2013, Paris - Roubaix: 254Km

[Descender]

Chavanel epic fail as a team leader this spring season.

Perhaps now he'll shut his mouth.

 

[The Hitch]

It was a great race.

Canc won by luck. The two OPQS riders crashed, and Vanmarcke lost his brain.

Lol is this how far the haters are going to go. Vandenberg. Really?

He was already 6 bikelenghts behind and going backwards when he crashed.
make something else up.

Also explain to me how you know cancellara wpuldnt have won if stybar had been there. Maybe he would maybe he wouldnt.

 

[Descender]

There's a big difference though between having a good sprint and a sprint that's good enough to actually win. JJ Rojas has a good sprint, but a nearly empty palmares.

I guess that's why he's JJ Rojas and Cancellara is Cancellara.

 

[Netserk]

In classics positioning is very important. You can't simulate that in training.

 

[El Pistolero]

Lol is this how far the haters are going to go. Vandenberg. Really?

He was already 6 bikelenghts behind and going backwards when he crashed.
make something else up.

Also explain to me how you know cancellara wpuldnt have won if stybar had been there. Maybe he would maybe he wouldnt.

It's really not hating if you call this win lucky:

- Boonen was out
- Ballan was out
- Hushovd and Pozzato lacking the shape they used to have
- Stybar and Vandenbergh taken out by crashes
- Boom taken out by flat tire
- Vanmarcke worked too much on the front. Too inexperienced.
- Vanmarcke didn't know how far the second group was behind.
- Sagan wasn't racing

 

[movingtarget]

To be honest, I wonder how much of this was because of Sky's lead up to the classics season. Rather than getting miles in the peloton during the traditional lead up races, they just went off for training.

I know that the cobble races are a crapshoot and its hard to predict what will happen. However, I always have a good bit of trouble getting used to riding with others after doing nothing but solo rides. And I only ride with a few people, not a giant peloton.

I think he has crashed in his last three of four classics and at MSR a whole group of Sky riders came down. Some of the spectators are psycho's but it's impossible do anything about it. Like Kelly said, "anything can happen at Paris Roubaix."

 

[luckyboy]

Chavanel punctured and he is more of a threat than frickin Ballan, Pozzato and Hushovd

 

[woodenswan]

Congrats on being right about Gaudin's greatness, well done

seconded. good call

Yeah. One thing that sucks is, when a new cycling fan looks back at the decade between 2005~2015 (or so) in 20 years, he'll think there must have been this epic rivalry between Boonen and Cancellara when in reality they rarely ever really raced against each other at top form.

true dat
maybe next year

 

[Afrank]

Chavanel epic fail as a team leader this spring season.

Perhaps now he'll shut his mouth.

he won Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde, was 4th in MSR, 6th in E3, 7th in Omloop.
how is that a failed spring season? Sure he didn't get a really good result in RVV or PR, but he was still very consistent and IMO did well this classics season.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

It's really not hating if you call this win lucky:

- Boonen was out
- Ballan was out
- Hushovd and Pozzato lacking the shape they used to have
- Stybar and Vandenbergh taken out by crashes
- Boom taken out by flat tire
- Vanmarcke worked too much on the front. Too inexperienced.
- Vanmarcke didn't know how far the second group was behind.
- Sagan wasn't racing

I do agree it was lucky with all those points. But it was also clear cancellara was not really his usual self, probably due to the falls in Scheldeprijs and PR reckon. So it's still a very strong performance

 

[The GCW]

Flat'd

It was sad to see Johan VAN SUMMEREN flat in the main group with what was it about 35km to go. Thought He might catch back on but didn't.

This was a more exciting edition of the Paris Roubaix than I expected.

Thank You Euro Sport Live!

 

[spalco]

I guess that's why he's JJ Rojas and Cancellara is Cancellara.

Sure, I'm not taking away anything from Cancellara, I'm just saying "good" is usually not good enough to win in a sprint.

