarbone. Collarbone. Mateo is not having a great season, and I am bummed that he will be out for uh some amount of time. Let's see what his PCS is.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:17

Kevin, yeah, he's out for uh the I looked at it this morning, he's out for LBL and for it it was minus LB. So what do like and he's supposed to obviously he's supposed to be in the mix for the Tour de France, is is all goals right now to get him healthy enough to ride the Tour de France and I would I would think so. Yeah, I mean Swiss would be the warm-up and if you're Vismo, are you second guessing yourselves putting him in for the tour?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:49

I mean, you make the decision after after Swiss.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:53

Yeah. If he rides Swiss, I like I don't know, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:58

I mean, it's only a collarbone. It's not until June, not until June 17th. I mean, it's like eight minutes he's got two full months. Like, that's nothing. He'll he'll a hundred percent be there. Uh, but it does suck that he won't be at LBL, uh, because he certainly could have featured in that race. Yes. Um do you have any uh any other news stuff you want to get in before we move on?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:26

I do wanna I do want to shout mom out. Mom hooked up the uh look at the uh the fresh bullets cap. Nice. Yeah, right. Dude, I've wanted a Washington bullets hat for so long, and after they switched from the wizards, they stopped making all the bullets gear.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:43

Like they just I know, but Trump's back in office, so we can do gun stuff again.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:47

Look, look, I if there were back on the table, baby. I'll take it, man. I've wanted a Washington Bullets hat, by the way. No, it's actually it's got the cap center patch on that side. Can you see that?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:00

You gotta move you gotta move the thing to the your your your earpiece to the side. Nice, nice. Did I did I tell you about the the book that my my my uh regular customer brought to me? The cap center book? Yeah, yeah. That right there. Um that's super cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:24

Um Yeah, so thank you, thank you, Mom. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:28

Back on the hat. Well, back on the whole, that whole like Trump's in office, and now you can do whatever you want. Did you see what's coming back to the uh what's coming to the commander's logo?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:38

Oh, is it are they bringing the the old logo back or is it just like the spear?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:44

The spear. There's now the spear is back on the commander's logo. It just goes on and on and on. Just ridiculous. Um Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:53

Let's roll back more progress.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:55

All right. Well, without further ado, let's jump into the broomwagon. What have you got for us this week, my man?

SPEAKER_01 1:05:02

So I was looking up a couple of different things within it with it with concerns to Amstel Gold. So everybody, everybody knows about Matthew Vanderpoel's amazing win in 2019. We I think we did we did an entire episode on it, or we did it maybe it was part of our Vanderpool episode. I can't remember how that went. But everybody everybody remembers Vanderpool winning in you know in the in the big Dutch race in front of the legions of Dutch fans. But did you know? All right, that Jan Ross, all right, won a record five times at Amstel Gold. 77, 78, 79, 80, and 82. All right. Leading to the phrase the Amstel Gold Ross. All right, hold on.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:52

Nice. I'm looking at a picture of this guy right now, and I'm like loving this man's look.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:57

All right. Then in In 2021, there was a controversial photo finish between one Wout Van Art and Thomas Pitcock in twenty like I said in 2021. I put the picture of the actual uh photo finish in there, and I mean I would be like, I don't want to be the one that decides who wins this race.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:24

Like it's too close to call. Look at that thing.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:27

Wow. Right?

SPEAKER_00 1:06:29

Wow, that is crazy. I remember that now that you mentioned it.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:31

Wow takes Wout takes the win, but Pitcock gets him back like three years later in uh 2024.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:38

I did put a a little uh Wait, so so Wout has won Amstel Gold? Yes. Interesting. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:46

But my favorite my favorite little nugget, all right, from Amstel Gold that I got this week is the 2001 War of Attrition. All right. In 2001, torrential rains and freezing winds resulted in only 37 riders of the 190 starters finishing the race, where Eric Decker Decker, bested, won Lance Elizabeth Armstrong for the win.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:17

Wow, Lance Armstrong's middle name is Elizabeth? It is now. Where did you come up with that?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:24

I don't really I don't care for him, so putting him on putting him on Lance Elizabeth Armstrong.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:30

Interesting. That threw me for a loop.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:33

I know you have no love for that man.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:35

That threw me for a loop there. Um interest. Wait, so it's tell give me the numbers again. How many started and how many finished?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:43

190 starters. 37 finished the race. Wow. I wonder what accounts for that. It was the rain. It was it was it was torrential rains and freezing winds. Wow. Wow, that's wild. Only 37 riders make it to the end, and Eric Decker bested Lance Armstrong.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:09

