2019 Strade Bianche, March 9th, 184 km 1.WT

[swuzzlebubble]

Re:

Sunweb have named their riders including the Kragh brothers and Robert Power who was top 7 last year.

They say Nikias Arndt is the captain. Who exactly are they thinking they might fool with such a statement?

I'm tipping Power to take it

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

Sunweb have named their riders including the Kragh brothers and Robert Power who was top 7 last year.

They say Nikias Arndt is the captain. Who exactly are they thinking they might fool with such a statement?

I'm tipping Power to take it

The team leadership or the race outright?

 

[Red Rick]

So pretty you better thank him twice

*** happens when I forget I shouldn't double click, cause my privileges allow me to make posts without the 30s cooldown

 

[Velolover2]

Wonderful pictures, Lequack. This race really is the sixth monument.

 

[The Hegelian]

If it rained hard every year, got a lot longer and was in the middle of the classics season, I would be (half) open to all of this 'monument' rhetoric.

But otherwise - whilst acknowledging the great parcours and beautiful terrain - it still always feels like a bit of a warm up race to me. It is the weight of history + a winners list filled with decades of great names that makes a one day race so valuable you'd pay your opponent 100K to not try in the sprint aka Vino in LBL.

 

[Akuryo]

Re:

If it rained hard every year, got a lot longer and was in the middle of the classics season, I would be (half) open to all of this 'monument' rhetoric.

But otherwise - whilst acknowledging the great parcours and beautiful terrain - it still always feels like a bit of a warm up race to me. It is the weight of history + a winners list filled with decades of great names that makes a one day race so valuable you'd pay your opponent 100K to not try in the sprint aka Vino in LBL.

Well, and when exactly is that turning point for you? Cause you have to admit that Strade is at least "a monument in the making". It is an epic race for years now and the prestige of the race skyrocketed over the past few editions. Will it take 5 years, 10 years? When is "history" as a criterium fulfilled? The winners list is already pretty neat with names like Cancellara, Kwiatkowski as the only people who got it on multiple occasions. Lets not forget about Gilbert who had a "decent" career so far. And even he was only in his monster season 2011 good enough to take it.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

In 30 years time we can start a debate if this might become a classic. But monument status? Nope. Monuments can't be created, they are just there. A race that has never seen the likes of Fausto Coppi, Fiorenzo Magni, Rik van Steenbergen, Eddy Merckx, Roger de Vlaeminck, Sean Kelly etc. at the start line just can't be a monument. It's a warm-up race before the real monument season starts.

 

[Blanco]

Re:

[quote="Bye Bye Bicycle"]In 30 years time we can start a debate if this might become a classic. But monument status? Nope. Monuments can't be created, they are just there. A race that has never seen the likes of Fausto Coppi, Fiorenzo Magni, Rik van Steenbergen, Eddy Merckx, Roger de Vlaeminck, Sean Kelly etc. at the start line just can't be a monument. It's a warm-up race before the real monument season starts.[/quote]

It is a classic already.
Warm up races are Clasica de Almeria or Trofeo Laigueglia.
This one stands beside Omloop, E3, Fleche Wallonne, San Sebastian and even Ghent and Amstel.

 

[Velolover2]

I agree with Blanco. It's a classic. And I would only give that label to a few races: Amstel, Fleche, Strade, Ghent and Tours.

The rest are semi-classics.

 

[Salvarani]

A great and beautiful race. Not a classic, but part of the classics season.

 

[SafeBet]

Admittedly the startlist doesn't look as stacked as it has been in past years.
There are a few outsiders with a chance if all stars align: Kung, Power, Muhlberger, Ballerini, Doull.

 

[Blanco]

Re:

A great and beautiful race. Not a classic, but part of the classics season.

And what is a classic, if this is not?

 

[tobydawq]

Re: Re:

If it rained hard every year, got a lot longer and was in the middle of the classics season, I would be (half) open to all of this 'monument' rhetoric.

