2015 Richmond WCRR features cobbles!

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I don't think this will end up being raced like RVV. There are too many strong teams who that wouldn't suit at all (Italy, Spain, France, Poland, Australia); they will want to drive a hard pace up all the hills and look to create breaks along way from the finish. And you have hills from the first lap, not 120km of flat like RVV.

It will be much more like Amstel Gold imo.
 
Re:

DFA123 said:
I don't think this will end up being raced like RVV. There are too many strong teams who that wouldn't suit at all (Italy, Spain, France, Poland, Australia); they will want to drive a hard pace up all the hills and look to create breaks along way from the finish. And you have hills from the first lap, not 120km of flat like RVV.

It will be much more like Amstel Gold imo.
Australia has Matthews, but otherwise I agree that Italy and Spain especially will want to tire out the opposition. I think Brabantse Prijs will be a good example.
 
Re: Re:

WildspokeJoe said:
Enrico Gimondi said:
Team USA was announced today:

Brent Bookwalter (Asheville, N.C./BMC Racing Team)
Tyler Farrar (Seattle, Wash./MTN-Qhubeka)
Alex Howes (Boulder, Colo./Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling)
Ben King (North Garden, Va./Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling)
Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo./BMC Racing Team)
(Final spot to be named by Sept. 11)

Team USA will be invisible.
That's what I was thinking, get up the road (out of sight, out of mind), and win from the break!
 
What about a repeat champion? Kwiatkowski could do well on this course. How about Stybar? What if Gilbert, Van Avermaet, and Phinney are in a reduced group near the end? A little trade team work? I would really love to see a USA rider win on home soil!
 
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BigMac said:
TMP402 said:
BigMac said:
Gosh, Farrar 8th in a sprint at the ToB. What the hell is he doing in that list.

Cobbles.

Libby Hill won't make that much a difference in the end me thinks. Too far from the line for an attaquer, not hard enough for those likes. And he was terrible in the cobbles this year anyway.

I agree, but that must be the reason. America's only RVV top 10 in the last decade apart from Hincapie.
 
Re: Re:

jmdirt said:
WildspokeJoe said:
Enrico Gimondi said:
Team USA was announced today:

Brent Bookwalter (Asheville, N.C./BMC Racing Team)
Tyler Farrar (Seattle, Wash./MTN-Qhubeka)
Alex Howes (Boulder, Colo./Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling)
Ben King (North Garden, Va./Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling)
Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo./BMC Racing Team)
(Final spot to be named by Sept. 11)

Team USA will be invisible.
That's what I was thinking, get up the road (out of sight, out of mind), and win from the break!

Let's face it the team is composed of very good complimentary riders. With the exception of TJVG, US cycling isn't very good right now. There's nothing wrong with that's just a very honest assessment. I'll be in Richmond hoping they do well but I'm not holding my breath.
 
Re: Re:

Brullnux said:
DFA123 said:
I don't think this will end up being raced like RVV. There are too many strong teams who that wouldn't suit at all (Italy, Spain, France, Poland, Australia); they will want to drive a hard pace up all the hills and look to create breaks along way from the finish. And you have hills from the first lap, not 120km of flat like RVV.

It will be much more like Amstel Gold imo.
Australia has Matthews, but otherwise I agree that Italy and Spain especially will want to tire out the opposition. I think Brabantse Prijs will be a good example.
On this course even Matthews and Gerrans climb well enough for an Amstel-style race. Both have finished on the podium there and sprint well enough not to fear anyone who is likely to survive, while Clarke, Hansen, Sutherland and McCarthy should be enough support.
 
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Bushman said:
Unfortunately, yes he could.
If an Australian is going to win it, I want it to be Matthews, because he's had two very good years in a row now and is actually a relatively entertaining rider who is capable of attacking when the time is right. But part of me wants to see Gerrans win it, just for the lolz! Sorry Libertine :D
 
Re: Re:

WildspokeJoe said:
jmdirt said:
WildspokeJoe said:
Enrico Gimondi said:
Team USA was announced today:

Brent Bookwalter (Asheville, N.C./BMC Racing Team)
Tyler Farrar (Seattle, Wash./MTN-Qhubeka)
Alex Howes (Boulder, Colo./Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling)
Ben King (North Garden, Va./Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling)
Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo./BMC Racing Team)
(Final spot to be named by Sept. 11)

Team USA will be invisible.
That's what I was thinking, get up the road (out of sight, out of mind), and win from the break!

