114th Paris-Roubaix - UCI World Tour (10/4-2016)

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

It's hard to call. If it's dry or raced defensively we could see a big bunch arrive together in Roubaix and then you have Sagan, EBH, Kristoff, Rowe, Boonen (more likely than a solo break I think), Demare, Lobato and outsiders like Cav, Bennett, Thwaites, Farrar etc. all of whom may be able to hang on if the group stays large enough.

If it's wet or raced hard I think we're still likely to see a bunch, just much reduced and then I can't see past Sagan. Cancellara isn't going to let people get away and neither are Etixx, Sagan can probably just follow wheels if he wants and be almost assured of getting dragged along to the velodrome in the front group.

Saga also looked ridiculously strong in De Ronde. Easily strong enough to make a Boonen-style break. Honestly, can't see past him for Sunday. I think the only way he loses is a break being allowed to go and stay away which would mean a random winner outside any favourite list or a big bunch arriving at the velodrome and a sprinter pipping him on the line.

You don't think an initial Cancellara attack would be enough to reduce the group to maximum of 5 ft Sagan, Stybar, Vanmarcke, Terpstra etc, and then another one to go clear? You think Sagan can hold on?

Based on the Ronde the first thing might happen but I don't think Cancellara can drop him without other people softening him up first. Cancellara needs to let Vanmarcke, Stybar etc. attack and force Sagan to do the work. He won't though, he'll chase everything to try and get the perfect sending off and end up dragging Sagan with him.

Even if he did drop him, others will chance and Sagan can follow wheels. He wants to win but he has De Ronde so he has the perfect excuse not to work.

Every year people make the mistake of equating RVV and PR. Of course there is an overlap, but they are fundamentally different races and require different skills to win. Some riders have the ability to do well on both, others don't.

The entire last 150km of Paris Roubaix is softening up. Unless there is a strong headwind, every rider is working hard and is on or close to the limit when the pave sections come up. It's not like RVV where you need huge bursts of power, with relatively little in between.

If there is a reasonable headwind then that all changes and it becomes much more like RVV.

I'm not equating them, I'm looking at how people rode and whether I think they have shown the attributes to win on both courses. Sagan has.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

It's hard to call. If it's dry or raced defensively we could see a big bunch arrive together in Roubaix and then you have Sagan, EBH, Kristoff, Rowe, Boonen (more likely than a solo break I think), Demare, Lobato and outsiders like Cav, Bennett, Thwaites, Farrar etc. all of whom may be able to hang on if the group stays large enough.

If it's wet or raced hard I think we're still likely to see a bunch, just much reduced and then I can't see past Sagan. Cancellara isn't going to let people get away and neither are Etixx, Sagan can probably just follow wheels if he wants and be almost assured of getting dragged along to the velodrome in the front group.

Saga also looked ridiculously strong in De Ronde. Easily strong enough to make a Boonen-style break. Honestly, can't see past him for Sunday. I think the only way he loses is a break being allowed to go and stay away which would mean a random winner outside any favourite list or a big bunch arriving at the velodrome and a sprinter pipping him on the line.

You don't think an initial Cancellara attack would be enough to reduce the group to maximum of 5 ft Sagan, Stybar, Vanmarcke, Terpstra etc, and then another one to go clear? You think Sagan can hold on?

Based on the Ronde the first thing might happen but I don't think Cancellara can drop him without other people softening him up first. Cancellara needs to let Vanmarcke, Stybar etc. attack and force Sagan to do the work. He won't though, he'll chase everything to try and get the perfect sending off and end up dragging Sagan with him.

Even if he did drop him, others will chance and Sagan can follow wheels. He wants to win but he has De Ronde so he has the perfect excuse not to work.

Every year people make the mistake of equating RVV and PR. Of course there is an overlap, but they are fundamentally different races and require different skills to win. Some riders have the ability to do well on both, others don't.

