2012 Predictions

[King Of The Wolds]

Olympic Road: Cav
Olympic TT: Contador

World Road: Gilbert
World TT: Tony Martin
TTT: OP-QS

MSR: Boonen
RvV: Boonen
PR: Boonen
LBL: Valverde
GL: Betanqur
GW: Boonen
AMG: Gilbert
FW: Purito
CSS: Valverde
PT: Boonen

Giro: Basso
TDF: Contador
Vuelta: Contador

...and
Majka to top-10 in the giro.
Contador to win T-A.
Nibbles to podium a grand tour.

Each to their own, but on what basis do you think Boonen will win 5(!) Classics and Contador the Olympics TT?

 

[Netserk]

Each to their own, but on what basis do you think Boonen will win 5(!) Classics and Contador the Olympics TT?

Because Boonen is the best

And the Olympics will be just after the tour, where he will be in good form, and i think a top motivated Contador is among the 3 best TT-riders in the world

PS: And I have Boonen on my CQ-team

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

RVV : Mur de Grammont
P-R : Boonen
TDF : Evans

That's all you need to know really.

 

[El Pistolero]

RVV : Mur de Grammont
P-R : Boonen
TDF : Evans

That's all you need to know really.

And why do you think you have to give a Flemish hill a French name?

 

[EvansIsTheBest]

And why do you think you have to give a Flemish hill a French name?

Maybe because everybody on the face of the earth doesn't speak Flemish and can't be bothered to look up the name of a hill

 

[El Pistolero]

Maybe because everybody on the face of the earth doesn't speak Flemish and can't be bothered to look up the name of a hill

Then don't use it. Doubt everyone in the world speaks French.

 

[sublimit]

Olympic RR: S Modolo
Olympic TT: Tony Martin

World Road: Gilbert
World TT: T Martin
TTT: Sky

MSR: Goss
GW: Cavendish
RvV: Gilbert
PR: Cancellara
AGR: Sagan
FW: Evans
LBL: J-Rod
CSS: <left blank>
PT: Hagen
GL: Gesink

Giro: Basso
Tour: Evans
Vuelta: Froome

ToC: a random american veteran. probably bald.

 

[El Pistolero]

Lol, no way Cavendish will win G-W.

 

[Panda Claws]

Lol, no way Cavendish will win G-W.

He said he would love to win that one though.
Also, if Eisel can win it...

 

[will10]

He said he would love to win that one though.
Also, if Eisel can win it...

So did I, doesn't mean it's realistic.

Eisel is 10 times the classics rider that Cav is.

 

[maltiv]

He said he would love to win that one though

Sky has two former G-W winners (09 and 10) on the team + 4-5 others with higher chance of winning than Cavendish...

 

[Lanark]

So did I, doesn't mean it's realistic.

Eisel is 10 times the classics rider that Cav is.

You don't have to be much of a classic rider to win GW. He could have won it this year already. There are plenty of easy editions of that race.

 

[El Pistolero]

You don't have to be much of a classic rider to win GW. He could have won it this year already. There are plenty of easy editions of that race.

So Cav will win once he gets a time travelling machine and goes back to 2011

==


http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=453433&postcount=193

Here's a little gem c&cfan posted at the start of the 2011 season He sure knows how to predict stuff.

 

[maltiv]

You don't have to be much of a classic rider to win GW. He could have won it this year already. There are plenty of easy editions of that race.

Not like it would be a certain victory if he made it to the sprint either, I mean at that point of the year his sprinting wasn't exactly impressive. Up to then he had participated in something like 20 sprints and won 1. I doubt he had much left in his legs either.

 

[theyoungest]

Not like it would be a certain victory if he made it to the sprint either, I mean at that point of the year his sprinting wasn't exactly impressive. Up to then he had participated in something like 20 sprints and won 1. I doubt he had much left in his legs either.

He won the Scheldeprijs about a week later, so let's just say he had a very big chance of winning. Don't know about the new course though.

Sky has two former G-W winners (09 and 10) on the team + 4-5 others with higher chance of winning than Cavendish...

EBH and Eisel both had a great deal of luck in their respective wins, on that old course they'd definitely start with Cav as their leader.

 

[El Pistolero]

He won the Scheldeprijs about a week later, so let's just say he had a very big chance of winning. Don't know about the new course though.

