It’s Impressive, But Is It Boring? | GCN Racing News Show

The Strade Bianche produced some nail-biting racing this weekend, well, for the women's race at least. Non-stop attacks and a close-fort contest between the top teams saw SD-Worx pushed to their limits. It came down to Kopecky and Longo Borghini, with the world champion pouncing on the final climb up to Siena. The men's race was rather predictable and somewhat...boring? Is Pogačar just too good?
00:00 Intro
01:16 Tadej Pogcar attacks at Strade Bianche
02:52 UAE Team Emirates race plan
03:18 Monte Sante Marie segment
04:30 Has cycling racing become boring?
05:59 Lidl-Trek & Lotto Destiny battle
06:28 Strade Bianche Women's race
07:40 Lotte Kopecky attacks with Elisa Longo Borghini
09:40 Paris-Nice race
12:30 GP Monseré
12:45 Le Samyn des Dames
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Is this performance becoming boring? 🚲
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📸 Photos - © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sirotti Images
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[@gcnracing]

What did you make of this epic attack, boring or exciting? 🚴💨

[@santiagobenites]

I found it exciting at first, and then quite boring as it went on, and I completely lost interest.

[@Nosh_Feratu]

unbelievably boring. When Tadej got over a minute on the rest i skipped ahead to see if he was increasing his gap, Tadej just kept increasing his gap and I just kept skipping ahead. . .nothing changed....so i didnt bother watching the rest. It wasnt Pogs fault either, he just took the initiative, did his job, amazing ride...the problem, and the reason it was boring was because the peloton had several huge engines but they just didnt seem at all interested in doing anything other than riding for second. . .it was just a really poor show. I havent watched racing for 40 years to see who comes second. . .the winner was decided with 80k to go....thats boring. The womens race was bloody fantastic by comparison!!!

[@jkwest2009]

I was not bored at all. Sure, it's exciting to see a competitive fight to the finish, but I'll never get tired of seeing someone risk it all and blow everyone out of the water.

[@wrwicky]

I’ll be talking about that race and performance years from now. So, legendary, not boring, unless this was happening every race (legendary & boring)

[@eleycki]

Concerning!

[@biketrybe7071]

The "too boring" and "foregone conclusion" criticism was the same critique of Merckx when he went long to beat his rivals, even when everyone knew what was coming. We are watching cycling history with Pogacar. Just enjoy it.

[@mornenaude2885]

100% I’m really annoyed with the critique

[@daniellloyd100]

@@mornenaude2885 Hi both. It wasn't a critique from me personally, but more an observation of the general reaction to the race that I saw online. I guess it's different in the modern era because it's live on TV more often, but I agree with you both - Pogacar's ride on Saturday was one that will go down in the history books. If you'd asked me 5 years ago if I ever thought I'd see something like that, I'd have said no. Dan

[@biketrybe7071]

@@daniellloyd100 Yes, especially when you consider that someone like MVdP had to mash out 1500+ watts in the finale to win last year it puts Pogacar's feat into historical perspective.

[@johnkinder9041]

How is it boring watching a genius at the top of his game? His enthusiasm to always race is very refreshing and a joy to watch.

[@daniellloyd100]

I also enjoy watching Pogacar. In general he's made the sport a lot more exciting (along with a few others) than it was just 5 years ago. This show was more of a reaction to the general consensus that I'd seen online after the race. Dan

[@user-vm7zq1mh2v]

I WANT MY GCN+ BACK!! All this looking around to find how to watch strade bianche, Paris-Nice and other races….GCN+ was so simple and great.❤

[@henrivdm1]

So agreed 😢

[@leonuppena2906]

I went over to discovery +, only for the joy of watching the cycle races, and snooker as well. By the way, it´s cheaper than GCN+ (and you don´t have to watch all the rest of their programme, if you don´t want to 😉)

[@gordoncahill1170]

Agreed. And it's worse if you're outside Europe. Nothing but the majors available and full of adds. Eurosport's greed has ruined cycling coverage.... The sport will suffer as a result. This reminds me of what happened to rugby. p.s. Pog is a legend. Loved how he stated when he would attack before the race and still they had no answers. This guy could be the GOAT. And performances like this will be the ones GCN rattles on about in years to come, as long as Eurosport doesn't have another breakdown and just cancel them altogether.

