2014 Scheldeprijs, 201km, 1.HC 09 April

[Netserk]

Three in a row for Kittel, joins a very small group of riders to have won one of the great cobbled classics three years in succession.

Who else have done that?

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

1. Kittel
2. Farrar
3. Van Poppel
4. Pettachi
5. Bennett

Nice top 5 at least. A couple of promising neo pros, a past it star and the archetypal "didn't that guy used to be fast?" comeback hopeful. That's about all the positives I can find.

 

[Jspear]

Good win for Kittel. Didn't expect anyone to beat him really. In that sense it was kinda boring....

 

[wirral]

how? he held up three fingers

Sorry, it looked different on a fuzzy internet stream.

 

[Netserk]

Good win for Kittel. Didn't expect anyone to beat him really. In that sense it was kinda boring....

But in other senses???

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Who else have done that?

No-one, he joins Cavendish and Piet Oellibrandt ⋅(1960/62/63) as record holder with three wins, but first to do in three in a row.

 

[Netserk]

No-one, he joins Cavendish and Piet Oellibrandt ⋅(1960/62/63) as record holder with three wins, but first to do in three in a row.

Does that cover *all* cobbled races (as the post I quoted mentioned)?

 

[Jspear]

But in other senses???

Once everything came together in the final K's of the race - it became "ok, now I know what's gonna happen." Before that, I was hoping that someone would have been able to shake things up in the final. I knew that most likely wouldn't have happened, but that's what I was hoping for. So in the end when It all came together, that's when things got "boring".... for me personally.

 

[kingjr]

Does that cover *all* cobbled races (as the post I quoted mentioned)?

Moser won PR 3 times in a row.

 

[Afrank]

You guys!! Kittel WON!!! Who saw that coming? An amazing win!

 

[Guybrush]

even in the last km was hard to pay attention

 

[search]

good to see Kittel is not limited to sprinting but can also win solo

 

[Roude Leiw]

good to see Kittel is not limited to sprinting but can also win solo

Now that made me

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

Who else have done that?

Boonen (E3) and Magni (Flanders). Not sure if there are others. Of course, Kittel's achievement is greatest because of the high risk of crashes here.

 

[Netserk]

Boonen (E3) and Magni (Flanders). Not sure if there are others. Of course, Kittel's achievement is greatest because of the high risk of crashes here.

Hmm after all he did say "one of the great cobbled classics" so maybe e3 shouldn't count, and it only includes Scheldeprijs, RVV and P-R.

 

[Bernie's eyesore]

Hmm after all he did say "one of the great cobbled classics" so maybe e3 shouldn't count, and it only includes Scheldeprijs, RVV and P-R.

Very fair point. Whichever way you look at it though, Kittel did something even the great Eddy Merckx failed to achieve today. Are we looking at a new GOAT in the sport of cycling?

 

[RedheadDane]

So... how many crashed?

Wait, nobody crashed (seriously)?

Mark this day in the history books...

 

[Lexman]

Hard to believe but at OPQS nobody wanted to do the sprint according to this article in Het Nieuwsblad

http://www.nieuwsblad.be/sportwereld/cnt/dmf20140409_01062047

Peeters asked in the morning before the start who would sprint, big silence, then he asked Steegmans and Renshaw who said no, then asked Fenn who didn't answer.

Boonen was not aloud to sprint since they're afraid he crashed ahead of PR. He was angry and said despite all he would do the sprint.

So in the end Petacchi said he would give it a try.

The argument Steegmans & others used was that they trained for a leadout not to sprint themselves...

I hope Lefevere throws this guys out of his team... they're paid to ride and do what their bosses tell them to do...

 

[Dazed and Confused]

SoftSteppers...

I do see a brutal response coming in PR.

 

[ILovecycling]

SoftSteppers...

I do see a brutal response coming in PR.

Lets hope

 

[Panda Claws]

Hard to believe but at OPQS nobody wanted to do the sprint according to this article in Het Nieuwsblad

http://www.nieuwsblad.be/sportwereld/cnt/dmf20140409_01062047

Peeters asked in the morning before the start who would sprint, big silence, then he asked Steegmans and Renshaw who said no, then asked Fenn who didn't answer.

Boonen was not aloud to sprint since they're afraid he crashed ahead of PR. He was angry and said despite all he would do the sprint.

So in the end Petacchi said he would give it a try.

The argument Steegmans & others used was that they trained for a leadout not to sprint themselves...

I hope Lefevere throws this guys out of his team... they're paid to ride and do what their bosses tell them to do...

Petacchi's a boss.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

You could have a better race by lining up 200 riders, karate chopping through the collarbones of 20 selected at random, and then having a 1km race between the other 180.

Awesome

even though you seem to have been in anger the moment you wrote it...