109th Paris-Roubaix. The Hell of the North.

[Mellow Velo]

Would also enjoy a win by:
Ballan
Hincapie
Cancellara
Hushovd
Haussler
Goss (for purely cq reasons)
Pozzato (just to see people go apoplectic)

None of those guys are any good when the chips are down!

 

[mr. tibbs]

Pozzato (just to see people go apoplectic)

Say what you will about Pippo (and I know the forum will), but he's proven himself time and again to be near the top--even if he doesn't have the pure strength of Cancellara or Boonen.

Also, when he loses, his reaction is typically a bit more graceful than certain other classics specialists:

 

[hektoren]

Hushovd, Geelong, 2010: "Next big goal is Paris-Roubaix."
2011 up until now was just preparation. Come sunday, Thor will be da man!

 

[beer_thirty]

Pozzato (just to see people go apoplectic)

If he earned it, chapeau. If he got there by wheelsucking, I'd say it's possible the intertubes in their entirety would be brought down by the sheer quantity of outraged posts to this forum.

 

[hrotha]

Say what you will about Pippo (and I know the forum will), but he's proven himself time and again to be near the top

That's the thing, if he were some random schmuck no one would make fun of him. Everybody mocks him because we all know he's a huge talent, perfectly capable of winning a couple of P-R's and RVV's, but often it looks like he simply can't be bothered.

 

[Winterfold]

G Thomas for podium - think I posted it on wrong thread

 

[roundabout]

If he earned it, chapeau. If he got there by wheelsucking, I'd say it's possible the intertubes in their entirety would be brought down by the sheer quantity of outraged posts to this forum.

Nuyens won Flanders by spending almost the least possible amount of time on the front and most people called it a tactical ride so i don't know what you're talking about.

But that's probably because he is a random schmuck who only had podiums in Flanders in all age levels he competed in.

 

[Rossco]

Glad I'm not the only one thinking that it's a bit whack to be discussing Belgian food at a French race.
It's sooo last week...



LOL!! That's p*ss funny!!

I'm still going to be rooting for O'Grady to get away in the warm sun - South Aussie flag in tow for the day. F*ck spartacus, he can have as many as he wants in the years to come after Stuey's hung up the bike.

Yes, be great to see O'grady bag another P-R

 

[beer_thirty]

Nuyens won Flanders by spending almost the least possible amount of time on the front and most people called it a tactical ride so i don't know what you're talking about.

But that's probably because he is a random schmuck who only had podiums in Flanders in all age levels he competed in.

hehe.. nice one. Nuyens won it the only way he could have; chapeau. Some tactical savvy, lots of grit, some luck, and he's won RVV. I think what just bugs some people is, yeah, he won, but I count myself among the many who want to see the winner of a big race be amongst the guys who during its course took it by the balls and made a difference. Don't have to be Fabo, but at least be a factor besides just the finish line. (And yes, I know he came from a ways back; a gritty ride for sure.) It was a GREAT RVV final, but was it among the most epic wins ever? Don't know about that; I think if Chavenal had won it, that would have been one for the ages. Just the way it is. Don't get me wrong, Nuyens is among the riders I like a lot; solid pro for sure.

I am not a huge Pippo fan at all, but to your point have respected the fact that just to be in the finals of all the races he's been, you have to be strong and tough as nails. There's just something about the guy that engenders irrational... um, erm, well, irrationality.

hey, I personally would love to be strong enough to 'wheelsuck' all the way to the velodrome FTW. If he did it this way, it would be the only way he COULD do it, it WOULD be tactically the smartest way for him to ride, and he'd have a cobble for the hood ornament of his Ferrari...laughing all the way to the bank....

But that still wouldn't stop the board from going down in FLAMES!!!

 

[maltiv]

Who will win if Boonen and Hushovd come into the velodrome together?

 

[Jamsque]

Who will win if Boonen and Hushovd come into the velodrome together?

Tomeke is faster and has been there before so he'll be calmer too.

 

[LabMonkey]

We have been through the favorites in quite some detail already, who do you think are good outside bets for say a solid top ten place...?

 

[auscyclefan94]

We have been through the favorites in quite some detail already, who do you think are good outside bets for say a solid top ten place...?

A friend suggested Manuel Quinziato.

Just a thought, what if Alessandro ballan wins paris Roubaix? I don't want him to win now!

 

[Grzdylu]

We have been through the favorites in quite some detail already, who do you think are good outside bets for say a solid top ten place...?

Baden Cooke

 

[sublimit]

We have been through the favorites in quite some detail already, who do you think are good outside bets for say a solid top ten place...?

off the top of my head:

Goss.
Rollin
Tossato

 

[luckyboy]

A friend suggested Manuel Quinziato.

Just a thought, what if Alessandro ballan wins paris Roubaix? I don't want him to win now!

