2014 - 98th Ronde van Vlaanderen, 259km, Sunday 6th April (1.UWT)

[CycloAndy]

Genuinely don't know who will win this. Should be amazing!

 

[ILovecycling]

Boonen is not a leader.Maybe in Lefever's eyes,but not in Omega strategy.They just have multiple leaders,simple as that.
I hope they will behave like this tho.I mean before the last Paterberg there should be only 2 omega leaders in Cancellara group (from Terpstra,Boonen,Stybar,Vandenbergh/Keirsbulck),other two should attack before to make it impossible for Canondale and Trek to chase evyrone

 

[eliacodogno]

Terpstra less favourite, I think he will be a marked man for a lot of the favorites, the dark horse of the steppers is stybar eventually keilsbruck as the othes can not mark everybody...

Interesting...also inspires me...

 

[spanky wanderlust]

cancellara cannot win this.

 

[jsem94]

This is pretty unpredictable. I hope Styby can do something great.

 

[Wallenquist]

All i want is open race and some 2nd tier favorities to attack from 80km to go or so to make this race even more exciting. If everyone will wait for final Kwaremont/Paterberg double then Cancellara will just ride away like he did last year.

 

[willbick]

***** Cancellara, Sagan
**** Boonen, Teprstra, Degenkolb, Vanmarcke
*** Stybar, Chavanel, Kristoff, Thomas, Langeveld, Pozzato, GVA, Roelandts, Devolder
** Ciolek, Leukemans, Haussler, Paolini, Breschel???, Keukeleire, Impey (Bit hopeful for both!), Boom, Farrar, Phinney, Hushovd, Offredo, Chainel, Bozic, Gallopin

If someone from this group does not win I'm a fool

Fool forgot EBH

 

[burning]

Fool forgot EBH

To be honest, nobody cares about him at all, maybe that can help him but it's very unlikely that he does anything significant.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

All i want is open race and some 2nd tier favorities to attack from 80km to go or so to make this race even more exciting. If everyone will wait for final Kwaremont/Paterberg double then Cancellara will just ride away like he did last year.

The Steppers are the best bet for long range attacks imo. Might get help from Chava and hopefully Brown Power. Pity Stannard is missing.

Sagan, Boonen and Vanmarcke wants to try and hang on to Cancellara in the finale.

Roelandts, Demare etc, all placements riders here. Will stay in "peloton" and hope for a top 10 result.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Fromer winner, Nuyens will not start. CN article: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/nuyens-out-of-tour-of-flanders

Garmin team
91.BAUER Jack
92.FARRAR Tyler
93.KREDER Raymond
94.LANGEVELD Sebastian
95.MILLAR David
96.VON HOFF Steele
97.VAN BAARLE Dylan
98.VANSUMMEREN Johan

Millar will probably be in the morning break. Farrar is going better this season, but will the recent crash hurt him?

 

[Bushman]

Cancellara = the strongest
Sagan = the fastest
Boonen = leader of the best team.

If we compare the three teams, we see that Sagan has a traditional team with one clear leader, but his helpers are quite strong. Boonen has four team mates who can win themselves if the ideal circumstances arise: Terpstra, Stybar, Vandenbergh and Van Keirsbulck. Cancellara's team is something in between, with Devolder as a shadow leader. I don't think Cancellara's other team mates will be of much use to him in the final.

Are there riders from other than these three team who stand a chance? Of course you can make a list with riders like Vanmarcke, Thomas, Van Avermaet, Degenkolb, Démare, Bozic, Gusev, Chavanel etc., but I would be surprised if one of them actually won the race.

Looking at the course I think it's better than last year. There are two tough zones: from Kwaremont 2 to Taaienberg, and from Kwaremont 3 to Paterberg. Between those two zones there's almost 20K (37-17 before finish) with only one climb, the Kruisberg. That part will be strategically important. If anyone from QStep attacks there, it might be very dangerous. People also talk about Devolder in that area, but I don't think QStep will give him that freedom. Maybe Devolder will just have to bring Cancellara to the foot of Kwaremont 3 in an ideal position, which means in front.

Van Keirsbulck can win the race? He is a big talent but let's not overhype him this much. And I also think Cancellara has a stronger team than Sagan.

 

[podunavac]

Having several big favorites, makes me want to see not how one of them will win, but how all of them will lose.
That would be a memorable epilogue.

