100th Ronde Van Vlaanderen - April 3rd, 2016 - 255.9k

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

Why Fabian? Why? Why would you let Sagan go?

Fabian was incredible up the Kwaremont and Paterberg, would have torched Sagan I think.

Great ride by Sagan tho, well deserved win

Big mistake tactically. It cost him the chance of truly competing for victory, but a heroic attempt to fight back.

Paris Roubaix still to come. There's a 2nd chance

 

[StryderHells]

Re: Re:

Also respect for Vanmarcke to let Fabian have his own moment at the end.

I don't think it was anything like that though it might get spun that way. Sep was done. He had zero chance of beating Canc in the sprint. The guy was clearly cooked. First acceleration in the finishing straight and that was it.

Yeah he most likely wouldn't of beaten Cancellara in the sprint for second but that he sat up and didn't contest it was a nice act

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Paris-Roubaix is going to be a good one! Can't wait....

Be interesting to see if Sagan will try to go solo again! Kristoff seems to be nearing his best form, so he may well have to. Doubt Canc will let him get away so easily this time though

 

[gunara]

The question now is who's the best cobbled classic rider ever, Erviti or Egoitz Garcia?

 

[pedromiguelmartins]

By the way, this race showed absolutely perfectly why Kwiat should never have been considered as a favorite. He was in an elite group together with Sagan and Vanmarcke but on the Kwaremont he had absolutely no chance.

I bet you aren't good a math. Kwiat has small legs. Small legs < big legs.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

Why Fabian? Why? Why would you let Sagan go?

Fabian was incredible up the Kwaremont and Paterberg, would have torched Sagan I think.

Great ride by Sagan tho, well deserved win

Big mistake tactically. It cost him the chance of truly competing for victory, but a heroic attempt to fight back.

Paris Roubaix still to come. There's a 2nd chance

I just don't understand. There were two riders who could realistically have challenged him today. One crashed out, so he literally had one man to mark, and he lets him go. Horrible horrible mistake

 

[TourOfSardinia]

 

[Kwibus]

Great spring season in Belgium this year. Hope the north of France brings some more epic racing.

 

[Jancouver]

Oleg must be very pleased with his investment today ... he got his money worth and much much much more

 

[jaylew]

Re: Re:

Sagan's most impressive ride by far. He is so uber talented. I will always fail to understand people disliking this guy, he truly is a gift for our sport. TRUE RACER.

Who the hell can dislike Sagan?

I can. Gropegate.

Rode well today, though.

Juvenile action and wrong, but he went apologized for it and learned from it.

It's a showman with a good heart. I don't have much affinity with wheelies and crazy stuff, but his racing style is great and he has his heart at the right place.

I pretty much agree with this. I get the impression that he's genuinely a good guy who made some juvenile mistakes as a young superstar. I'm not going to hold that stuff against him forever - you have to allow that people can change and grow.

 

[pedromiguelmartins]

Re: Re:

I just have to say this: Kwiat is a great racer. However, Sky always has 4 to 5 guys discussing these races, but it's always the same outcome. Remember who was chasing boonen at PR in 2012?

they should all work for Kwiat in every classic.

Kwiato completely collapsed on the Kwaremont and finished way down (probably outside the top 20). It reminded me of the famous Boasson Hagen fails in monuments for Sky in the past. Sky's tactical mistake was not sending someone up the road when Vandenbergh and Van Baarle went away. Probably wouldn't have mattered in the end though as they wouldn't have had someone strong enough behind to mark the attacks in the final.

You can't compare a champion like Kwiat to Eddy.

Kwiatkowski is 25 and already won the worlds, Amstel, Strade, white jersey at the tour... Please. Sagan just destroyed him today. Kwiat should be the classics lead on every team (today) that doesn't have Sagan, Canc, Tom or Valverde. No dispute.

 

[Orbit501]

Re:

Paris-Roubaix is going to be a good one! Can't wait....

I know there's a lot of Sky hate on here, but I make no apologies for saying Rowe has a good chance for a serious result there. Knew it before today, but today's result just confirmed that really.

 

[samhocking]

Re: Re:

I just have to say this: Kwiat is a great racer. However, Sky always has 4 to 5 guys discussing these races, but it's always the same outcome. Remember who was chasing boonen at PR in 2012?

they should all work for Kwiat in every classic.

Kwiato completely collapsed on the Kwaremont and finished way down (probably outside the top 20). It reminded me of the famous Boasson Hagen fails in monuments for Sky in the past. Sky's tactical mistake was not sending someone up the road when Vandenbergh and Van Baarle went away. Probably wouldn't have mattered in the end though as they wouldn't have had someone strong enough behind to mark the attacks in the final.

Kwiato was in Sagan's winning move, he just couldn't keep his wheel when he went the second time. Sky got the tactics pretty spot on I thought? When your rider in the winning moves doesn't have the legs, tactics don't come into it, if you;re already there, but can't hold the wheel lol.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

I just have to say this: Kwiat is a great racer. However, Sky always has 4 to 5 guys discussing these races, but it's always the same outcome. Remember who was chasing boonen at PR in 2012?

they should all work for Kwiat in every classic.