The entire last 150km of Paris Roubaix is softening up. Unless there is a strong headwind, every rider is working hard and is on or close to the limit when the pave sections come up. It's not like RVV where you need huge bursts of power, with relatively little in between.

If there is a reasonable headwind then that all changes and it becomes much more like RVV.

I'm not equating them, I'm looking at how people rode and whether I think they have shown the attributes to win on both courses. Sagan has.

Agreed that he has the attributes to be in with a chance of winning, but he's a distant second favourite to Cancellara imo. Canc has proven many times that he has all the strengths to win PR in a variety of conditions; Sagan has yet to do anything notable there.

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Agreed that he has the attributes to be in with a chance of winning, but he's a distant second favourite to Cancellara imo. Canc has proven many times that he has all the strengths to win PR in a variety of conditions; Sagan has yet to do anything notable there.

Sorry, I can see the argument for Cancellara being favourite but distant is ridiculous. Cancellara last won by dropping everyone in 2009. In 2013 he beat Vanmarcke in a sprint because he couldn't get away from him yet most people here would say Vanmarcke won't drop Sagan. If Cancellara can't drop Vanmarcke he can't drop Sagan and if they reach Roubaix as a two man break Sagan has to be the overwhelming favourite to take the sprint.

 

[trucido]

Re: Re:

Agreed that he has the attributes to be in with a chance of winning, but he's a distant second favourite to Cancellara imo. Canc has proven many times that he has all the strengths to win PR in a variety of conditions; Sagan has yet to do anything notable there.

Sorry, I can see the argument for Cancellara being favourite but distant is ridiculous. Cancellara last won by dropping everyone in 2009. In 2013 he beat Vanmarcke in a sprint because he couldn't get away from him yet most people here would say Vanmarcke won't drop Sagan. If Cancellara can't drop Vanmarcke he can't drop Sagan and if they reach Roubaix as a two man break Sagan has to be the overwhelming favourite to take the sprint.

Actually you forgot Stybar who only got dropped due to be taken out by a camera (Hope it was damaged beyond repair).

So Cancellara can't drop Stybar/Vanmarcke who can't drop Sagan who can't drop Terpstra who can't drop Kristoff.

Kristoff wins.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Agreed that he has the attributes to be in with a chance of winning, but he's a distant second favourite to Cancellara imo. Canc has proven many times that he has all the strengths to win PR in a variety of conditions; Sagan has yet to do anything notable there.

Sorry, I can see the argument for Cancellara being favourite but distant is ridiculous. Cancellara last won by dropping everyone in 2009. In 2013 he beat Vanmarcke in a sprint because he couldn't get away from him yet most people here would say Vanmarcke won't drop Sagan. If Cancellara can't drop Vanmarcke he can't drop Sagan and if they reach Roubaix as a two man break Sagan has to be the overwhelming favourite to take the sprint.

Sagan can certainly be dropped - he might not, but he might. That he was strong in RVV and that Vanmarcke wasn't dropped in 2013 isn't the whole story. The issue is whether Sagan can respond to hard anaerobic efforts without any kind of recovery; even this season, his finishes in Strade Bianche and E3 have suggested that he is still struggling to do so. Kristoff has the same issue - he needs those brief periods of recovery, which is why he's generally impressed more at RVV than PR.

Likewise, if Canc and Sagan come together at the finish, I don't see Sagan as an overwhelming favourite. Consistently in the last couple of seasons he has struggled to put out any kind of decent sprint after having to do hard aerobic efforts in a break.

Sagan's form is great and he looks stronger than ever at the moment; but he's ridden PR four times in his career and his best finish was sixth - when he got beaten in a sprint by Stybar, Vanmarcke and Cancellara. He needs to do more than that to be considered close to a favourite for me regardless of his current form. PR is much harder than RVV - and I think it could still be a step too far for Sagan.

