Billie said:
next year Matthews, Sagan, Bouhanni, Cocquard and even Degenkolb and Kristoff should all ride the Ardennes. Current racing suits their chances and hopefully seeing these sprinters still there in the closing kms will make the climbers and puncheurs realise how pathetic their racing has become.
They would be dropped before the feed zone. Well maybe with the exception of Sagan and Matthews, still they would not win tho.
Look at the quality of climbers who got dropped way before the final today.
What people fail to understand is that such a field as today contains a much larger amount of hill and climbing specialists then any other race. Thus the level difference is low, and it's both hard to ride away and hard to drop a lot of men.
In a hilly stage in a stage race or in a grand Tour, it's easier, because the field is a mix of climbers, tt specialists, sprinters and flat specialists/cobble specialists. Thus a much larger difference in quality going uphill. Peloton is easier to split, less strong climbing domestiques, more difference.
So the whole "pff coquard and matthews or even degenkolb could've won here because there is 30 men left" argument, does not fly.