[@gordonlevine2143]

i totally agree / pleas bring gcn+ back

[@keithevans7996]

Was just about to sign up to GCN + as less and less cycling was being shown on Eurosport then of course they cancelled GCN+. Now however more and more cycling is being shown on Eurosport and especially cyclo cross events during the winter so all in all I'm quite satisfied at the moment. I record all cycling so that I can whizz through the stupid adverts. Commentators on Eurosport cycling are constantly going on about Discovery+ as the place to go if you don't want adverts. Is Discovery + as good as GCN+ was? Does it show as many cycling races and what does it cost?

[@gregbeliera7874]

It's never boring, it so uncommon nowadays in modern cycling to see this aggressive riding so far out from the finish!

[@gcnracing]

It did feel like an attack from the old days 🙌

[@kristorfffigaro]

Correct few ride like this these days

[@JMcLeodKC711]

If you thought it was boring, don’t blame the solo rider…..blame all the other riders and their directors.

[@gtolsdorf]

Voting for boring.

[@dirgsuite5546]

Remco?

[@nerdhoy]

As both a cycling and a Formula 1 fan, I can assure you that dominant performance in cycling is never boring! Cycling is all about men pushing to their physical limits, the bikes and equipment play such an insignificant role in their success. Unlike in Formula 1, a dominate car can basically win you every single race...and that's true boredom.

[@gcnracing]

Great points! Quick edit though, Cycling is all about people pushing their physical limits 😉

[@malalark]

I see someone else also watched the snoozefest of the Bahrain GP last saturday.

[@nerdhoy]

@@malalark yes...😴

[@gerrymcbride6429]

Love F1 but it too much about the machinery which is also the characteristic that makes it different unfortunately. Ussain Bolt apparently lost only 14 races during his seemingly endless professional career but I could never describe him as boring. A 200km cycle race presents the opportunity to win the race at any point in the parcours, not only during a mountaintop finish or a bunch sprint. There are few riders who can achieve that solo from 80km and each one of them should be lauded and not criticised.. Variety is the spice of life after all.

[@michaelgaryanderson]

I never find an epic attack as boring. While I wouldn't call it exciting, Tadej's bold move is so incredibly impressive that it simply leaves me in awe.

[@JerryAdam]

Why should it be boring to be a witness to an epic athletic performance? That's exactly what I want to see 🙌

[@daniellloyd100]

Playing devil's advocate, I'd say that for anyone that held that opinion, it's because they felt it was a foregone conclusion not long after live coverage started. Agree with you though, that was an incredible performance. Dan

[@derickcastillo9083]

Michael Jordan used tell everyone he was going to score 50 point and there was nothing the opposing team could do to stop him. Muhammed Ali would call the round in which he would knock out his opponent and do it. Tadej Pogacar is an athlete like this. For me, seeing someone this amazing is what sports is all about.

[@Never_Whatever]

The question should never arise if it is boring... only ONE person is able to do this and that is Pog. Maybe the competition is boring because no one is clearly on his level. It was like TdF 2021 stage 8, the way he just dismantled the field on Col de la Colombiere. The ease at which he can do these things is astonishing.

[@daniellloyd100]

I think it's difficult to say whether nobody is on his level, since most of the other big name riders weren't at the race. Would have been interesting to see how different if a Van Aert, Van der Poel, Evenepoel or even a Vingegaard had been there too. Dan

[@Never_Whatever]

@@daniellloyd100 I agree that would have been a lot more intriguing and makes me even more excited for TdF this year. But I must say Pog is a mix of all those riders and that's what makes him so uniquely special. TdF 2022 stage 11 when he was going punch for punch as Roglic and Vingegaard rotated attacks, Pog in yellow defended each time and until he cracked on the final climb. Pog isn't 100% perfect in every category, but you take the best bit from every one of those riders and Pog has that in him.