Kwiato completely collapsed on the Kwaremont and finished way down (probably outside the top 20). It reminded me of the famous Boasson Hagen fails in monuments for Sky in the past. Sky's tactical mistake was not sending someone up the road when Vandenbergh and Van Baarle went away. Probably wouldn't have mattered in the end though as they wouldn't have had someone strong enough behind to mark the attacks in the final.

You can't compare a champion like Kwiat to Eddy.

Kwiatkowski is 25 and already won the worlds, Amstel, Strade, white jersey at the tour... Please. Sagan just destroyed him today. Kwiat should be the classics lead on every team (today) that doesn't have Sagan, Canc, Tom or Valverde. No dispute.

Is it still 2005?

 

[yespatterns]

What an amazing race! Kudos to Peter, Cance and Sep!

 

[Jancouver]

Re: Re:

I just have to say this: Kwiat is a great racer. However, Sky always has 4 to 5 guys discussing these races, but it's always the same outcome. Remember who was chasing boonen at PR in 2012?

they should all work for Kwiat in every classic.

Kwiato completely collapsed on the Kwaremont and finished way down (probably outside the top 20). It reminded me of the famous Boasson Hagen fails in monuments for Sky in the past. Sky's tactical mistake was not sending someone up the road when Vandenbergh and Van Baarle went away. Probably wouldn't have mattered in the end though as they wouldn't have had someone strong enough behind to mark the attacks in the final.

He finished 12th with the group

 

[SKSemtex]

Re:

Oleg must be very pleased with his investment today ... he got his money worth and much much much more

With Sagan you do always save the money as you save a lot for domestiques . His year airtime must be huge compere to any other rider in peloton

 

[sir fly]

Kwaremont bottomed up.

 

[cineteq]

I prefer to think Vanmarcke did a class act in the end instead of being actually spent, justifying his lack of cooperation. Don't work but don't steal either, not to mention it being Cance's farewell and all. Chapeau.

Plus it's always a good day when Kristoff doesn't win.

Vanmarcke did the right thing.


[quote="
I can. Gropegate. Rode well today, though.[/quote]You must be one of those who likes to read gossip stuff. Rode well today, though? Go out and a lemonade

 

[SeriousSam]

Re: Re:

I just have to say this: Kwiat is a great racer. However, Sky always has 4 to 5 guys discussing these races, but it's always the same outcome. Remember who was chasing boonen at PR in 2012?

they should all work for Kwiat in every classic.

Kwiato completely collapsed on the Kwaremont and finished way down (probably outside the top 20). It reminded me of the famous Boasson Hagen fails in monuments for Sky in the past. Sky's tactical mistake was not sending someone up the road when Vandenbergh and Van Baarle went away. Probably wouldn't have mattered in the end though as they wouldn't have had someone strong enough behind to mark the attacks in the final.

You can't compare a champion like Kwiat to Eddy.

Kwiatkowski is 25 and already won the worlds, Amstel, Strade, white jersey at the tour... Please. Sagan just destroyed him today. Kwiat should be the classics lead on every team (today) that doesn't have Sagan, Canc, Tom or Valverde. No dispute.

Is it still 2005?

 

[Gigs_98]

By the way, this race showed absolutely perfectly why Kwiat should never have been considered as a favorite. He was in an elite group together with Sagan and Vanmarcke but on the Kwaremont he had absolutely no chance.

I bet you aren't good a math. Kwiat has small legs. Small legs < big legs.

Thanks, now I know. But can we maybe talk about the race again, because your comment had absolutely nothing to do with it.

 

[SeriousSam]

Re:

Why Fabian? Why? Why would you let Sagan go?

Fabian was incredible up the Kwaremont and Paterberg, would have torched Sagan I think.

Great ride by Sagan tho, well deserved win

I don't know. Sagan looked mightily impressive there too.

 

[BalearicBeats]

A bit weird that the Boonen-Lutsenko-Oss group was able to almost catch up on the Kristoff-group. I think Boonen still rides nicely on the flat but doen't like the hills anymore. He showed okay form today though, he even worked for Terpstra.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

Why Fabian? Why? Why would you let Sagan go?

Fabian was incredible up the Kwaremont and Paterberg, would have torched Sagan I think.

Great ride by Sagan tho, well deserved win

I don't know. Sagan looked mightily impressive there too.

Sagan managed to extend his lead on the flat in the last 13km. That was very impressive indeed. But canc closed a gap of 18 seconds on him in 2 cobbled climbs. Yeah sagan had already attacked, but surely Sagan wouldnt have been able to hold the wheel if they were both together going onto the Kwaremont the 3rd time

 

[May0maniac]

Re: Re:

I have the strange feeling that Cancellara won't be able to win the Ronde, I trust my gut feeling, so if someone is interested in an Avatar bet, please let me know.

You're on!

Cancellara will win RVV. Do you have a certain rider in mind for the win? Or are you just betting on Cancellara losing? Either way I'll take the avatar bet. Loser has avatar of the winners choosing till the Giro?

No, just Cancellara loosing, so if I win you have the avatar that I choose till the start of the Giro, if you win I'll have the avatar that you choose till the end of the Giro, ok?

Sure thing! I've got to go find an epic photo.

You're a luck man, here's your new, super awesome Ivan Stevic avatar!