2016 Liège Bastogne Liège, April 24th, WT 253 km

[hrotha]

Re: Re:

Why not simply accept that L-B-L is a kind of race where early attacks are less likely to happen?
All races can't be crazy P-R 200 km attackfests.

200 km attackfests < PLENTY OF MIDDLE GROUND < 3 km of actual racing

Anyway, I find the question "Why would we want better races?" to be rather puzzling.

 

[Forever The Best]

Re:

Well Froome and Porte did finish ...

It is certainly a big achievement

 

[rainman]

I dont think finessing with the route will help much, it is already brutal terrain, ideal for good racing which it used to be. No one has to die to make it a geat race, it just takes a change at team/DS/sponsor level. Smaller teams would be good.

 

[BigMac]

Re:

I dont think finessing with the route will help much, it is already brutal terrain, ideal for good racing which it used to be. No one has to die to make it a geat race, it just takes a change at team/DS/sponsor level. Smaller teams would be good.

You'll find that people are asking for less brutal terrain, in the end that is.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Re: Re:

Some people on here are the biggest moaners in the universe

Riders should have done this or that ....the conditions, the length of the race and strength of teams make long range attacks suicidal

Suicidal, so what? I'd rather try something and finish 48th, than to finish 9th or w/e doing nothing. But yay for my 4 World Tour points I guess.

No you wouldn't.

 

[TMP402]

Disappointing Cummings didn't attack but instead just coasted to 19th, in the main group.

 

[HelloDolly]

Re: Re:

Well Froome and Porte did finish ...

It is certainly a big achievement

My point is that after all the comments that they wouldn't they did ...no more
I think they should not race LBL at all

In fact Froome beat Simon Clarke home ...Carlton Kirby must have been agonizing over this

 

[F e r o x]

Never tought I would say this after the Gerrans debacle, but this was the most dreadful LBL ever. I'm lost for words.

That's probably the punishment I get looking forward for weeks for this.

 

[rainman]

Re: Re:

I dont think finessing with the route will help much, it is already brutal terrain, ideal for good racing which it used to be. No one has to die to make it a geat race, it just takes a change at team/DS/sponsor level. Smaller teams would be good.

You'll find that people are asking for less brutal terrain, in the end that is.

Yes I got that but I dont think it will change things that much. When a large bunch arrives at the final 3 k's of Liege something is wrong.

 

[HelloDolly]

Never tought I would say this after the Gerrans debacle, but this was the most dreadful LBL ever. I'm lost for words.

That's probably the punishment I get looking forward for weeks for this.

yes you deserve to be punished

 

[Red Rick]

The thing is not to make it harder.

All the accumulated fatigue only makes sure two things happen

Relative strenght levels get closer
Riders only have the energy left for one attack.

The weather had the same effect today.

 

[ILovecycling]

Re:

Kreuziger's results here: 4th (2011), 5th (2015), 7th (2014,2016)...always there, always looking strong, but no podium for him. I hope he will win this one day

Yeah, he likes this race and it suits him.Unfortunately with this kind of fashion how this race is raced recently his only chance to win is his AGR style Im worried, which is highly unlikely when he is a marked man. There are these idiots like Valverde,Gerrans and Martiin with strong teams who only want to race in last 5k lol, so no chance

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re: Re:

Costa is already testing this. Right now it looks that podiuming a monument without teammates is doable.

If you can win a 7,5 hrs WC race with Cardoso and Machado being your only support, you can win here too. He made a mistake in the last corner and reacted a bit too late.

154 riders of 200 started finished the race.

 

[Hakkapelit]

Bah , tipped Costa for 2nd, what a letdown...

 

[Sasquatch]

Re: Re:

YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!

Poels at 40/1!!!!!!!!!

I had him at 50/1, but I also had Albasini at 80/1. And actually I had Sanchez at 66/1 also

I had Poels at 40/1, Albasini 201/1, Sanchez 101/1, Zakarin 50/1, Gasparotto 151/1. I was hoping for an Albasini win as the payout would have been better but will take it. Looks like a lot of people were on Poels. Good to have it over the bookies!

That's some crazy odds on Sanchez and Gasparotto. When did you place your bet on Albasini? I only bet when I saw he was constantly in 5th position or so and looked quite comfortable on the hills.