 

[tomorrow]

Van Keirsbulck can win the race? He is a big talent but let's not overhype him this much. And I also think Cancellara has a stronger team than Sagan.

well, honestly I think that in some repects, sagan's team is better than cancellara. Of course, they can't support sagan in every aspect as they don't have the budget to get all type of the riders, but usually they get the job, that they have planned, done. And usually, Sagan rewards that effort with some good result, of course not necessarily with win. Only rarely there are dissapointments like this year's MSR, where cannondale showed pretty good performance, but it just wasn't Sagan's day. The only aspect, where can cannondale be(or better was?) weaker as trek is, that usually, Sagan doesn't have anybody besides him in the final parts of the races, while Cancellara has one and sometimes two guys with him just before he attacks.
However, now, this man should be Gatto, he would probably be there also in Harelbeke weren't it for the crash. We're about to see, till when he will be able to do work for Sagan during the Tour of Flanders. He's certainly not in sagans levels, as was shown in first stage of first "de panne" stage, where if sagan wanted, he would have probably dropped him too, but he could be able to cover sagan off the air till some part of last kwaremont, there I expect him to be dropped. Unless there is some break too far in front and sagan has it to challenge cancellara, this should be without doubt enough.

 

[VeloHuman]

This is pretty unpredictable. I hope Styby can do something great.

He's got the climbing chops that I think his teammates lack. This ain't Roubaix, one needs serious uphill ability to hang on when Sagan and Cancellara shoot up the hills. Stybar was climbing like a monster on similar ascents in the Eneco Tour last year and he carried that shape into a number of harder days at Paris-Nice. Plus, opponents have their eyes on Boonen.

 

[Volderke]

To be honest about Stybar:
He couldn't follow in Nice.
He didn't have competition in Eneco 2013.
He couldn't match Vanmarcke or Cancellara in PR 2013.
He didn't apply clever tactics in MSR 2013 sprinting for himself.

He is a good rider and I would like to see him win something big one day, but has he ever attacked in a serious big Flanders race? + I haven't seen him riding faster up a cobbled hill than Boonen or Terpstra. If he wants to win Flanders or Roubaix, he has to be 110% compared to last year. I doubt if he can improve that much/fast.

 

[Afrank]

To be honest about Stybar:
He couldn't follow in Nice.
He didn't have competition in Eneco 2013.
He couldn't match Vanmarcke or Cancellara in PR 2013.
He didn't apply clever tactics in MSR 2013 sprinting for himself.

He is a good rider and I would like to see him win something big one day, but has he ever attacked in a serious big Flanders race? + I haven't seen him riding faster up a cobbled hill than Boonen or Terpstra. If he wants to win Flanders or Roubaix, he has to be 110% compared to last year. I doubt if he can improve that much/fast.

Not really, He got caught up with a fan and almost went down (IIRC he had to take some extra time to get his foot back in the pedal). And due to that problem a gap opened up and he was unable to close it. Not surprising he would be unable too, considering they were on cobbles and in the final of the race (and thus motoring along pretty good). If he hadn't had the problem he probably would have been entering the velodrome with Cance and Vanmarcke I'm betting.

 

[ILovecycling]

To be honest about Stybar:
He couldn't follow in Nice.
He didn't have competition in Eneco 2013.
He couldn't match Vanmarcke or Cancellara in PR 2013.
He didn't apply clever tactics in MSR 2013 sprinting for himself.

He is a good rider and I would like to see him win something big one day, but has he ever attacked in a serious big Flanders race? + I haven't seen him riding faster up a cobbled hill than Boonen or Terpstra. If he wants to win Flanders or Roubaix, he has to be 110% compared to last year. I doubt if he can improve that much/fast.

Looks like you dont have a clue about Stybar.

 

[Volderke]

Not really, He got caught up with a fan and almost went down (IIRC he had to take some extra time to get his foot back in the pedal). And due to that problem a gap opened up and he was unable to close it. Not surprising he would be unable too, considering they were on cobbles and in the final of the race (and thus motoring along pretty good). If he hadn't had the problem he probably would have been entering the velodrome with Cance and Vanmarcke I'm betting.

Some dry facts about Stybar in Roubaix:
1. At Carrefour de L' arbre, Stybar was 5 seconds behind.
2. On the asphalt, he immediately looked back looking for Vandenbergh.
3. The next secteur (Gruson, 1 kilometer), he lost another 12 seconds. His time was 1:49 = 33km/h (I can do better). Terpstra, Cancellara, Vanmarcke did it the same day approx. 1:32-1:35 (around 38km/h)

+ He didn't have to do a single turn on the front in the whole race.

My analysis: he had a very fine day sucking wheels, but when he had one small issue, he showed very vulnerable compared to Vanmarcke or Cancellara. He can win a big race, but to call him a favorite when he hasn't placed a single big attack in a classic (unlike all other favorites), is a bit too naïve.

 

[Roude Leiw]

To be honest about Stybar:
He couldn't follow in Nice.
He didn't have competition in Eneco 2013.
He couldn't match Vanmarcke or Cancellara in PR 2013.
He didn't apply clever tactics in MSR 2013 sprinting for himself.

He is a good rider and I would like to see him win something big one day, but has he ever attacked in a serious big Flanders race? + I haven't seen him riding faster up a cobbled hill than Boonen or Terpstra. If he wants to win Flanders or Roubaix, he has to be 110% compared to last year. I doubt if he can improve that much/fast.

