Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 03/31/2017 08:31 AM |
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Sagan gets his win,GVA comes second....still deciding on third. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 03/31/2017 09:13 AM |
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I think Sagan is mad enough he'll either be smart enough to not tow someone to the line and he'll take the win or he'll be too mad and blow himself to smithereens trying to get a win from too far out.
Tough not to pick GVA to be in the thick of it.
3rd Gilbert
Would love to see Boonen do something
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 03/31/2017 11:52 AM |
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GvA is on fire
Sagan on the podium for sure. |
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Habanero
Posts:257
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| 04/01/2017 11:09 AM |
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| Gilbert - he is on form and has a formidable team. |
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Red Tornado
Posts:159
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| 04/01/2017 12:39 PM |
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| Realistically one of the big 3 will win it, and I'm good with that.
I say Gilbert ftw, GvA 2nd.
Would REALLY like to see Sep take it, tho...... |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 04/01/2017 05:48 PM |
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Boonen goes long because that is his one chance. GVA and Sagan are the only two who can go with him. GVA dogs Sagan and beats him.
I doubt we see this but it would be good to see Boonen go out with a ride we remember. This does appear to be GVA's year.
Ben |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/02/2017 08:53 AM |
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| Gilbert launches on the Kwaremont....long way to go solo methinks. 55K to go... |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 04/02/2017 08:55 AM |
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http://tiz-cycling.racing/live-stream/
Doubt it will stick but cool to watch. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/02/2017 09:01 AM |
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Vanmarke crashes and is outof contention....jersey is shredded on his right shoulder.
Have no idea why he went down...just lost his front wheel. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/02/2017 09:19 AM |
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| Gap continues to grow! Does QS have a stranglehold on the main group? |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/02/2017 09:23 AM |
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| Boonen out with a mechanical at the base of his favorite climb, the Taaienberg. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/02/2017 09:26 AM |
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| Sagan and GVA with strong counter-attack...gap is coming down but they also have Trentin tagging along to mark them for Gilbert. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/02/2017 09:53 AM |
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HOLY CRAP!!!
Looked like it was Sagan that went down first, not the AG2 rider with the blanket / jacket wrapped in his bike. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 04/02/2017 10:06 AM |
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Tough break for Boonen. What was his first mechanical? (I'm just reading the rather incomplete CyclingNews.)
Ben |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/02/2017 10:09 AM |
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| This gap is actually coming down with 3k to go....Gilbert still looks good, but it ain't over. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/02/2017 10:16 AM |
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| Great race and a great win for Gilbert.......impressive to go solo from that far out. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 04/02/2017 10:20 AM |
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At 55k I would have lost the bet on Gilbert making it stick. Chapeau.
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 04/02/2017 10:35 AM |
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Hab called it. The rest is us missed.
What a day for Quick Step. Shows real focus, both all-year; building a team with both the riders and focus and in the race. All day thay had riders in key places who knew exactly what they had to do and were strong enough to do it. (OK, Terpstra couldn't pull off beating Van Avermat. I doubt anyone at Q-S F is crying too much.)
Ben |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 04/02/2017 10:59 AM |
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Damn, Hab. Maybe you should take a break from this forum... Help us keep our egos intact ; )
Good call on Gilbert! |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/02/2017 12:42 PM |
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| Even without the crash, I think Gilbert may have held it. The gap was staying consistent ~50-55" with 18K. Hard to know, but at the end of the day, the crash looks like it was Sagan's fault, so no one to blame but himself. |
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Habanero
Posts:257
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| 04/02/2017 02:22 PM |
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| I had a good feeling about Gilbert because he is on form and when he is he is a monster. Once he was gone I figured he would never be brought back. Even if Sagan and company didn't crash he would have stayed clear. Classy win from a great rider.
Next up - Boonen smashes all comers and arrives in the Roubaix velodrome alone and becomes Mr. Paris Roubaix. |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 04/02/2017 02:26 PM |
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| I like that prediction, Hab. |
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Habanero
Posts:257
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 04/02/2017 07:29 PM |
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From CycingNews "Sagan: Destiny didn't want me to win the Tour of Flanders". Huh?
One of the biggest races of the year. A fact of bike racing every one knows; if you ride inches from the spectators, sooner or later you are going to buy it. To call this "destiny" is to say that Sagan was not strong enough to make inroads on the lead Gilbert had using the less desirable cobbles or (probably windier) right gutter, even knowing that Gilbert has to keep this up 'till the finish but Sagan only 'till he catches Gilbert.