[@Ken_Adams80]

It was a perfect Saturday... as the result was known early, I was able to get out 2 hours earlier and get on the bike myself

[@garymmx]

Over here in Thailand, I was able to have an early night. As soon as Pog had 30 seconds I was pretty confident and switched off. *FYI was watching SBS on a Sydney VPN

[@waynebarlow6653]

Pogacar attacking so far out isn't boring, in fact, it's quite exciting! What's boring is the 20some odd riders behind him refusing to work together to bring him back. Many individual attacks, no concerted efforts though. It's like everyone else immediately said, second place is the best I can hope for.

[@Jack-pi5we]

That was some crazy tactics, if you can call them that. I kept asking the tv why weren't they working together?

[@stevedouglas3975]

I think attacks like Pogacar are fantastic. Don't foget Froome did similar in Giro.

[@andymckinlay34]

His win is inspirational the lad is a phenomenal athlete. First race first win I wait to see how he goes on the giro / tour this year..

[@Liofa73]

I don’t think it’s boring. Love to see these young riders in beast mode.

[@Snarkum]

Pogacar is never boring, it's a treat to watch perhaps the finest rider ever at work. Of course it would be more exciting if let's say Van Der Poel and Vingegaard was chasing behind, but that is for another race. I would be boring if one rider was extremely dominant and did this in every race, but that is not the case in today's exciting cycling.

[@oivindreklev1462]

You are becomin a James O'Brien of cycling... if that makes sense. Bloody brilliant

[@Ambra2006]

No matter who is the first one to win or the last one who crossed the finish line, bike race is never boring! This is one of the toughest sport to do professionally, everyone deserves the greatest respect for the participation👍

[@fabianporst5847]

The biggest issue here was that for some reason Discovery decided to only show the last 90 or so kilometres. By then the race was nearly over. If we'd seen it from the start it would have been 10x more entertaining.

[@daniellloyd100]

Hi Fabian. RCS only produce the last 100km or so, Discovery took all that was available from the host broadcasters. I think most of us would rather see this race in full than Milan Sanremo to be honest. Dan

[@michaelgriffiths305]

Early season opener for Pogacar without a big rival. We don’t like to think that because it’s Strade Bianche and we like Pidcock…but when did Pidcock last beat Pogacar in a one day race? LBL 2023…when Pogacar fell off. Yes Pogacar was mindful of the opposition but Tom Pidcocks post race interview suggests Pogacar didn’t necessarily fear the opposition. How relevant were they to him? The fact he put 2mins into them in 6 miles (10km) suggests once they came off the sector his opposition backed off to regroup. They had psychologically been blown away as well as physically. This wasn’t free time but he gained time through the others re grouping as much as through his own power. Incredible physical performance. That Strava sector is frightening - next level.

[@gregwalker5573]

Watching the race live, I literally told my family this was 'the most boring, high ranking 1-day classic' I could remember for a long time. The 2021 edition was some of the most enthralling racing I have witnessed - the course is amazing to watch and has all the ingredients to be one of the best 1-day races in the year. Curious if the race would have played out differently if Wellens and Del Toro were not with Pogacar when he attacked.

[@mediocrecyclist]

Glad to see I’m not the only one. Waited all year for this race, only for it to be over the moment the cameras began rolling. I wonder how many of the people who said, “it wasn’t boring” actually watched the race. Not denying it’s one of the most impressive things I’ve seen, but I would rather the top riders in the sport duke it out on the final climb. The women’s race on the other hand was enthralling.

[@kestralrider313]

I loved watching Pogocar's dominance; I feel like I'm getting to watch an era of cycling history as it happens. Tadej has been my favorite cyclist to watch since 2020, but I have always avoided equating his or Marianne Voss' dominance to Merckx; neither has dominated to his degree, at least during his peak years.

[@daniellloyd100]

I'd argue that with the current level of pro cyclists in general, Pogacar's results the last few years could be argued to be even more impressive than Merckx's.

