2012 Road World Championships, Mens Road Race Maastricht - Valkenburg 267 km 23/09/12

[Praetor]

Just look at those names. Hilarious. WC road race=Your everyday spring classic.

Yes, strange that a one day race should be dominated by one day race specialists. It's a conspiracy.

 

[Praetor]

To be fair to him, he was correct until today.

I too was under the same impression.

There is a difference between stating that EBH doesn't have the stamina to win long races YET or that he never will.

I don't know which one of those was the actual theory.

 

[No_Balls]

Blame Italians, they had 4 guys in breakaway and they did nothing at all for the great Nibali

The spaniards should be blamed too. They had six guys before the final kilometers and imploded the very last turn. I had some fear they would have too many chiefs and this turned out to be very true.

Not that it mattered though. The route was simply too easy to make anything out of it and if their could be any damage to the likes of Belgians you probably will have to throw in a mountain in the mix.

 

[No_Balls]

Yes, strange that a one day race should be dominated by one day race specialists. It's a conspiracy.

I heard that stage to Cuitu Negru was a one day race too.

 

[the asian]

Almost a certain future world champion if he can finish in the front group over this distance on this time of parcours.

Definitely. I thought the finale would be too tough for him, but he proved me wrong.

,whats Degenkolb like on cobbles?

Should be very good. Has a good engine. Was 6th E3, top 20 in PR, and also has a top 10 In the Ronde u 23.

 

[the asian]

Just look at those names. Hilarious. WC road race=Your everyday spring classic.

So what? you want climbers to win every World Championship

They have the Grand Tours. Leave the WC for the one day race specialists.
And Evans won in 2009, with Purito on the Podium and valverde has multiple Wc podiums. So if an all rounder/climber is good enough he has a good chance.

Except for Copenhagen, 4 of the last 5 parcours were pretty good which offered multiple riders the chance to win.

That is what we want in a WC. Not a race where only 1 or 2 riders can win.

And the last 5 WC winners are different types of riders.

 

[LaFlorecita]

So what? you want climbers to win every World Championship

They have the Grand Tours. Leave the WC for the one day race specialists.
And Evans won in 2009, with Purito on the Podium and valverde has multiple Wc podiums. So if an all rounder/climber is good enough he has a good chance.

Except for Copenhagen, 4 of the last 5 parcours were pretty good which offered multiple riders the chance to win.

That is what we want in a WC. Not a race where only 1 or 2 riders can win.

And the last 5 WC winners are different types of riders.

I don't understand this attitude. The WC aren't the WC for nothing. The best cyclists should have a chance to become WC. Including the best climbers.

 

[Netserk]

I don't understand this attitude. The WC aren't the WC for nothing. The best cyclists should have a chance to become WC. Including the best climbers.

they had in 2009 and 1995

 

[Dead Star]

I don't understand this attitude. The WC aren't the WC for nothing. The best cyclists should have a chance to become WC. Including the best climbers.

Susan was right. Stop it with this constant whining and throwing your toys out of the pram because your favourite didn't win. It's boring now. Go create a 'The World Championships are unfair because my Bertie didn't win' thread. That's far more appropriate than to see the last few pages filled with this.

 

[LaFlorecita]

they had in 2009 and 1995

I agree with 1995 but 2009 are you kidding me

This isn't for climbers or am I going insane

 

[the asian]

I don't understand this attitude. The WC aren't the WC for nothing. The best cyclists should have a chance to become WC. Including the best climbers.

They had the chance in 2009, and will be having again in 2013.

It's not UCI's fault that you weren't a cycling fan in 2009 and it's not their fault that you are impatient to wait till 2013

 

[LaFlorecita]

Susan was right. Stop it with this constant whining and throwing your toys out of the pram because your favourite didn't win. It's boring now. Go create a 'The World Championships are unfair because my Bertie didn't win' thread. That's far more appropriate than to see the last few pages filled with this.

What? See THIS is the reason why I constantly feel attacked. I just try to start a discussion with what seems like a fair point to me. And then I get attacked. Get lost.

 

[No_Balls]

So what? you want climbers to win every World Championship

Every WC? The last climber to have a decent shot was Pantani back in -95.

And Evans won in 2009, with Purito on the Podium and valverde has multiple Wc podiums. So if an all rounder/climber is good enough he has a good chance.

