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

[BigMac]

Re: Re:

Froome has no business whatsoever with one day races but he is the lead singer in a band called The Mothers of Transformation so, sometime in the future he might give it a go.

My favorite Froome one-day race moment was at the GP Quebec in 2013. Sky hammered at the front of the peloton to set up Froome's attack on the final climb, and the result was this:

https://youtu.be/NPHPkBLfYpw?t=4381

Well that's post Tour tbh.

Remember the hype when Contador beat Froome at those races

Just watched the finish of that race.

My mind completely exploded again watching Gesink win the **** group sprint.

Makes believe in Kittel voor the polka dots

That was a great race that year. To be fair, the Grande Allée Ouest is slightly uphill, it's not like Bobby G won a pan flat sprint. Sometimes the false flat can be more of a grind than super steep gradients.

 

[The Hitch]

Re:

Good news is Sheffer has said that Nibali will not go for a training ride as he is a 'champion', Whig means he is going for the win and will attack. Bad news is how he's racing atm. Unsure about a lot right now. Maybe it's all a master plan to win Liege: look crap at Trentino when you are actually just stretching your legs so that everyone thinks you're in bad form, then destroy everyone when they least expect it. Ngl, it's probably gonna come to nada.

Wellens ftw

Plans like that don't work for a rider like Nibali. Once you show yourself as a top rider people will always mark you and be wary of you. Doesn't matter if you've been crap. Look at how everyone marked Contador on the last stage of the 2011 Tour, even though he was 5 minutes down on GC.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Good news is Sheffer has said that Nibali will not go for a training ride as he is a 'champion', Whig means he is going for the win and will attack. Bad news is how he's racing atm. Unsure about a lot right now. Maybe it's all a master plan to win Liege: look crap at Trentino when you are actually just stretching your legs so that everyone thinks you're in bad form, then destroy everyone when they least expect it. Ngl, it's probably gonna come to nada.

Wellens ftw

I say damage control for Sheffer, you can't possibly be this bad for 2 straight days and win Liege. Ill be damned if he does!

 

[MatParker117]

Re:

Froome has no business whatsoever with one day races but he is the lead singer in a band called The Mothers of Transformation so, sometime in the future he might give it a go.

He'll be riding for Kwaitkowski and as plan B most likely.

 

[Kwibus]

https://mobile.twitter.com/chrisfroome/status/723114615899623424

Seems he's really going.

 

[pablohidalgo7]

Re: Re:

Froome has no business whatsoever with one day races but he is the lead singer in a band called The Mothers of Transformation so, sometime in the future he might give it a go.

My favorite Froome one-day race moment was at the GP Quebec in 2013. Sky hammered at the front of the peloton to set up Froome's attack on the final climb, and the result was this:

https://youtu.be/NPHPkBLfYpw?t=4381

Well that's post Tour tbh.

Remember the hype when Contador beat Froome at those races

Just watched the finish of that race.

My mind completely exploded again watching Gesink win the **** group sprint.

Makes believe in Kittel voor the polka dots

He also won the bunch sprint last year in montreal ahead of gilbert. It´s very strange,he is very explosive in Canada

 

[Bushman]

Re: Re:

Froome has no business whatsoever with one day races but he is the lead singer in a band called The Mothers of Transformation so, sometime in the future he might give it a go.

My favorite Froome one-day race moment was at the GP Quebec in 2013. Sky hammered at the front of the peloton to set up Froome's attack on the final climb, and the result was this:

https://youtu.be/NPHPkBLfYpw?t=4381

Well that's post Tour tbh.

Remember the hype when Contador beat Froome at those races

Just watched the finish of that race.

My mind completely exploded again watching Gesink win the **** group sprint.