..........

 

[search]

does anyone know in which way the team cars are sorted? by the number of points won by the best rider in the team or by the number of points all riders together have achieved?

(just of the riders which start of course)

 

[El Pistolero]

does anyone know in which way the team cars are sorted? by the number of points won by the best rider in the team or by the number of points all riders together have achieved?

(just of the riders which start of course)

1 HTC-Highroad
2 Rabobank
3 Lampre-ISD
4 Garmin-Cervélo
5 Team RadioShack
6 BMC Racing Team
7 Quick Step
8 Team Sky
9 Leopard Trek
10 Team Saxo Bank-SunGard
11 Omega Pharma-Lotto
12 Liquigas-Cannondale
13 Team Movistar
14 Ag2r-La Mondiale
15 Euskaltel-Euskadi
16 Team Katusha
17 Vacansoleil-DCM
18 Astana

 

[taiwan]

Outsiders for a top 10

Hayman, Sieberg, Devolder, Guesdon

 

[search]

1 HTC-Highroad
2 Rabobank
3 Lampre-ISD
4 Garmin-Cervélo
5 Team RadioShack
6 BMC Racing Team
7 Quick Step
8 Team Sky
9 Leopard Trek
10 Team Saxo Bank-SunGard
11 Omega Pharma-Lotto
12 Liquigas-Cannondale
13 Team Movistar
14 Ag2r-La Mondiale
15 Euskaltel-Euskadi
16 Team Katusha
17 Vacansoleil-DCM
18 Astana

hm, that's the WorldTour ranking by teams, but not all the riders who gained that points are starting. Isn't it related to the starting riders anymore?

Edit:

2.3.018 The order of team cars in the race will be determined as follows:

World calendar men elite events

1. the cars of the teams represented at the team managers' meeting referred to in article 1.2.087
in the order of the world classification of the starting riders as drawn up;
2. the cars of the teams represented at the meeting whose riders have not yet earned points in the
world individual classification;
3. the cars of teams which failed to confirm their starting riders within the time limits set out in
article 1.2.090;
4. the cars of teams not represented at the meeting.
In groups 2 to 4 the order is determined by drawing lots.
The car of a team covered by point 1 or 2, but which falls into the categories covered by points 3 or
4, will be placed in group 3 or 4 as appropriate.

 

[search]

so it should be either by the points gained overall or by the best starting rider - then it's one of them:

Order by points overall per team:

01. HTC: overall: 223
02. Quickstep: overall: 220
03. Leopard: overall: 164
04. Rabobank: overall: 131
05. BMC: overall: 110
06. Omega: overall: 80
07. Sky: overall: 79
08. Garmin: overall: 68
09. Katusha: overall: 50
10. Vacasoleil: overall: 42
11. AG2r: overall: 40
12. Movistar: overall: 22
13. Astana: overall: 10
14. Radioshack: overall: 7
15. Liquigas: overall: 4
16. Lampre: overall: 2
17. Saxo: overall: 2

Order by best starting rider per team:

01. HTC: best: 203
02. Leopard: best: 156
03. Quickstep: best: 140
04. Omega: best: 78
05. Sky: best: 74
06. Rabobank: best: 70
07. BMC: best: 60
08. Garmin: best: 60
09. Katusha: best: 50
10. Vacasoleil: best: 30
11. AG2r: best: 30
12. Movistar: best: 21
13. Astana: best: 10
14. Radioshack: best: 7
15. Liquigas: best: 2
16. Lampre: best: 2
17. Saxo: best: 2

doesn't make that much of a difference anyway

 

[sublimit]

I've been looking at HTC and they have a slightly sprint orientated team:
Cav, Goss, Bak, Brammmier, Eisell, Degenkolb, Rasmussen,Smukuliss.

I reckon Tony Martin would do real damage in a race like this but alas not riding this and slogging his legs off over in the Basque country.

Brammier has done well for HTC, its the sort of race he can do OK in the future maybe but a big step up from riding An Post in smaller Belgian races. Good luck to him.

 

[Cobblestoned]

Good preparation.

A Sunday In Hell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4IDCkcnnHg

 

[davestoller]

I've been looking at HTC and they have a slightly sprint orientated team:
Cav, Goss, Bak, Brammmier, Eisell, Degenkolb, Rasmussen,Smukuliss.

I reckon Tony Martin would do real damage in a race like this but alas not riding this and slogging his legs off over in the Basque country.

Brammier has done well for HTC, its the sort of race he can do OK in the future maybe but a big step up from riding An Post in smaller Belgian races. Good luck to him.

watch out for Gossie

 

[search]

watch out for Gossie

the best things come in threes, anything else but another DNF (after Gent Wevelgem and the Ronde) would be a surprise in my opinion

Bak and possibly Eisel are the guys to watch out for