[@fibonazzi]

I fully understand the mixed sentiment behind this type of victory. I think one of the factors that was not explored in the video was how fundamentally different a one-day race is from winning a stage of a grand tour. The last 80km attack I remember vividly was the spectacular one performed by Chris Froome on the Colle delle Finestre in the Giro D'Italia 2018 (stage 19 I believe). If you lost it, go look it up! In that occasion, everything was more exciting because although the stage victory was in the bank way before the finish line, there were still many questions unanswered. Will he be able to take the Maglia Rosa? How much will Domoulin lose? These kind of feats on a one day race are inevitably less televisingly exciting, because the only other competition for Pogačar was the peloton. Not the time, not a rival in the GC. And once it was clear that the competition had been pulverized, then the only thing left to watch was a 80km long walkway to the finish line. From a mere narration and story-telling point of view, it's like if the apex of the movie was 30 mins into the start with 1h30' of happily ever after. Too much, isn't it? But, who cares? Cycling is not a show, it's not entairtainment. In this case, it's history. Long Live Pogačar and his 81k attacks!

[@carlthorellstein53]

I’ve often said that watching cycling is a bit like watching radio; and that’s not a bad thing. I’m absolutely stunned at the audacity and power of these riders, especially over many hours. Fighting to the line is fun and exiting, and many races are like that, but I think it would be a shame to attempt to homogenize the whole calendar to achieve that for every race. Myths are created on the long, daring rides, and I wouldn’t go without

[@permerte5118]

You can say what you want, it is boring. Turning the TV on and the race is already done. Same as Evepoels solo rides etc. I like Pogi for always attacking and doing unusual things. The problem is, that they so far ahead of everyone else which is strange. With all the science and professionalism you'd think the gaps at the top are getting closer and more riders could win.

[@mickrendell2243]

This solo attack was captivating and I'd rather watch some try to win rather sit in the bunch for 90% and then losing to other followers. TP RE & MVP never let the fear of losing stopping them trying to win. Boring is sitting in a bunch watching your rivals and I often fast forward if no one is trying to do something.

[@icurt06]

Classics should be covered start to finish. Too much is missed leading up to the big moments in the race. I hope the networks don't ruin Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix

[@rkentwenger5095]

I think epic attacks are pretty cool -- I'm thinking back to the '86 Tour where Hinault made a huge attack and gained 4-5 minutes, then attacked again the next day, blew up, and lost almost all of it... I wouldn't want every race to go that way, but as far as I'm concerned it's way more interesting than a lot of sprint stages.

[@timc9619]

I am an American who is about to turn 40. I have been watching cycling since before Lance. In my opinion what seemed to change this modern landscape of racing is the pandemic. When cycling resumed, it was unclear how long it would last. So everyone tried their hardest to take their wins. This leads to more attacking and more fun to watch. Hearing Tadej say he is going to attack and then successfully pulling it off isn't boring, it's amazing. Yes, we knew who would win, but the race for the podium was also amazing. I got to watch Toms in person at the Tour of California when he was just coming into the pro ranks and I can't believe he had that kind of luck and still pulled off second. I hope the rest of this year keeps up this pace. RIP GCN+ you are already missed.

[@daniellloyd100]

Thanks for the comment Tim. I certainly prefer watching this current crop of superstars, who are willing to lay it all on the line, than the previous era where it seemed to be so controlled and 'safe'.

[@peterhowe-si8fg]

Pogi was great. Legendary in fact. But. Race was effectively over with 75 km left. Is he that much better or did the rest give up too soon and race for second? I do not know but I did not stay glued to the screen of the mens race. I did stay with the women’s for the whole race. Women’s race was not as legendary but was more interesting. Suspense is good. When broadcast did not start til half way and men’s race over with 75 or so left, it was exciting, briefly.

[@tasty_fish]

It’s not boring - yet. If it carries on like this then yes, it will be. Like F1 during the MacLaren turbo years and Man Utd in the Premiership. Well, for me it did. Can think of worse times in cycling (loved Sky, but exciting it was not), but missing the ‘glory years of the late 1980s’.

[@spencerdow262]

I found Pogacar’s attack and race brilliant and entertaining! I have been watching bike racing for 15 years. I find that kind of racing more entertaining than just another sprint finish to win by 1/3 of a wheel.

