Re: Re:
Rabo really need Vos back simply because at the moment they've got a great bunch of cyclists but nobody with a good enough sprint (Brand's good but isn't as likely to make the selection; PFP's ok, Kasia's sprint is not great and Anna VDB's is one of the worst in the entire péloton), so they keep picking up the lower end placements from these moves if Boels or Wiggle get the jump on them and make them chase.
Emma had been the one that initiated the move and Lizzie had had the chance to sit in on the earlier moves as Guarnier and Blaak had made attacks, so was barely seen until Kwaremont when she picked the right wheels to follow to be in the right place so she could get right on the wheel of the big move when it went. She had more left in the tank than Emma, and Emma was starting to hold back on her turns in the last couple of kilometres. Lizzie joined her in that to call her bluff (if they were caught, Boels outnumbered Wiggle three to one in the chase group and Blaak and Guarnier can both sprint better than ELB, so Wiggle's best bet was Johansson). The Rabo girls were chasing absurdly hard at the end and almost caught the lead duo, so Emma was almost forced to go when she did so that Blaak (the best sprinter in the group behind, and Lizzie's teammate of course) couldn't get the jump on them, but going then meant that she had to hold it for too long and Lizzie could come back to her.TMP402 said:SlickMongoose said:Fantastic sprint that. Think Emma went too early.
I had Emma leading until the last 75m or so. Don't remember clearly but yes, if she'd started the sprint later she could have won.
Rabo really need Vos back simply because at the moment they've got a great bunch of cyclists but nobody with a good enough sprint (Brand's good but isn't as likely to make the selection; PFP's ok, Kasia's sprint is not great and Anna VDB's is one of the worst in the entire péloton), so they keep picking up the lower end placements from these moves if Boels or Wiggle get the jump on them and make them chase.