New dates for Italian Monuments

The Professional Cycling Council (PCC) has accepted the request by race organiser RCS to modify the dates of both Milano-Sanremo and Il Lombardia for 2013. Both races will now take place on a Sunday, with Milano-Sanremo set for March 17 and Il Lombardia for October 6. The presentation of the 2014 Giro d’Italia route will take place one day after Il Lombardia on Monday, October 7.

Source: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-confirms-three-more-pro-continental-licences-for-2013

Thank you for posting up your pics! Love your work!

I enjoy the pics of the fans, “waiting” & ” Giuseppe Saronni fan” my favourtites. Especially the kid with AC’s autograph.

You’d make a great “2012 Season” picture book.

Wow these are great thanks for sharing!

I think those forks step down at that point which would create a natural stress riser on impact – I suspect the bike impacted head-on into the wall and the leverage caused the breaks. I think most forks would snap in similar circumstances, so don’t be unduly worried about your BMCs! Better the forks than the frame too…

In which case seeing the minor cut on his knee, I deduce that he probably went OVER the wall upon impact picking up a the minor scrape in the process and landing on his tin lid with a rather sonorous “doink”…..very lucky fella, one of those forks could easily have skewered him!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedaleforchetta/sets/72157631652394458/

Neat trick, how’d ya do it?

I’d guess he veered into the wall and the fork legs sheared on impact.  Can’t embed from flickr but here is another pic.

 http://flic.kr/p/dfeUWJ

Ballan is a hardman but when the only other hardman you can outsprint is Leif Hoste it’s hard to stand on the top step.

Indeed that is better.

@Gianni

I don’t know, I can’t find a photo showing the disposition of the forklegs in the immediate aftermath.  But I did find this; dude is a hardman:

Great photos.

Do you have a website where we can see more?

I prefer this photo, obviously.

simply awesome!

I’d guess he veered into the wall and the fork legs sheared on impact.  Can’t embed from flickr but here is another pic.

 http://flic.kr/p/dfeUWJ

I wonder where the fork blades went? They aren’t attached to the wheel. Ballan is lucky to awake there. He must have really hit something to snap the fork like that.

@Pedale.Forchetta
That is a beauty.

Still, seeing a shot like that and realizing how hard the guy races & how much he puts it on the line over & over, you are forced to remember how just about everyone in the PRO peloton is a tough bastard and a great competitor.

Another nice photo, Pedale! I definitely hope my fork blades don’t do that.

 http://flic.kr/p/dfeUWJ

@Nate

@Buck Rogers

@Nate

Check out what happened to Ballan on the descent of the Sormano:

which came first:  The fork failure or the crash?

I don’t know, but I find the fork alarming.  Glad he’s OK.

Isn’t that a weird place for forks to snap? Head crown maybe, but part-way down the blades? Weird.

And a clean snap at that, both blades in the same place – strange.

@Buck Rogers

@Nate

Check out what happened to Ballan on the descent of the Sormano:

which came first:  The fork failure or the crash?

I don’t know, but I find the fork alarming.  Glad he’s OK.

Isn’t that a weird place for forks to snap? Head crown maybe, but part-way down the blades? Weird.

@Nate

Check out what happened to Ballan on the descent of the Sormano:

which came first:  The fork failure or the crash?

I don’t know, but I find the fork alarming.  Glad he’s OK.

Check out what happened to Ballan on the descent of the Sormano:

which came first:  The fork failure or the crash?

@blackpooltower Bourbon for duty; single malt for pleasure; Armagnac for ecstasy.

Ooohh, I have never had Armagnac, cannot wait to try it.

Yes, bourbon straight, no mix, no ice.  I love Pappy Van Winkle but it is sooooooo hard to get a hold of.

I tend not to like my spirits mixed as a rule, other than G&T of course, and Campari and soda, but that’s dilution rather than mixing.

I’m prepared to give it a try though… I’ll have a look next time I’m in the booze shop to see what brands they have here.

Got into it in Las Vegas 2002. Got knocked out of the WSOP at the end of day one (pre poker explosion days only 731 entrants that year) and was consoling myself at the bar of The Four Queens, with a US friend from Portland. He says “Have you tried bourbon?” I replied I had not. Anyways, Makers Mark and a few others later, I was converted…

@Nate

@Buck Rogers

Grand Marnier

I figured you’d be more of a whiskey man.

actually, Bourbon is my drink of choice, but the sweet stuff overcomes me every now and then.