[@songofyesterday]

Seeing human potential that high is an inspiration! In awe and deserve a standing ovation at my TV😂

[@rskof]

Pogačar our pride and joy. He is now in his prime as a cyclist.

[@mbdelker]

The thrill at that point is the suspense of whether or not he’ll blow up going solo for that long!! And seeing if anyone is willing/able to mount a ride to bring them back!! I think races that the whole peloton is together until the final sprint are far more boring!

[@petertetrault7660]

As an avid bike fan of over 40 years, I find any pro bike race (or almost any bike race) exciting. This was fun to watch. The dominance is impressive. But it is getting a bit boring watching this lately. Although a race like last years men’s world was so impressive with the 1:37” win by van der Pool and the design of the course.

[@MortenProm]

Strade Bianche was boring, I skipped over the last 70km... But all the kudos to Pogačar, impressive!

[@J.S.Weimer-qw3xk]

I've been watching bicycle racing since the 90's, and I'm not bored by any of it!

[@daniellloyd100]

Glad to hear it!

[@kingymusic]

Super impressive from Pog but I don't understand why there seems to be a consensus that an 80km attack is unheard of? Chris Froome did it in the 2018 Giro on stage 19 and was down on GC against both Yates and Dumoulin (by c.3mins) so his attack wasn't boring at all and completely flipped the race on its head.

[@mstrasser]

The race was boring. Absolutely beautiful, insanely impressive, and great to watch, but boring. It was decided like 10min after coverage started 😂If we saw more of the pre-attack it would have been much more exciting. So would I take this every race? Nah. But seeing what Pog can do when he gives it, I'm still not bored of it (yet). The Women's was amazing though so on the whole I had my cake and ate it too.

[@keithevans7996]

Not sure why people are finding Pogs performance unusual. Remember in 2022 he left everybody behind in Strada Bianca 50 km from the finish and finished alone. Valverde came in second a minute later. I imagine Pog was thinking about that victory in this years race and thinking I've done it before so I can do it again and he did.

[@johnkinder9041]

Yes, I should have said that. I thought you were well balanced with your comments. Keep up the good work. Wish I could watch decent highlights though - I really miss GCN+ race highlights 😢

[@TheJongmanlee]

Nothing wrong nor felt boring. Poggy just needed better contenders. Big respect for his desparate effort and swear during the winter camp. I just want to spread all the best GCs in different teams, in that aspect this season should be better than last year's Jumbos tri victories.

[@seanpotter5414]

The ‘Merckx’ point is a valid one … well said. I hadn’t looked at his victory that way, and we revere the famous Belgian for his many. Generally though, I find the whole spectacle less of a spectacle these days. And the bikes … they all look the same. Bit like the riders really.

[@badsamaritansofficial6704]

I mean pogi provides some pretty awesome stuff of legend throughout the year so I would say he deserves a "boring" legendary win every once in a while. If one of the other great 3 was there (wva or mvdp) it might have been more exciting to watch so can't blame him for them not competing

[@andyl9428]

It's nice to see UAE start to develop strength as a team. A chance to match up to J-LaB in grand tours so Pog isn't competing against 4 or 5 riders. Also, not sure you can call a guy who tells you he is going for it boring when he then goes for it!

[@danielhenegan5438]

For those of you who follow US NBA basketball, Tadej’s attack from 81 km out most closely resembles Larry Bird’s calling his shots to his opponents before he nailed them, or Muhammad Ali’s calling the round he would dismiss his victim. Confidence, not arrogance. I love watching masters practice their trades!

[@petergrimoldby2965]

With pogacar putting his name down for this quasi-monument this could've been quite an exciting race had any of the galacticoes (evenapoel, roglic, and most importantly Vingegaard put their names down).With it being such a hilly route it would have been a one day race that Vingegaard might have won, but he tends to avoid these sort of races for fear that he may not. In terms of lack of excitement, I don't actually agree. Yes, there was no real battle for first, but throughout the race I wondered whether pogacar might crack, and the audacious attacks from the second and *in particular) third place riders was a sight to behold. Ballsy move Leaving big names like mohoric and pidcock in their wake. They certainly grabbed our attention.