 

[King Boonen]

Re: Re:

Agreed that he has the attributes to be in with a chance of winning, but he's a distant second favourite to Cancellara imo. Canc has proven many times that he has all the strengths to win PR in a variety of conditions; Sagan has yet to do anything notable there.

Sorry, I can see the argument for Cancellara being favourite but distant is ridiculous. Cancellara last won by dropping everyone in 2009. In 2013 he beat Vanmarcke in a sprint because he couldn't get away from him yet most people here would say Vanmarcke won't drop Sagan. If Cancellara can't drop Vanmarcke he can't drop Sagan and if they reach Roubaix as a two man break Sagan has to be the overwhelming favourite to take the sprint.

Sagan can certainly be dropped - he might not, but he might. That he was strong in RVV and that Vanmarcke wasn't dropped in 2013 isn't the whole story. The issue is whether Sagan can respond to hard anaerobic efforts without any kind of recovery; even this season, his finishes in Strade Bianche and E3 have suggested that he is still struggling to do so. Kristoff has the same issue - he needs those brief periods of recovery, which is why he's generally impressed more at RVV than PR.

Likewise, if Canc and Sagan come together at the finish, I don't see Sagan as an overwhelming favourite. Consistently in the last couple of seasons he has struggled to put out any kind of decent sprint after having to do hard aerobic efforts in a break.

Sagan's form is great and he looks stronger than ever at the moment; but he's ridden PR four times in his career and his best finish was sixth - when he got beaten in a sprint by Stybar, Vanmarcke and Cancellara. He needs to do more than that to be considered close to a favourite for me regardless of his current form. PR is much harder than RVV - and I think it could still be a step too far for Sagan.

All that is why I could accept FC as the favourite, but not as a distant one. He's ageing, his abilities are getting less and PS's are rapidly increasing. Along with all the other players and permutations I just can't see Sagan getting dropped if he rides sensibly. This analysis feels, to me, like you are giving much too much weight to past performances, but we shall see what happens on Sunday! (Or you will, I might not be able to watch ).

 

[trucido]

Re: Re:

Agreed that he has the attributes to be in with a chance of winning, but he's a distant second favourite to Cancellara imo. Canc has proven many times that he has all the strengths to win PR in a variety of conditions; Sagan has yet to do anything notable there.

Sorry, I can see the argument for Cancellara being favourite but distant is ridiculous. Cancellara last won by dropping everyone in 2009. In 2013 he beat Vanmarcke in a sprint because he couldn't get away from him yet most people here would say Vanmarcke won't drop Sagan. If Cancellara can't drop Vanmarcke he can't drop Sagan and if they reach Roubaix as a two man break Sagan has to be the overwhelming favourite to take the sprint.

Sagan can certainly be dropped - he might not, but he might. That he was strong in RVV and that Vanmarcke wasn't dropped in 2013 isn't the whole story. The issue is whether Sagan can respond to hard anaerobic efforts without any kind of recovery; even this season, his finishes in Strade Bianche and E3 have suggested that he is still struggling to do so. Kristoff has the same issue - he needs those brief periods of recovery, which is why he's generally impressed more at RVV than PR.

Likewise, if Canc and Sagan come together at the finish, I don't see Sagan as an overwhelming favourite. Consistently in the last couple of seasons he has struggled to put out any kind of decent sprint after having to do hard aerobic efforts in a break.

Sagan's form is great and he looks stronger than ever at the moment; but he's ridden PR four times in his career and his best finish was sixth - when he got beaten in a sprint by Stybar, Vanmarcke and Cancellara. He needs to do more than that to be considered close to a favourite for me regardless of his current form. PR is much harder than RVV - and I think it could still be a step too far for Sagan.

He's only ridden PR 3 times.

He was beaten in a sprint for 2nd place (hardly comparable to sprinting for the win), and last year the late mechanical meant he couldn't contest at all.