Makes believe in Kittel voor the polka dots

He also won the bunch sprint last year in montreal ahead of gilbert. It´s very strange,he is very explosive in Canada

He is not really 'explosive' but Gesink is a true grinder and he can keep going on the slight uphill finish where most others fade in the last metres. The finish suits him well

 

[BigMac]

Again, the Avenue du Parc is not an explosive climb and the Grande Allée less so. Watch any video and you realize they are both a grind. That Bobby performs better in NA I can't deny.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Also funny seeing Gesink blast by Froome on that Quebec climb. It's only 600m and really explosive, you would think it doesn't suit him.
Oh well, the enigma that is Gesink.

Probably a 17th place in Liege again sunday

 

[May0maniac]

Re:

Also funny seeing Gesink blast by Froome on that Quebec climb. It's only 600m and really explosive, you would think it doesn't suit him.
Oh well, the enigma that is Gesink.

Probably a 17th place in Liege again sunday

Yeah, a diesel climber with a good sprint (Basso also had and underrated sprint, outsprinted Dan Martin in the Japan Cup and finished 2nd behind Purito in the 2012 Cortina stage, he beat Uran and Ryder, I won't mention the Robobasso sprints...).
Back to LBL, Astana should attack, with Birdsong, Nibali, mighty Lutsenko and Rosa they have 4 strong guys.

 

[Baldinger]

Ideal conditions for chubby Valgren this Sunday. He really does well in wet and cold weather. Look out!

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Re:

https://mobile.twitter.com/chrisfroome/status/723114615899623424

Seems he's really going.

Let's see if he pulls an Andy.

 

[Kwibus]

Re: Re:

Also funny seeing Gesink blast by Froome on that Quebec climb. It's only 600m and really explosive, you would think it doesn't suit him.
Oh well, the enigma that is Gesink.

Probably a 17th place in Liege again sunday

Yeah, a diesel climber with a good sprint (Basso also had and underrated sprint, outsprinted Dan Martin in the Japan Cup and finished 2nd behind Purito in the 2012 Cortina stage, he beat Uran and Ryder, I won't mention the Robobasso sprints...).
Back to LBL, Astana should attack, with Birdsong, Nibali, mighty Lutsenko and Rosa they have 4 strong guys.

Ag2r, lotto-be, lotto-nl and many more should attack. They won't though, probably astana alone again.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re:

Ideal conditions for chubby Valgren this Sunday. He really does well in wet and cold weather. Look out!

Maybe a bit too hard?
I guess Rosa will like the weather as well

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Ideal conditions for chubby Valgren this Sunday. He really does well in wet and cold weather. Look out!

Maybe a bit too hard?
I guess Rosa will like the weather as well

He did super well in the PN-stage that Gallopin won if Im not mistaken, but yeah, Valgren seems a bit too chubby for Liege. I don't know what it is, but he just looks a lot bigger than most others. But its surely better than F-W for him

 

[pink_jersey]

Wellens to attack. Wellens to be caught. Don Alejandro to control the final. Don Alejandro to win...

 

[Bushman]

Re: Re:

Ideal conditions for chubby Valgren this Sunday. He really does well in wet and cold weather. Look out!

Maybe a bit too hard?
I guess Rosa will like the weather as well

He did super well in the PN-stage that Gallopin won if Im not mistaken, but yeah, Valgren seems a bit too chubby for Liege. I don't know what it is, but he just looks a lot bigger than most others. But its surely better than F-W for him

He is around 70 kgs so yes he is a bit heavier than most of the Ardennes specialist. IMO he is suited better to the Amstel like hills than the ones in Liege even though he won the race twice as an espoirs.

If the weather is really bad then he might be in with an outside chance as he is usually really good in bad conditions and the the race will likely be ridden a bit slower as well.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Any TV station broadcasting the race in full? I might watch it all if there's snow.

