Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 03/28/2015 10:41 AM |
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With Cancellara out, this shakes things up a bit, but it's not like he was riding super strong at the moment either. So with him out, and Boonen, who do you like in Flanders and Paris Roubaix?
I like Stybar and Kristoff, these are the most obvious, but Thomas is looking good, Van Amaermat just needs some luck, Boom is also looking decent. Vansumerren looks good. Sagan's head is not there, but maybe he can pull it together, keep Tinkoff's head from exploding?
It's kind of wide open really
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Oldfart
Posts:511
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| 03/28/2015 12:44 PM |
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| Sagan certainly has the physical talent but lacks the maturity and mental skills. Sometimes he seems to waste energy too early, follows too long plus I think the Peleton has figured him out and he gets rope-a-doped. Stybar, Thomas and all the others you mentioned are looking good. |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 03/28/2015 04:14 PM |
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Sucks that he's out.
Back to Belgians, no?
Not quite on topic but was great that for one day Ben King got a day in the sun. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 03/28/2015 06:24 PM |
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Gilbert should reconsider riding Flanders. This may be the opening he needs plus he's on form.
I actually think Sagan is finally maturing tactically this year (his ride in MSR was good; there were just better sprinters) but now physically something seems off. E3 was unreal how he went backwards.
Vanmarke will be a force if he can finally get some luck; flats and broken cleat have held him back. Sky and Ettix have the depth of teams to control the coming races; BMC is looking good. |
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Hoshie
Posts:134
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| 03/30/2015 10:20 PM |
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Stybar or Thomas for Flanders. Kristoff or Stybar for Roubaix. Sep VanM dark horse for Roubaix. He seems a little off but perhaps he will come in at the right time.
I'd like to see Wiggins really fly at Roubaix and it could happen especially if it's a dry day, but I think Stybar has been on fire for a bit so if he isn't spent by then, I think he could have a real break thru at one of the big two coming up.
j |
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Red Tornado
Posts:159
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| 03/31/2015 09:27 AM |
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In no particular order....
De Ronde: Terpstra, Kristoff, Thomas, van Avermaet, Vanmarcke, Sagan
Paris-Roubaix: Stybar, Terpstra, Vanmarcke, Kristoff, Thomas, Degenkolb, Boom
Would like to see Vanmarcke take one of the monuments; I think he's due. Always liked the guy...
Got Sagan in the mix for De Ronde but I just don't know about him lately. Seems like he's not enjoying racing. Wonder why?  |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 04/02/2015 07:36 PM |
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| No way in hell (as in Hell Of The North) to predict who will win this race..... |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 04/05/2015 10:09 AM |
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| Pretty good calls by Red Tornado on the Ronde. |
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 04/06/2015 09:45 AM |
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| yup, Kristof has been on fire, and you know Terpstra was going to be right there, P-R is gonna be good I have a feeling, now if we could just get some rain, make it a real epic |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 04/06/2015 10:34 AM |
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| if you remember who won last year (I had to google it) Niki Terpstra, he placed 6th in the (2014) Tour Of Flanders, he was not considered a contender. Just saying you can't predict who will win...Cancellara would have made it interesting though.....for info nbcsports is supposed to air P-R although it has not shown up on my Dish Network guide yet... |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 04/06/2015 12:04 PM |
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| well, stupid me, out to lunch as usual...Terpstra came in 2nd for this years Tour Of Flanders..so I think he might have a shot.... |
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Red Tornado
Posts:159
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| 04/06/2015 02:00 PM |
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Posted By Stefan Eckardt on 03/31/2015 09:27 AM
In no particular order....
De Ronde: Terpstra, Kristoff, Thomas, van Avermaet, Vanmarcke, Sagan
Paris-Roubaix: Stybar, Terpstra, Vanmarcke, Kristoff, Thomas, Degenkolb, Boom
Would like to see Vanmarcke take one of the monuments; I think he's due. Always liked the guy...
Got Sagan in the mix for De Ronde but I just don't know about him lately. Seems like he's not enjoying racing. Wonder why? Sticking with my picks for P-R, but I've got a "?" over Kristoff at this point. Not sure if P-R really suits him as well as de Ronde and some of the other races. I wouldn't be surprised to see Paolini (if he rides) maybe take a shot.
Still would like to see Sep get a big one, though. I constantly find myself pulling for him. He will be motivated after this past weekend's flop.
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/06/2015 02:12 PM |
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I dunno....I would say PR suited him better than De Ronde, so I'm guessing he is the 5 Star favorite for next weekend. Now, that usually leads to some heavy negative racing in PR, so his chances may be limited unless SKY & ETIXX decides to ride aggressively instread of responding to Katusha's moves.
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Habanero
Posts:257
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| 04/06/2015 09:12 PM |
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| It really would have been interesting to see how Flanders played out if Cance and Boonen had been in there to tangle with Kristoff. I am going with Kristoff for Roubaix because he excels the longer and harder the race is. There are plenty others who may be tipped for success in Roubaix, but Kristoff's form is incredible at the moment. |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 04/06/2015 09:28 PM |
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| Notice the fans standing behind the barricades holding little signs that read "Go Cancellara" (or something like that). Guess they had no clue that he was out of the race....... |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/06/2015 09:35 PM |
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HAB!!!!