Not sure what more he can do, 100km solo to the velodrome? smh.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Agreed that he has the attributes to be in with a chance of winning, but he's a distant second favourite to Cancellara imo. Canc has proven many times that he has all the strengths to win PR in a variety of conditions; Sagan has yet to do anything notable there.

Sorry, I can see the argument for Cancellara being favourite but distant is ridiculous. Cancellara last won by dropping everyone in 2009. In 2013 he beat Vanmarcke in a sprint because he couldn't get away from him yet most people here would say Vanmarcke won't drop Sagan. If Cancellara can't drop Vanmarcke he can't drop Sagan and if they reach Roubaix as a two man break Sagan has to be the overwhelming favourite to take the sprint.

Sagan can certainly be dropped - he might not, but he might. That he was strong in RVV and that Vanmarcke wasn't dropped in 2013 isn't the whole story. The issue is whether Sagan can respond to hard anaerobic efforts without any kind of recovery; even this season, his finishes in Strade Bianche and E3 have suggested that he is still struggling to do so. Kristoff has the same issue - he needs those brief periods of recovery, which is why he's generally impressed more at RVV than PR.

Likewise, if Canc and Sagan come together at the finish, I don't see Sagan as an overwhelming favourite. Consistently in the last couple of seasons he has struggled to put out any kind of decent sprint after having to do hard aerobic efforts in a break.

Sagan's form is great and he looks stronger than ever at the moment; but he's ridden PR four times in his career and his best finish was sixth - when he got beaten in a sprint by Stybar, Vanmarcke and Cancellara. He needs to do more than that to be considered close to a favourite for me regardless of his current form. PR is much harder than RVV - and I think it could still be a step too far for Sagan.

All that is why I could accept FC as the favourite, but not as a distant one. He's ageing, his abilities are getting less and PS's are rapidly increasing. Along with all the other players and permutations I just can't see Sagan getting dropped if he rides sensibly. This analysis feels, to me, like you are giving much too much weight to past performances, but we shall see what happens on Sunday! (Or you will, I might not be able to watch ).

I feel your pain! It should be a great race; let's just hope there's no more mechanicals or crashes. It's bad enough not to have GVA and Degenkolb already; that would have added even more variables to the mix.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Agreed that he has the attributes to be in with a chance of winning, but he's a distant second favourite to Cancellara imo. Canc has proven many times that he has all the strengths to win PR in a variety of conditions; Sagan has yet to do anything notable there.

Sorry, I can see the argument for Cancellara being favourite but distant is ridiculous. Cancellara last won by dropping everyone in 2009. In 2013 he beat Vanmarcke in a sprint because he couldn't get away from him yet most people here would say Vanmarcke won't drop Sagan. If Cancellara can't drop Vanmarcke he can't drop Sagan and if they reach Roubaix as a two man break Sagan has to be the overwhelming favourite to take the sprint.

Sagan can certainly be dropped - he might not, but he might. That he was strong in RVV and that Vanmarcke wasn't dropped in 2013 isn't the whole story. The issue is whether Sagan can respond to hard anaerobic efforts without any kind of recovery; even this season, his finishes in Strade Bianche and E3 have suggested that he is still struggling to do so. Kristoff has the same issue - he needs those brief periods of recovery, which is why he's generally impressed more at RVV than PR.

Likewise, if Canc and Sagan come together at the finish, I don't see Sagan as an overwhelming favourite. Consistently in the last couple of seasons he has struggled to put out any kind of decent sprint after having to do hard aerobic efforts in a break.

Sagan's form is great and he looks stronger than ever at the moment; but he's ridden PR four times in his career and his best finish was sixth - when he got beaten in a sprint by Stybar, Vanmarcke and Cancellara. He needs to do more than that to be considered close to a favourite for me regardless of his current form. PR is much harder than RVV - and I think it could still be a step too far for Sagan.

He's only ridden PR 3 times.