 

[Pantani_lives]

My list of favorites:
*****Valverde
****Valverde, Valverde
***Valverde, Valverde
**Valverde, Valverde, Valverde
*Valverde, Valverde, Alaphilippe

 

[movingtarget]

Gerrans for the win ! Cue explosions of moral outrage and creative profanity. Actually I think he has a chance but Valverde and Martin are probably the riders to beat. The hilly classics always seem to figure the same small group of riders with many multiple winners.

 

[WillemS]

Re:

My list of favorites:
*****Valverde
****Valverde, Valverde
***Valverde, Valverde
**Valverde, Valverde, Valverde
*Valverde, Valverde, Alaphilippe

I guess you missed Valverde in your list, you might want to update it to include him.

 

[Red Rick]

Valverde is obviously the big favourite, however Etixx have a decent chance if they get their tactics right and make Valverde choose between sitting up and wasting energy. They tried on Fleche Wallone, but following wheels doesn't help so much on a 15% gradient. Valverde has to be isolated over the Saint Nicolas.

 

[MatParker117]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/new-cobbled-climb-set-to-increase-difficulty-of-liege-bastogne-liege/

This time around the run-in to the finish has been significantly altered. Following the Côte de San Nicolas and a fast descent in the Liège backstreets, the 2016 route barely has time to flatten out before a sharp right-hand bend takes the peloton onto the 600 metres of Côte de la Rue Naniot. Previously the San Nicolas was the last classified climb cresting 6.5 kilometres from the finish. The Rue Naniot summit is now just 2.5 kilometres from the line.

As Cyclingnews discovered during a reconnaissance the climb is a residential city street, but unlike San Nicolas' series of near switchback turns, the Côte de la Rue Naniot consists of a single, ribbon-like straightaway, rising between two or three-storey houses - so the wind could be a factor. The climb has a virtually unchanging and relentless gradient of around 10.5 percent, although it’s slightly steeper in the middle 100 metres. The road’s cobbles are all in good shape and the streets is wide enough for riders not to be blocked in during attacks.

Once riders reach the summit of the Côte de la Rue Naniot and bear left, the route then descends in a series of semi-switchbacks to the broad, smoothly tarmacked Ans road. After 500 metres of downhill, the route then takes a sharp right-hander onto the Rue Walthere Jamere and the traditional kilometre-long grind up to the final left-hand turn to the finish begins.

Could be a good launchpad for the likes of Froome or Nibali.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/new-cobbled-climb-set-to-increase-difficulty-of-liege-bastogne-liege/

This time around the run-in to the finish has been significantly altered. Following the Côte de San Nicolas and a fast descent in the Liège backstreets, the 2016 route barely has time to flatten out before a sharp right-hand bend takes the peloton onto the 600 metres of Côte de la Rue Naniot. Previously the San Nicolas was the last classified climb cresting 6.5 kilometres from the finish. The Rue Naniot summit is now just 2.5 kilometres from the line.

As Cyclingnews discovered during a reconnaissance the climb is a residential city street, but unlike San Nicolas' series of near switchback turns, the Côte de la Rue Naniot consists of a single, ribbon-like straightaway, rising between two or three-storey houses - so the wind could be a factor. The climb has a virtually unchanging and relentless gradient of around 10.5 percent, although it’s slightly steeper in the middle 100 metres. The road’s cobbles are all in good shape and the streets is wide enough for riders not to be blocked in during attacks.

Once riders reach the summit of the Côte de la Rue Naniot and bear left, the route then descends in a series of semi-switchbacks to the broad, smoothly tarmacked Ans road. After 500 metres of downhill, the route then takes a sharp right-hander onto the Rue Walthere Jamere and the traditional kilometre-long grind up to the final left-hand turn to the finish begins.

Could be a good launchpad for the likes of Froome or Nibali.

Yes a short steep cobbled climb is just perfect for the likes of Nibali and Froome.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Re:

My list of favorites:
*****Valverde
****Valverde, Valverde
***Valverde, Valverde
**Valverde, Valverde, Valverde
*Valverde, Valverde, Alaphilippe

Lol I like this