[@aglees2b]

What will be interesting is how tactics like this translate to the other classics & GTs.

[@karsten27027]

Master class performance is never boring.

[@Jack-pi5we]

It would have been boring if Pogacar was the only rider the cameras focused on for 80km. Fortunately they kept an even focus on him and the rest of the riders which gave us something to watch and the commentators something to talk about. I do prefer actual competition as opposed to outright dominance when it comes to race finishes, such as bunch or reduced bunch sprints vs a solo finish because they are more exciting. But to see Pogacar tell the reporter pre-race when he was going to attack (which none of us really believed) and to watch him actually do it AND run away with it was pretty spectacular. Nathan van Hooydonck was talking during the broadcast about was is smart to go so hard and early in this race and how this effort from Pogacar could affect him the rest of the season. I agree that it could hinder a rider to a degree but Pogacar isn't just any rider. Time will tell. Last year many said he burned himself out before the TdF and was why he wasn't as dominant. This year he's riding the Giro and the Tour. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

[@michaelcurzon7054]

Not boring. Refreshing for a change of tactics. The Pod bet on himself (as did his team) and came up a winner. It could have gone the other way as no one really knows everyone's early season form or how committed they are. You commented that some team supporters switch of and leave a competition early because the result seems obvious. The opposing comment is if everyone uses the same late attack strategy then why watch the first 80 % of the race. I watch cycling because the modality is awesome (anything on 2 wheels is) and the fight of the human spirit is inspiring. Bring it on and lets mix it up.

[@marcusbaker2523]

I thought the race was superb. Pogi told everyone when he would attack and when that time came... he did and that was awesome. What would be deemed "boring" was how little of the peloton was left to do anything. His attack was great but it didn't look like he made much of an effort. When you look at the numbers both mph and watts; it tells a much different story. Personally, I think it is fantastic when a rider is so much on top of their game, they just dominate and it has been a while since we have seen anything similar. Kuss tried but then couldn't hang and ended up dropping out. Several riders had already bowed out for one reason or another. Pogi's solo was so amazing because of how easy he made it look and for how much fun he was having. The seriousness of cycling took a backseat for a while and we saw a true champion with charm and a smile... something I bet the fans along the side of the road really enjoyed. Let's not overlook how much of a strong performance second place Skujins showed despite crashing once and flatting twice (or so that's what I read) One rider's sheer dominance doesn't make the sport boring but shows we are in for an incredible season. Kudos for great coverage and commentary from the lot of you.

[@torbenfrlund5964]

Cycling is more exiting than ever before, but this years Strade Bianche was an exception. Phenomenal performance by Pogacar, but a bit boring to watch for 2 hours, it would have been a more interesting race with all the big names on the start line.

[@JustJosh07]

It’s the opposite of boring. Watching someone completely out-perform some of the best in the world, in the manner that he did, was amazing

[@abikeesclerosada]

I didn't see the race on tv, however, the fans were cheering. A long attack is always exciting. There is a simple solution, add 10 kg at his bike, maybe some of the riders could follow him. As for me, I enjoy watching Pogacar racing!!!

[@decoyr6122]

It was amazing, Never boring seeing someone push the peloton

[@claire2088]

how can you call this boring? The attack was insane, and yeah in retrospect the result looks like a given from 80km out, but no one was sure if it was even possible to do that sort of attack. Pog has since said that promise to attack then was a joke because it was a ridiculous idea 😂but he was on the road, on the day and realised 'this is where I can make a difference'. I love his style of riding, it's the antithesis to the mechanical way sky rode, treating riders like machines and running everything on power numbers like it's some bizarre video game.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

What‘s boring is that nobody even tries and there is never cohesion. In that situation, it would have been crucial to first drop the other UAEs and then get it rolling.

[@zachrydouglas808]

Boring is the lazy crowd. To watch the best overall cyclist dominant his competition is otherworldly. He's been my favorite rider since he was on the scene. This is what racing should be if you can do it 🐐

[@charliemoorcroft1370]

I know GCN+ no longer exists, but are there not going to be any highlights after races on the KZbin channel?