He was beaten in a sprint for 2nd place (hardly comparable to sprinting for the win), and last year the late mechanical meant he couldn't contest at all.

Not sure what more he can do, 100km solo to the velodrome? smh.

Quite a lot. All that you've said about his previous finishes are true, but at the same time, it doesn't discount from the fact that he hasn't really come close to winning the race before. He's never made an impression with a meaningful solo break of any length, and he's never put in a good sprint at the end of the race.

To be considered favourite, or to be bracketed with Cancellara, I would have liked to see him showing something on the PR cobbles in the past that suggests he can win the race. Sagan is clearly the form rider and has some attributes to do well at PR, but I have a nagging doubt that he will really be able to make the decisive move at the end of such a hard race. Also, let's not forget that his team is useless. If he gets a puncture or in any other kind of trouble, he'll be wasting a lot of energy to get back into contention.

 

[myrideissteelerthanyours]

Re: Re:

Agreed that he has the attributes to be in with a chance of winning, but he's a distant second favourite to Cancellara imo. Canc has proven many times that he has all the strengths to win PR in a variety of conditions; Sagan has yet to do anything notable there.

Sorry, I can see the argument for Cancellara being favourite but distant is ridiculous. Cancellara last won by dropping everyone in 2009. In 2013 he beat Vanmarcke in a sprint because he couldn't get away from him yet most people here would say Vanmarcke won't drop Sagan. If Cancellara can't drop Vanmarcke he can't drop Sagan and if they reach Roubaix as a two man break Sagan has to be the overwhelming favourite to take the sprint.

Sagan can certainly be dropped - he might not, but he might. That he was strong in RVV and that Vanmarcke wasn't dropped in 2013 isn't the whole story. The issue is whether Sagan can respond to hard anaerobic efforts without any kind of recovery; even this season, his finishes in Strade Bianche and E3 have suggested that he is still struggling to do so. Kristoff has the same issue - he needs those brief periods of recovery, which is why he's generally impressed more at RVV than PR.

Likewise, if Canc and Sagan come together at the finish, I don't see Sagan as an overwhelming favourite. Consistently in the last couple of seasons he has struggled to put out any kind of decent sprint after having to do hard aerobic efforts in a break.

Sagan's form is great and he looks stronger than ever at the moment; but he's ridden PR four times in his career and his best finish was sixth - when he got beaten in a sprint by Stybar, Vanmarcke and Cancellara. He needs to do more than that to be considered close to a favourite for me regardless of his current form. PR is much harder than RVV - and I think it could still be a step too far for Sagan.

He's only ridden PR 3 times.

He was beaten in a sprint for 2nd place (hardly comparable to sprinting for the win), and last year the late mechanical meant he couldn't contest at all.

Not sure what more he can do, 100km solo to the velodrome? smh.

Quite a lot. All that you've said about his previous finishes are true, but at the same time, it doesn't discount from the fact that he hasn't really come close to winning the race before. He's never made an impression with a meaningful solo break of any length, and he's never put in a good sprint at the end of the race.

To be considered favourite, or to be bracketed with Cancellara, I would have liked to see him showing something on the PR cobbles in the past that suggests he can win the race. Sagan is clearly the form rider and has some attributes to do well at PR, but I have a nagging doubt that he will really be able to make the decisive move at the end of such a hard race. Also, let's not forget that his team is useless. If he gets a puncture or in any other kind of trouble, he'll be wasting a lot of energy to get back into contention.

Sagan has better results in PR than Canc did at the same age. If they followed the same progression then Sagan would be expected to win PR this year at age 26 like Fab Canc did.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Sagan has better results in PR than Canc did at the same age. If they followed the same progression then Sagan would be expected to win PR this year at age 26 like Fab Canc did.

Right

 

[myrideissteelerthanyours]

Google says it will be sunny in Paris Sunday. We need a kickstarter for a weather changing machine or something.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re: Re:

Sagan has better results in PR than Canc did at the same age. If they followed the same progression then Sagan would be expected to win PR this year at age 26 like Fab Canc did.

