2018 Tour of Flanders

[sir fly]

If I'm understanding well, there's agreement about wide field of potential winners... wider than in previous editions. It might mean they could mark each other out and the winner may come from the second echelon.
On the other hand, favourites' moves should be stronger and more determined, knowing the half-hearted attacks won't get them clear in such a strong company.
Everything's possible when there's a dozen of prospects.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

Meanwhile while you guys waste your day watching the ronde I'll have the fun of my life celebrating easter with my family. Can't wait

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

Meanwhile while you guys waste your day watching the ronde I'll have the fun of my life celebrating easter with my family. Can't wait

Enjoy!

 

[May0maniac]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

Meanwhile while you guys waste your day watching the ronde I'll have the fun of my life celebrating easter with my family. Can't wait

Me and my dad will watch the race and just ignore all the relatives that will come to visit us, it's almost a tradition.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

Meanwhile while you guys waste your day watching the ronde I'll have the fun of my life celebrating easter with my family. Can't wait

My family is just totally understanding of me hogging the television for the entire day.

 

[Netserk]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

Meanwhile while you guys waste your day watching the ronde I'll have the fun of my life celebrating easter with my family. Can't wait

You're not the only one who will have an Easter dinner while the race is on. As long as I can watch the last 100km without spoilers, it doesn't bother me too much.

Last prediction/wish from me before it's over: Naesen, Vanmarcke and van Aert will break away before Taaienberg.

 

[Alexandre B.]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

Meanwhile while you guys waste your day watching the ronde I'll have the fun of my life celebrating easter with my family. Can't wait

Will the meme (and the race) deliver?

 

[fauniera]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

Will be rooting for Sep tomorrow (today actually). The blue machine can be beaten, but it will be incredibly difficult for Sep to win.

The race could be a good one, as Quick Step need to attack. Benoot will also be on the attack, i guess. Have a feeling Terpstra will make it and hope to be completely wrong about that.

 

[More Strides than Rides]

Trying to time my logistics correctly for waking up on the Western coast of the US. They first hit the Kwaremont about 115km into the race, just about 3 hours in? 13:30 CET? Is that a good estimate?

 

[fauniera]

Re:

Trying to time my logistics correctly for waking up on the Western coast of the US. They first hit the Kwaremont about 115km into the race, just about 3 hours in? 13:30 CET? Is that a good estimate?

Here is the timetable: http://www.rondevanvlaanderen.be/sites/default/files/rvv2018-elite-men-timetable.pdf

 

[Leinster]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

Meanwhile while you guys waste your day watching the ronde I'll have the fun of my life celebrating easter with my family. Can't wait

I'll be trying to watch European cup rugby and de Ronde at the same time, hoping that a) my macbook can handle showing both on separate screens at once and b) my family all sleep in as late as possible so I don't have to make their breakfasts.

 

[SKSemtex]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

Good morning Ronde. The best part of the year is finally here.
Family can wait few hours. However my wife is probably even bigger fan then I am and kids like to join our party as well.
I am so excited. I wish I am there in Kwaremont, but when we were chasing Sagan on all those races he was loosing all the time. We stopped and he started winning.

 

[Kwibus]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

Meanwhile while you guys waste your day watching the ronde I'll have the fun of my life celebrating easter with my family. Can't wait

When you can't see it live usually means it's a great race, allthough im not sure if the curse of gigs still exists.

I can't see it either though.... 2 birthdays, 1 this afternoon and the 2nd this evening. I will record it though and will watch it once I'm back home. In the middle of the night I will watch the race

I mean it's Flanders.

 

[Pantani_lives]

It's currently raining in Belgium. They will certainly start on wet roads, but it's unclear whether the weather will wither or not.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

Meanwhile while you guys waste your day watching the ronde I'll have the fun of my life celebrating easter with my family. Can't wait

Will the meme (and the race) deliver?

