2017 Liège-Bastogne-Liège - April 23rd - 258k

[Max Rockatansky]

Re:

Next year GVA will take this for sure if they won't change the profile.

If they don't change the route drastically, we all should not watch the race. They won't learn until people stop watching.

 

[Ikbengodniet]

Re: Re:

So Matthews is now turning into ardennes guy? Does anybody know what he wants to concentrate on?

I think he's going to be one of those unlucky riders who kind of falls between two stools. A bit like Dumoulin or maybe Thomas in different ways. Riders who can do everything really well, and can pick up some good but relatively minor wins, but don't really have any one big race (GT or classic) which is perfectly suited to their skills.

Sunweb wants to change him in a new Degenkolb with focus on the cobbled races so you could be right.

 

[Gigs_98]

It's just sad, this was the 5th time in a row that there was no crucial selection on or before Saint Nicolas, or said differently the 5th snoozefest in a row. Do you think anyone would have believed that in 2012 when the last five editions were all relatively exciting and the the winning group was never bigger than 3 men after Saint Nicolas?

 

[Velolover2]

Re:

Next year GVA will take this for sure if they won't change the profile.

I'm betting on Matthews. Maybe Colbrelli, Coquard and Molodo should consider it.

It's an reduced bunch sprint after all.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Lets not compare Gerrans with Valverde. Because the double rush acceleration that Valverde showcasted in 2015 and today against Moreno and Martin is unreachable for the australian. Please.

Yet Gerrans has out sprinted Sagan. If Gerrans won like that today the forum would have crashed. The only difference is that Gerrans is nearing retirement and age is affecting him while Valverde around the same age is getting better.

I think if Gerrans had won like that - closing down Martin solo in the last km, literally riding the peloton off his wheel, then flying past him and having plenty of time to ease up and celebrate without needing to sprint - then he would have gained a lot of respect around here.

Exactly, lol.

It's apples and oranges.

Yes different coloured kits. Riding past someone in the last few hundred metres probably does constitute a sprint.

 

[alspacka]

Re: Re:

Next year GVA will take this for sure if they won't change the profile.

I'm betting on Matthews. Maybe Colbrelli, Coquard and Molodo should consider it.

It's an reduced bunch sprint after all.

Sagan should've taken a day out of his holidays.

 

[Rollthedice]

Re: Re:

Next year GVA will take this for sure if they won't change the profile.

I'm betting on Matthews. Maybe Colbrelli, Coquard and Molodo should consider it.

It's an reduced bunch sprint after all.

Sagan too!

 

[Red Rick]

My favorite moment in this race was Henao looking back at like 5km to go and seeing Kwiatkowski. I guess the following happened

'Ola Kwiat, how you feelin'?'
'Not to good man, got dropped like not 2 minutes ago.'
'You reckon you can beat Bala in a sprint'
'Nah, but what else is there to do but control the race and sprint
It's what we do right'
'Si man, I'll ride'

 

[Velolover2]

Re: Re:

Next year GVA will take this for sure if they won't change the profile.

I'm betting on Matthews. Maybe Colbrelli, Coquard and Molodo should consider it.

It's an reduced bunch sprint after all.

Sagan should've taken a day out of his holidays.

Liege-Bastonge-Liege podium 2018.

 

[DFA123]

Except it wasn't a sprint, was it? It was a race where a group of about 30 riders, including a couple of fast finishers who can handle hills, made it to the final climb. And, on that final climb, the two best punchy climbers in the race absolutely destroyed all the sprinters. Dropping them comfortably, with one going on to solo easily to victory. None of the 'sprinter-puncheurs' came close to winning.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Except it wasn't a sprint, was it? It was a race where a group of about 30 riders, including a couple of fast finishers who can handle hills, made it to the final climb. And, on that final climb, the two best punchy climbers in the race absolutely destroyed all the sprinters. Dropping them comfortably, with one going on to solo easily to victory. None of the 'sprinter-puncheurs' came close to winning.

Yes. True. Makes the race even worse.

Sprinters have a shot if it's a sprint
Best punchy riders know they can wait for a sprint
Many purer climbers have at least one punchier rider in their team, so if all attacks fail, they'll just ride before Ans. It's ridiculous.

Make the finish flat and all of a sudden the punchy riders have to drop the sprinters.

