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

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The new King of Flanders will come from what team?

  • Another team

    Votes: 10 7.1%

  • Etixx

    Votes: 10 7.1%

  • Lotto Soudal

    Votes: 7 5.0%

  • Trek

    Votes: 45 32.1%

  • Sky

    Votes: 15 10.7%

  • Tinkoff

    Votes: 30 21.4%

  • LottoNL

    Votes: 7 5.0%

  • BMC

    Votes: 8 5.7%

  • Katusha

    Votes: 6 4.3%

  • Astana

    Votes: 2 1.4%
  • Total voters
    140
  • Poll closed .
sir fly

sir fly

Feb 24, 2014
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Well, I can tell you the euphoria's rising here.
Rode the local cobbles today, now watching De Geschiedenis Van De Ronde Van Vlaanderen, sipping cool domestic beer (while Leffe blond is anxiously waiting for tomorrow), and my main worry is whether I'll find live images right from the noon, or I'll have to wait the afternoon.

Cheers!
 
T

The Barb

Apr 14, 2009
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Sooooooo excited for this.

I expect Cancellara to be the strongest but not strong enough to drop Sagan and Van Avermaert. Even though he is the favourite, that makes it hard for him to win because either of those two would likely be faster than him in a sprint.

Geraint Thomas is an unknown because of his schedule but I can't forget how strong he was in E3 and G-W last year (peaking a week too early for Flanders perhaps).

I think there's a decent chance of a group of 6+ riders being together into the last 10km, in which case it becomes a bit of a lottery. My best outsider is Matteo Trentin at 66-1. He was strong in E3 and if there is a regrouping he can sustain a long sprint to finish it off.
 
TommyPlus

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vGFMudI.jpg


Is it too early?
 
42x16ss

42x16ss

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Re:

WheelofGear said:
Sagan team is so bad that his "big brother who looks like his little brother" is on it. This is a Monument and Tinkoff is bringing a continental-level team.
Click to expand...
I could have thrown some darts at the TInkoff roster while blindfolded and come up with a better squad.

Sagan could at least have some guys like Bennati, Tosatto, Valgren and McCarthy. This is supposedly one of Sagan's major targets for the year and he's got almost nothing. Brutt, Kolar, Blythe and Gatto? Decent riders but they aren't going to be there with an hour to go.

He should go to Orica, a team with good classics doms and no leader :cool:

Ok, thats a little harsh on Keukeleire :D
 
Popchu

Popchu

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Re: Re:

42x16ss said:
WheelofGear said:
Sagan team is so bad that his "big brother who looks like his little brother" is on it. This is a Monument and Tinkoff is bringing a continental-level team.
Click to expand...
I could have thrown some darts at the TInkoff roster while blindfolded and come up with a better squad.

Sagan could at least have some guys like Bennati, Tosatto, Valgren and McCarthy. This is supposedly one of Sagan's major targets for the year and he's got almost nothing. Brutt, Kolar, Blythe and Gatto? Decent riders but they aren't going to be there with an hour to go.
Click to expand...
Gatto is better than Bennati (who is injured, by the way), Tosatto, Valgren and McCarthy in these races. Much more chance that Gatto is "going to be there with an hour to go" than these riders.
 
Kwibus

Kwibus

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Re:

Hugo Koblet said:
I decided to do a small write-up of my assessment of the favorites for tomorrow:

***** Cancellara, Sagan

Fabian and Peter are the two big favorites. No question about it. Cancellara is perhaps as strong as ever, but so is Sagan. I'd give a slight edge to Cancellara on the bergs, but a slight edge to Sagan in a sprint - even though Sagan has a history of losing a bit of his sprinting ability at the end of a hard race, and Cancellara usually shines here. The question really comes down to if Cancellara can drop Sagan on the bergs? It's really close between the two, but if I have to choose, I'll pick Sagan as the winner.

**** Van Avermaet

The consistent Belgian seems to have taken another step up this year, continuing his steady progress. He has been one of the best riders this year and took a great victory ahead of Sagan in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. If anyone is capable of staying with Sagan and Cancellara when they open up, it's Van Avermaet.

