2015, Ronde van Vlaanderen 264.9 Km

[Parrulo]

Route:

There are better profiles at Steephill but for some reason the forum doesn't let me post them ...

anyway
Jesus christ how many years of boring races butchering the prestige of this great race will it take before they drop this idiot circuit route? 2011/2010/2009 (any year really) had more entertaining kilometres on it's own than this route has been able to provide since 2012.

/rant

 

[luckyboy]

You have to right click and go into inspect element>resources>frames>images to get to pictures that you can't just save or copy the url from


Same route as last year except they go south of Kortrijk before the Tiegemberg is added. Also Berendries wasn't included last time.

 

[Pantani_lives]

The part from the second Kwaremont to the Taaienberg is really tough. Then there is a zone of 20K with only one climb (Kruisberg), which will be very tactical, and will decide in what position the favorites reach the third Kwaremont.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

I have to admit: the changes they made to the revised route last year, were definitely for the better.
The old one still had something magical though, I'm afraid that will never be back.

 

[Kwibus]

The weather will be pretty decent. Around 10 celsius and sunny, no idea about the wind though. (P-R will be in great weather be the looks of it, sun and high temperatures unfortunately)

Hoping Sep can nail this.

 

[Netserk]

Imo it's too dense in the final. No one has to work for it to create a selection. If you're strong enough, you can make a selection on the last Kwaremont/Paterberg combo and solo to the finish even if the rest of the route is softpedalled. The other effect of such a hard final is that no one (strong) will make a move before the penultimate Kwaremont/Paterberg. The route is too predictable (and closed).

 

[Flamin]

Re:

The weather will be pretty decent. Around 10 celsius and sunny, no idea about the wind though. (P-R will be in great weather be the looks of it, sun and high temperatures unfortunately)

Hoping Sep can nail this.

Moderate wind (3 bft). The last 10k is cross/headwind.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

The course still wont do anything, even without Tommeke and Spartacus. They should basically just do a TT from Berchem, over the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg to decide the race.

With this year being the 99th edition, the route will hopefully be changed next year with all the classic climbs like the Kapelmuur and the Koppenberg in the finale.

 

[Vesica]

As always in RVV still too many kilometers after the last hill (Paterberg).

 

[trevim]

Tosatto's 50th start in a monument since his debut at Roubaix back in 1997. Mighty impressive if we also consider he has started like 30 GT's as well!

http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.ph ... c=classics

Regarding the race, I would like to see Degenkolb or Vanmarcke. On the dream land, Breschel, Keirsbulck, Trentin or Dillier would be great too.

Is Gilbert riding? It really annoys me that he has been skipping the race now that the course is better for him than when he came 3rd behind Boonen and Cancellara.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

As always in RVV still too many kilometers after the last hill (Paterberg).

Not at all. Make it closer to the finish and we will 100% certainly have everyone waiting until the last climb.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Re:

As always in RVV still too many kilometers after the last hill (Paterberg).

Wow, I don't think you get it.
Do you want RvV to be a new AGR?

 

[Kwibus]

I really hope more riders will be smart enough like Roelandts 2 years ago and like Greg and Stijn last year.

It's just so silly that a lot of riders of which we all know won't be able to follow the likes of Vanmarcke/Cancellara on the last 2 climbs waitfor the moment they get dropped on the last 2 climbs.

Allthough without the absence of Cancellara we might see a different race. Im afraid an even more passive one.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

With this year being the 99th edition, the route will hopefully be changed next year with all the classic climbs like the Kapelmuur and the Koppenberg in the finale.

Depends on what you call finale? They're too far away from each other to both put them in the last 50k
Since Oudenaarde still holdse the contract for the finish, and bruges for the start, it's not that easy to even include both of them, impossible to have a finale with the two included...

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Re:

I really hope more riders will be smart enough like Roelandts 2 years ago and like Greg and Stijn last year.