Probably yes, but that's just because the ronde delivers almost every year and not because I can't watch it live

 

[the delgados]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

Along the same line as the intro to that VeloNews article, the other day I had to tell some friends I would be busy on Sunday. I told them it was the equivalent of the Super Bowl, but every team is playing at the same time and all the fans are on the field, inches away from the players. And instead of the turf girdiron, the field is randomly shaped with hills and bits of grass, pavement, and cobbles. Normally I think these sorts of cross sport comparisons are silly but they can be useful. If pressed, I might describe Roubaix similarly, but compare it to baseball instead. The combination of length, randomness, and oppurtunities for the race to rearrange itself remind me of the baseball season. Sometimes the winner can be surprising, Hayman or the 2015 Royals, but they always earn it.

Ditto.
Every year I use the same Super Bowl analogy to friends who make fun of me for repeating the name De Ronde van Vlaanderen in the days leading up to the race.
Kudos for taking it a step further with the PR/baseball analogy.
I enjoyed reading your post.

 

[Pantani_lives]

The start is at 10.30h (official start 10.45). The Sporza emission starts at 9.30h, just to make sure not to miss anything.

 

[The Barb]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

I strongly believe Sagan has been hiding his strength for this race. I hope so, he deserves more monuments on his palmares.

 

[Akuryo]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

I strongly believe Sagan has been hiding his strength for this race. I hope so, he deserves more monuments on his palmares.

Why? Cause you like him? He deserves as many as he actually wins. Not more or less.

 

[bambino]

Quickstep mighty strong, peak Sagan, Greg the fighter, young guns Benot + Van Aert and the factor none of us or the riders have seen in Ronde before... the Voodoo .

Let the race begin!

 

[The Barb]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

I strongly believe Sagan has been hiding his strength for this race. I hope so, he deserves more monuments on his palmares.

Why? Cause you like him? He deserves as many as he actually wins. Not more or less.

No no I have no affection or otherwise for him. He is the best classics rider of this era (imho). I say he deserves more because frequently he has been the strongest and has been beaten because others know he is also the fastest and won't ride with him. That's cycling, I know, but he deserves more than, say, Gerrans.

 

[Kwibus]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

I strongly believe Sagan has been hiding his strength for this race. I hope so, he deserves more monuments on his palmares.

Why? Cause you like him? He deserves as many as he actually wins. Not more or less.

No no I have no affection or otherwise for him. He is the best classics rider of this era (imho). I say he deserves more because frequently he has been the strongest and has been beaten because others know he is also the fastest and won't ride with him. That's cycling, I know, but he deserves more than, say, Gerrans.

I agree with you, certainly on the last part.
Cycling isn't fair though, the strongest do not always win.

 

[The Barb]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

I strongly believe Sagan has been hiding his strength for this race. I hope so, he deserves more monuments on his palmares.

Why? Cause you like him? He deserves as many as he actually wins. Not more or less.

To say "he deserves as many as he actually wins" is simplistic. The world (and especially not the cycling world) is not a pure meritocracy.

 

[SKSemtex]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

I strongly believe Sagan has been hiding his strength for this race. I hope so, he deserves more monuments on his palmares.

Why? Cause you like him? He deserves as many as he actually wins. Not more or less.

No no I have no affection or otherwise for him. He is the best classics rider of this era (imho). I say he deserves more because frequently he has been the strongest and has been beaten because others know he is also the fastest and won't ride with him. That's cycling, I know, but he deserves more than, say, Gerrans.

I agree with you, certainly on the last part.
Cycling isn't fair though, the strongest do not always win.

And that is the beauty of this sport.

 

[gregrowlerson]

Re: 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen

I strongly believe Sagan has been hiding his strength for this race. I hope so, he deserves more monuments on his palmares.

Why? Cause you like him? He deserves as many as he actually wins. Not more or less.

No no I have no affection or otherwise for him. He is the best classics rider of this era (imho). I say he deserves more because frequently he has been the strongest and has been beaten because others know he is also the fastest and won't ride with him. That's cycling, I know, but he deserves more than, say, Gerrans.

He has 3 World Championships though, which many rate higher than monuments, so for overall one day victories I'd say that his palmares is about where it should be.