Pogačar conquers one of the most famous climbs of all," Ned Boulting roars. "Tadej Pogačar takes a bow in front of the Italian fans. What a victory, he will be in the maglia rosa tomorrow." The crowd outside below Santuario di Oropa is at fever pitch, the commentary box windows muffling the roar. Next to Ned, Matt Stephens is on his feet, watching the Slovenian ride over the finish line, physically about 30m away, several seconds ahead of the monitors in front of them. Very meta. "What a win, a difficult situation he turned around. This man is on a different level," Matt says into his headphone mic.
This is the briefest snippet that the listeners heard during the finale of stage 2 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia from two of the finest commentators in the game, but there's an awful lot that you don't see. The headphones on their ears, carrying occasional countdowns from a producer into pre-recorded route spots and segues. The laptop screens with Pro Cycling Stats open, a reference book and the array of color-coordinated, highlighted notes in front of them.
The yoghurt pot, empty espresso cup and bottle of water, sipped sparingly: Boulting has not been to the toilet for the last five hours.
Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av Cycling Plus UK.
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Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av Cycling Plus UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Air Apparent - Pollution hasn't gone away. It's still there in every lungful, even if we can't see it in the air or on the news. But there are reasons to breathe easier, thanks to pioneering projects using cycling 'citizen scientists'. Rob Ainsley took part in one...
The toxic effects of pollution have been known about for years. 'Just two things of which you must beware: Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air!' sang 1960s satirist Tom Lehrer.Over recent decades, though, pollution has dropped down our list of things to worry about, thanks to ominously capitalised concerns such as Climate Change, AI, Global Conflict, Species Collapse, etc. That doesn't, unfortunately, mean the problem has expired. Air quality often exceeds safe limits, with far-reaching and crippling effects on our health.
No limits
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UNBOUND UNLEASHED
Josh Patterson was one of 34 starters for the inaugural edition of Unbound in 2006. Now, with more than 5,000 riders taking part in today's event, he charts the rise of the most important race in gravel
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GOLD RUSH
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