[@mamaymay8259]

Personally, I don't think it's boring - it's not the top most entertaining race I've ever watched but it is freaking impressive and I did enjoy it. What I do think is funny though are some people viciously defending this as not boring while being the first to call Vingegaard's performance at Gran Camino a snoozefest. Pick a line and stick to it.

[@stevenagy7152]

Gosh, what oh what could cycling have done? Oh yeah, have shown the women’s race from km 0 through to the end. Dramatic and tactical, and worth a full view. Such a limited perspective, and presented by GCN no less.

[@ianrod1969]

Is it just me or does this season has a sense of inevitability about it? - the Jonas, Pog, Rog & Remco show. I haven't subscribed to Discovery+ after being a GCN+ subscriber from day 1, even though the offer in the UK is pretty good. Watching race highlights on KZbin, and the GCN KZbin legacy content like this (while it lasts) is freeing up a lot of time, and mercifully Carlton free. Much like Sean I'm too long in the tooth to get my head round anything much bar Men's Pro road; & honestly the thought of having unrestricted access to thousands of hours of Eurosport multi-sports with the Olympics looming, fills me with dread. I hope Zaslav and the bean counters who've decided that the plan 'has to be' streamlining all the WBD sports brands are looking closely at the numbers. Bundling multi-sports like Cycling with marquees like Soccer, NBA or NFL in the hope of gaining subscribers - like back in the halcyon day of cable/satellite - is all well and good. But there is such a thing as too much choice, so I'm guessing I'm not the only one ducking out. There's only a limited number of hours in the day.

[@wanderingboy8271]

Witnessing a rider of utter dominance and telling his rivals what he would is not boring at all, it’s a lesson learned to DS’s and riders alike but the casual fan will think it’s boring because they weren’t entertained. I can remember when you got 5 mins on World of Sport at the tour!!! I will say that if past winners don’t deem it worthy of having it on their program it will never be a monument, they’d never miss MSR RVV or Roubaix 45 mins of ‘Banter’ before the action started was pretty boring though, I’d rather watch the racing

[@LIFE_ToBeContinued]

Of course, we'd rather see a scrap for the line, 1 on 1 or more, but this was just so, so impressive! I'm a little torn to be honest.

[@kevinthurlow5593]

A lot of people saying Pogi's demolition job at SB was *not* boring on here - but the total lack of suspense from 80km out suggests otherwise from my perspective. I think people can safely say that it was impressive, historic, shocking AND (as a spectacle) dull, dull, dull. These things aren't mutually exclusive, so we don't have to be enthralled, nor should we supress a criticism, just because one rider's streets ahead of everyone else. That said, some can still find the setting of records 'exciting' in and of itself - though I offer that assessment only because people seem to be saying as much, rather than because I agree (that view is foreign to me). The race for the other places was interesting, so I thought SB (as a whole) offered some intrigue to keep eyeballs on screens.

[@rubevaughn]

It's not boring but having been a fan for the last 30 some odd years it does feel very reminiscent. And makes me a bit nervous for the sport.

[@thomashill5042]

Off topic, but is World of Cycling one of the casualties of the terrible restructuring of Discovery/WB? I haven't heard anything about it coming back or going away.

[@antsmands]

Pogacar's attack was indeed epic without MVDP in the race; just my 2 cents.

[@NETHERFALLZ]

I think cycling will be from here on out like the grand tours last year. Pedal to the metal from start.

[@evadita8183]

Guess Tadej can skip team meetings as he is basically a one man army.😂

[@Liofa73]

His team did a lot of work for him before the TV coverage started.

[@JHBEM]

why is it that despite there being occurrence of the premature celebration every year that teams / riders aren't told to wait until you cross the line to celebrate in group finish situations (no matter how large or small)? surely encouraging riders to visualise a 'celebration line' a few metres beyond the finish line and embed that into team and rider mentality would help teams/riders not lose out on the line due to premature celebrations?

