2015 Paris - Roubaix, 12th April 1.UWT, 253.5 Km

[red_flanders]

Re:

@ammattipyoraily "This year's edition was the 3rd fastest #ParisRoubaix after 1964. Only two faster editions: 2013 and 2012. Record avg. speed: 1964."

Interesting. Why are they so fast in recent years?

Dry weather and of course, tailwinds. Tailwinds explain everything.

 

[Kwibus]

I think you can say that a paris roubaix edition where the action starts after the last difficult cobble section, is really disappointing. :/

There was headwind on Mons en Pevele instead of tailwind. So everyone who tried to raise the pace fell flat

You say that as if it was the only place where a selection can happen. I doubt there was a headwind the whole last 90km of the race...

There was a lot of head/side wind during the last cobbled sections. I was frustated by this, because they started later because of a tailwind , the weather reports suggested tailwind, but most of the time I saw the flags waving toward the riders or to the side.

 

[SeriousSam]

Re: Re:

@ammattipyoraily "This year's edition was the 3rd fastest #ParisRoubaix after 1964. Only two faster editions: 2013 and 2012. Record avg. speed: 1964."

Interesting. Why are they so fast in recent years?

Dry weather and of course, tailwinds. Tailwinds explain everything.

Riders of today are more evolved as well, surpassing the accomplishments of those of the past.

 

[ray j willings]

I think the classics have been very dull this year. Most exciting bit was the riders trying to cross the level crossing.
Sagan looks a shell of the rider he has been. He does not look happy. The joy seems to have gone for him.
Awful time for a bike change, he may as well have jumped in the team car.
Sky at points doing the stupid tactic of trying to boss the race. Schoolboy error from Thomas but he just did not look strong enough anyway. Wiggo some how managed to claw his way back due to the speeding up slowing down tactics of Etixx and had a go "I hate him but respect for attacking"
I say bring back Fab and his engine bike Today was a fu$$ing dull affair

Bring on the Giro ....Bertie will get the season going.

 

[hfer07]

Re: Re:

I thought about him before posting my favorite -and great that he delivered with CLASS. John Degenkolb can well take the rest of the year off if he wishes.

As been said, RVV was a slow burn, but a good race all the same. P-R also, even if Degenkolb was bolted on as the winner in the last three km. What I'm interested in is, what's Oleg's gonna say to Sagan? Is he gonna rip him a new a-hole?

At least Sagan can get away from Oleg's BS by calling his mechanical on the last 5K, but for Oleg himself.... there is needed excuse for him to be an a$$

BTW is Sagan doing Amstel?

 

[Mr.White]

Re: Re:

Brilliant. Stybar. Boom.
Does not compute.

You clearly never watched cyclocross

Not really, but I do know they magically transform into completely different and rather sad riders on the road. Particularly Stybar.

Sad riders?! Stybar?! What, Strade Bianche and 2nd in Roubaix is sad for you? What do you expected, some kind of Merckx performances?

 

[DBotero]

 

[kompik3]

Re: Re:

What I'm interested in is, what's Oleg's gonna say to Sagan? Is he gonna rip him a new a-hole?

It doesn't look too bad - at least on twitter.

"Life goes on and a couple of VERY important races are ahead of us @petosagan @olegtinkov "
https://twitter.com/tinkoff_saxo/status ... 8879668226

"Good race for @tinkoff_saxo"
https://twitter.com/olegtinkov/status/5 ... 0544769025

 

[Roude Leiw]

Re:

@ammattipyoraily "This year's edition was the 3rd fastest #ParisRoubaix after 1964. Only two faster editions: 2013 and 2012. Record avg. speed: 1964."

Interesting. Why are they so fast in recent years?

Because a lot of wind and a large bunch riding on dry cobbles. Makes for fast races as there are domestiques right till the end. All other reasons i might give will have to be discussed in another subform

 

[BigMac]

Re: Re:

Brilliant. Stybar. Boom.
Does not compute.

You clearly never watched cyclocross

Not really, but I do know they magically transform into completely different and rather sad riders on the road. Particularly Stybar.

Sad riders?! Stybar?! What, Strade Bianche and 2nd in Roubaix is sad for you? What do you expected, some kind of Merckx performances?

You should know by now that only hrotha meets hrotha's standards.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Boom said after the race it was useless to attack because the wind blew everyone back. He said that's also the reason they caught Wiggins. There was no way to keep the effort. He says 'you were riding nowhere'. Boom himself was knackered at the end so couldn't really do much.

