2018 E3 Harelbeke - 206.5 km - March 23

[Bot. Sky_Bot]

Re:

Lol, GVA is helping Terpstra so much right now

The gap was deacreasing, but suddenly It stopped.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Queue the "Peter Sagan is overrated" rhetoric in 3. 2. 1...

That started pages ago

Yeah, I started it this time. Sure it wasn't a great move tactically, but it was obvious he didn't have anymore in him after that one single effort. He wasn't at OHN, very weak in Strade Binache, I assume he was decent in San Remo (not a 'hard' race anyways) and now pretty weak today in E-3. There's only one week to Flanders - it could be a super bad day, but right now I certainly wouldn't put my money on Sagan, especially as a result of bookmakers/betters overrating him.

 

[Velolover2]

In 2015, we talked about the coming battle of Degenkolb and Kristoff. It turned out to be a joke.

Do they ride the classics harder now?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re:

Never understand why the chase gets that close and then disintegrates right before the catch.

That's not difficult to understand. What's difficult to understand is why a team that has 3 riders in the chase, can't bridge 15 seconds on a guy that has been (semi-)soloing for 50k.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

In 2015, we talked about the coming battle of Degenkolb and Kristoff. It turned out to be a joke.

Do they ride the classics harder now?

Well you've got GVA, Benoot, Naesen, Gilbert, Terpstra, Stybar, Sep,ect. who are all slower than Degenkolb, Kristoff, Demare, Trentin, ect. So, yeah, I think things are raced a little harder now. At the same time I think Kristoff and Degenkolb are a good bit weaker now.

 

[toolittle]

Re: Re:

A great race. I keep watching and unwilling to toilet after the big crash.

Some teams made tactical mistake..
The crash made that United QS 4 vs Sagan+GVA+Benoot with internal dispute.
They burnt themselve individually.

Better to wait for the peleton

 

[Leinster]

Re:

In 2015, we talked about the coming battle of Degenkolb and Kristoff. It turned out to be a joke.

Do they ride the classics harder now?

Well in 2014/15 those 2 won 2xMSR, RVV and P-R between them. And Kristoff was near unbeatable on Belgian roads in 15. It wasn’t unreasonable.

Since then, between long-term injuries, team shakeups, shifting priorities, and both moving team, there’s a few reasons why they wouldn’t be winning as much since. Ultimately, I think what really happened (and this is easy to say in hindsight) was they both peaked at that time.

There’s a lot of riders on 2 monument wins. There are less than 50 all-time with 3 or more. It’s possible that Kristoff and Degenkolb (and Dan Martin and Simon Gerransn, of current active racers) belong just outside that exclusive group, and might not ever get that 3rd. It’s also possible that they might have a Museeuw/Gilbert-style late surge in their careers and win a couple in their mid-30s.

 

[Screecher]

According to live feed from cn, Sagan crashed again after his effort to catch Terpstra and Lampaert.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Queue the "Peter Sagan is overrated" rhetoric in 3. 2. 1...

That started pages ago

Yeah, I started it this time. Sure it wasn't a great move tactically, but it was obvious he didn't have anymore in him after that one single effort. He wasn't at OHN, very weak in Strade Binache, I assume he was decent in San Remo (not a 'hard' race anyways) and now pretty weak today in E-3. There's only one week to Flanders - it could be a super bad day, but right now I certainly wouldn't put my money on Sagan, especially as a result of bookmakers/betters overrating him.

Truthfully at the moment Nibali would be a better bet than Sagan.

 

[Jagartrott]

Don't get the 'selfish GVA' comments. BMC should have opted to work for him the last 8 km or so, because he has proven multiple times he has a very good sprint after a hard race, but they didn't really commit to one man. Roelandts was *never* going to win that sprint.

 

[rick james]

Every pro cyclist in that chasing group(not the steppers) should be ashamed of themselves

 

[Billie]

Re:

In 2015, we talked about the coming battle of Degenkolb and Kristoff. It turned out to be a joke.

Do they ride the classics harder now?

all classics are full out battle from 80 kms to go nowadays. Wasn't the case when Kristoff and Degenkolb were winning them.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Re: Re:

In 2015, we talked about the coming battle of Degenkolb and Kristoff. It turned out to be a joke.

Do they ride the classics harder now?

all classics are full out battle from 80 kms to go nowadays. Wasn't the case when Kristoff and Degenkolb were winning them.

