2013 97th Ronde van Vlaanderen, 257km, Sunday 31th March

[l.Harm]

Terpstra has been nowhere all spring. Except De Panne, but that's a B-race.

 

[ChewbaccaD]

What's Sagan's fans excuse today?

He wasn't the overall favorite...they don't need one.

Nice way to show up in a timely fashion...

 

[Afrank]

What's Sagan's fans excuse today?

Are you going to fill this thread with your hate of Sagan again?

Sagan simply just wasn't strong enough. He still rode a good race to the best of his abilities, nothing he should be ashamed about.

 

[theyoungest]

Also too many at opqs failed today. Especially Terpstra. Wtf is up with him?

Terpstra hasn't been impressive all spring, even in De Panne he didn't look that good to me. But yeah, today was terrible.

And a team that is pretty much built around this race, with 14th as its best result, that's... not great.

 

[The Hitch]

Boonen in top shape would put up a much better fight as we saw already in 2008.

Wow, what a perfect fantasy land you live in. No one gets old. No one improves or gets worse. Everyones ability stays the same for ever and ever and ever.

 

[phanatic]

What's Sagan's fans excuse today?

Winning is too easy.

 

[maltiv]

What I wonder is what the **** happened to the rest of Sky today. They've been rock solid the entire spring, but today pretty much everyone but EBH were dropped with 100 km to go.

Perhaps they had a bad breakfast?

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

What's Sagan's fans excuse today?

I am not a huge Sagan fan but I thought he did well against one of the strongest guys of (potentially) all time. At only 23 still has plenty of time. Coming second is no disgrace as some people seem to be making out.

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

Also too many at opqs failed today. Especially Terpstra. Wtf is up with him?

Clinical analysis, must be a bad day.

Nice tactical race.
Roelands rewarded at last.

 

[El Pistolero]

Wow, what a perfect fantasy land you live in. No one gets old. No one improves or gets worse. Everyones ability stays the same for ever and ever and ever.

2008 is Cancellara's best year ever.

He only had competition in Roubaix then.

 

[luckyboy]

Terpstra hasn't been impressive all spring, even in De Panne he didn't look that good to me. But yeah, today was terrible.

And a team that is pretty much built around this race, with 14th as its best result, that's... not great.

13th wasn't it?

Kwiatowski was very good though, kudos to him

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

What I wonder is what the **** happened to the rest of Sky today. They've been rock solid the entire spring, but today pretty much everyone but EBH were dropped with 100 km to go.

Perhaps they had a bad breakfast?

Stannard was bad. Thomas had bad luck, the rest not good enough. Hagen was pretty average himself too. He doesnt seem that suited to cobbles to me. Basically he let the gap fall to Cancellara/Sagan

 

[Magnus]

Well obviously, Sagan hasn't been sick twice(plus hospitalized twice) in the season and crashed during G-W.

Yeah, and Sagan didn't crash in RVV either. You know: To win it, you have to finish it.

 

[max_powers]

Sagan extremely weak for all the hype he's been getting.

He young and doesn't have the physical maturity required for the end of long hard races, but 2nd to Fabian today is not an extremely weak rider

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

What I wonder is what the **** happened to the rest of Sky today. They've been rock solid the entire spring, but today pretty much everyone but EBH were dropped with 100 km to go.

Perhaps they had a bad breakfast?

Caught out on the Kopperberg, then the leader crashed, fought back and only had the energy to do a quick pull to move Eddy in to position rather than ride himself.


At least we won't have to discuss how they don't support Eddy this week.

 

[cineteq]

I am not a huge Sagan fan but I thought he did well against one of the strongest guys of (potentially) all time. At only 23 still has plenty of time. Coming second is no disgrace as some people seem to be making out.

He also showed his pride and respect for Fabian by raising his fist for 2nd.

 

[The Hitch]

2008 is Cancellara's best year ever.

He only had competition in Roubaix then.

You said Boonen on top form would have done better than Sagan because he did well in 2008.

Its an incredibly stupid comment that totally ignores the most basic variable in life - time.

 

[movingtarget]

What I wonder is what the **** happened to the rest of Sky today. They've been rock solid the entire spring, but today pretty much everyone but EBH were dropped with 100 km to go.

Perhaps they had a bad breakfast?

Crashes in the classics are not helping them and they seem disorganized unlike their stage race performances.

 

[El Pistolero]

He young and doesn't have the physical maturity required for the end of long hard races, but 2nd to Fabian today is not an extremely weak rider

"for all the hype he's been getting" is the most important part of that sentence mind you. Obviously getting second isn't weak. But if Froome failed to win the Tour this year, it will also be a fail. Kinda like how Andy's 2011 Tour was weak. At least for me it was.

 

[luckyboy]

Yeah, and Sagan didn't crash in RVV either. You know: To win it, you have to finish it.

Boonen was never gonna win, he could've lost his arm a few months ago.

 

[maltiv]

Stannard was bad. Thomas had bad luck, the rest not good enough. Hagen was pretty average himself too. He doesnt seem that suited to cobbles to me. Basically he let the gap fall to Cancellara/Sagan

Indeed, EBH is incredibly uncomfortable on cobbles, wastes way too much energy by stressing. But his form looks great imo. I hope he starts AGR.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Superb from Fabian, so so strong. P-R is his to lose now! A special mention for Roelandts with a great ride too.

 

[Descender]

Bring back the Chapel Wall.

 

[the asian]

What I wonder is what the **** happened to the rest of Sky today. They've been rock solid the entire spring, but today pretty much everyone but EBH were dropped with 100 km to go.

Perhaps they had a bad breakfast?

Race was too easy and boring

Stannard needs bad weather to preform well and Thomas had a crash.

 

[Descender]

Well obviously, Sagan hasn't been sick twice(plus hospitalized twice) in the season and crashed during G-W.

Boonen in top shape would put up a much better fight as we saw already in 2010.

Fixed.


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