Is pro racing becoming too boring to watch? – The GCN Show

As the Giro d’Italia gets underway with Tadej Pogačar already taking an early lead over his rivals, there have been a few grumbles among the viewing fraternity that the race is a foregone conclusion and there’s not much point in watching it.

Is there any truth in this though? There’s no denying that riders like Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel are a certain breed of super elite athlete currently crushing records and re-writing the history books. But is this a good for thing for the sport or having a detrimental effect on those who enjoy watching a tense, close race? Si and Hank think it's time to explore.

On the one hand, they argue, if you look at each race in isolation, an 80km solo break by one of these extraordinary riders isn’t as compelling to watch as say, a group battle where the lead changes over multiple periods or there's a final charge to the line. Even though the end result does eventually look incredible in the record books and on the highlight reels, it's perhaps not as enthralling to watch play out over a long period.

Read more: Giro d'Italia: Ranking the top 10 contenders

When we get more of these top names competing at the same race, it does offer a different story though. And maybe we're just not currently experiencing that with the number of injuries to some of the world's best riders. When we've had top name riders in their best form at the Tour de France for example, we've witnessed some great racing.

Perhaps we should be thankful and look on this as a golden age of racing. These are outstanding performances and something we’ll look back on in years to come, as incredible moments in history. We should just enjoy this moment for what is and accept we're privileged to be watching it as it unfolds. And accept that we shouldn't necessarily watch a race from start to finish and expect to be entertained for the entire duration.

As ever, we'd love to know your thoughts on this. Do you think racing has become too predictable and boring. Or do you loving watching the best in the world prove their worth time after time and that actually makes it more interesting than ever? Let us know in the comments below this article.

In other news from the cycling world the guys look at one of the trendiest cycling events on the calendar, the Traka in Girona. This is part of the Gravel Earth series and this year managed to attract some of the top names in Europe, Africa and even some of America’s finest made it over. There were impressive results for Peter Stetina, Karolina Migon, Petr Vakoč and Carolin Schiff who all took victories in their respective classes.

There's also a special edition Bob Marley bike that's caught the eye. This has come about thanks to a collaboration between the Marley Family and State Bicycle Company. It’s a Klunker – a type of mountain bike come beach cruiser with a bit of BMX in the mix – and it features the familiar Rasta-stripe colour way and an interesting special addition frame bag made from hemp. It couldn't be anything else really.

There's also news of an incredible-looking tree top bike path that is being built in Italy and looks like something straight out of the Zwift worlds.

Hack and bodge of the week

A reminder that you can submit your photos for inclusion in a future GCN Show via the new uploader. It’s easier to use than ever but we have full instruction and more info here in case you need it.

First up @purplefeathers showed us the solution to not having any tech to hand when commuting to work. Just add all the necessary details to the side of your helmet in case the worst should happen.

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When there's no tech available you have to go old school and write your details on the side of your helmet, don't you?

Meanwhile @andycranks tell us: ‘An off-leash dog ran in front of me and I crashed my bike. I only had minor scratches but my derailleur hanger was bent. I don't have an alignment tool, but I had an old bolt-on 26" wheel that threads right into the hanger. It seems to be faster than the right tool to use and now everything shifts perfectly!’

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A great bit of ingenuity for a bent derailleur hanger when no alignment tool is available. Possibly?

Finally @samuel_gamester sent us this, which is not of his own making but something he spotted in the wild in Winchester town centre outside the South Downs Social Cafe. Samuel notes that it’s a four bolt on a five crank arm which is perhaps one of a few general concerns here!

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There's all sorts of questions raised by this, not least four bolts on a five crank arm

A quick mention for the clothing that Si and Hank are wearing in this week’s show. If you like the look of them then check out our full limited edition Italian Collection in the GCN shop or on the rail below. Featuring t-shirts, hoodies, water bottles and more, there’s a huge range of clothing to help get you in the mood for the start of this year’s Grand Tour season.

Coming up on the channel this week*

Wednesday 7 May: Alex reveals some interesting Giro d'Italia tech set-ups

Thursday 8 May: The top 10 people you should follow on Strava

Friday 9 May: One piece of advice all commuters should follow, from other commuters

Saturday 10 May: Conor vs Armageddon breakfast - can a ridiculously big breakfast fuel a very long ride?

Sunday 11 May: No pain, what gains? Manon's zone 2 challenge, episode 2

*All channel content is subject to change!

Did you know?

You can now listen to The GCN Show as a podcast. That means you can still get all the insight from the latest episode of the show without actually having to look at Dan and Si at all, if that's ever been an issue for you. Search for 'Global Cycling Network' on your chosen podcast provider.

For all things general news, check out this tab on the GCN website.

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