Just as I’m getting ready for my the-kids-are-in-bed bourbon on the rocks, I’m realizing I finished off the last of a bottle last night.  Dammit.

@Buck Rogers

Grand Marnier

I figured you’d be more of a whiskey man.

actually, Bourbon is my drink of choice, but the sweet stuff overcomes me every now and then.

Grand Marnier

I figured you’d be more of a whiskey man.

@Buck Rogers

@Nate

@frank

NEVAHHAHDAIM!

I have no clue what this means but @Buck Rogers already had Friere’s MSRs ID’d.

Sounds like old Northern New England for “Never heard of him”? Or perhaps Frank was deep into his cups and his hands just kind of spasmed on the keyboard?

Nate, I had never heard of Poblet.  Koblet, yes, Poblet, never.

I do believe you’ve got it.  Evidently your cups were more synchronized with @frank’s; perhaps I need to have my bottom bracket faced.

I never heard of Poblet, either.  Per wikipedia, he had a reasonably illustrious career: one of 3 riders to win stages in the 3 GTs in one year, first Spaniard to podium Paris-Roubaix, 20 Giro stage wins (3rd most by a foreigner).

oh yeah, I was deeeeeeeep into my Grand Marnier last night.  Such lovely stuff!  Love this site, never had heard of him before and had fun trying to figure out the past Spanish winners.  Long live the Velominati!

@Nate

@frank

NEVAHHAHDAIM!

I have no clue what this means but @Buck Rogers already had Friere’s MSRs ID’d.

Sounds like old Northern New England for “Never heard of him”? Or perhaps Frank was deep into his cups and his hands just kind of spasmed on the keyboard?

Nate, I had never heard of Poblet.  Koblet, yes, Poblet, never.

I do believe you’ve got it.  Evidently your cups were more synchronized with @frank’s; perhaps I need to have my bottom bracket faced.

I never heard of Poblet, either.  Per wikipedia, he had a reasonably illustrious career: one of 3 riders to win stages in the 3 GTs in one year, first Spaniard to podium Paris-Roubaix, 20 Giro stage wins (3rd most by a foreigner).

Aha! No, no film from PF, but at 0.38 it’s me chasing the peloton.

I ran for half the Muro…

Sweet. I dream of a day that I may run next to the pros whilst pissed beyond comprehension on whatever local bath-tub swill I am enjoying!

@frank

NEVAHHAHDAIM!

I have no clue what this means but @Buck Rogers already had Friere’s MSRs ID’d.

Sounds like old Northern New England for “Never heard of him”? Or perhaps Frank was deep into his cups and his hands just kind of spasmed on the keyboard?

Nate, I had never heard of Poblet.  Koblet, yes, Poblet, never.

I ran for half the Muro…

Hey Pedale, did you also film this? Looks like the same place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei9rLvV6NXY

NEVAHHAHDAIM!

I have no clue what this means but @Buck Rogers already had Friere’s MSRs ID’d.

@Buck Rogers

Freire, Piti and some bloke named Miguel Poblet who won MSR twice in the 1950s.  Not ashamed to admit I looked that one up!

NEVAHHAHDAIM!

You never cease to amaze. Absolute class shot!!

@Nate

Valverde had two LBL’s as well.  So just missing the one other Panish monument winner.  Stumped on that one.

Friere won MSR three times; that meas they meant distinct riders. I’ll have to think about the fourth one…

@frank

Samuel Sanchez was second not L.L.Sanchez.

Apparently I’m more dependent on coffee in the morning than I thought. Fixed.

@G’phant

This is the most important triumph of my whole career. Today I was feeling in great shape. When I saw that all my rivals were tired and I felt so great, I realized I had a great chance to win. I managed to make the difference. To tell the truth I thought that somebody would join me, but instead nobody could answer and that makes this victory even greater. I think I was one of the favorites since the beginning.

I’m so glad my mixup with the Sancheseseeseseses didn’t screw you up after reading that. Absolute gold.

Hah, I though you were just trying to draft your own completely generic winner’s speech full of empty platitudes.  Much better to have someone write it for you.

Freire, Piti and some bloke named Miguel Poblet who won MSR twice in the 1950s.  Not ashamed to admit I looked that one up!

Funny how things work out. Here in NC today I got rained on at 7:55 on my way to soccer, rained on during soccer, rained on during my ride home, rained on during a ride to two LBSs later in the day, rained on during my ride to see a friend, rained on during the pedal home. You get the idea.

