The Classics

[betaboy]

Proper Belguim conditions… a win there is never easy. Some hard hitters today.

[Christie]

JV is looking 🤬 dodgy in my book. When last did roleurs like WvA outclimb  climbers? And his climbing only gets "boosted" at the TdF.

And the same team getting 1-2-3 sweeps in the classics like Geweis. 🤔

I like WvA, but this is pro cycling

Edited March 26, 2023 by Christie

[Baron]

The climbs was short power climbs, not 10 km  mountain climbs that favour the climbers Not many pure climbers ride the one day spring classics, They will  target the autumn one day races that favour them. 

[Baron]

The cobbled classics are raced over a combination of asphalt and cobblestones, frequently on tight and winding rural lanes. Some of the cobbled classics are mainly flat, such as Paris-Roubaix and Scheldeprijs, but others include a barrage of short and sharp hills, such as the Tour of Flanders and E3 Harelbeke. They are traditionally won by powerful riders who are expert bike-handlers on the cobbles, such as Fabian Cancellara or Tom Boonen.

The Ardennes classics are hilly races that all take place in the Ardennes region of Belgium and the Netherlands. They have as much as 4,500m of vertical ascent and a race-deciding climb close to the finish. There are three Ardennes classics, all of which take place within the space of a week in April: Amstel Gold Race, La Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege. They are usually won by pure climbers, such as Alejandro Valverde or Joaquim Rodriguez, or riders who can power their way up short and sharp climbs, such as Philippe Gilbert or Simon Gerrans.

The most notable race not to fit into any of the above categories is Milan-San Remo, which contains late climbs but is usually seen as a Classic for sprinters such as Mark Cavendish, who won the race in 2009. Another exception is Strade Bianche in Italy, which takes place over a combination of asphalt and gravel and includes a decisive late climb.

[Mamil]

10 hours ago, Christie said:

JV is looking 🤬 dodgy in my book. When last did roleurs like WvA outclimb  climbers? And his climbing only gets "boosted" at the TdF.

And the same team getting 1-2-3 sweeps in the classics like Geweis. 🤔

I like WvA, but this is pro cycling

Unfortunately I'm inclined to agree. These super performances are not really believable. 

[lechatnoir]

44 minutes ago, Mamil said:

Unfortunately I'm inclined to agree. These super performances are not really believable. 

they're unbelievable, incredible, and out of this world

[Vetplant]

I have to agree, some performances are truly unbelievable

[babse]

23 minutes ago, Vetplant said:

I have to agree, some performances are truly unbelievable

In case anyone forgot 

[Vetplant]

 

['Dale]

That escalated quickly... 😈
 

Back to the racing - gotta love this pic by Gruber that illustrates the pain of racing 260ish kms in freezing wet conditions 

Edited March 27, 2023 by 'Dale

[Frosty]

1 hour ago, 'Dale said:

That escalated quickly... 😈

Back to the racing - gotta love this pic by Gruber that illustrates the pain of racing 260ish kms in freezing wet conditions 

I think Nils Politt summed it up well during his interview post-race.

⚠️ PG16 L

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Frosty

[Mamil]

The commentators said that the Spanish press has called jumbo "clockwork bananas".  😜🤣

All very entertaining conspiracy theories aside

[betaboy]

5 minutes ago, Mamil said:

The commentators said that the Spanish press has called jumbo "clockwork bananas".  😜🤣

All very entertaining conspiracy theories aside

Wow… are we talking about coping mechanisms that might enhance any fruit, say a few bananas? *

*advanced reading between the lines is required. 🤭

[betaboy]

1 hour ago, 'Dale said:

That escalated quickly... 😈
 

Back to the racing - gotta love this pic by Gruber that illustrates the pain of racing 260ish kms in freezing wet conditions 

His thoughts…. That was EF’ing nuts man. 😜

[Mamil]

4 minutes ago, betaboy said:

Wow… are we talking about coping mechanisms that might enhance any fruit, say a few bananas? *

*advanced reading between the lines is required. 🤭

They just winding them up I think

[Frosty]

Stop questioning the performances and just enjoy the racing for what it is… attack after attack is far better than riding tempo up a mountain.