Wasn't Armstrong's world championship win like in a crazy rainstorm? Great question that I don't have an answer to. I don't know, but I I just have to say thank you for mentioning the name Jan Ross because just looking at the Google image search of this guy, I'm just in love with everything that I'm seeing. It's like the golden age of cycling, and uh, there's just it's great. I love the way guys back then would just they didn't wear goggles, but like they'd wear glasses. I'm just gonna wear my glasses in a bike race. Like the glasses these people are wearing. Not uh, I should I should say they didn't wear like race glasses like we have now, but they would just be wearing like what appear to be like reading glasses. Just so strange. Um, all right, thank you for that. Um, I'm gonna keep mine huge, by the way.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:58

Yes, that guy looks like a monster.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:02

Um, so I was on a bike ride uh earlier this week and a thought went through my head, I don't know why, but that thought was has any rider who was currently wearing the King of the Mountains jersey in a stage race won a bunch sprint? Is there a photo that I can look up, look at of a guy in polka dots throwing the bike against 20 sprinters, you know, to win a bike race? And I I did not find that photograph. I hate to disappoint you. But then the next thought that occurred to me was has any rider ever won at the top of an uphill stage while wearing the green jersey? And what does O Grand Camino Caminino hand me on stage five? Alessandro Pinarello winning the stage on an uphill finish in a green jersey. I could not believe it. I was stunned.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:06

So you're telling me you predicted the end of the race earlier in the week?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:10

Don't know. I I just I I was it boggled my mind. Uh and I I just thought that that was funny that that happened. I do want to go and do um more research on that. I want to see if in fact, uh like you can, there's a there's a Tour de France stage that was one in a bunch print by a guy wearing the King of the Mountains jersey. It might you might have to just go through stage by stage and just kind of kind of see, you know, look at results, etc. etc. But I think sort of just in the wake of the the whole um Paul Sexos jersey slam at Bass Country. Um it's I I just like thinking about stuff like that. You know, these it's like, have you ever heard of um, I think they call it, what do they call it? Uh score, it's not scorography. It's um shoot, there's a whole thing, like in especially in pro football, where guys like to follow weird scores in football, you know, because football you can get you can get one, two, three, or seven points. Those are your four. So like what kind of combinations? And there's like a whole there's like a whole thing where guys will be like, oh, there's only ever been you know one five to two game, you know, in the history of football or whatever, like stuff like that. Um, damn, why can't I why can't I think of that word? Um, but I feel like following things like this in pro cycling are the same thing, like a jersey slam, you know, when one rider gets all four jerseys in a race, like Paul Sex Sexis just did. Um, or uh, you know, let's give a name to a guy winning an uphill stage in the sprinter's jersey. Let's give a name to a guy winning a bunch sprint in the King of the Mountains jersey, uh, because it's fun. And I should point out that that Pinnarello at O'Gran Camino, he won stage five. He also won both the points and the mountains jersey. Well, how often does that happen? You know what I mean? Unless it's unless it's a it's unless it's one of those things where like a GC winner is just plowing through and gobbling up the other because of the way that they they they there was a lot of sprinting in that race though, too.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:25

So that that has to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:28

Right. Well, but uh excuse me, famously like I feel like, hold on. I feel like in e it's either the Giro or the Vuelta, one of those, um every single stage counts towards the green, like towards the points jersey, whereas in the tour, like they're definitely separated out. There's only points on certain stages that are sprint stages, and there's only mountain points on certain stages that are mountain points. Um, so you know, sometimes it's not gonna happen, but in some of these races, as we've seen, as in you know, bass country, sex sex, it's not like he's you know, he's out there winning every single climb, but he's just getting the points because there's there's no way for him not to win it. So, anyways, fun stuff. I'm gonna think, I'm gonna I'm gonna remember what that uh what that um term is. Score. It's called it's score something. Scorology. I that's why I keep wanting to say scorology, but it's it's not that, but it's it's something, and I'll I'll figure it out. Um so that's gonna be all for this week. Join us next week for full coverage of the tour of the Alps as well as the fourth and final monument race of the spring season, La Doyen, the old lady of pro cycling, Liege, Baston Liege. Until then, for my brother Justin, I'm Matt Harper. Thanks for listening. We hope you'll join us again soon for another ride Beyond the Slipstream. Ale. Beyond the Slipstream is a part of the Harporama family of podcasts. Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Please like and subscribe, smash that button, leave a five-star review, and most importantly, tell all your friends about us. Thanks for listening. Talk to you next time.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:17

Alex