115th Paris-Roubaix 2017 - April 9, 257k

[Brullnux]

Re:

***** Degenkolb
**** Kristoff, Sagan, Boonen
*** Terpstra, Van Avermaet, Stannard
** Gilbert, Naesen, Stuyven, Durbridge, Demare
* Boasson-Hagen, Rowe, Van Baarle, Pippo, Stybar, Thwaites, Hayman

Vanmarcke uncertain to race, it appears.

Why Kristoff so high? He didn't look amazing in Flanders and was dropped from the Pippo group at some points and that should be (is) his preferred terrain. Even in his annus mirabilis he didn't do that well in Roubaix.

 

[Brullnux]

Re: Re:

***** Degenkolb
**** Kristoff, Sagan, Boonen
*** Terpstra, Van Avermaet, Stannard
** Gilbert, Naesen, Stuyven, Durbridge, Demare
* Boasson-Hagen, Rowe, Van Baarle, Pippo, Stybar, Thwaites, Hayman

Vanmarcke uncertain to race, it appears.

Pippo does not deserve a star I think, sure he has a good history on the cobbles and he was looking pretty strong in Flandres, the only problem was he lost concentration at the moment the big guns went. He still did fight after that but did not get co operation with the guys he ended up in a ground behind Sagan/Gva/Naesen etc, so he did a good race, but Roubaix is a completely different race. He could potentially do well but his team aint starting and thats why i think he doesnt deserve a star.

well played

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Hayman should win by about 5 minutes this year given that he's actually been racing rather than out injured

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re: Re:

***** Degenkolb
**** Kristoff, Sagan, Boonen
*** Terpstra, Van Avermaet, Stannard
** Gilbert, Naesen, Stuyven, Durbridge, Demare
* Boasson-Hagen, Rowe, Van Baarle, Pippo, Stybar, Thwaites, Hayman

Vanmarcke uncertain to race, it appears.

Pippo does not deserve a star I think, sure he has a good history on the cobbles and he was looking pretty strong in Flandres, the only problem was he lost concentration at the moment the big guns went. He still did fight after that but did not get co operation with the guys he ended up in a ground behind Sagan/Gva/Naesen etc, so he did a good race, but Roubaix is a completely different race. He could potentially do well but his team aint starting and thats why i think he doesnt deserve a star.

Didn't know. Apparently Gilbert is skipping the race aswell.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

***** Degenkolb
**** Kristoff, Sagan, Boonen
*** Terpstra, Van Avermaet, Stannard
** Gilbert, Naesen, Stuyven, Durbridge, Demare
* Boasson-Hagen, Rowe, Van Baarle, Pippo, Stybar, Thwaites, Hayman

Vanmarcke uncertain to race, it appears.

Pippo does not deserve a star I think, sure he has a good history on the cobbles and he was looking pretty strong in Flandres, the only problem was he lost concentration at the moment the big guns went. He still did fight after that but did not get co operation with the guys he ended up in a ground behind Sagan/Gva/Naesen etc, so he did a good race, but Roubaix is a completely different race. He could potentially do well but his team aint starting and thats why i think he doesnt deserve a star.

Ye of little faith!

 

[portugal11]

Gilbert won't do paris roubaix, he prefers to rest and prepare the ardennes. Phil, phil... I'm not a fan of you anymore!!! Roubaix 10 times better than the crappy ardennes

 

[pink_jersey]

I don't think Phil made this decision...

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re:

Gilbert won't do paris roubaix, he prefers to rest and prepare the ardennes. Phil, phil... I'm not a fan of you anymore!!! Roubaix 10 times better than the crappy ardennes

Not his choice.

 

[Sciatic]

Re:

Gilbert won't do paris roubaix, he prefers to rest and prepare the ardennes. Phil, phil... I'm not a fan of you anymore!!! Roubaix 10 times better than the crappy ardennes

Read the last 2 lines in the CN article: definitely sounds like the team management decision, not Phil's (as others have already said).