Yeah, Mendiroso was ok. While having a decent course each 15´th year or so is not.

Except for Copenhagen, 4 of the last 5 parcours were pretty good which offered multiple riders the chance to win.

I dont agree.

That is what we want in a WC. Not a race where only 1 or 2 riders can win.

This is were we are know. We know for sure that sprinters, with the exception of Copenhagen, and climbers are out of the question, which leaves it up for the specialist or perhaps (Evans was as you see an expection) the all-rounders.

And the last 5 WC winners are different types of riders.

 

[the asian]

I agree with 1995 but 2009 are you kidding me

This isn't for climbers or am I going insane

Evans was 1st, Purito 3rd, Samu 4th, Cunego 8th, Valverde 9th.

Now when did they become sprinters?

 

[LaFlorecita]

They had the chance in 2009, and will be having again in 2013.

It's not UCI's fault that you weren't a cycling fan in 2009 and it's not their fault that you are impatient to wait till 2013

I was a cycling fan in 2009 but I didn't watch WC in 2009. Anyway I think for pure climbers to have a chance the climbs should be longer, harder and higher than in 2009 and 2013. It can still be hard of course, but it's not for high mountain climbers. What is wrong with having a WC like in 1995 (it doesn't have to be at such a high altitude of course) every 5 years or so.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Evans was 1st, Purito 3rd, Samu 4th, Cunego 8th, Valverde 9th.

Now when did they become sprinters?

But they're all good hilly classics riders right?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Most GC riders are good hilly classics riders if they peak right.

Even mr. no-explosivity Gesink has a 3rd place in AGR, a 4th in FW, and 2 wins in Emilia and 1 in Montreal... +many honor places in hill races.
In principle every top GC rider should be able to ride top 10 in a hilly classics

 

[LaFlorecita]

Most GC riders are good hilly classics riders if they peak right.

Even mr. no-explosivity Gesink has a 3rd place in AGR, a 4th in FW, and 2 wins in Emilia and 1 in Montreal... +many honor places in hill races.
In principle every top GC rider should be able to ride top 10 in a hilly classics

If they're lucky

 

[the asian]

But they're all good hilly classics riders right?

Most pure climbers are good in the Hilly classics.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Most pure climbers are good in the Hilly classics.

But some aren't.

 

[jens_attacks]

wow freire "i could have won" lol....sorry but that's some serious whining there

added the fastest cauberg's ascents from the worlds here,u-23 too
http://climbing-records.blogspot.ro/

 

[hrotha]

"Pure" climbers, if that means riders who can only climb and have absolutely no other strong points, shouldn't be world champions. Just like "pure" sprinters or "pure" one-trick poneys. We discussed this extensively last year and I don't feel like getting there again.

Of course, Contador is not a pure climber in that sense, so if he plays his cards right (and, may I say it, if he rode more classics to learn) he'd have his chances.

As for the race, meh, it was disappointing. It was going well until the break was caught and then everybody was happy with the things were going even though it basically meant an in-form Gilbert would be unbeatable. Maybe they were hoping he would be at or below his Vuelta level. Regardless, meh. Predictable.

 

[Parrulo]

"Pure" climbers, if that means riders who can only climb and have absolutely no other strong points, shouldn't be world champions. Just like "pure" sprinters or "pure" one-trick poneys. We discussed this extensively last year and I don't feel like getting there again.

Of course, Contador is not a pure climber in that sense, so if he plays his cards right (and, may I say it, if he rode more classics to learn) he'd have his chances.

As for the race, meh, it was disappointing. It was going well until the break was caught and then everybody was happy with the things were going even though it basically meant an in-form Gilbert would be unbeatable. Maybe they were hoping he would be at or below his Vuelta level. Regardless, meh. Predictable.

my thoughts exactly

 

[the asian]

But some aren't.

Then he has to improve.
You can't prepare tailor made courses to suit one rider.
They might try their best in Ponferrada 2014 if it goes through.

It's almost impossible to have a circuit race with a long high mountain climb which reaches altitude of 2000+

Colombia is the only place I can think of and they had their Worlds' in 1995.

May be Contador should have been born a generation earlier.

 

[goggalor]

But some aren't.

But then they aren't World Champ material then, are they? IMO a good worlds course is one where there are many potential winners with different characteristics. A pure climbing WC would be boring.