Today before the race. Had a feeling he was going to figure as Gerrans is nowhere near top form. Sanchez and Gasparotto was E/W so Sanchez not having the legs to take third was annoying.

 

[Cannibal72]

Re: Re:

Why not simply accept that L-B-L is a kind of race where early attacks are less likely to happen?
All races can't be crazy P-R 200 km attackfests.

200 km attackfests < PLENTY OF MIDDLE GROUND < 3 km of actual racing

Anyway, I find the question "Why would we want better races?" to be rather puzzling.

Especially when these (the Ardennes in general, I mean) are races which used to be a lot better and which changes to the course have clearly made considerably worse. Most people accept MSR isn't going to be like Roubaix 2016, and most people don't mind too much. But races with so much history in such interesting terrain should never be as dull as that was, and it's not unreasonable to say so - and to constructively suggest improvements.

Also, I can't believe I omitted Rosa's inevitable Lombardia victory from the statistics. Shame on me.

 

[DNP-Old]

Re: Re:

Some people on here are the biggest moaners in the universe

Riders should have done this or that ....the conditions, the length of the race and strength of teams make long range attacks suicidal

Suicidal, so what? I'd rather try something and finish 48th, than to finish 9th or w/e doing nothing. But yay for my 4 World Tour points I guess.

No you wouldn't.

Yes, I would. That's why I said it.

 

[BigMac]

Re:

Some people on here are the biggest moaners in the universe

Riders should have done this or that ....the conditions, the length of the race and strength of teams make long range attacks suicidal

But Betencur did attack alot

That's a bit of a strawman Dolly. I see more people criticizing organizers, the current layout from team size to route than having a go at riders.

 

[saganftw]

if your contract depended on it you would do just as your DS told you to do,including sitting in the bunch untill 250m to go

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

The only thing to make the ardennes better is not changing the course. it's changing the rules.

The relative strength of the domestiques makes it impossible to stay away from further out. So there is 2 things you can do:
*Remove 1 or 2 helpers (teams of 6/7 men)
*Remove particular info from the radios and info board. For instance, don't tell the peloton how far behind the leaders they are. And how many are infront.

Then they really have to guess and keep up themselves who's in the lead and how much space they can be given. No more calculating.

 

[yaco]

A funny thread - The new cobbled climb at the end made for a small selection, which is what many have requested. Yet some still complain about the race - I reckon the riders did an outstanding job in debilitating conditions which were near freezing and included snow falls.

It was OGE who broke up the peleton on the climb, contrary to endless posts about their passive racing. Gotta think that cobbled climb would suit Sagan.

Will be interesting to see if Albasini sneaks a stage in Romandie which is one of his season's goals.

 

[yaco]

Re:

Disappointing Cummings didn't attack but instead just coasted to 19th, in the main group.

Couldn't get up the cobbled climb.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re:

A funny thread - The new cobbled climb at the end made for a small selection, which is what many have requested. Yet some still complain about the race - I reckon the riders did an outstanding job in debilitating conditions which were near freezing and included snow falls.

It was OGE who broke up the peleton on the climb, contrary to endless posts about their passive racing. Gotta think that cobbled climb would suit Sagan.

Will be interesting to see if Albasini sneaks a stage in Romandie which is one of his season's goals.

This sentence perfectly presents the problem. If LBL would be as most fans want it nobody would even get the idea of mentioning Sagan as a possible winner.

 

[yaco]

Re: Re:

I dont think finessing with the route will help much, it is already brutal terrain, ideal for good racing which it used to be. No one has to die to make it a geat race, it just takes a change at team/DS/sponsor level. Smaller teams would be good.

You'll find that people are asking for less brutal terrain, in the end that is.

Yes I got that but I dont think it will change things that much. When a large bunch arrives at the final 3 k's of Liege something is wrong.

You must have been watching a different race - There was a selection of four at the finish.

 

[Maaaaaaaarten]

Re:

A funny thread - The new cobbled climb at the end made for a small selection, which is what many have requested. Yet some still complain about the race - I reckon the riders did an outstanding job in debilitating conditions which were near freezing and included snow falls.

It was OGE who broke up the peleton on the climb, contrary to endless posts about their passive racing. Gotta think that cobbled climb would suit Sagan.

Will be interesting to see if Albasini sneaks a stage in Romandie which is one of his season's goals.

If you don't understand why people complain in this thread despite the final climb causing more selection, you need to improve your comprehensive reading ability.