Did not know Sagan had already podium'ed Paris Roubaix I guess I missed that edition of the race where that happened

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

Sagan has better results in PR than Canc did at the same age. If they followed the same progression then Sagan would be expected to win PR this year at age 26 like Fab Canc did.

Canc finished 4th when he was 23, and won when he was 25...

Sagan's finished in the top 20 once

 

[myrideissteelerthanyours]

Re: Re:

Sagan has better results in PR than Canc did at the same age. If they followed the same progression then Sagan would be expected to win PR this year at age 26 like Fab Canc did.

Did not know Sagan had already podium'ed Paris Roubaix I guess I missed that edition of the race where that happened

Thanks Wikipedia. *** now Im gonna lose a bunch of money Sunday.

 

[trucido]

Re: Re:

Sagan has better results in PR than Canc did at the same age. If they followed the same progression then Sagan would be expected to win PR this year at age 26 like Fab Canc did.

Canc finished 4th when he was 23, and won when he was 25...

Sagan's finished in the top 6 once

FTFY

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Sagan has better results in PR than Canc did at the same age. If they followed the same progression then Sagan would be expected to win PR this year at age 26 like Fab Canc did.

Canc finished 4th when he was 23, and won when he was 25...

Sagan's finished in the top 6 once

FTFY

Not sure what difference that really makes. If you think Sagan is the favourite, that's fine and understandable, but it surely is based almost entirely on his current form, rather than on what he has done at PR in the past.

His past performances at PR by themselves - highest finish sixth, only once in the top 20, unable to put out a decent sprint at the end, never made a meaningful solo break - don't come close to making him favourite. Especially considering that he will be up against a guy that has won it three times and finished on the podium on three other occasions. Compare that to RVV, where he had finished 2nd, 4th and 5th before this year.

 

[skidmark]

Re: Re:

There's a lot of talk about Benoot being absent, but the real lose is that Lampaert is not here.

Did something happen to him as he's been kinda quiet since his "the new Boonen" moment last year?

His girlfriend hit his Achilles' tendon with a supermarket trolley. (In a supermarket, I believe.)

That's Lampaert, not Benoot.

Benoot hasn't been quiet at all either - he's gotten top 10 in 5 1-day races this season (podiumed in Het Volk) and was active in both E3 and G-W less than 2 weeks ago. But he crashed out of Flanders and got taken away in an ambulance, which is why people are speculating he won't start Roubaix.

 

[trucido]

Re: Re:

Sagan has better results in PR than Canc did at the same age. If they followed the same progression then Sagan would be expected to win PR this year at age 26 like Fab Canc did.

Canc finished 4th when he was 23, and won when he was 25...

Sagan's finished in the top 6 once

FTFY

Not sure what difference that really makes. If you think Sagan is the favourite, that's fine and understandable, but it surely is based almost entirely on his current form, rather than on what he has done at PR in the past.

His past performances at PR by themselves - highest finish sixth, only once in the top 20, unable to put out a decent sprint at the end, never made a meaningful solo break - don't come close to making him favourite. Especially considering that he will be up against a guy that has won it three times and finished on the podium on three other occasions. Compare that to RVV, where he had finished 2nd, 4th and 5th before this year.

"Top 20" implies any position from 1-20, so I was simply adjusting the scope, considering his finishing positon was closer to 1 than 20.

By your train of thought, Sagan didn't do much in RvV either previously if you look at how each of the races played out:

5th - Never in contention for the win
4th - Never in contention, couldn't chase down Terpstra/Kristoff with GvA after the Paterberg
2nd - Left for dead by Cancellara after the Paterberg

In terms of P-R, it would be similar to saying he's never done anything of of note past the Carrefour de'lArbre other than being with the front group.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Sagan has better results in PR than Canc did at the same age. If they followed the same progression then Sagan would be expected to win PR this year at age 26 like Fab Canc did.

