2016 Eneco Tour (WT): Sept 19 - 25th

[KGB]

Re:

The greatest find a way to win even with everyone marking them. Even in his two major victories, he wasn't marked too much, with Canc being the most heavily marked at RVV and no individual being truly marked heavily at the worlds. Now let's see how Sagan copes with it. Being the strongest counts for nothing if you don't have the tactics to go with it, and Sagan has already thrown away a MSR with poor tactics

He deals with it a few years already and he is doing ok,no?
MSR he only *** up 2013 another years was more about he didn't have that form etc.nothing wrong with tactics.

 

[KGB]

I am not surprised Sagan lost today. I would be very surprised if he did not. He missed his chance yesterday. Both BMC and Etixx are experienced enough to let him win here.

Eneco has again showed us that if we want exciting GT racing and GT GC fight till last stage we do not need more of bigger, longer, steeper mountain stages which are easily controlled by one team and their powermeters. Their existence brutally limit the list of GC to 3-6 riders. Sky practically does not have to work on flat and hilly stages and can grant so many stages to breakaway riders as they are no competition. With less mountain stages and more hilly "classic" stages we will have multiply attacks by many teams impossible controlled by one team.

Regarding Sagans post race interview . He was not complaining. He newer was. It was only statement. He knows it will be always like this and he will lose a lot of races in spite being the strongest just because he is the strongest.
So unless he take the pay cat and go to strong team he have to deal with it.

Post interview ,he was very frustrated and he loves to win.Morning he probably will don't know he did any Eneco tour and because he is dealing with all that in this way that is one of the reasons why he is most consistent rider(with Valverde)in peloton these days and that's why he did ok under Oleg pressure.

 

[MichalJ]

Sagan fans are pathetic Calimeros. Everybody against him, booh.

Have you seen Plumelec or Quebec? At least three teams were working for him, just because he's a good wheelying showman. He got World Champion because Boasson Hagen favoured his attack.

Would you think Stybar would collaborate with Sagan with Terpstra in front? Stybar is good friend with him, though.

The only rider in the peloton I've seen exasperated by Sagan's attitude was Cancellara. Sad he retires.

Have to agree; also I hate the moaning and excuses that a successful rider and sprinter is expected to work more. Sagan himself was whining about it in the interview after the race. And of course, when he finished 2nd in Quebec, there's barely a word about Majka performing a super-human domestique role; absolutely burying himself on the climbs throughout to try to hold the race together for Sagan.

Really? Sagan always thanks his teammates. Even when they ride horribly. It's really funny sometimes.

 

[MichalJ]

Nope Greg just was not strong enough suck his wheel that day.

Of course because that day, Sagan sucked wheels all day long while Greg attacked several laps before the last one, as is his racing style. It seems that some are entitled to suck wheels and others are not.

Plumelec, Quebec, Richmond, did Sagan ever show up before the finale those days? Answer is no.

It could happen for Greg to win while sticking in the wheels (Rodez, Tirrno 2015, ...) but these are exceptions. Sagan wins way more often that way. Deal with that.

In Plumelec he showed up 4km to go, with large pull or false attack to speed things up (Moser up front). And in all three races was still big group at the end, so riding in peloton was evidently right thing to do.

When GVA won some big race like Sagan's Ronde this year? Never? Did GVA really showed up before the finale in Montreal? Yeah, he did some pulls, but not really counting as attack or hard work (and it was much smaller group he was in).

Sagan won Montreal few years ago with solo attack, won Gent-Wevelgem in 2013 with solo attack from selected group, where he worked hard (by the way in that group was also GVA). Attacked numerous times in Tour de France and other races. Calling him wheelsucker is truly funny.

You must really really hate Sagan and really love/adore GVA (and you obviously can't stand, that Sagan is better rider with more wins a and achievments).

 

[trucido]

Nope Greg just was not strong enough suck his wheel that day.

Of course because that day, Sagan sucked wheels all day long while Greg attacked several laps before the last one, as is his racing style. It seems that some are entitled to suck wheels and others are not.

Plumelec, Quebec, Richmond, did Sagan ever show up before the finale those days? Answer is no.

It could happen for Greg to win while sticking in the wheels (Rodez, Tirrno 2015, ...) but these are exceptions. Sagan wins way more often that way. Deal with that.

Greg can't win a notable one day race without sucking Sagan's wheel or people crashing in front of him, deal with it.

In before Omloop is somehow bigger than G-W.

 

[F e r o x]

Nice final of the Eneco. Still missing the real Ardennes. And scrap that TTT.

Dennis really had some bad luck. GVA had a terrible day and Sagan can't stop moaning. Just take the 3 million and ride at Etixx.

 

[Echoes]

Omloop and Montreal are somehow bigger/harder than Wevelgem.

Crashes are no bad luck but a matter of clear-mindedness said De Vlaeminck

Deal with that

 

[MacBAir]

Omloop and Montreal are somehow bigger/harder than Wevelgem.

Crashes are no bad luck but a matter of clear-mindedness said De Vlaeminck

Deal with that

De Vlaeminck is an old fart that is seen as a joke around here, as far as modern pro cycling is concerned. For quoting him... You just have to be old, as well. There's no other way.

 

[Echoes]

After Dennis had to wait too long for a new bike, BMC promoted Van Avermaet as new ranking rider but he too went from one calamity to another.

First I was stuck behind the Dennis crash and then I had to wait too long for his return which didn't happen, so that eventually I could grab my chances. Only I was stuck again behind a crash and lost a lot of time.

Van Avermaet rode an unbelievable final 600m on the bulwarks.

I was certainly one of the strongest among the chasers without having the feeling everything is falling into place. I would have loved to win the stage but anyway I'm leaving the Tour of the Low Countries with a good feeling.