Ding ding ding, we have a winner. If the course was the same as in 2011 he'd have a shot, but right now I don't think so...

http://www.cqranking.com/men/asp/gen/race.asp?raceid=10900

2009 was a hard race, mainly because of the weather, but look where he finished. Now with a harder course he definitely won't be a factor. The 2011 course was a bit of a joke, I think most people will agree with me on that.

 

[Panda Claws]

So Cav will win once he gets a time travelling machine and goes back to 2011

==


http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=453433&postcount=193

Here's a little gem c&cfan posted at the start of the 2011 season He sure knows how to predict stuff.

A nice quote indeed. I wonder what he has to say about that now.

 

[The Hitch]

So Cav will win once he gets a time travelling machine and goes back to 2011

==


http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=453433&postcount=193

Here's a little gem c&cfan posted at the start of the 2011 season He sure knows how to predict stuff.

He predicted that Gilbert couldnt beat Cancellara, Valverde or Boonen when they are going for the win in a classic.

Prediction is still valid.

 

[Panda Claws]

He predicted that Gilbert couldnt beat Cancellara, Valverde or Boonen when they are going for the win in a classic.

Prediction is still valid.

Read the whole thread.

That prediction is pretty much the only valid one.

He also predicted for example that Gilbert would not even have half of the palmares that these guys have...

Also, this year he might not have beaten them but they did not exactly win either.

If anything Gilbert showed Cancellara at stage 1, Tour de France but ofcourse that was no classic.

 

[Lanark]

Not like it would be a certain victory if he made it to the sprint either, I mean at that point of the year his sprinting wasn't exactly impressive. Up to then he had participated in something like 20 sprints and won 1. I doubt he had much left in his legs either.

Which goes to show that even in sub-optimal form he could still make the cut. Gent-Wevelgem can be a difficult and interesting race from time to time, but there have been plenty of recent editions where a good Cavendish could certainly have won (2004, 2006, 2008, 2011). Obviously he isn't a certain victor, but who is?

 

[El Pistolero]

He predicted that Gilbert couldnt beat Cancellara, Valverde or Boonen when they are going for the win in a classic.

Prediction is still valid.

No, he said he couldn't beat Boonen and Cancellara when they were trying to win something PERIOD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aJ2NeDV6pE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cdgOOPMDe8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6Wvlmr-N6w

Let me guess, AGR isn't a classic now Yeah, Cancellara was there. For the win.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

So Cav will win once he gets a time travelling machine and goes back to 2011

==


http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=453433&postcount=193

Here's a little gem c&cfan posted at the start of the 2011 season He sure knows how to predict stuff.

To be fair, Gilbert didn't beat Boonen or Canc in any of the 3 major monuments they go for, and he clearly didn't beat Valverde last year, if we're going on strict technicalities.

But Phil did have a reasonable year...

 

[El Pistolero]

To be fair, Gilbert didn't beat Boonen or Canc in any of the 3 major monuments they go for, and he clearly didn't beat Valverde last year, if we're going on strict technicalities.

But Phil did have a reasonable year...

Only in the preparation races though

"i dont see him as capable of wining something big besides lombardia (when the other contenders are just too tired)."

"gilbert can only hope do dominate preparation races. but what matters, monuments, he wont."

It's these statements I'm talking about though.

 

[Panda Claws]

Let us compare some riders on classic wins.

For the purpose of this list

Monuments
* LBL
* GDL
* RVV
* PR
* MSR

Other classics
* AGR
* FW
* PT
* CSS
* GW

Gilbert: 3 Monuments and 6 other classics
Podiums in 4 different Monuments

Podiums in 9 out of 10 different Classics

Boonen: 5 Monuments and 2 other classics
Podiums in 3 different Monuments

Podiums in 5 out of 10 different Classics

Cancellara: 4 Monuments and 0 other classics
Podiums in 3 different Monuments

Podiums in 3 out of 10 different classics


Also, do not make me bring up amount of podiums because Gilbert will still crush the competetion there.

 

[Cobblestoned]

I guess the pistolman has fallen in love on a Gilbert-fanday and introduced it to CN forum. Perhaps that's still gonna happen. Who knows.
A real man would never choose a nick involving panda. But somehow claws is contrary to sweet panda. A split personality of unknown gender that prefers to post beautyfied stats of his choice.

Good luck to you two anyway. You both complement each other, but panda still needs more Alberto-love.

Cobblestones rule. They count 10x
Gilbert will never win a cobblestone. He is a Schönwetterfahrer and Warmduscher.