The 2017 pro cycling season started a few weeks ago in Australia. Caleb Ewan is off to a big start by winning 4 sprint stages over Peter Sagan in the Tour Down Under, while BMC’s Richie Porte won the GC. Over in Dubai, Marcel Kittel won three stages over Mark Cavendish, and was prevented from winning the fourth by being punched in the face. But in that stage, John Degenkolb proved he was back by winning his first race since his injury.

But the “real” cycling season starts in earnest on Saturday with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the first European classic of the season.

Tour Calendar:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_UCI_World_Tour

Biggest news of the offseason was the team moves. Saxobank is no longer, so their two biggest stars had to find new teams. Peter Sagan is with Bora-Hansgrohe and Alberto Contador is with Trek-Segafredo.



Guide to new team kits:



Guide to team bikes. Biggest news in bikes is that Specialized no longer sponsors three teams, only two:

First race this weekend is the Omloop.

In 2015, Etixx Quickstep famously had 3 people in a 4 person breakaway. And still didn't win.



Last year, Van Avermaet started his great 2016 by winning:

The other race this weekend is the more sprinter friendly race, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.

Won in 2015 by Mark Cavendish:



Won in 2016 by Jasper Stuyven in a breakaway.

Nice sprint finish in the Abu Dhabi tour today, featuring a duel between Ewan, Kittel, and Cav. If you're new to cycling, the big guy on the left of the screen is Marcel Kittel, the little guy in the middle is Caleb Ewan, and the guy on the right is Mark Cavendish.

https://gfycat.com/AdorableNextKangaroo

In other Abu Dhabi news, Kittel was in a crash in stage 1 and cut up his competitor with his disc brake. He's no longer using the disc brake. Disc brakes were legalized last year, but later un-legalized because of safety concerns. They are legal again, but looks like most people are avoiding them, again for safety concerns.

Here's the finish to stage 1:

Let us COBBLE

I love the first 2 months of the season, cobbles cycling is the best part of cycling. Hope we get a rainy Paris-Roubaix, after 15 dry years

Happy cobbles day everyone.

Boonen wil attack on the Taaienberg today and the cycling season really will have begun.

Sagan off to a Saganish start with another second place at the Omloop! GVA off to a great start, though. Sagan completely misjudged that last corner.

https://u.nya.is/waqpwl.mp4

5 man break (including Sagan). 4 km to go in KBK.

And Sagan wins with a perfect sprint today from the group of 5.

https://u.nya.is/mwazkr.mp4

Overhead angle:

https://u.nya.is/drcgzq.mp4

Over in Abu Dhabi, Caleb Ewan continues his hot start to the year. Have no idea what happend to Kittel, though. Cav again shows that's not on form yet.

Strade Bianche once again delivered a great show

If it wasn't for history, this race should totally be the 6th monument and have a special place in the calendar instead of the day before the biggest early season stage race

First monument of the year was today and it was epic.

Milan-San Remo

Last climb to 5.5 km left (go to 4:25 of this video to see the big move):

https://u.nya.is/qzwyok.mp4

Last 5.5 km:

https://u.nya.is/ltfjfq.mp4

Finish:

https://u.nya.is/tfjobc.mp4

Thanks Gus!

Sagan is extraordinary. He either wins or determines who does.

We are more than halfway with one of the greatest spring classics now, and not much has happened. Definitely looking forward to the Kapelmuur, which has returned in this edition after a five year absence.

Impressive stuff from Philippe. But what if those three hadn't crashed on the Kwaremont...

Thats the risk you take angleshooting the cobbled sections

Gaviria looks really impressive. Probably the one guy coming through to pick up the baton from some of the veteran sprinters coming to the end of their careers.

Wow Dumoulin.

Gaviria might be the second best sprinter in the world right now. Only Kittel is faster. And we won't know for sure because they are on the same team. (Though I assume Quickstep would put Gaviria in the Tour if he were actually faster than Kittel).


That was amazing. I think he just won the Giro today. He's going to lose time to Quintana. But not enough to blow his huge lead.

He could easily lose 10 minutes on Tuesday. Especially if the mountain goats are racing for massive timegaps. 3 absurd high altitude climbs and he has no team

Yeah, I wouldn't say it's done and dusted, but there is another time trial and I think he's much better equipped to deal with the high mountains than he was at the Vuelta a couple of years ago. I think/hope he'll do it.

I guess we have a open race ****ty last climb for dumoulin

I spoke way too soon. Dumolin's lead is only 31 seconds now. Crappy stage for Dumolin.

EDIT: Allegedly, Dumolin said that his legs were fine and if it weren't for the GI issues, he would have been in contention.

Ugh. Don't like seeing huge chunks of time taken in this fashion.