Let's face it the team is composed of very good complimentary riders. With the exception of TJVG, US cycling isn't very good right now. There's nothing wrong with that's just a very honest assessment. I'll be in Richmond hoping they do well but I'm not holding my breath.
If they dropped Howes or King for Craddock and gave the final spot to Boswell that team would be capable of doing something. If the USA had 9 riders riding for Phinney they could certainly show well.
 
.Spanish National Coach:

"The first eleven kilometres are almost completely flat, and to be honest we were looking at each other and saying 'why have we bothered coming here to see this?'"

"It looked like a good course for Mark Cavendish up until that point, although other people insisted that it was more for Peter Sagan."

In fact, the last five kilometres, Minguez says, are another story altogether. "They're really quite complicated to handle, there are little climbs, corners, cobbles. It's very tricky."

"With 200 riders, it's going to be hard for them all to go through that part of the course in one group. There could be crashes, punctures…."

The last kilometre, he says, has "about 600 metres of climbing, and it's not that straightforward, then there's a slight corner to the left and it flattens out for the finish. It's good."

Asked whether it was a good course for Alejandro Valverde, Spain's multiple World medallist, Minguez said, “lots of courses and races are good for him. Depending on what happens in the race" - and with his final participation yet to be confirmed - "which I think will be eventful, he could be up there."

According to Minguez, the course is one where you have to be in the right place at the right time, all the time: this would arguably make for a fast, fraught Worlds. "It's a circuit which isn't selective" - in that it is not excessively hilly - "and it's not exposed, but it's complicated, and I think it's going to make for a wide open race, with a lot of possible contenders."
 
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Libby Hill, cobbled part: 230m @9%. East Main, the street that leads to it, has a slight false flat, and after the cobbles there's a stretch at 5% that leads to the confederate monument at the top. Then comes the N 23rd, which has a gradual slight uphill until the second cobbled climb, halfway through the street, which is 130m @ 14%. Finally,the 'drag' to the line, from East Main going up, turning to Governor street, 650m @ 7%. RIders turN left to E Broad and there's that flat to the line.


D+ 2928M
 
Re: Re:

42x16ss said:
WildspokeJoe said:
jmdirt said:
WildspokeJoe said:
Enrico Gimondi said:
Team USA was announced today:

Brent Bookwalter (Asheville, N.C./BMC Racing Team)
Tyler Farrar (Seattle, Wash./MTN-Qhubeka)
Alex Howes (Boulder, Colo./Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling)
Ben King (North Garden, Va./Cannondale-Garmin Pro Cycling)
Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo./BMC Racing Team)
(Final spot to be named by Sept. 11)

Team USA will be invisible.
That's what I was thinking, get up the road (out of sight, out of mind), and win from the break!

Let's face it the team is composed of very good complimentary riders. With the exception of TJVG, US cycling isn't very good right now. There's nothing wrong with that's just a very honest assessment. I'll be in Richmond hoping they do well but I'm not holding my breath.
If they dropped Howes or King for Craddock and gave the final spot to Boswell that team would be capable of doing something. If the USA had 9 riders riding for Phinney they could certainly show well.

Reijnen would be a good selection as well. I'd probably go with him instead of a couple of guys on that list.
 
I didn't know they got rid of the tarmac on the second climb, thanks for the info BigMac. Initially I thought they would just lay new tarmac there, but I can see they repaired the old cobbles. You can see it nicely in Street View as they have pictures from both 2014 and 2015.
 
damian13ster said:
Sagan vs Kwiatkowski ala Strade Bianchi is my wet dream.

More likely that Gerrans, Valverde and Mathews will be there as well though

It'll be a decent sized sprint particularly with GB, Germany, Italy, Slovakia and Australia all having numbers and looking to control things for Cav, Degenkolb, Viviani, Sagan and Matthews expect a group of around 40-60 to hit the base of the final climb.
 
MatParker117 said:
damian13ster said:
Sagan vs Kwiatkowski ala Strade Bianchi is my wet dream.

More likely that Gerrans, Valverde and Mathews will be there as well though

It'll be a decent sized sprint particularly with GB, Germany, Italy, Slovakia and Australia all having numbers and looking to control things for Cav, Degenkolb, Viviani, Sagan and Matthews expect a group of around 40-60 to hit the base of the final climb.
If Italy ride for Viviani and GB ride for Cavendish then they will both get what they deserve - absolutely nothing. Would be amazed if either of those teams rode for a bunch finish; especially Italy.