[@eduardoschneider2010]

More than exciting it’s historic. It’s never happening again. How can you even think it’s boring?

[@bikeskimawk670]

Racing is racing! There's no script. Riders race for themselves, not for the spectators. This race was not boring.

[@yellowquantum4240]

I have been watching bike races since 10 yrs old . I raced crits from 11 to 24 in USA. Pogi Sienna bonanza i founded weird and predictable kind of a Floyd Landis kind of thing. I am with MIT education and quantum mechanics is like AI. Energy can be a wave , that's why Anti-matter sells at $65 trillion a gram. Pogi is to good to be true it seems...😊

[@dafyddoasis]

It could be worse, don't you remember the team Sky train, back in the day?

[@denisspratt926]

I don´t understand why the cycling community keep celebrating or comparing riders to Mercx the way they do. He was caught and suspended for using drugs 2 times. Who knows how many times he actually used it since there was hardly any real testing back then. If we're gonna talk about how good he was we also has to talk about the drug use he did.

[@michaelratcliff8634]

About 10 or 12 years back, Tom Boonen attacked 50K out at Paris Roubaix and was never caught. Very boring race to watch but nonetheless impressive.

[@gbart981]

No replays on HBO Max? If you miss the live show, tough luck? We want GCN+ back, you at least knew how important that was!

[@jimgruenewald4745]

Not sure why there are no replays on your max channel. I watch replays all the time on max.

[@gbart981]

I have the $10 version. Maybe that's it. The womens race was listed, but not the mens Strada. Thanks for your reply, maybe it's only me.

[@stevekruchell6012]

I found the result somewhat boring but still enjoyed the race. I enjoy watching the rest of the race.

[@marcdaniels9079]

Boring was the Sky Train with Froomy. 😮

[@krtybee]

C'mon why are you not covering the paris nice or other stages/race, I'm waiting for this channelll this is the best to do it❤❤❤

[@gbart981]

After looking at the stats, one must realize that the chasers didn't give up, you were simply watching a rider having the fastest ride that could be ridden that day or any other.

[@chancell0r_djs4]

We no longer have a david Walsh to ask the questions about a not normal ride. Tadej is on some new peds that other team doctors don't have

[@markmastoras1976]

Not boring simply because this was so unique , it has never happened and may never happen again

[@wallacegrooms7791]

Boring? No. Watching a legend? Yes. Not everyone was able to see the likes of a Merckx break away so being around to see the likes of this... Incredible.

[@gcnracing]

true moment of cycling history 🙌

[@richardpiotrowski1043]

TP dominating wasn't boring.... I don't know why I got up early for Stage 2 of Paris - Nice...that was a snooze-fest...

[@automat8]

Can't be boring Dan. Gotta attack.

[@rikkshow]

Maybe not boring...yet. But twenty wins later in the future and even the most cycling enthusiasts will think it is boring. Yes, like Merckx.

[@Lockeness86]

It was boring. Once he had a gap on Santa Maria, you knew the race was over. I’m glad I tuned into the women’s race, which was much much better

[@torbenfreytag9093]

I rider with a punch like Pog can never be boring. I rather look at races with one punchy rider then a boring team controling a race from start to finish.

[@hmwelch99]

Well, in one sense, boring. But, also something to marvel at that no team or group could even begin to chase him down in such an important race. Wow.

[@timjohncarpenter]

Not boring, but a good excuse to go to bed early (Australian time zone) as it was clearly all over.

[@voiceless00]

He blew the race up dominantly. Not boring.

[@stevekruchell6012]

I was disappointed on the Max stream. The live coverage didn't start until after Pogacar had broke away around 70k to go. The replay didn't have much pre-race scenes and the was no coverage of the podium. Wth? If you don't enjoy it, don't watch.

[@seriousstuff50]

I think its the new exciting form of cycling....

[@zazzleman]

No matter which sport, we seem to have progressed to a point where a freak of skill owns the sport. Amazing considering the billions of people on the planet.

[@nevakos24]

Loved it!

[@tariqmaruf]

Why did you cover the men's race before the women's race?