BUT, tomorrow is No Sloping Top Tubes Sunday and the weather should be clear. Nice! With some new Veloflex tires on my Casati. Oh boy.

Valverde had two LBL’s as well.  So just missing the one other Panish monument winner.  Stumped on that one.

@xyxax

@G’phant

I’ll get you yet, my pretty.  And your little dog, too.

Leave Piti out of this.

Read elsewhere that Purito is the first Spaniard to win Lombardy, and only the 4th to win a monument.  Would never have guessed.

Damn, cool stat.  Who are the other Spanish monument winners and what races?  Where’s Oli when you need him?  Did Valverde or Flecha ever capture a Monument?  I need to do a little homework here on ths one.  Wait, Friere won MSR three times, right?  That is one of them for sure.

@G’phant

This is the most important triumph of my whole career. Today I was feeling in great shape. When I saw that all my rivals were tired and I felt so great, I realized I had a great chance to win. I managed to make the difference. To tell the truth I thought that somebody would join me, but instead nobody could answer and that makes this victory even greater. I think I was one of the favorites since the beginning.

 

Chapeau, about time you earned a VSP badge of some sort.

I’ll get you yet, my pretty.  And your little dog, too.

Perfect!  +1 to that, Mate!

But when Good Cadel was World Champ, BMC kit was the same but his shorts looked much better with the rainbow stripes.

So what gives?

I bet Gilbert is pissed after working so hard to win the Worlds and then having to ride looking like some Fred who put his kit together from whatever’s on sale at Nashbar.

Perhaps it was so distracting that it caused his crash today?

Wow!  This deserves a repost!  So very eccellente’!!!

Really nice.Thanks for sharing.

Photo by me.

Samuel Sanchez was second not L.L.Sanchez.

Il Lombardia 2012 Results
1 RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Joaquin (KATUSHA) 6:36:27
2 SANCHEZ GONZALEZ, Samuel (EUSKALTEL – EUSKADI) + 0:09
3 URAN URAN, Rigoberto (SKY PROCYCLING)
4 SANTAMBROGIO, Mauro (BMC RACING)
5 HENAO MONTOYA, Sergio Luis (SKY PROCYCLING)
6 HESJEDAL, Ryder (GARMIN-SHARP)
7 MOLLEMA, Bauke (RABOBANK)
8 ZAUGG, Oliver (RADIOSHACK-NISSAN)

Thank god for that. I had a sudden terror that perhaps all this time Jackson Rodriguez has been J-Rod, and Joaquim Rodriguez is some Venezuelan bloke. Which would have been worrying evidence of my ever intensifying delusional state.

Woops – I mapped the winner to RODRIGUEZ Jackson by accident. Corrected and G’Phant won now. Bonus points are now also awarded correctly. 

Every dog has his day. Batchubas too.

Also: I distinctly remember Deakus picking J-Rod to win?

Septhanganal Tie with a whopping four points being the biggest score – and I’ve never entered some of the names in the VSP who scored in the top five, so I guess that shouldn’t surprise me.

[vsp_results id=”20527″]
[/vsp_results]

The overall is shaping up nicely as well:

[vsp_gc]
[/vsp_gc]

2-Sam Sanchez

3-Uran

4-Santambrogio

5-Henao

Haven’t seen anything for a couple of minutes, other than shots of wet people huddling near the finish line.

@Buck Rogers Don’t say that I dropped Ryder for Nibbles!

Ha!  Sorry, hope I didn’t jinx you!  At least Frank finally got his dream classics weather from the sounds of it.

@Buck Rogers Seems to be updating very rarely…I get the feeling Daniel Benson is spending more time watching it than letting us know what is going on!

Exactly!  Cannot wait until I have home computer access again.  I have been running off limited 3G ipad access since the end of May.  Soon, soon.

@Buck Rogers A race motorbike has also crashed out on the descent.  I am not watching it but getting live updates here if you are interested..http://live.cyclingnews.com/

Actually pretty crappy coverge if you ask me.  As much as I am not a huge velonews.com fan, their tdf live ticker was really great.  Wish that they were running coverage today.

@Buck Rogers A race motorbike has also crashed out on the descent.  I am not watching it but getting live updates here if you are interested..http://live.cyclingnews.com/

Ha!  That’s where I am following it as well!