 

[Billie]

It was Stybar or Gilbert

 

[Valv.Piti]

So...

Wants to win all the monuments, in the form of his life (again).
Yet still skips Roubaix in order to prepare the Ardennes.

Most probably not his own decision.

 

[yaco]

Degenkolb, Boonen, Naesen and Sagan for me - Doubt GVA rides cobbles well enough to win PR.

 

[Flamin]

Unbelievable. Who gives a damn about the Ardennes? Besides they have Alaphilippe and Martin. Unless they plan on also destroying those races from far, that would be cool.

 

[Jancouver]

Re: Re:

***** GVA (always in the mix and great sprint)
**** Boonen (team, experience, ability to peak when needed, good sprint)
*** Sagan (he can win solo only), Naesen (excellent form), Gilbert (obviously)
** Vanmarcke, Degenkolb, Kristoff (you never know with them)
* Cancellara (almost invisible this spring)

Okay, I think the myth of Sagan's nonexistent sprint and tactical ineptitude is beginning to be stretched too far.
Of course he has committed a ton of mistakes this year but these years, he is definitely the rider who is put into most difficult tactical situations by far due to everybody knowing that he is the strongest and that his team is weak.

But I think that Bora are better suited to Paris-Roubaix and I think he will finally break his drought this Sunday - and yeah, he will probably win solo but if he gets to the velodrome with, say, GvA he would still be my favorite in a sprint. Especially because I don't think that GvA would feel inferior to Sagan and let him do the lion's share of the work which almost always happens.

But Sagan has not had a clear run at Paris-Roubaix yet (except for 2014 but that does not really count) so we are yet to see if he has the ability to get away alone on the cobbles where his fearsome acceleration will probably not be as effective as on the hellingen of Flanders. That's definitely going to be difficult.

I just really hope that he does not get caught out early like last year.

I can agree with a lot of what you're saying. But hard facts are against him. He's shown a lot of tactical mistakes recently. His team is weak. He already sprinted several times on velodrome, he lost it on every occasion. Everybody knows he needs a rest before his sprint, which is not doable in Roubaix. So in order to win he will have to be mighty strong and/or lucky.

Sagan needs a rest before a sprint? Since when? Is that how he won the last WC?

You know, I get it, there is a lot of people that dislike Sagan for whatever reason, but sometimes, I just cant believe what kind of nonsense the anti-sagan crowd can make up and wonder if those people even watch any of these races.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Really hoping for a Boonen victory and if not, Ollie Naesen would be a nice winner. Shouldn't he also be better on flat cobbles anyways?

 

[Jancouver]

***** Boonen, Sagan, GVA
**** Dagenkolb, Kristoff, Stybar,
*** Demare, Stannard, Naesen, Greipel, Stuyven
** EBH, Durbo, Panzerwagen, Benoot, Keuke
* Terpstra, Van Baarle, Boom, Kung, Bodnar, Lars Bak, Bennati, Kluge, Row,
- zero chance - Vanmarcke ... even if 100% healthy

 

[Flamin]

Re:

Really hoping for a Boonen victory and if not, Ollie Naesen would be a nice winner. Shouldn't he also be better on flat cobbles anyways?

Better, I don't think so. He's more a GVA kind of type.

 

[Winnen]

Re:

***** Boonen, Sagan, GVA
**** Dagenkolb, Kristoff, Stybar,
*** Demare, Stannard, Naesen, Greipel, Stuyven
** EBH, Durbo, Panzerwagen, Benoot, Keuke
* Terpstra, Van Baarle, Boom, Kung, Bodnar, Lars Bak, Bennati, Kluge, Row,
- zero chance - Vanmarcke ... even if 100% healthy

I would give Stybar 1 star less and Terpstra 1 star more. Boom should be in the category 'zero chance'. He is just not good enough this spring.

 

[del1962]

Re: Re:

Sagan needs a rest before a sprint? Since when? Is that how he won the last WC?

You know, I get it, there is a lot of people that dislike Sagan for whatever reason, but sometimes, I just cant believe what kind of nonsense the anti-sagan crowd can make up and wonder if those people even watch any of these races.