Welcome back! |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Habanero
Posts:257
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| 04/06/2015 09:54 PM |
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| Thanks CK!!! I've missed you all!! |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/07/2015 11:35 AM |
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Zoot - Cancellara has an active fan club in Belgium; they were going to wave those signs regardless.
CK - Kristoff indicated he's always liked Flanders better than Roubaix where he said he suffers more.
As commentary said, we better get used to these races without Cance or Boonen as they are both at retirement age; the fact that they were not there is a sign of changing times, simple as that.
No mention of Bradley as shortlist for Roubaix? He's been preparing meticulously for this and you know when Wiggo puts his mind to something, he's going to be competitive.
My list: Boom, Terpstra, Wiggins :-) |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/07/2015 12:12 PM |
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Yeah, I keep reading more & more people saying that Kristoff is better suited for Flanders....dunno. Maybe he just doesn't like the rougher cobbles, but it seems like he has the perfect build for 'em.
I would rank Wiggo as a 3.5 / 4 Star favorite. He is gonna have to have some stuff go right for him. Yeah, his riding style (big motor, doesn't like big changes in accelerations, can TT like a MoFo) suits P-R well, but his weight is gonna work against him. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Red Tornado
Posts:159
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| 04/08/2015 09:57 AM |
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Kristoff's been on fire lately, but P-R is LIKE NO OTHER RACE; it's a completely different level/type of suffering. Based on what I've read and my own personal opinion, I really don't believe P-R suits Kristoff as well as some others. Not saying he won't have a good showing, but I don't look for him to win it. There are too many other riders/teams that have something to prove, so they will try to keep him on a tight leash. He doesn't have the strongest team, besides Paolini, so he could very well be isolated if the other riders play smart tactics.
The only scenario I can see where he would be favored to win (again IMHO) would be if he arrives at the velodrome in a small group and there is a proper sprint. He stands a reasonably good chance of pulling that one off if he hasn't suffered too much on the pave'.
I would look for Paolini to take a shot, actually.
Standing by my other selections for the top spots, in no particular order though. Not picking a top 3 or 5. Too much is left to chance in this race.
Go Sep!! |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/08/2015 10:18 AM |
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Jeez...Kristoff again. Strike while the iron is hot, but I gotta wonder why he is chasing a mid-week victory w/ Roubaix coming up on Sunday.
nasty crash in the last KM. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 04/08/2015 10:28 AM |
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Habanero? No Way!! Welcome Back!!
I would say, Terpstra, and Stybar will be right there, unless Etixx/Quickstep bungles the tactics in P-R like they have in a few races
Kristoff will be there, Wiggo? I don't know, Thomas is strong, but he's being heavily marked now. Could be somebody out of the blue, unexpected, would be cool to see Paolini there, all depends who has the luck on Sunday I would say
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/08/2015 10:52 AM |
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| Good day for Katusha....J-Rod just won the stage in Pais Vasco. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Red Tornado
Posts:159
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| 04/08/2015 02:21 PM |
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Posted By Cosmic Kid on 04/08/2015 10:18 AM
Jeez...Kristoff again. Strike while the iron is hot, but I gotta wonder why he is chasing a mid-week victory w/ Roubaix coming up on Sunday.
nasty crash in the last KM.
Kinda wondered about that, too. I thought he would ride to stay out of trouble and keep the legs loose; kinda biding his time to put the hammer down Sunday. Then again, if the scenario looked good to him I'm guessing he went for it reasoning that who knows how long the streak will last? Get all you can when you can.
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Red Tornado
Posts:159
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| 04/08/2015 02:23 PM |
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Posted By Cosmic Kid on 04/08/2015 10:52 AM
Good day for Katusha....J-Rod just won the stage in Pais Vasco. These last several races will give Makarov (sp?) something to smile about, seeing how the Russian currency is in a nose dive right now....
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 04/08/2015 03:56 PM |
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Katusha has been bringing it lately, love Purito
man, just watched the last 40k of Flanders again, Kristoff is a beast right now, him and Terpstra worked their butts off to keep that gap |
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 04/09/2015 02:52 PM |
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Kristoff is on some form right now.
I am a Terpstra fan so I am going to pick him for the double.
I was most impressed by André Greipel late in Flanders. He got up the hills TOO well. He will be one to watch on a flatter parcours like P-R. I'd get in any break he goes in if I am racing. |
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It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/09/2015 03:32 PM |
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| J-Rod doubles up with today's stage in Pais Vasco. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Keith Richards
Posts:781
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| 04/10/2015 12:41 PM |
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| I would not forget about Luca Paolini. His win at Gent was terribly impressive. |
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| -----
It is his word versus ours. We like our word. We like where we stand and we like our credibility."--Lance Armstrong. |
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pretender
Posts:46
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Gonzo Cyclist
Posts:568
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| 04/13/2015 12:20 PM |
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| bet no one saw Degenkolb winning, but he was second last year. Dude saw his chance, took the chance, made it happen |
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