The same goes for GVA and Naesen. Following someone making poor choices is leaving destiny in someone else's hands.
I didn't find Steephill until late in the race. Did Gilbert ride the same gutter?
Ben |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 04/03/2017 11:14 AM |
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| What happened to Boonen? I read somewhere that he crashed three times, but I can't find his name listed in DNF or anywhere else. |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 04/03/2017 11:54 AM |
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| Guess I over looked it. He finished in 37th place. Two mishaps with his chain on two different bikes... |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/03/2017 02:21 PM |
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Looks like it was a spectator' jacket that caused the crash....I thought Sagan clipped the feet of the barrier, but this video seems to indicate it was the jacket.
Regardless, the fault still lies on Sagan....
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sagan-has-final-word-on-tour-of-flanders-crash/ |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/03/2017 03:12 PM |
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Missed the entire thing...out skiing all day.
Few can win Lombardia, Liege and Flanders. There was at some point talk about Cancellara but I always discounted it. Next to impossible for Gilbert to capture the other two monuments (Roubaix and MSR) though so I think this will cap it for him. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/03/2017 04:53 PM |
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Ben - I wouldn't characterize Sagan's line as poor choice. It was a strategic decision (wind) that backfired. This is top end racing. No risks no rewards. Heck, Gilbert's early attack with a slightly different turn of events might have been labelled poor choice in rearview mirror but it is what it was, a risky attack that turned out beautifully.
Good thing I threw my jacket in mud instead of over fence last year on Kwaremont. That jacket incidentally is now probably being worn by a bum in Paris; that is where I lost it. If you see someone with a jacket reading "Wesburn Soccer" on back...it's mine. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 04/03/2017 05:10 PM |
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| OC, at MSR the announcers were telling everybody to keep their hand and arms inside the fence and that selfie sticks are forbidden. The guy whose jacket caught Sagan must be in hiding right now. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 04/03/2017 05:23 PM |
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I've seen several more photos of the crash. That jacket was out there, but not far. Sagan's line was on the outer edge of the dirt. (I couldn't see his actual tire, but in the still from the video footage before the crash you see GVA in the middle of the path and just see Sagan's head well to the left. The view of his front wheel is completely blocked by GVA as seen from the road behind. That's just asking to hit whatever might be out beyond the barrier. On the big in spring at the biggest Belgium classic, betting your race on no spectators being imbibed? Good race strategy?
Yes, lots do it. But it is not "destiny" or "bad luck: when a highly likely event happens.
Edit: Dale, you saw the finish. Easier to monitor than all of the 10 or so climbs at Flanders.
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/03/2017 06:13 PM |
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Posted By Dale Dale on 04/03/2017 05:10 PM
OC, at MSR the announcers were telling everybody to keep their hand and arms inside the fence and that selfie sticks are forbidden. The guy whose jacket caught Sagan must be in hiding right now.
LOL Dale - I stood there last year. What Ben said. I have no patience for poorly placed barriers, errand hands or other stuff on a boulevard like Via Roma but on those cobbled hills it is what it is. Riders chose to take the risk or not. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 04/03/2017 06:45 PM |
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| Yeah, Sagan's misfortune was a different cat than when the big plastic hand sliced Thor's arm or when the gendarme stepped out in front of Jalabert. I'm not saying the fan was blameless but he didn't toss the jacket on Sagan. Sagan just pushed his luck and it didn't pan out. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 04/03/2017 06:45 PM |
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| double post... sorry |
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 04/03/2017 09:00 PM |
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| I was overjoyed at watching Sagan and van A working together to track down Gilbert. Racing is so fickle. |
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Red Tornado
Posts:159
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| 04/05/2017 10:33 AM |
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I say they should purposely place the barriers so it's impossible to ride on the dirt/grass, or even in the gutter if possible. The main attraction of these races, besides seeing who wins, is supposed to be the racers RIDING ON THE COBBLESTONES/PAVE'. So many photos of them riding the gutter or dirt off to the side.
Do I understand why they do it? Yes.
Would I do it myself in those situations if I could? Probably, yes.
Like anyone, they are going to push it as far as the race promoters/jury lets them.
So from my comfortable chair I'm saying let's make the cobbled races what they are and keep the bikes on the cobbles/pave' in those sections/secteurs/etc. As much as I like Sagan, he was just way too close to the barriers. |
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