105 th Giro di Lombardia. La classica delle foglie morte.

[Papparrazzi]

Start list

That says Cav is riding

 

[Papparrazzi]

This is a beautiful race, maybe the most beautiful.
Such a pity the Gran Fondo didn't continue. One of the great cycling weekends of my life when I did it
http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.com/2009/09/cancelled-granfondo-giro-di-lombardia.html

 

[Parrulo]

131 SCARPONI Michele Italy
132 CUNEGO Damiano Italy

ouch, a bit unfair by lampre not to give cunego aka mr. lombardia the number 1 of the team

just me being picky

 

[theyoungest]

ouch, a bit unfair by lampre not to give cunego aka mr. lombardia the number 1 of the team

just me being picky

Cunego, mr. Lombardia in a past life.

 

[Parrulo]

Cunego, mr. Lombardia in a past life.

don't be mean he will always be mr. lombardia while he is the active rider with the most wins

i wish he could prove the past life part wrong tho

 

[woodenswan]

Cancellara still hungry for a big win ? Does he even start ?

no he doesnt, as made obvious by another hilarious tweet
"Just forgot.my season is over.The year was just to long.Resting now/holidays.looking foward regarding 2012."

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Valverde never dominated the way Gilbert did the past year and a half. In fact, he rarely dominated at all.

Indeed, Valverde just hung on and waited for the sprint

 

[The Hitch]

To the first bolded bit, well, we're talking about challenging Gilbert in that particular discipline. Everybody knows Valverde is more versatile, a better climber, a faster sprinter and a better GT guy, but that's not what the discussion was about.

To the second bit, that's kind of what I was saying, isn't it?

Valverde never dominated because he couldnt commit to that discipline. I think if Valverde said to himself screw the GTs, screw Vuelta a Murcia, screw it all and just go for hilly classics, Phil would have his match.

That says Cav is riding

WC often shows his stripes in Lombardy.

Just for fun.

Who knows maybe Cav might actually work for someone for a few km.

 

[Sylvester]

I want lots of rain, and Nieve or Lastras to win.

Not very likely, although they stand a better chance than Van Avermaet

 

[hrotha]

Well, it's a moot point, because Valverde is not going to focus on the classics, so it's just wild speculation.

 

[TeoSheva]

Marcato for the first GREAT victory

 

[Tank Engine]

Go Sammy and Bertie (Uran). Still think Phil will win though. Maybe they'll go really hard on the two big climbs, it's probably the only way to beat him.

 

[El Pistolero]

Valverde never dominated because he couldnt commit to that discipline. I think if Valverde said to himself screw the GTs, screw Vuelta a Murcia, screw it all and just go for hilly classics, Phil would have his match.



WC often shows his stripes in Lombardy.

Just for fun.

Who knows maybe Cav might actually work for someone for a few km.

Unlike Valverde, Phil already needs to be in super shape at Milan-San Remo. Unlike Valverde he already does Gent-Wevelgem and the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

Valverde can easily get his first peak during the Ardennes classics and his second at the Vuelta. Phil needs to hit a peak at Milan-San Remo(or the Ronde van Vlaanderen at the latest) and hold it till after Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

As for stage races, Phil isn't doing too shabby in them this year. Won a stage and wore the leaders jersey at Algarve, won the queen stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico and finished ninth overall, won the queen stage in the Tour of Belgium and finished first overall, won the queen stage at the ZLM Toer and finished first overall, won the queen stage at the Eneco Tour and finished second overall. He also had a great performance at the Tour with a stage win and a yellow jersey. I can give you a long list of stage racers who didn't do so well this year in one week races.


2 Andy Schleck (LUX) Leopard Trek + 1′ 34″
3 Fränk Schleck (LUX) Leopard Trek + 2′ 30″
4 Thomas Voeckler (FRA) Team Europcar + 3′ 20″
6 Samuel Sánchez (ESP) Euskaltel-Euskadi + 4′ 55″
7 Damiano Cunego (ITA) Lampre-ISD + 6′ 05″
8 Ivan Basso (ITA) Liquigas-Cannondale + 7′ 23″
9 Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin-Cervélo + 8′ 15″
10 Jean-Christophe Péraud (FRA) Ag2r-La Mondiale + 10′ 11″

^ Here's a list to start with

 

[theyoungest]

Unlike Valverde, Phil already needs to be in super shape at Milan-San Remo.

You're already finding excuses for when Valverde beats Gilbert next year at LBL?

 

[El Pistolero]

You're already finding excuses for when Valverde beats Gilbert next year at LBL?

No, just find Hitch argument about Phil supposedly having an unfair advantage at LBL ridiculous. Don't know why everyone is expecting so much from Valverde in his first year after his ban. It's not like he won or looked strong in 2009 or 2010.

 

[boomcie]

You're already finding excuses for when Valverde beats Gilbert next year at LBL?

Phil won't need to be excused if my crystal balls are still working.

 

[El Pistolero]

Phil won't need to be excused if my crystal balls are still working.

He'll win MSR, Ronde and leave LBL to the second tier cyclists

But seriously, I really hope he wins the Ronde next year. LBL would be nice, but the Ronde would be amazing.

