2013 Speculation (and confirmation) thread - rider schedules and parcours

[Ryo Hazuki]

But it also has long stretches of Gravel roads.

so? why would he drop there as long as it doesn't rain or he flats.

 

[Eshnar]

so? why would he drop there as long as it doesn't rain or he flats.

he won't (unless he got really bad). He has raced Strade Bianche 3-4 times already and usually did good (he also got a top 10 once).
But, considering he comes from a nasty injury, the Strade Bianche aren't exactly tha safest roads out there.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

But it also has long stretches of Gravel roads.

so??? gravel roads are almost like asphalt unless it's raining.

look at the names in eroica, most of them are very suitable for hilly races. And yes Ballan and Cancellara also have done well but they are also very capable hilly riders besides cobble riders.

But Löfkvist isn't exactly your cobbled king and he won there too, so did LBL winner Iglinsky and so did Kolobnev...

 

[the asian]

so? why would he drop there as long as it doesn't rain or he flats.

Safety issues really. He has been a Mama's boy before.

 

[The Hitch]

He is reffering to contador not wanting to do the Crostis descent in 2011.

 

[Eshnar]

so??? gravel roads are almost like asphalt unless it's raining.

not really, you have to remain always on the saddle on the climbs and you have less grip on the descents.

 

[LaFlorecita]

He is reffering to contador not wanting to do the Crostis descent in 2011.

And he was the only one of course

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Safety issues really. He has been a Mama's boy before.

and he's also done this race before and done very well at it

 

[El Pistolero]

so??? gravel roads are almost like asphalt unless it's raining.

look at the names in eroica, most of them are very suitable for hilly races. And yes Ballan and Cancellara also have done well but they are also very capable hilly riders besides cobble riders.

But Löfkvist isn't exactly your cobbled king and he won there too, so did LBL winner Iglinsky and so did Kolobnev...

Kolobnev won the first edition when the race was held near the end of the season. No one good was there.

Iglinsky has also done a top ten at the Ronde van Vlaanderen and was third in the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen. You could say he was very lucky when he won LBL because all the big guns weren't in good shape, but I don't want to discredit his win. He's a rider capable of riding a top ten in both the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. But when all the big guns are there in top shape I can't see him win.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Ofcourse those riders do well in RVV as well because RVV is more of a hilly kind of race with little cobble effect.

Eroica has even no effect at all. You could just put Valverde there and he'd win or top 3 in good form.
The stupid mythe that gravel roads are somehow similar to cobbles should be broken. It has no effect other than that it looks nice and it sucks when it's wet and muddy

 

[El Pistolero]

Ofcourse those riders do well in RVV as well because RVV is more of a hilly kind of race with little cobble effect.

Eroica has even no effect at all. You could just put Valverde there and he'd win or top 3 in good form.
The stupid mythe that gravel roads are somehow similar to cobbles should be broken. It has no effect other than that it looks nice and it sucks when it's wet and muddy

It's not similar to asphalt either lol. No one said it was just like cobbles, no one that's ridden over it at least. And I've read most post-race interviews of Strade Bianche.

Cobbles have a big effect in Flanders. A guy like Bettini always got dropped on the Flemish hills during the final despite his big wish to win the Ronde.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I agree partly, SOME cobbles have effect in Flanders, especially the ones who lay very badly, and on the Muur. But definately not all, some are just like a highway.

And in Eroica I really doubt it has any effect, sorry to say

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

I agree partly, SOME cobbles have effect in Flanders, especially the ones who lay very badly, and on the Muur. But definately not all, some are just like a highway.

And in Eroica I really doubt it has any effect, sorry to say

tour of flanders is 90% placing before the hills and 10 % hilly skills. basically an agr only with less strong field

 

[El Pistolero]

tour of flanders is 90% placing before the hills and 10 % hilly skills. basically an agr only with less strong field

Yet the top 10 of Flanders is stronger than the top 10 of the bad beer race.

If you had any knowledge of cycling you'd know that in the Ronde van Vlaanderen the last hill is around 12km from the finish line while the AGR ends on the Cauberg. Never mind that the hills are of different length and steepness. Oh and they're cobbled. I take it you've never ridden over the Oude Kwaremont if you think it's the same as the Cauberg.

Or you know, the Paterberg which is a totally different hill than the final hills in AGR. Only 400 meters long, but very steep. Takes a different kind of rider.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

cobbled climbs are hard as an amateur yes. but these are pro's that go over them twice as hard. for them it matters not much.

also your statement about top ten of flanders being better than agr couldn't be more off. just look at past 10 years and almost every year the agr has way better(higher ranked) riders in the top ten. those are facts

 

[El Pistolero]

cobbled climbs are hard as an amateur yes. but these are pro's that go over them twice as hard. for them it matters not much.

also your statement about top ten of flanders being better than agr couldn't be more off. just look at past 10 years and almost every year the agr has way better(higher ranked) riders in the top ten. those are facts

Facts that you made up apparently. I however I'm more impressed by the winners of the Ronde van Vlaanderen than those of the AGR.