Baldato:

Everything went wrong today but fortunately there's Greg Van Avermaet. He finishes 4th i the ranking, whereby we still grab a few WT points. Greg is unbelievable!

All in today's Belang van Limburg

HATERS GONNA HATE

 

[Netserk]

Yet, despite the fact that he had done *by far* the least work of him, Tom and Peter, Greg still couldn't finished first of them.

 

[MacBAir]

Re:

Yet, despite the fact that he had done *by far* the least work of him, Tom and Peter, Greg still couldn't finished first of them.

Exactly. At what point are we dealing with irrationality?

Sagan wins the ERR, flies to eneco with barely any rest, is alone the whole race, has to motor his whole team in the TTT (while GVA has the strongest team and makes almost all the time he lost to Peter because of that and that alone), wins 2 stages, destroys GVA on 3 or 4 occasions during the last stage alone, gives up, still finishes higher than GVA on the final GC... And somehow GVA was unbelievable?

The only challenge that GVA presented for Sagan, was when Sagan was coming up his group like a rocket up the Muur, and Greg was almost standing still like a rock, and both bumped shoulders and GVA almost fell.

But according to the fanboy, GVA was the one that was unbelievable. I guess it's all about expectations, right?

 

[Jagartrott]

GVA was well below his best here, clearly.
You should stop responding to either GVA trolls or Sagan trolls.

 

[Echoes]

Maybe a speaker of Dutch might check whether my translation is correct or not. If so, I'm covered by respected journalists and you may call me a troll whenever you like.

 

[F e r o x]

He says he felt one of the strongest among the chasing pack, but he didn't had that feeling this time he could ride everyone to sh!t.

 

[KGB]

Re:

Nice final of the Eneco. Still missing the real Ardennes. And scrap that TTT.

Dennis really had some bad luck. GVA had a terrible day and Sagan can't stop moaning. Just take the 3 million and ride at Etixx.

Nah,Sagan's next contract he will ask team to sign GVA as his helper for his classic season but before that will come Oss.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Maybe a speaker of Dutch might check whether my translation is correct or not. If so, I'm covered by respected journalists and you may call me a troll whenever you like.

Correct.

 

[burning]

Guys, you seem to forgot Echoes' rankings:

Win Tour/Bore de France: +1 points
Win Paris Roubaix: +10 points
Win Flanders: +5 points
Echoes doesn't like the guy: -100 points

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

Guys, you seem to forgot Echoes' rankings:

Win Tour/Bore de France: +1 points
Win Paris Roubaix: +10 points
Win Flanders: +5 points
Echoes doesn't like the guy: -100 points

Win a famous kermesse: +50 points

 

[Valv.Piti]

Also, Amstel Gold Race is obviously the much harder race compared to Flanders. So Sagan winning Flanders shouldn't count for much.. that and the Belgian kermesse nobody has heard about is my favourites.

 

[Echoes]

Thanks Generic for the revision.

Other interesting article I found in the Belang this weekend, Tim Wellens column "Tim en bloc". He regularly writes for the main daily of his province.

“Heat Problem Starts Getting Boring”

The Tour of the Low Countries is a race that is dear to my heart. In 2014 this race meant my first win. Winning this year is almost impossible. The Ardennes stage which normally is planned on Saturday was systematically the stage in which I could make the difference. This year the finish of that hilly stage rather in Lanaken. Because of the flat finale the time gaps will be less big, if ever there will be time gaps, that is still the question.
The “Golden Kilometer” might again be prevalent this year. On Saturday they put the said kilometer on the flanks of Halembaye. You shouldn’t expect me to sprint along for the seconds. Only one line counts and that is the finish line. It doesn’t inspire me to be in the picture on the Hallembaye or the Muizenberg. No, somebody in the team has to get first over the line in Lanaken.
The legs feel perfect again this week. After Canada, I entered the Wallonia GP and there it wasn’t good. It was unbearably warm and then it seems that I am not to fire ahead. It’s still the same old song. It’s therefore urgent to find something. Coach Paul Van Den Bosch has tried everything with Sven Nys at that time to fight the heat problems of his protégé, but couldn’t find any solution. Hopefully my move to Monaco can bring solace. Through training there on a regular basis in sunny circumstances I take for granted that my body will get used to heat. I’ve long laughed off the heat problem, but now it starts getting boring.
After the Tour of the Low Countries, I’m only racing once: the Tour of Lombardy. Indeed I hope I can lauch out once again there, like two years ago when I was 4th.
After Il[Giro di] Lombardia I switch the race bike for a mountainbike because just like last year I’m starting in the Roc d’Azur. Back then a flat tyre stopped me from winning. Who knows if the win is this time within reach?

See you soon
Tim

 

[Netserk]

That's a clever excuse for tax evasion.

 

[Kwibus]

Heat problems starts getting annoying would be the right translation.

I love Greg and I really like Sagan, but there is a lot of crap written here. Sagan is the better rider atm. Greg is amazing, but Sagan right now is the king.

 

[Samamba]

Re:

That's a clever excuse for tax evasion.

Well, he never denied that the tax situation is a big advantage and one of the reasons he was moving there, but not the main reason (being the mountainous terrain).

He was initially planning on building a house near Liège, but eventually decided to move abroad cause he wanted to train more on 20+ minutes efforts. Spain was a possibility but ofc Monaco had more advantages ( )

 

[Echoes]

Re: Re:

He was initially planning on building a house near Liège,

Wasn't it near Huy on the Côte de Cherave?

But yes, he's never hidden anything about the motivation for his move to Monaco. Lotto-Soudal tried to keep it secret. It was a big hoopla last June when it was known but I think it's a good thing to escape taxes. I would do the same if I had his money.