 

[Velolover2]

Re: Re:

Next year GVA will take this for sure if they won't change the profile.

I'm betting on Matthews. Maybe Colbrelli, Coquard and Molodo should consider it.

It's an reduced bunch sprint after all.

Sagan should've taken a day out of his holidays.

Liege-Bastonge-Liege podium 2018.

Liege-bastonge-Liege 2019. The battle of the bullets.

 

[ice&fire]

Re: Re:

Except it wasn't a sprint, was it? It was a race where a group of about 30 riders, including a couple of fast finishers who can handle hills, made it to the final climb. And, on that final climb, the two best punchy climbers in the race absolutely destroyed all the sprinters. Dropping them comfortably, with one going on to solo easily to victory. None of the 'sprinter-puncheurs' came close to winning.

Yes. True. Makes the race even worse.

Sprinters have a shot if it's a sprint
Best punchy riders know they can wait for a sprint
Many purer climbers have at least one punchier rider in their team, so if all attacks fail, they'll just ride before Ans. It's ridiculous.

Make the finish flat and all of a sudden the punchy riders have to drop the sprinters.

Do we need another Milano-Sanremo?

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re:

Except it wasn't a sprint, was it? It was a race where a group of about 30 riders, including a couple of fast finishers who can handle hills, made it to the final climb. And, on that final climb, the two best punchy climbers in the race absolutely destroyed all the sprinters. Dropping them comfortably, with one going on to solo easily to victory. None of the 'sprinter-puncheurs' came close to winning.

Gerrans, Valverde and Kwiatkowski were seemingly able to bridge on Dan Martin in 2014 and managed to get a gap on the other guys.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

This race was almost as bad as Flèche-Wallone.

 

[Shardi]

Re:

Was just about to write something about that. I guess I didn't have to!

 

[Velolover2]

Re: Re:

Except it wasn't a sprint, was it? It was a race where a group of about 30 riders, including a couple of fast finishers who can handle hills, made it to the final climb. And, on that final climb, the two best punchy climbers in the race absolutely destroyed all the sprinters. Dropping them comfortably, with one going on to solo easily to victory. None of the 'sprinter-puncheurs' came close to winning.

Yes. True. Makes the race even worse.

Sprinters have a shot if it's a sprint
Best punchy riders know they can wait for a sprint
Many purer climbers have at least one punchier rider in their team, so if all attacks fail, they'll just ride before Ans. It's ridiculous.

Make the finish flat and all of a sudden the punchy riders have to drop the sprinters.

This.

Much harder mid-section.
Much easier final.

No Ans climb. No Côte de Saint-Nicolas.

More focus on iconic climbs like Côte de La Redoute.

We need to re-design the course and send it to UCI.

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Except it wasn't a sprint, was it? It was a race where a group of about 30 riders, including a couple of fast finishers who can handle hills, made it to the final climb. And, on that final climb, the two best punchy climbers in the race absolutely destroyed all the sprinters. Dropping them comfortably, with one going on to solo easily to victory. None of the 'sprinter-puncheurs' came close to winning.

Yes. True. Makes the race even worse.

Sprinters have a shot if it's a sprint
Best punchy riders know they can wait for a sprint
Many purer climbers have at least one punchier rider in their team, so if all attacks fail, they'll just ride before Ans. It's ridiculous.

Make the finish flat and all of a sudden the punchy riders have to drop the sprinters.

Do we need another Milano-Sanremo?

No.

We need a race where favorites have to do something themselves to get the best shot at winning.

Before the AGR changed routes, all the Ardennes races could be neutralized in the last 1km. Do you want good racing or not?

 

[Red Rick]

Re: Re:

Except it wasn't a sprint, was it? It was a race where a group of about 30 riders, including a couple of fast finishers who can handle hills, made it to the final climb. And, on that final climb, the two best punchy climbers in the race absolutely destroyed all the sprinters. Dropping them comfortably, with one going on to solo easily to victory. None of the 'sprinter-puncheurs' came close to winning.

Yes. True. Makes the race even worse.

Sprinters have a shot if it's a sprint
Best punchy riders know they can wait for a sprint
Many purer climbers have at least one punchier rider in their team, so if all attacks fail, they'll just ride before Ans. It's ridiculous.

Make the finish flat and all of a sudden the punchy riders have to drop the sprinters.

This.

Much harder mid-section.
Much easier final.