Last year, almost every time the first big move containing any of the major favorites that went away produced the winner. As it did today. The way things are currently being raced, strategies involving waiting, whether for a later move or for a sprint, are doomed. (The exceptions being FW and LBL, where everyone waits to compete for third and the best possible view of Valverde passing Martin at the finish).

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

In 2015, we talked about the coming battle of Degenkolb and Kristoff. It turned out to be a joke.

Do they ride the classics harder now?

all classics are full out battle from 80 kms to go nowadays. Wasn't the case when Kristoff and Degenkolb were winning them.

Last year, almost every time the first big move containing any of the major favorites that went away produced the winner. As it did today. The way things are currently being raced, strategies involving waiting, whether for a later move or for a sprint, are doomed. (The exceptions being FW and LBL, where everyone waits to compete for third and the best possible view of Valverde passing Martin at the finish).

LOL, you forgot Alaphilippe who appears to be the only one who actually thinks he has shot at beating Valverde, and thus also wants a sprint. Otherwise you're right it does seem everyone else is battling for 4th and the best view of Valverde's sprint.

 

[krakenKE]

Amazing race! Chapeau to Terpstra and great work by entire QuickStep team.

 

[Flamin]

Absolute masterclass from the Steppers, and an insanely strong Terpstra, hats off. Benoot was the only other guy who wouldn't have 'stolen' the victory if Terpstra didn't make it.

BMC put up kind of a slapstick show. It's understandable that those who are alone in such a group start saving energy and skipping pulls when they see Terpstra within striking distance with still 6-7k to go. Then the only team who has the numbers to keep the group going, starts attacking themselves and messes everything up. Great call.

 

[Jagartrott]

Re:

Absolute masterclass from the Steppers, and an insanely strong Terpstra, hats off. Benoot was the only other guy who wouldn't have 'stolen' the victory if Terpstra didn't make it.

I disagree. I thought it was quite strong how the guys coming from behind the crash still made it to the front group. They too wouldn't have stolen victory.

 

[Leinster]

Re: Re:

In 2015, we talked about the coming battle of Degenkolb and Kristoff. It turned out to be a joke.

Do they ride the classics harder now?

all classics are full out battle from 80 kms to go nowadays. Wasn't the case when Kristoff and Degenkolb were winning them.

Kristoff won the Ronde by following Terpstra (when Thomas among others couldn’t) from 30km out with the Kwaremont and Paterberg still to go, and with Terpstra (understandably) barely taking a pull for the final 5km.

 

[Kafviar]

BMC, what the hell? That was just weird.

 

[vladimir]

Re: Re:

Absolute masterclass from the Steppers, and an insanely strong Terpstra, hats off. Benoot was the only other guy who wouldn't have 'stolen' the victory if Terpstra didn't make it.

I disagree. I thought it was quite strong how the guys coming from behind the crash still made it to the front group. They too wouldn't have stolen victory.

This! Naesen and Vanmarcke had to catch up more than a minute in a race where the speed up front never eased up. They still took their turns in the last 15kms so hats off to them!

 

[Samamba]

Re: Re:

Absolute masterclass from the Steppers, and an insanely strong Terpstra, hats off. Benoot was the only other guy who wouldn't have 'stolen' the victory if Terpstra didn't make it.

I disagree. I thought it was quite strong how the guys coming from behind the crash still made it to the front group. They too wouldn't have stolen victory.

This! Naesen and Vanmarcke had to catch up more than a minute in a race where the speed up front never eased up. They still took their turns in the last 15kms so hats off to them!

Respect for their pursuit after the crash, but they really didn't.
It was a wheelsucking masterclass from both in the end. Naesen even admitted it.

 

[Red Rick]

Meanwhile, Landa finished in 86th place. Wonder how much he learned ahead of the Tour de France.

 

[shalgo]

Re:

Meanwhile, Landa finished in 86th place. Wonder how much he learned ahead of the Tour de France.

Well, he finished, which is more than I expected.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Meanwhile, Landa finished in 86th place. Wonder how much he learned ahead of the Tour de France.

Well, he finished, which is more than I expected.

He finished. Movistar said they were sending him there because he needed experience riding the cobbles.

 

[skippo12]

Re: Re:

Meanwhile, Landa finished in 86th place. Wonder how much he learned ahead of the Tour de France.

Well, he finished, which is more than I expected.

He finished. Movistar said they were sending him there because he needed experience riding the cobbles.

Movistar will be in trouble on the cobbles in july. They can hope that it won`t rain but I expect Quintana and Landa to lose 1-2 minutes even on dry roads.