Bicycle Racing Thread 2013
- Thread starter The Boy
- Start date
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
I'm not sure that tactics had much to do with it. Froome and Porte were just a lot stronger than anyone else. It was entertaining to watch, but I really hope that we aren't going to get race after race of this all season long.
Nice to see De Gendt win the stage in Catalunya.
Nice to see De Gendt win the stage in Catalunya.
It might seem a little churlish after such a dominant display, but SKY have always been, imo, tactically inept. When it comes to strategy there's nobody can hold a light to them, but when it comes to making the right call when the race breaks up they don't seem all that on the ball tbh.
It's the reason I'm not convinced that "Project Classics" is gonna be all that useful - their riders were already among the strongest in the peloton, it's just that they did silly things like making Flecha ride for EBH at P-R last year.
See also: the stage to Fuente De at last year's Vuelta.
It's the reason I'm not convinced that "Project Classics" is gonna be all that useful - their riders were already among the strongest in the peloton, it's just that they did silly things like making Flecha ride for EBH at P-R last year.
See also: the stage to Fuente De at last year's Vuelta.
Shit. Was trying to follow three races at once yesterday and switched Catalunya off when it was obvious that Lopez had the stage wrapped up. Apparently it wasn't so obvious. Nice to see De Gendt get a win - he's a bit of a good egg.
Three days of De Panne starts tomorrow and, as far as I can tell the following sprinters are all taking part:
Cavendish, Sagan, Viviani, Greipel, Dehaes, Cooke, Bazayev, Guarnieri, Kristof, Demare, Ferarri, Kittel, Veelers, Markus, Van Hummel, Chicchi, Modolo, Van Staeyen, Ciolek, Voss, Napolitano.
Add in a bit of wind and rain and it could be messy.
Cavendish, Sagan, Viviani, Greipel, Dehaes, Cooke, Bazayev, Guarnieri, Kristof, Demare, Ferarri, Kittel, Veelers, Markus, Van Hummel, Chicchi, Modolo, Van Staeyen, Ciolek, Voss, Napolitano.
Add in a bit of wind and rain and it could be messy.
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
Yeah, one of those riders everyone likes to see get a stage, not that I've anything against Lopez. Lopez got caught by the other three escapees late on and then De Gendt walloped them all in the sprint.
By the way, is there any chance you could let us know in advance if you are planning on transferring anyone else off your fantasy team just before any more big races?
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
Not impressed by Sagan apparently groping a podium girl. It's a fucking embarrassing enough institution without that.
Sigmund Fraud
893 all the way.
Straw poll: who thinks Chinny and Sagan are clean? I've been in the too good to be true frame of mind about Sagan since the start of the season. Cancellara's ride yesterday was otherworldly. I reckon they're both have comprehensive 'medical backup'. Of course, I have no evidence.
There are enough rumours around Canc for me to have him in the "probably" list.
Sagan, though, has been pretty fucking spectacular since he first came on the scene as a 19(?) year old and this season just seems like a natural progression of what has gone before. He *is* ridiculously strong though - possibly strong enough to file under "maybe".
Sagan, though, has been pretty fucking spectacular since he first came on the scene as a 19(?) year old and this season just seems like a natural progression of what has gone before. He *is* ridiculously strong though - possibly strong enough to file under "maybe".
I thought Voeckler's first stage win at last year's TdF was a comedy slo-mo sprint, but today's stage at Pais Vasco put it to shame 
. Nice win for Henao, and I imagine Betancur has secured his place as first choice for the hilly classics. Really nice ride by Diego Ulissi too - he's shaping up into a really promising rider.
. Nice win for Henao, and I imagine Betancur has secured his place as first choice for the hilly classics. Really nice ride by Diego Ulissi too - he's shaping up into a really promising rider.
Sigmund Fraud
893 all the way.
Fair play to you for responding - I fear the deafening silence of the UCI/PatnHein/LA case is providing us all a convenient way to carry on as normal and beleive suddenly everyone is credible and clean.
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
I think the best we can hope for at the moment is "cleaner". Oxygen vector doping involves a lot more effort for a lot less reward nowadays. But that certainly doesn't mean it has disappeared. And there are other ways to dope too, albeit less effective than meddling with your blood.
As an aside, the final climb today was notably slow by comparison with previous race finishes at the same place. Although, the terrible weather conditions and tough stage beforehand presumably effected that statistic.
Nigel Irritable
Five, Ten, Fifteen Years
The problem with betting on Paris Roubaix this year is that (a) there's a prohibitive favourite and (b) nobody really sticks out amongst the next ten or fifteen riders as being particularly better than the rest. Although you can get some decent odds on some of them, like Pozzato (50-1) or Vanmarcke (150-1? Is he injured or something?).
The most likely scenario, obviously, is that Cancellara just smashes everyone else, but even aside from the possibility of a crash or a badly timed mechanical, there are quite a few ways he can lose this. The key is that the teams with strength in depth (BMC, OPQS most importantly, but also Sky, Garmin, etc) get fringe contenders up the road and that nobody helps RSNT at all. Cancellara has a stronger team than he's sometimes had, but with him as the only real favourite there's no reason for anyone else to help them at all.
There's also a small possibility that someone with a real sprint can hold Cancellara's wheel, even without Sagan or Boonen there. Perhaps Kristoff or Roelandts or Hushovd. He's not really a sprinter, but I'd also fancy Phinney to take Cancellara in a sprint if Fabian somehow fails to dislodge him.
The most likely scenario, obviously, is that Cancellara just smashes everyone else, but even aside from the possibility of a crash or a badly timed mechanical, there are quite a few ways he can lose this. The key is that the teams with strength in depth (BMC, OPQS most importantly, but also Sky, Garmin, etc) get fringe contenders up the road and that nobody helps RSNT at all. Cancellara has a stronger team than he's sometimes had, but with him as the only real favourite there's no reason for anyone else to help them at all.
There's also a small possibility that someone with a real sprint can hold Cancellara's wheel, even without Sagan or Boonen there. Perhaps Kristoff or Roelandts or Hushovd. He's not really a sprinter, but I'd also fancy Phinney to take Cancellara in a sprint if Fabian somehow fails to dislodge him.