*** Kwiatkowski, Vanmarcke, Kristoff

I might rate Kwiatkowski higher than many would for Flanders, but to me he seems back to his best after a not so good 2015 campaign. He has yet to prove that he can follow the best on the cobbled climbs, but he showed a lot of promise in 2013. He's good on steep hills and excels in hard races. However, his greatest skill is his racing instincts which in my opinion are second to none. He could benefit from a tactical race between the big favorites and win from a clever attack.
Vanmarcke should always be counted among the favorites even though that big win is still missing. He's almost always among the strongest, even though I don't think he has looked as strong as usual this year.
Kristoff started the season with a bang, but has performed a bit below expectations in the Belgians classics so far. However, he seems back on track with his victory in De Panne. The real question is if he's capable of following Cancellara et al when they attack? If he is, he's certainly the favorite in a sprint.

** Terpstra, Stybar, Boonen, Thomas, Benoot

We might as well call the three star category the Etixx-category. Etixx have performed way below expectations in the Belgian classics this year, and neither of their riders have looked particularly impressive. Terpstra took their only win in Le Samyn and his engine seems to be working, but he hasn't looked that sharp on the hills. Stybar on the other hand has looked decent on the hills, but seems to lack the stamina to keep up with the best. Boonen is already a legend but has performed well below par so far this year. It seems as though Etixx will have to come up with some clever tactics - which they aren't exactly known for - if they don't want to go home empty handed.
Focusing on stage races this year, Thomas is heading to Belgium to focus on this one race. He was very good in the Belgian classics last year and he seems even stronger in 2016. Keeping up with the best on the bergs might be a big ask of the Brit, but he shouldn't be ruled out.
Benoot is one of the biggest classics talents for a long time, finishing 5th in his Flanders debut last year. This year he looks just as strong as in 2015 but even though he packs a decent sprint he will have to get rid of the likes of Van Avermaet and Sagan if he wants to win.

* Stannard, Hagen, Boom, Stuyven, Roelandts, Demare, Trentin

The best of the rest. Here we have designated helpers like Stannard and Stuyven who are unlikely to ride their own chances, but it wouldn't be that surprising if Sky and Trek uses them tactically. Roelandts and Trentin also have other captains in their teams, but they will probably be given more freedom than Stannard and Stuyven. Roelandts have previously done some good rides in Flanders and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him on the offense once again this year. Trentin doesn't have quite as good results on the cobbles - he does have a third place in E3 from 2015 though - but he seems to have stepped up this year, as he on occasions actually has been the strongest Etixx rider. He packs a very fast finish, but will he make it to the end with the favorites?
Neither of Demare, Hagen and Boom have stellar results to show for in Flanders - Boom is best with a sixth place last year - but they should all be counted among the outsiders. On paper, Hagen seems very suited for this race but his best result is a 17th place. Will this finally be the year he makes a good result? Boom was good last year, but it seems hard for him to win. He won't win the sprint so he will have to get rid of the likes of Kristoff, Sagan and Van Avermaet. Demare on the other hand is one of the best sprinters in the world and seems perhaps better than ever this year, but it's hard to imagine him staying with the best on the hills.
Click to expand...

I agree pretty much on everything. I also agree on the stars for Vanmarcke since he has a hard time winning races, but in G-W he was very impressive imo.
He had to chase back first and then attacked before the Kemmel only to get caught at the foot and still managed to follow Cance and Sagan. I think that if he doesn't mess up positioning today or a bad crash/flat there is no way they will drop him on the bergs.
So I expect him to be in the finale, except that he can't finish it off.
 
Pantani_lives

Pantani_lives

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Re:

Kwibus said:
On another note: weather willbe great today while it turns into rain this night.
The forecast for Roubaix shows pretty much rain on all days except thursday and....... Sunday.
Click to expand...
I've given up hope of ever seeing a drop of rain in Vlaanderen or Roubaix. The last time it rained was probably 1989. :( It's like hoping for a white Christmas.
 
MagnusMagnussen

MagnusMagnussen

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Re: Re:

Pantani_lives said:
Kwibus said:
On another note: weather willbe great today while it turns into rain this night.
The forecast for Roubaix shows pretty much rain on all days except thursday and....... Sunday.
Click to expand...
I've given up hope of ever seeing a drop of rain in Vlaanderen or Roubaix. The last time it rained was probably 1989. :( It's like hoping for a white Christmas.
Click to expand...
Think the last one in Roubaix must be the 2002 edition.
parroubaix.jpg

20021177-41994.jpg
 
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