 

[roundabout]

Chavanel punctured and he is more of a threat than frickin Ballan, Pozzato and Hushovd

Looked like Chavanel simply got dropped before his flat.

 

[El Pistolero]

I do agree it was lucky with all those points. But it was also clear cancellara was not really his usual self, probably due to the falls in Scheldeprijs and PR reckon. So it's still a very strong performance

It's usually a strong performane if you win a Monument.

Anyway, I am tired of Cancellara-Boonen hegemony(taking turns as well, almost never in the same year). I hope next year the younger riders finally step up...

 

[search]

Chavanel punctured and he is more of a threat than frickin Ballan, Pozzato and Hushovd

did he? when I saw him having a mechanical he was already dropped by group Cancellara

 

[Descender]

It's really not hating if you call this win lucky:

- Boonen was out
- Ballan was out
- Hushovd and Pozzato lacking the shape they used to have
- Stybar and Vandenbergh taken out by crashes
- Boom taken out by flat tire
- Vanmarcke worked too much on the front. Too inexperienced.
- Vanmarcke didn't know how far the second group was behind.
- Sagan wasn't racing

Boonen's 2012 has a huge asterisk next to it then, since he was missing his main rival (and Pozzato, and Sagan...).

 

[luckyboy]

did he? when I saw him having a mechanical he was already dropped by group Cancellara

Even so, he is still better than Hushovd and Pozzato

 

[El Pistolero]

Boonen's 2012 has a huge asterisk next to it then, since he was missing his main rival (and Pozzato, and Sagan...).

Pozzato was there in form and could've actually reacted on Boonen's solo move, but didn't. Sagan was not the beast he was now.

Though yeah, there was luck involved considering Cancellara wasn't there.

But Boonen won more convincingly than Cancellara this year. Which IMO is proof that Boonen is better in Roubaix, but Cancellara is better in the Ronde.

 

[BillytheKid]

It's really not hating if you call this win lucky:

- Boonen was out
- Ballan was out
- Hushovd and Pozzato lacking the shape they used to have
- Stybar and Vandenbergh taken out by crashes
- Boom taken out by flat tire
- Vanmarcke worked too much on the front. Too inexperienced.
- Vanmarcke didn't know how far the second group was behind.
- Sagan wasn't racing

It would have been interesting to see how it would played out with those name present, but plenty of strong men out for it today from the start. Luck? Luck always plays a role....

Your calling a third-time winner lucky on a pace like today is remarkably......

 

[Descender]

Pozzato was there in form and could've actually reacted on Boonen's solo move, but didn't. Sagan was not the beast he was now.

Though yeah, there was luck involved considering Cancellara wasn't there.

But Boonen won more convincingly than Cancellara this year. Which IMO is proof that Boonen is better in Roubaix, but Cancellara is better in the Ronde.

Your bias knows no limits.

 

[El Pistolero]

It would have been interesting to see how it would played out with those name present, but plenty of strong men out for it today from the start. Luck? Luck always plays a role....

Your calling a third time winner lucky on a pace like today is remarkably......

Not that many strong men actually.

Surprised GVA was able to get fourth. Maybe some more riders of his type should try Roubaix.

 

[roundabout]

Even so, he is still better than Hushovd and Pozzato

No. Just no.

 

[El Pistolero]

Your bias knows no limits.

Anything you disagree with? Sagan is better this year than last year.

Sure Pozzato crashed, after the race was over.

 

[Echoes]

The greatest rider since Hinault, winning the greatest race in the calendar in a back from Vietnam sprint.

What more can you ask !

 

[spalco]

Boonen's win last year was not lucky, and Cancellara's this year was obviously more hard-fought. But I don't know if I'd call 2012 more impressive. The guys in Boonen's group were ****ing idiots, and they seemed to give up almost immediately after he created the gap.

If they had let Cancellara go away like that today he could've done something similar imo.