It's just so silly that a lot of riders of which we all know won't be able to follow the likes of Vanmarcke/Cancellara on the last 2 climbs waitfor the moment they get dropped on the last 2 climbs.

Allthough without the absence of Cancellara we might see a different race. Im afraid an even more passive one.

Kristoff dominating everything this week might be a good thing. They will want to kill him off earlier in the race.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Is Gilbert riding? It really annoys me that he has been skipping the race now that the course is better for him than when he came 3rd behind Boonen and Cancellara.

He wanted to ride and win, but the team didn't allow him to.
GVA for Flanders, Gilbert for Ardennes.

 

[the asian]

Is Gilbert riding? It really annoys me that he has been skipping the race now that the course is better for him than when he came 3rd behind Boonen and Cancellara.

It's the idiots at BMC who are forcing him to skip.

 

[trevim]

Is Gilbert riding? It really annoys me that he has been skipping the race now that the course is better for him than when he came 3rd behind Boonen and Cancellara.

He wanted to ride and win, but the team didn't allow him to.
GVA for Flanders, Gilbert for Ardennes.

Seems stupid to me, if they can ride together in San Remo and the Worlds why not use a double punch in Flanders too? Besides, as much as I appreciate GvA's attacking style (he'll win big one day just because it's statistical unlikely that he loses all the time), he's not a winner like Gilbert; not even on the same league of class.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Because they want Gilbert for Ardennes.
It's not that GVA and Gilbert can't ride Flanders together, it's that Gilbert can't do both Flanders and Ardennes.

 

[trevim]

Re:

Because they want Gilbert for Ardennes.
It's not that GVA and Gilbert can't ride Flanders together, it's that Gilbert can't do both Flanders and Ardennes.

Why not? If he was already targeting San Remo and skipping Roubaix, I can't see why he wouldn't ride Flanders. Then again I don't know anything about training and stuff like that so maybe that's a reason.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Actually, you're right. The perfect proof is Gilbert himself!

 

[Volderke]

The sad thing about the new parcours is still the fact it goes around in circles. So the wind is not a main factor anymore, and the first 'laps' will always be some kind of waiting game to evaluate the legs on the main Kwaremont / Paterberg climbs.

We will never ever see a long solo with this circuit. And the finale is indeed short-sightedly heavy serving only the VIP tents and their drunk visitors who watch the race and don't know any names except for maybe Boonen, Cancellara and Vanmarcke.

The final run in to Oudenaarde is the most boring - easy - backwind road you can imagine. They could have easily included some 90 degree curves and smaller roads (not necessarily with climbs), but they choose the run in just for the photographers who swarm like flies and influence the race by drafting the cyclists.

Enough rant, Vanmarcke and ofcourse Devolder may win. Vanmarcke with a 1-2 attack on the Kwaremont and Paterberg, or Devolder with a longer attack or an attack in between Kwaremont and Pater.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

With this year being the 99th edition, the route will hopefully be changed next year with all the classic climbs like the Kapelmuur and the Koppenberg in the finale.

Depends on what you call finale? They're too far away from each other to both put them in the last 50k
Since Oudenaarde still holdse the contract for the finish, and bruges for the start, it's not that easy to even include both of them, impossible to have a finale with the two included...

They could at least have the Kapelmuur in the race. Even if its early in the race the fans will still come out to support the riders in their thousands. This may mean they have to cut the opening flat kilometres to get there, but fans at the road side and watching from the TV will still welcome it

 

[Netserk]

Re:

Because they want Gilbert for Ardennes.
It's not that GVA and Gilbert can't ride Flanders together, it's that Gilbert can't do both Flanders and Ardennes.

He did better in Liege the years where he also rode Ronde. Either way it's not like he will win FW or Liege (perhaps if they indeed make a new final, otherwise not) ever again.

 

[sir fly]

I hope the absence of Boonen and Cancellara shifted the packing order enough to give a chance to some opportunists.