2014 Dwars door Vlaanderen, March 26, 200.8km, 1.HC

[Flamin]

Back to the Flemish hellingen and cobbles!

PROFILE

OFFICIAL STARTLIST

ROADMAP

TIMETABLE

2013

Top 10:

1. ITA GATTO Oscar VIN 4h43'40"
2. SLO BOZIC Borut AST s.t
3. AUS HAYMAN Mathew SKY s.t
4. ITA SELVAGGI Mirko VCD s.t
5. FRA VOECKLER Thomas EUC s.t
6. BEL MAES Nikolas OPQ s.t
7. BEL KEUKELEIRE Jens OGE s.t
8. KAZ IGLINSKIY Maxim AST s.t
9. GBR STANNARD Ian SKY 04"
10. BEL VANDENBERGH Stijn OPQ 24"


2014

200.8km from Roeselare to Waregem. Dry, 11 degrees, soft wind coming from the north-east.

Boonen is back. He will be at the start after missing out on Milan-Sanremo due to very sad reasons.

OPQS (as always) with a strong team. Same goes for Sky. So OPQS vs Sky?

Notable contenders besides Boonen: Terpstra, Vandenbergh, Thomas, Stannard, EBH, Devolder, Kristoff, Leukemans, Chavanel, Gatto, Bozic...

11 hellingen:

1. Nieuwe Kwaremont: 91.3km
2. Kattenberg: 110.7km
3. Leberg: 123km
4. Valkenberg: 130.8km
5. Eikenberg: 143.6km
6. Taaienberg: 149.3km
7. Oude Kwaremont: 167.1km
8. Paterberg: 170.6km
9. Vossenhol: 181.3km
10. Holstraat: 185.7km
11. Nokereberg: 192.9km

3 cobble sections:

1. Holleweg: 111.4km
2. Haaghoek: 120.1km
3. Varent: 176.5km

 

[Netserk]

Profile image:

edit: and the road map:

 

[De Snelle Duif]

Valverde to win this

 

[Lupetto]

I want Côte de les Hauts and Kalkhoveberg back.

 

[Flamin]

Thanks

10 char

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I'm rooting for this man knowing full well the baggage.

Good conditions for him.

 

[Roude Leiw]

A stepper to take this, if not I would love to see van Aesbruck

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Are they going to do the original parcours? There was a whole fuzz about having to change the route because of Obama visiting...

 

[Gloin22]

Terpstra likes to win here..I wonder how much Boonen wants to take a win after whats happened though.

 

[Netserk]

IIRC Boonen will have the tie-record for most wins here, if he wins it again.

 

[trevim]

I don't usually root for Valverde but it would be awesome is a non specialist like him win and maybe he would fall in love with the stones.

 

[Hugo87]

How is Nick Nuyens's form?

He's "just" 33 years old and got the win here in 2011.

 

[Jspear]

I'd like to see Boonen take the win. I hope he and his partner are doing ok....

 

[Afrank]

How is Nick Nuyens's form?

He's "just" 33 years old and got the win here in 2011.

He's done pretty much nothing since 2011. So nothing much to hint at what kind of form he's in. Always the chance he could turn out to be in good form and surprise, but based on the last few years, I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[Angliru]

I see Martijn Maaskant is starting for United Healthcare. I have to ask how he's gone from finishing top 5 at Paris Roubaix at such a young age to riding for a Pro Continental team? He had such promise.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I see Martijn Maaskant is starting for United Healthcare. I have to ask how he's gone from finishing top 5 at Paris Roubaix at such a young age to riding for a Pro Continental team? He had such promise.

Some horrible falls, especially the one in Paris Nice 2 or 3 years ago, that one broke him. While just a week before he had a good race in Omloop het Nieuwsblad.
Btw it does look like he's on the way up, because he finished just behind Mollema in MSR last sunday (38th place at 1'30 something).

But really, he's one of those neverending bad luck stories.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

UHC could actually be a good place for a come back. Sutherland and Deignan did it there. Also they seem to have invites to almost all of the cobbled races and he's guaranteed to be leader.

 

[Hugo87]

He's done pretty much nothing since 2011. So nothing much to hint at what kind of form he's in. Always the chance he could turn out to be in good form and surprise, but based on the last few years, I wouldn't bet on it.

Would be cool if he manages to show up in good form on this year's cobble season, this kind of "comebacks" from old guys are always entertaining.

Plus probably his contract ends this year and he must show some results.

 

[VeloHuman]

Boonen's got to be looking at this as an opportunity to put some points on the board in advance of the bigger races in a few days. The way he was going early in the year, hard to see past him against this field if he can manage to escape.

 

[Afrank]

Would be cool if he manages to show up in good form on this year's cobble season, this kind of "comebacks" from old guys are always entertaining.

Plus probably his contract ends this year and he must show some results.

He's signed with Garmin through 2015, so he's safe this year team wise.

 

[Hugo87]

He's signed with Garmin through 2015, so he's safe this year team wise.

Didn't knew that, thanks for the intel.

 

[Flamin]

How is Nick Nuyens's form?

He's "just" 33 years old and got the win here in 2011.

He has never been the same rider since he broke his hip in Paris-Nice 2 years ago. He said at the beginning of the season that he finally felt he was a cyclist again, so don't expect him to be up there yet (if ever again, which is probably the most likely option).

 

[jens_attacks]

pretty impossible but vamos alejandroooo!

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

He has never been the same rider since he broke his hip in Paris-Nice 2 years ago. He said at the beginning of the season that he finally felt he was a cyclist again, so don't expect him to be up there yet (if ever again, which is probably the most likely option).

After the Belgian opening weekend, he spend 3 hours at the dentist for some surgery. Now he should also be recovered from that.

I don't care too much about Nuyens, thb.

 

[podunavac]

Interesting choice by Valverde. Makes sense, but keeps him out of stage racing for entire March. Will be a long period since Murcia to Pais Vasco, where he'll race on a daily basis and hilly terrain again.
This is a good race to meet the cobbles, but he should race on Friday too, in my opinion. A race with WT points in offer and higher renome should provide racing conditions more similar to those he's preparing for.