I think the feeling is that when he arrives in a small group trying to stay away he gets beaten by others in the sprint because he is on his limit and others around him might have more stamina, this is not what happened at the worlds when he was in a biggish bunch although he was slightly lucky Cavendish was blocked in, I know some don't like Sagan but the feeling that is he is in a small group (say 3) which has little time over the closing bunch he gets beat, such as MSR and last year E3 and Omloop, but if there is more time he does't have to drive the break on as much so wins more, its probably because he does more work than he others though

 

[jaylew]

Re: Re:

Gilbert won't do paris roubaix, he prefers to rest and prepare the ardennes. Phil, phil... I'm not a fan of you anymore!!! Roubaix 10 times better than the crappy ardennes

Read the last 2 lines in the CN article: definitely sounds like the team management decision, not Phil's (as others have already said).

You think if Gilbert told the team "I really want to race Roubaix" they would have said no? In this form? No way.

 

[Hellyea]

Re: Re:

Gilbert won't do paris roubaix, he prefers to rest and prepare the ardennes. Phil, phil... I'm not a fan of you anymore!!! Roubaix 10 times better than the crappy ardennes

Read the last 2 lines in the CN article: definitely sounds like the team management decision, not Phil's (as others have already said).

You think if Gilbert told the team "I really want to race Roubaix" they would have said no? In this form? No way.

Yes they would. Otherwise Tom would cry himself to sleep.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re: Re:

Sagan needs a rest before a sprint? Since when? Is that how he won the last WC?

You know, I get it, there is a lot of people that dislike Sagan for whatever reason, but sometimes, I just cant believe what kind of nonsense the anti-sagan crowd can make up and wonder if those people even watch any of these races.

I think the feeling is that when he arrives in a small group trying to stay away he gets beaten by others in the sprint because he is on his limit and others around him might have more stamina, this is not what happened at the worlds when he was in a biggish bunch although he was slightly lucky Cavendish was blocked in, I know some don't like Sagan but the feeling that is he is in a small group (say 3) which has little time over the closing bunch he gets beat, such as MSR and last year E3 and Omloop, but if there is more time he does't have to drive the break on as much so wins more, its probably because he does more work than he others though

I can't see how Sagan could beat Degenkolb or Kristoff in such a sprint.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

Sagan needs a rest before a sprint? Since when? Is that how he won the last WC?

You know, I get it, there is a lot of people that dislike Sagan for whatever reason, but sometimes, I just cant believe what kind of nonsense the anti-sagan crowd can make up and wonder if those people even watch any of these races.

Sagan didn't have to make one single pull in last years WC, so that really doesn't have anything to do with the discussion. Besides that, you just can't ignore all the races in which Sagan lost a sprint out of a small group. Het Volk 2016, E3 2016, TA stage 6 2016, GP Montreal 2016, Het Volk 2017, MSR 2017. Basically the only races he has won in comparable sprints in that time were GW 2016 and KBK 2017 and he could only win these races because there wasn't a big danger to get caught on the last kilometers, so Sagan didn't have to pull his group all the way to the last few hundred meters.
Saying people are making up things really is complete nonsense and saying these people didn't even watch any of these races as well. Meanwhile I'm surprised that there are still so many people who are surprised when he loses sprints agains Kwiat and GVA since Sagan's weakness of having a bad sprint after doing a lot of work has already been completely obvious so often.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Greg also has one of the meanest sprints around after a hard race, he has won all sprints in small groups in the classics this year. That certainly can't be said about Sagan! Kwito is also a finish extraordinaire at this best, I still remember how he humiliated Sagan at G-W.

 

[portugal11]

Re:

Greg also has one of the meanest sprints around after a hard race, he has won all sprints in small groups in the classics this year. That certainly can't be said about Sagan! Kwito is also a finish extraordinaire at this best, I still remember how he humiliated Sagan at G-W.

Was in 2015 harelbeke and that sagan was in terrible shape