No Ans climb. No Côte de Saint-Nicolas.

More focus on iconic climbs like Côte de La Redoute.

We need to re-design the course and send it to UCI.

Can we start a crowdfunding for this?

 

[rehy90]

Kreuziger always tries from the far out. It is just a shame that other strong riders dont go with him. If there was one movistar rider with him and Wellens today, it could have been a lot different race. I hope Kreuziger gets his win in some future edition because he at least makes the race interesting and he has got 4 top tens, but unfortunately no podium.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Re:

Except it wasn't a sprint, was it? It was a race where a group of about 30 riders, including a couple of fast finishers who can handle hills, made it to the final climb. And, on that final climb, the two best punchy climbers in the race absolutely destroyed all the sprinters. Dropping them comfortably, with one going on to solo easily to victory. None of the 'sprinter-puncheurs' came close to winning.

Yes. True. Makes the race even worse.

Sprinters have a shot if it's a sprint
Best punchy riders know they can wait for a sprint
Many purer climbers have at least one punchier rider in their team, so if all attacks fail, they'll just ride before Ans. It's ridiculous.

Make the finish flat and all of a sudden the punchy riders have to drop the sprinters.

Do we need another Milano-Sanremo?

It's funny. Someone wants to make the finish of a race easier and some people immediately think that means that the whole race will get easier and finish in a bunch sprint although the exact opposite is the case.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

Except it wasn't a sprint, was it? It was a race where a group of about 30 riders, including a couple of fast finishers who can handle hills, made it to the final climb. And, on that final climb, the two best punchy climbers in the race absolutely destroyed all the sprinters. Dropping them comfortably, with one going on to solo easily to victory. None of the 'sprinter-puncheurs' came close to winning.

Yes. True. Makes the race even worse.

Sprinters have a shot if it's a sprint
Best punchy riders know they can wait for a sprint
Many purer climbers have at least one punchier rider in their team, so if all attacks fail, they'll just ride before Ans. It's ridiculous.

Make the finish flat and all of a sudden the punchy riders have to drop the sprinters.

Yeah, the race was awful as a spectacle. But the likes of Matthews and GVA (let alone Kristoff or Sagan ) aren't going to be winning here any time soon. Even in a very conservative edition like this, they were destroyed in the finale.

I don't think there should be a flat finish in LBL. The sprinters have more than enough races catered to their attributes in the first part of the season and during the GTs. This race should be won by punchy climbers like Martin, Alaphilippe, Valverde or Kwiatkowski. And it was.

 

[HelloDolly]

They need to change La Flethce and LBL now.....

Valverde and co are racing these races with their eyes closed as they know them so well

And I dont blame the peloton (as most on here do) for this outcome...Valverde is by far the strongest and has a very strong team...Lots of riders attacked today...They problem is so many riders are on the same level so making atacks stick is very hard ..

Wellens, Kreuziger, Heano, Fralie, Villella, Formolo all tried ....
What more would you have them do ??
The course is too predicable with or without Valverde ....

And Valverde is too strong ...unbelieveably so

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re: Re:

Except it wasn't a sprint, was it? It was a race where a group of about 30 riders, including a couple of fast finishers who can handle hills, made it to the final climb. And, on that final climb, the two best punchy climbers in the race absolutely destroyed all the sprinters. Dropping them comfortably, with one going on to solo easily to victory. None of the 'sprinter-puncheurs' came close to winning.

Yes. True. Makes the race even worse.

Sprinters have a shot if it's a sprint
Best punchy riders know they can wait for a sprint
Many purer climbers have at least one punchier rider in their team, so if all attacks fail, they'll just ride before Ans. It's ridiculous.

Make the finish flat and all of a sudden the punchy riders have to drop the sprinters.

This.

Much harder mid-section.
Much easier final.

No Ans climb. No Côte de Saint-Nicolas.

More focus on iconic climbs like Côte de La Redoute.

We need to re-design the course and send it to UCI.

Can we start a crowdfunding for this?

Why not make it a race design challenge. Vote the three best course proposals and send it to ASO. Should be possible to get this to Gouvenou via cyclingnews. It's big enough.

 

[KyoGrey]

+2 hills with +20 km with an ending in Liege and we are fine.

We have to adapt the parcours to both the increasing level of talent in the field and increasing levels of tactical ineptitude in the DS cars.