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

Boom said after the race it was useless to attack because the wind blew everyone back. He said that's also the reason they caught Wiggins. There was no way to keep the effort. He says 'you were riding nowhere'. Boom himself was knackered at the end so couldn't really do much.

Yes, it wasn't a great race but you can't blame the riders for that.

 

[hrotha]

Re: Re:

Brilliant. Stybar. Boom.
Does not compute.

You clearly never watched cyclocross

Not really, but I do know they magically transform into completely different and rather sad riders on the road. Particularly Stybar.

Sad riders?! Stybar?! What, Strade Bianche and 2nd in Roubaix is sad for you? What do you expected, some kind of Merckx performances?

Victories and strong performances as such are the last thing I was talking about.

Let's be honest now: pretty much all Stybar does in the road is follow wheels.

 

[Flamin]

Quick Step completed a pretty amazing streak today. 2nd place in the 5 big cobbled races Omloop, E3, GW, Ronde and now Roubaix. Only Dwars is missing.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

Boom said after the race it was useless to attack because the wind blew everyone back. He said that's also the reason they caught Wiggins. There was no way to keep the effort. He says 'you were riding nowhere'. Boom himself was knackered at the end so couldn't really do much.

Exactly as we said. It seems that the wind changed direction at the end of the race unfortunately.

 

[Kwibus]

Re: Re:

Brilliant. Stybar. Boom.
Does not compute.

You clearly never watched cyclocross

Not really, but I do know they magically transform into completely different and rather sad riders on the road. Particularly Stybar.

Sad riders?! Stybar?! What, Strade Bianche and 2nd in Roubaix is sad for you? What do you expected, some kind of Merckx performances?

Victories and strong performances as such are the last thing I was talking about.

Let's be honest now: pretty much all Stybar does in the road is follow wheels.

That is true. He's not an animator.
I'm also not a fan of him, but I don't despise him. I don't depise any rider btw.

 

[Akuryo]

Re:

Quick Step completed a pretty amazing streak today. 2nd place in the 5 big cobbled races Omloop, E3, GW, Ronde and now Roubaix. Only Dwars is missing.

Over the whole season they have 18 victories to now 22 second places

 

[Inquitus]

And Sky won 2 of them

 

[Kwibus]

There can be said a lot about Etixx-Quickstep. Tactically there were other options, maybe better options at times.
The biggest problem is that their strongest riders have to finish solo to win or a small group with riders that have a moderate sprint. Boonen could've challenged the sprint, allthough tbh I seriously doubted him to be in the finale of RVV and if he was Kristoff is most likely to beat him in the sprint as well and I doubt he would've beated Degenkolb today as well.

E-Q would've had a lot more options though.

 

[Flamin]

Re:

There can be said a lot about Etixx-Quickstep. Tactically there were other options, maybe better options at times.
The biggest problem is that their strongest riders have to finish solo to win or a small group with riders that have a moderate sprint. Boonen could've challenged the sprint, allthough tbh I seriously doubted him to be in the finale of RVV and if he was Kristoff is most likely to beat him in the sprint as well and I doubt he would've beated Degenkolb today as well.

E-Q would've had a lot more options though.

They messed up badly in Omloop, but in other races they were simply beaten by stronger riders. Or in the case of GW, another rider took advantage of the QS-Thomas rivalry.

 

[Fernandez]

Everybody did the race for Degenkol until the end. He just worked in the catch of Van Avermaet and the other Etixx. They practically gave the win to him.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Uninspiring edition of PR, but congrats to Degenkolb who appeared to be just as strong here as Kristoff was in RVV.

edit: Gougeard, who was in the break all day ended 26th, +1:38. QED.

 

[Fernandez]

Re:

Ugh Degenkolb. Not a fan.

Terrible tactics by some teams. Just leading in for Degenkolb, lol.

Thats exactly what i think

 

[Vino's Mum]

Demare almost taken out by the barrier, and the last rider through under ten seconds before the train:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA-84SIFnSo#t=36

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Ugh Degenkolb. Not a fan.

Terrible tactics by some teams. Just leading in for Degenkolb, lol.

Thats exactly what i think

But what else could they have done? Degenkolb bridged the gap himself and then did most of the riding on the front, and then won the sprint easily. He was not just the fastest finisher, but the strongest rider as well.

It's not like Kristoff last week, where another rider worked with him to give him the advantage - Degenkolb did it all himself (albeit with his team mate). When he joined GVA and Lampaert, they pretty much stopped riding, they didn't pull him clear like Terpstra did to Kristoff.