Nice >> riding up the col d'eze an riding up a steep, but short helling on cobbles in flanders, me seems, but i may be mistaken, that there is a world of difference between those, that might be a reason why berti and the likes don't like riding on cobbles
Eneco >> while there was not a world class field in terms of GC riders, the field was not that bad with Kelderman, Dumoulin, Weening, Monfort, Chavanel...
Roubaix 2013 >> IIRC Stybar was taken down by a spectator and was the only one able to follow those 2
MSR >> I am pretty sure that this was discussed as team tactics, I mean it is a WT race, so i am pretty sure the Lefevere was shouting a lot in the earphones

Did he ever attack in a flanders race ? people tend to forget that 2013 was he first full road season, the man focussed on cyclocross before until end of feb, took a break and started riding in May again

 

[ILovecycling]

http://www.omegapharma-quickstep.com/en/news/show/video-opqs-to-ronde-van-vlaanderen/1667

Omega official squad for De Ronde

 

[Roude Leiw]

Just read about roubaix, and not able to follow

starts with 15 km to go, not a lot of people left

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT8BinCDysY

incident more or less 2 min in

 

[postmanhat]

***** Cancellara, Sagan
**** Boonen, Teprstra, Degenkolb, Vanmarcke
*** Stybar, Chavanel, Kristoff, Thomas, Langeveld, Pozzato, GVA, Roelandts, Devolder
** Ciolek, Leukemans, Haussler, Paolini, Breschel???, Keukeleire, Impey (Bit hopeful for both!), Boom, Farrar, Phinney, Hushovd, Offredo, Chainel, Bozic, Gallopin

If someone from this group does not win I'm a fool

I'd replace Degenkolb with Thomas in the second tier. No chance of winning, but I think he'll be a beast this year. Assuming he stays upright!

 

[dicanio_michael]

To be honest about Stybar:
He couldn't follow in Nice.
He didn't have competition in Eneco 2013.
He couldn't match Vanmarcke or Cancellara in PR 2013.
He didn't apply clever tactics in MSR 2013 sprinting for himself.

He is a good rider and I would like to see him win something big one day, but has he ever attacked in a serious big Flanders race? + I haven't seen him riding faster up a cobbled hill than Boonen or Terpstra. If he wants to win Flanders or Roubaix, he has to be 110% compared to last year. I doubt if he can improve that much/fast.

Funny that these arguments can prove nothing.

1. In Eneco, there were Gibert, Boom, Demare etc.. which are very strong for this particular stage race
2. People don't make a move on your own as a team player, unless you are Tom Boonen or Cavendish in such a strong team. I didn't see this related to clever or not
3. This guy does know how to attack, if not he won't win 3 cyclo-cross WC

He's not the top favorite as Cancallara, Sagan and Boonen, but I won't be surprised if he's one of the person in the last km.

 

[Bushman]

Some dry facts about Stybar in Roubaix:
1. At Carrefour de L' arbre, Stybar was 5 seconds behind.
2. On the asphalt, he immediately looked back looking for Vandenbergh.
3. The next secteur (Gruson, 1 kilometer), he lost another 12 seconds. His time was 1:49 = 33km/h (I can do better). Terpstra, Cancellara, Vanmarcke did it the same day approx. 1:32-1:35 (around 38km/h)

+ He didn't have to do a single turn on the front in the whole race.

My analysis: he had a very fine day sucking wheels, but when he had one small issue, he showed very vulnerable compared to Vanmarcke or Cancellara. He can win a big race, but to call him a favorite when he hasn't placed a single big attack in a classic (unlike all other favorites), is a bit too naïve.

Whenever Cancellara attacked Stybar was glued to his wheel, and when he lost contact Cancellara saw the opportunity of dropping him. And there are very few riders capable of following Cancellara after 240 km in a tough classic, none capable of closing a gap on him alone.

 

[VeloHuman]

Funny that these arguments can prove nothing.

1. In Eneco, there were Gibert, Boom, Demare etc.. which are very strong for this particular stage race
2. People don't make a move on your own as a team player, unless you are Tom Boonen or Cavendish in such a strong team. I didn't see this related to clever or not
3. This guy does know how to attack, if not he won't win 3 cyclo-cross WC

He's not the top favorite as Cancallara, Sagan and Boonen, but I won't be surprised if he's one of the person in the last km.

Glad you point out the strength of the Eneco Tour field. Riders on that startlist were no slouch, especially in terms of guys who can climb, which is the skillset I was pointing out for Stybar. On stage 6 he was passing guys who most considered better climbers (Dumoulin, Bakelants, Kelderman). He's not Sagan or Cancellara, for sure, but he is a super talented rider on a team full of stars. I wouldn't want to see him in my small group in the last km.