'Dale Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 39/200 riders finished at Gent' Luke Durbridge crashed and couldn't get out of a ditch.This is minutes before being taken in an ambulance.Intense.
'Dale Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 In the break, Tjallingiii motivates himself over the Kemmelberg
tombeej Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 De Ronde this Sunday! Geraint Thomas' thoughts: The Belgians love their cycling and with the narrow roads they are right on top of you. You can smell the burgers and frites and the beer on the breath of the fans as you go up the climbs. They have a unique aura about them. I grew up watching this race and it suits me better than Paris-Roubaix. The first 150km is all about hiding and saving energy for the climbs. Once again, it's all about being in the right position and keeping as fresh as you can and hopefully you've got the legs for the final 50km.
HappyMartin Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 The hiding bit sounds really clever. I would definately do that. But I would begin by hiding under the bed while the rest of the team were getting on the bus to go sign on for the start.
tombeej Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Now have a look at what 'G' says about Paris-Roubaix. Reading between the lines, his classics season has been scheduled to peak at De Ronde, his no.1 goal for this year, and then more of a support role for Wiggo in PRB (unless he succeeds in getting into a break and stays away). "It really is hell on wheels and a lot can go wrong, although if you're going well it can feel like you're floating over the cobbles.There are mini bunch sprints going into every section of cobbles and that makes it harder to avoid crashes because it's difficult to slow down and change direction. "The two decisive sections are usually the Forest of Arenberg, about 100km from the finish and Le Carrefour de I'Arbre. "Ian Stannard and I have similar roles; to get to the final stages and help Bradley Wiggins. We don't have to ride on the front of the race but we can be up the road, forcing others to waste energy by chasing us down. "If Brad attacks, we can sit back and wait. He will go into the race in the best shape and would prefer to go into the velodrome for the final 750m on his own. He knows how to use the bank from his track cycling days but it's all about having fresh legs. "The finish is one of the best in cycling. You can feel the history as you enter the velodrome to a huge cheer which makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. "This race suits Bradley Wiggins - when he knuckles down to do something he's hard to beat. However, he will need a bit of luck on his side because the cobbles can take anyone down."
Gen Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Now have a look at what 'G' says about Paris-Roubaix. Reading between the lines, his classics season has been scheduled to peak at De Ronde, his no.1 goal for this year, and then more of a support role for Wiggo in PRB (unless he succeeds in getting into a break and stays away). "It really is hell on wheels and a lot can go wrong, although if you're going well it can feel like you're floating over the cobbles.There are mini bunch sprints going into every section of cobbles and that makes it harder to avoid crashes because it's difficult to slow down and change direction. "The two decisive sections are usually the Forest of Arenberg, about 100km from the finish and Le Carrefour de I'Arbre. "Ian Stannard and I have similar roles; to get to the final stages and help Bradley Wiggins. We don't have to ride on the front of the race but we can be up the road, forcing others to waste energy by chasing us down. "If Brad attacks, we can sit back and wait. He will go into the race in the best shape and would prefer to go into the velodrome for the final 750m on his own. He knows how to use the bank from his track cycling days but it's all about having fresh legs. "The finish is one of the best in cycling. You can feel the history as you enter the velodrome to a huge cheer which makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. "This race suits Bradley Wiggins - when he knuckles down to do something he's hard to beat. However, he will need a bit of luck on his side because the cobbles can take anyone down."Sky's tactics right there incase any team missed it.. OR is it just a smoke screen to put everyone else off.
tombeej Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Sky's tactics right there incase any team missed it.. OR is it just a smoke screen to put everyone else off.Ja, seems to be conflicting statements from Illingworth vs. his riders... Thomas might be saying Flanders suits him better, but he's certainly got the chops to win PRB. Then again, it appears to me that Sky's Classics squad has adopted the Belgian way of racing: have at least a few leaders who can potentially win on the day, but each with slightly different strengths. Everyone rides on the front and looks after each other until inside 100km to go, and then from there it's every man for himself, because when the attacks start you need multiple options - if you are not in the perfect position on the hard-right into the Paterberg or in the first 5 riders on the Koppenberg or Taaienberg then you'll miss the move when it goes. So if you flat or have a mechanical with 60km to go, no-one will wait for you. Classics racing is a war of attrition - each cobble sector or climb sheds riders until you're down to a few of the hardest / luckiest riders duking it out for the win. So the most successful Classics teams have multiple options for the win - if one of them falls away they just leave him behind and focus on the next option. E.g. With Etixx-Quickstep if Cav flats, he knows Terpstra or Stybar won't wait for him. Sky have now cottoned onto this form of hardman racing and are doing well at it.
T-Bob Posted March 31, 2015 Author Posted March 31, 2015 Maybe it's the double bluff... Twiggy secretly going for Ronde and Gee for Roubaix
Cav' Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Maybe it's the double bluff... Twiggy secretly going for Ronde and Gee for RoubaixWe'll have to wait and see! Should be good.
Belgian biker Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 What I hate watching these races, is the people crowding the roads, getting in the way of the cyclists, and only jumping out of the way at the last second. It drives me mad, how annoying that must be for the riders? those people getting in the way to get a picture and waving their flags in front of the wheels... tsss like this idiot last year http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/9091/Time-out/article/detail/1834716/2014/03/30/Doldwaze-fotograaf-joeg-renners-stuipen-op-het-lijf.dhtml
tombeej Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Maybe it's the double bluff... Twiggy secretly going for Ronde and Gee for Roubaix Good thinking, 007. A pen. This is a Class 4 grenade. Three clicks arms the four-second fuse, another three disarms it
Gen Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 What I hate watching these races, is the people crowding the roads, getting in the way of the cyclists, and only jumping out of the way at the last second. It drives me mad, how annoying that must be for the riders? those people getting in the way to get a picture and waving their flags in front of the wheels... tsss like this idiot last year http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/9091/Time-out/article/detail/1834716/2014/03/30/Doldwaze-fotograaf-joeg-renners-stuipen-op-het-lijf.dhtmlIt's like when I drive anywhere.. there is always one idiot.
'Dale Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 It's best to have a shotgun approach heyHave 2-3 priority options for each team I'm hoping for Van Marcke to make it countAnd Sagaaan too.
tombeej Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 "The Tour of Flanders is unlike any other bike race in the world. It is, without question, the hardest one-day bike race ever created. What seems like a million corners, combined with twenty to thirty steep pitches and narrow roads, none of which go the same direction for more than a mile, all mix together to make it war on a bike. There isn’t a race in North America that compares. Flanders may as well be a different sport." George Hincapie.
tombeej Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 "Looking back, you get a bit nostalgic, but from a competitive point of view, Flanders was one of the most horrible races to ride but one of the greatest races to win." Sean Kelly
tombeej Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 "As a Belgian, winning Flanders for the first time is far more important than wearing the maillot jaune in the Tour." Johan Museeuw
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