Canc finished 4th when he was 23, and won when he was 25...

Sagan's finished in the top 6 once

FTFY

Not sure what difference that really makes. If you think Sagan is the favourite, that's fine and understandable, but it surely is based almost entirely on his current form, rather than on what he has done at PR in the past.

His past performances at PR by themselves - highest finish sixth, only once in the top 20, unable to put out a decent sprint at the end, never made a meaningful solo break - don't come close to making him favourite. Especially considering that he will be up against a guy that has won it three times and finished on the podium on three other occasions. Compare that to RVV, where he had finished 2nd, 4th and 5th before this year.

"Top 20" implies any position from 1-20, so I was simply adjusting the scope, considering his finishing positon was closer to 1 than 20.

By your train of thought, Sagan didn't do much in RvV either previously if you look at how each of the races played out:

5th - Never in contention for the win
4th - Never in contention, couldn't chase down Trentin/Kristoff with GvA after the Paterberg
2nd - Left for dead by Cancellara after the Paterberg

In terms of P-R, it would be similar to saying he's never done anything of of note past the Carrefour de'lArbre other than being with the front group.

My train of thought, as mentioned earlier in the thread, is that PR and RVV are very different races. Sagan has consistently shown over the last few years that he is one of the best riders in the world on cobbled climbs. He's won GW, E3, Brabantjse Pijl and even won a WC on a cobbled climb, as well as achieving two podiums at RVV.

He's done absolutely nothing comparable on the flat cobbles of PR. The one time he got to the finish with the main group of contenders, he was outsprinted by Stybar, Vanmarcke and Cancellara. The key is recovery - you just don't get it in PR - you do to an extent in races with cobbled climbs, and I think Sagan needs it more than some of the other favourites.

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

There's a lot of talk about Benoot being absent, but the real lose is that Lampaert is not here.

Did something happen to him as he's been kinda quiet since his "the new Boonen" moment last year?

His girlfriend hit his Achilles' tendon with a supermarket trolley. (In a supermarket, I believe.)

That's Lampaert, not Benoot.

Benoot hasn't been quiet at all either - he's gotten top 10 in 5 1-day races this season (podiumed in Het Volk) and was active in both E3 and G-W less than 2 weeks ago. But he crashed out of Flanders and got taken away in an ambulance, which is why people are speculating he won't start Roubaix.

They were talking about Lampaert

 

[Cannibal72]

Re: Re:

There's a lot of talk about Benoot being absent, but the real lose is that Lampaert is not here.

Did something happen to him as he's been kinda quiet since his "the new Boonen" moment last year?

His girlfriend hit his Achilles' tendon with a supermarket trolley. (In a supermarket, I believe.)

That's Lampaert, not Benoot.

Benoot hasn't been quiet at all either - he's gotten top 10 in 5 1-day races this season (podiumed in Het Volk) and was active in both E3 and G-W less than 2 weeks ago. But he crashed out of Flanders and got taken away in an ambulance, which is why people are speculating he won't start Roubaix.

I know that I was talking about Lampaert, and I assumed cellardoor was too, as that was the subject of Hugo's post, Benoot's not been quiet (as you say), and I thought the 'new Boonen' referred to his breakaway in P-R.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I expect a lot from Lars Boom, especially if it rains on sunday.
He was a lot stronger than his RVV result indicates. Not only did he had 4 flat tires in the finale. But he was one of the strongest on the Koppenberg, momentarily gapping Cancellara even. And he also says he never felt stronger before than this season

 

[SevenTimeTdfChamp]

I think Tom Boonen will ride a good Paris Roubaix. He looked good in flanderen, he just cant handle the hills any moore. But as PR is a race without hills i think he has a chance

 

[Jagartrott]

Looks like Sunday will be the 'best' day of the week (sunny and dry).
*sigh*