So if the Ronde and AGR are basically the same race, but AGR has stronger competition... Explain me how Gilbert can win the AGR with two fingers in his nose, but hasn't won the Ronde van Vlaanderen so far?

Cobbled hills become easier when you are pro, but normal hills not? Great logic, keep going.

 

[maltiv]

And in Eroica I really doubt it has any effect, sorry to say

It definitely does have an effect. You have to use a lot of energy at just staying upright and keeping your position, so those who are experienced in such save a lot of energy compared to nervous climbers. It's no coincidence that former MTB-rider Löfkvist, who's a very mediocre hilly-classics rider, has been 1st and 2nd on two attempts in Strade Bianche.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

It definitely does have an effect. You have to use a lot of energy at just staying upright and keeping your position, so those who are experienced in such save a lot of energy compared to nervous climbers. It's no coincidence that former MTB-rider Löfkvist, who's a very mediocre hilly-classics rider, has been 1st and 2nd on two attempts in Strade Bianche.

that's why he won emillia in the past

 

[Pentacycle]

Facts that you made up apparently. I however I'm more impressed by the winners of the Ronde van Vlaanderen than those of the AGR.

So if the Ronde and AGR are basically the same race, but AGR has stronger competition... Explain me how Gilbert can win the AGR with two fingers in his nose, but hasn't won the Ronde van Vlaanderen so far?

Cobbled hills become easier when you are pro, but normal hills not? Great logic, keep going.

Gilbert could have won RvV in 2011, if the finish would've been a few kms after the Bosberg. The Ronde doesn't necessarily reward the strongest rider,
the AGR does that more often with the Cauberg-finish. Gilbert is often the strongest (cobbled) hilly rider, without getting the win.

And AGR having a better field is a simple fact, most of the riders who did the Ronde are there, plus a lot of climbers who never ride the cobbles.

 

[theyoungest]

that's why he won emillia in the past

Lol. Two things are very funny about this post.

1. Löfkvist didn't win Emilia, he got 3d behind Robert Gesink
2. By this same logic, Gesink is a great hilly classics rider

I never thought you'd say that

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Lol. Two things are very funny about this post.

1. Löfkvist didn't win Emilia, he got 3d behind Robert Gesink
2. By this same logic, Gesink is a great hilly classics rider

I never thought you'd say that

It's sort of true, though. Gesink is (was) great in hilly semi classics. Liege, no... but shorter races, sure.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Lol. Two things are very funny about this post.

1. Löfkvist didn't win Emilia, he got 3d behind Robert Gesink
2. By this same logic, Gesink is a great hilly classics rider

I never thought you'd say that

3rd then. I remember him doing very well. he lost sprint to gesink I think? I didn't say lovkist is a great hilly rider but he isn't mediocre either and gesink 3 years ago was a pretty great hilly rider. now he's a joke yes

 

[Pentacycle]

3rd then. I remember him doing very well. he lost sprint to gesink I think? I didn't say lovkist is a great hilly rider but he isn't mediocre either and gesink 3 years ago was a pretty great hilly rider. now he's a joke yes

Exactly, he's a joke. But Mirador del Ezaro and Seraing were among his best performaces this year, how do you explain that? And he's always been quite bad in LBL, only a fool has ever seen him as a hilly rider. He's the least explosive pro ever, I can tell you that.

 

[theyoungest]

Emilia isn't really a hilly classic. The best hills rider in the world, Gilbert, probably can't win it. It's more of a mountain stage.

Maybe it's better to use Tirreno as an example of a hilly race where Löfkvist did very well. Löfkvist is reasonable in the hills, and it's certainly not only due to his MTB skills that he did so well in Strade Bianche.

Exactly, he's a joke. But Mirador del Ezaro and Seraing were among his best performaces this year, how do you explain that? And he's always been quite bad in LBL, only a fool has ever seen him as a hilly rider. He's the least explosive pro ever, I can tell you that.

"Least explosive ever" would also make Quebec very unsuited to him. Yet he's finished on the podium there twice. He can do it, sometimes. And never in the biggest races.

 

[Pentacycle]

"Least explosive ever" would also make Quebec very unsuited to him. Yet he's finished on the podium there twice. He can do it, sometimes. And never in the biggest races.

I know that he's finished well in those races, but he's never immediately reacted well to any attack or accelleration, he's only got one tempo. That doesn't mean he can't get results. But the reason he doesn't ride the classics any more is that even in his best form he can't win one. He's a rider with solid climbing and good TT, he needs to ride one week races ftw before he even attempts a grand tour classification. GT's and classics haven't been very kind to him after all.