 

[just some guy]

No, just find Hitch argument about Phil supposedly having an unfair advantage at LBL ridiculous. Don't know why everyone is expecting so much from Valverde in his first year after his ban. It's not like he won or looked strong in 2009 or 2010.

Whatever happens next year will be fun to watch - But I think the Hillier races will be about the 2nd -3rd " leader" next year.

I also don´t get the Valverde doesn´t concentrate on 1 day races excuse either.

 

[luckyboy]

UCI are moving this to the end of September for next year. Beijing might be moving to its spot.

 

[jens_attacks]

UCI are moving this to the end of September for next year. Beijing might be moving to its spot.

it's not that bad,all the guys from the worlds will have super form for lombardia

 

[El Pistolero]

it's not that bad,all the guys from the worlds will have super form for lombardia

Every year the Worlds is out Europe you have a ruined Lombardia...

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Well the UCI have already succesfully ruined Paris Tours to a ****ty race comparable to any nameless French race with their HC status and calender place. Why not ruin Lombardy as well

 

[meat puppet]

Call me insane, but I think some teams with captains climbing better than gilbert might as well give it a go on the valcava. Probably not go up the road but at least make the race much harder than what phil can sustain on a climb thus making him consume energy, or even go to the red.. Judging by the startlist there should be plenty of teams with an incentive. Hope they'll cooperate.

Then again Phil has a good team himself so even if others were to open a gap, they would probably bring it back anyway. Still worth a shot IMHO.

 

[Fus087]

UCI are moving this to the end of September for next year. Beijing might be moving to its spot.

And what's the reasoning for that?
"Hm, this new Beijing race we organise isn't regarded as serious by anybody but a few timetrialists. Let's make it the very last race of the season, then nobody will care at all"?

And of course moving Lombardia is blasphemy in itself.

 

[The Hitch]

Unlike Valverde, Phil already needs to be in super shape at Milan-San Remo. Unlike Valverde he already does Gent-Wevelgem and the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

Paris Nice comes before MSR does it not

Valverde can easily get his first peak during the Ardennes classics and his second at the Vuelta. Phil needs to hit a peak at Milan-San Remo(or the Ronde van Vlaanderen at the latest) and hold it till after Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Wow thats short sighted. Valverde just does Liege and the Vuelta? You might recall that he only didnt do Tour in 09 because Italy threatened to arrest him, and in 10 he got banned just before it. Before that he did the Tour in both 08 and 07.

As for stage races, Phil isn't doing too shabby in them this year. Won a stage and wore the leaders jersey at Algarve, won the queen stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico and finished ninth overall, won the queen stage in the Tour of Belgium and finished first overall, won the queen stage at the ZLM Toer and finished first overall, won the queen stage at the Eneco Tour and finished second overall. He also had a great performance at the Tour with a stage win and a yellow jersey. I can give you a long list of stage racers who didn't do so well this year in one week races.

He wins a stage or 2 every now and again, ergo he is a great stage racer?

Of course Phil can win stages. Performing on 1 day is kind of like performing in a 1 day stage race.

Funny that you mention his Tour stage and yellow jersey. Didnt that all come on the first day? He just let rip after a days racing like he does on the Cauberg and got a victory and yellow for a day. No great stage racing truimph that.

Wallone and ZLM, nice, but to quote Shania Twain, that dont impress me much.

Eneco was much more impressive, chapeau to Gilbert there.

2 Andy Schleck (LUX) Leopard Trek + 1′ 34″
3 Fränk Schleck (LUX) Leopard Trek + 2′ 30″
4 Thomas Voeckler (FRA) Team Europcar + 3′ 20″
6 Samuel Sánchez (ESP) Euskaltel-Euskadi + 4′ 55″
7 Damiano Cunego (ITA) Lampre-ISD + 6′ 05″
8 Ivan Basso (ITA) Liquigas-Cannondale + 7′ 23″
9 Tom Danielson (USA) Garmin-Cervélo + 8′ 15″
10 Jean-Christophe Péraud (FRA) Ag2r-La Mondiale + 10′ 11″

^ Here's a list to start with

What is the point of all this anyway.

Of course i never even said anything about Gilberts stage racing prowess in the first place. Never said he was crap or good or anything.

But in some minds, EVERYTHING has to be about Gilbert.

I just said Valverde is a good stage racer. Dont know why the idea that Valverde is a good stage racer offends you so much.

But since you have opened up this debate, i am more than willing to shove this very easy rebute down your throat.

Valverde vs Gilbert in stage races. (overall performances, not treating the opening stage of the race like AGR, and getting the stage victory, then falling down the list consistently for the next 20 days)

Yes lets compare a Vuelta a Espana (with 2 podiums) 2 Dauphines, a Tour of Romandie, podiums in Paris Nice, Romandie, Pais Vasco, a 7th in the Tour, wins in races like Burgos, Murcia, Comunidad Valencia, to the ZLM Tour

Gilbert has dominated this season. As his biggest fan you should be happy about this.

but instead of celebrating the mans victories you try to create comparisons to other riders which Gilbert can only lose.