2013 Road World Championships: Men's Road Race, Lucca-Firenze 272.2 km

[Pippo_San]

It is definitely becoming a tradition. If you're going to flog something, I say go for something good...Cannondale, Colnago, maybe a Specialized bike. Pozzato's Merida looks pretty sweet too with it's current paint job.

It's a tad bit OT but I gotta say as a brand Canyon has become one of the greatest if not the greatest available to us poor amateurs. They have some of the best frames available on the market, and that's according to the tests made by the TOUR magazine, which prove to be very harsh and at times surprising in their results.
And their prices are a total STEAL

Going by the looks maybe they're not the most gorgeous ever (should I go by the looks alone I'd always choose a Look or a Time frame), but really, gimme an Aeroad CF without paint and just matte carbon cause that's the sexiest **** you can have on the road

 

[b.broadhurst]

i think the 16% is too steep for sagan, anybody else think he will struggle to keep up with rod and valv?

 

[Pentacycle]

i think the 16% is too steep for sagan, anybody else think he will struggle to keep up with rod and valv?

If it rains, no. Remember this?

 

[Bakhjulet]

i think the 16% is too steep for sagan, anybody else think he will struggle to keep up with rod and valv?

Wouldn't count Sagan out on the steep section. Remember this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr8zFdN6Xew

 

[The Hitch]

This is the time when you feel ashamed being italian. Morons.

Dude, if the peloton ever rocked up here in South West London, every house in the neighbourhood would have a £30 000 bike by the next morning.

 

[The Hitch]

Kolobnev tweeted that he can't start tomorrow?

Anyone know if bet365 will refund me the money i put on him?

 

[red_flanders]

Wouldn't count Sagan out on the steep section. Remember this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr8zFdN6Xew

Wonder what the conversation in the team bus was like that afternoon.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Anyone know if bet365 will refund me the money i put on him?

He will start it seems

 

[The Hitch]

Uran is being too easily forgotten. This race is so much more suited to him than the Olympic Road race he nevertheless found a way to podium.

Of course one can say about 20 other riders they are being forgotten, and everone will have their dark horse, Scarponi, Costa, D Martin, Kwiatkowski. For me its Uran.

Yeah, Nibali even lost 9 minutes to him. That was quite the descend.

Wouldn't count Sagan out on the steep section. Remember this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr8zFdN6Xew

Can't believe it took as much as half an hour after that post for someone to post this link.

Based on a closer look of the course and the previous races:

***** Cance
****
***
**
* the others

I know your joking, but seriously, this will actually be quite hard for Cancellara.

There are examples of where he won such races but there are also plenty where he has lost them and usually he isn't up against Valverde, Murito, Nibali etc.

If there were cobbles here, of course, but he's a bit out of his zone here in the climbers course to start with.

People say all he needs is a gap and then hell beat them and that the 10% climb offers that. Well dropping Murito for example on 10% is hardly going to be a walk in the park for Cancellara.

With no team either he could be royally screwed at the end vs Spain with say 4 riders maybe.

Gilbert is being too easily forgotten too. He will be there at the end no question.

Contador, if last year is any guide he will be Spains attack guy with 3 laps to go. A lot less flat though this time. Depending who is out front and how the other riders react, that could be the moment the race explodes.

 

[b.broadhurst]

Wouldn't count Sagan out on the steep section. Remember this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr8zFdN6Xew

why do I always forget that?

Still don't think he's got the form and will be very tired.

My money's on danny moreno anyway at 30/1

 

[Pentacycle]

My money's on danny moreno anyway at 30/1

Moreno's not on my list of candidates for top ten. IMO he hasn't got the engine for a 250+ km race and his form has been fading in the second half of the Vuelta.

He should stick to leading out Purito.

 

[The Chicken]

why do I always forget that?

Still don't think he's got the form and will be very tired.

My money's on danny moreno anyway at 30/1

You can get Moreno at 50-1 now which is tempting.

But I'm not gonna do it.

 

[Winterfold]

I just can't predict this at all, except...

...it is going to be a humdinger of a race!!!

 

[TheEnoculator]

I got a feeling that Sagan is gonna win this. It's his time. Nibali will podium.

 

[b.broadhurst]

Anybody think Porte will help Froome?

 

[Netserk]

Anybody think Porte will help Froome?

No. I think Porte will do better than Froome tomorrow.

 

[b.broadhurst]

No. I think Porte will do better than Froome tomorrow.

I don't. Porte doesn't have an engine for 280km, Froome does. 2bh both will probably do nothing.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Dude, if the peloton ever rocked up here in South West London, every house in the neighbourhood would have a £30 000 bike by the next morning.

I know flat prices in Kensington are rising 25k a day, but I don't think the bikes are getting quite the same inflation.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Uran is being too easily forgotten. This race is so much more suited to him than the Olympic Road race he nevertheless found a way to podium.

Of course one can say about 20 other riders they are being forgotten, and everone will have their dark horse, Scarponi, Costa, D Martin, Kwiatkowski. For me its Uran.







Can't believe it took as much as half an hour after that post for someone to post this link.



I know your joking, but seriously, this will actually be quite hard for Cancellara.

There are examples of where he won such races but there are also plenty where he has lost them and usually he isn't up against Valverde, Murito, Nibali etc.

If there were cobbles here, of course, but he's a bit out of his zone here in the climbers course to start with.

People say all he needs is a gap and then hell beat them and that the 10% climb offers that. Well dropping Murito for example on 10% is hardly going to be a walk in the park for Cancellara.

With no team either he could be royally screwed at the end vs Spain with say 4 riders maybe.

Gilbert is being too easily forgotten too. He will be there at the end no question.

Contador, if last year is any guide he will be Spains attack guy with 3 laps to go. A lot less flat though this time. Depending who is out front and how the other riders react, that could be the moment the race explodes.

The thing is, I don't think Rodriguez, Valverde etc have much left at this point, doing the TDF/Vuelta double. I even doubt Nibali has much left, but then again he'll have extra motivation because it's in Italy.
But I really have doubts Valverde/Rodriguez will do much, they are on my list of possible huge dissappointments. Just like Rodriguez pretty much sucked in the worlds last year

 

[richtea]

A reference to SW9 no doubt, as difficult as it may be to imagine Pozzato taking up temporary residence in a Coldharbour Lane bedsit.

 

[Panda Claws]

I wonder who would win if it ends up being a Cancellara vs Gilbert sprint.

 

[Lanark]

I wonder who would win if it ends up being a Cancellara vs Gilbert sprint.

Gilbert. Cancellara is faster than most people give him credit for, but Gilbert is really a notch above that. Unless he is really tired of course, but then he won't be able to follow Cancellara either probably.

 

[The Hitch]

Just like Rodriguez pretty much sucked in the worlds last year

You know there is a pretty big "but" missing from your sentence right?

Clue- what happened the week after

Still yes you have a good point, murito and Valverde may struggle after a hard season.

Though in Valverde's case he did Tour Vuelta last year too and came 3rd in worlds of course. Evans did only a slightly lighter Tour Vuelta schedule his year and he was near the top in a lot of races before the Tour as well, of course in Dauphine most memorably

 

[trevim]

I wonder who would win if it ends up being a Cancellara vs Gilbert sprint.

That's hard... I would say Cancellara but it really can go either way depending on how the race goes for them.

 

[Samson777]

I wonder who would win if it ends up being a Cancellara vs Gilbert sprint.

Wonder the same about Cancellara vs Froome. Since they could turn out to be the strongest, in a really tough race. But I guess Froome will be looking down do see his data during the sprint, so that could settle it