But otherwise - whilst acknowledging the great parcours and beautiful terrain - it still always feels like a bit of a warm up race to me. It is the weight of history + a winners list filled with decades of great names that makes a one day race so valuable you'd pay your opponent 100K to not try in the sprint aka Vino in LBL.

Well, and when exactly is that turning point for you? Cause you have to admit that Strade is at least "a monument in the making". It is an epic race for years now and the prestige of the race skyrocketed over the past few editions. Will it take 5 years, 10 years? When is "history" as a criterium fulfilled? The winners list is already pretty neat with names like Cancellara, Kwiatkowski as the only people who got it on multiple occasions. Lets not forget about Gilbert who had a "decent" career so far. And even he was only in his monster season 2011 good enough to take it.

And if silly tactics hadn't decided things in 2013, the biggest star of our time would also have been on the winners' list instead of a relative unknown (sorry for doing this again, SafeBet).

Actually, if Sagan had won that year, then Benoot would have been the only rider to win this race since 2010 who had not been a world champion of some sort.

 

[hammerthaim]

Steppers v Kazaks v Lottos
Can't wait.

 

[Robert5091]

Looking at the video on https://twitter.com/UCI_WWT very dry & dusty roads.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

In 30 years time we can start a debate if this might become a classic. But monument status? Nope. Monuments can't be created, they are just there. A race that has never seen the likes of Fausto Coppi, Fiorenzo Magni, Rik van Steenbergen, Eddy Merckx, Roger de Vlaeminck, Sean Kelly etc. at the start line just can't be a monument. It's a warm-up race before the real monument season starts.

Surely the "list of greats" isn't static. In a 30 years time we might be talking about how Strade Bianche is a true classic (maybe even Monument) because it has had riders like Fabian Cancellara, Peter Sagan, Greg Van Avermaet etc. at the start line.

---

Such a shame rain-transfer hasn't been invented. We got a bit here I'd love to send to Tuscany… :twisted:

 

[Salvarani]

Re: Re:

A great and beautiful race. Not a classic, but part of the classics season.

And what is a classic, if this is not?

Something that has history and has stood the test of time.

 

[The Hegelian]

Re: Re:

If it rained hard every year, got a lot longer and was in the middle of the classics season, I would be (half) open to all of this 'monument' rhetoric.

But otherwise - whilst acknowledging the great parcours and beautiful terrain - it still always feels like a bit of a warm up race to me. It is the weight of history + a winners list filled with decades of great names that makes a one day race so valuable you'd pay your opponent 100K to not try in the sprint aka Vino in LBL.

Well, and when exactly is that turning point for you? Cause you have to admit that Strade is at least "a monument in the making". It is an epic race for years now and the prestige of the race skyrocketed over the past few editions. Will it take 5 years, 10 years? When is "history" as a criterium fulfilled? The winners list is already pretty neat with names like Cancellara, Kwiatkowski as the only people who got it on multiple occasions. Lets not forget about Gilbert who had a "decent" career so far. And even he was only in his monster season 2011 good enough to take it.

In my opinion, true historical value does not come easily - it's a long game, one that no PR company can invent or embellish. Amstel stills feels pretty new, est1966. I think you need at least a few generations to pass before it becomes something royal on the palmares.

As for the winners list - that's three champions from one generation.

At the end of the day, maybe it's just my bias, but I feel like there is incomparably more at stake when MSR begins, even though as a spectacle it's maybe half as interesting as SB.

 

[Krokro]

Such conservative talks about classics/Monuments..
A Monument becomes to be a Monument when people start to look at it like this, beside technical criterias.

Why has it to be old? Moreover, it has already been won by 2010era legends.
But old times are always better

 

[Laplaz]

F***, fast start, so we will see even less.

 

[Salvarani]

Re:

Such conservative talks about classics/Monuments..
A Monument becomes to be a Monument when people start to look at it like this

Yeah, and until everyone universally look at it like some of you. Then it will be regarded at such. Until then, it will not be regarded like that.

 

[Salvarani]

Even my dad that has no interest in cycling... knows about and tunes in to watch MSR, Flanders, PR and such. He doesnt do that with this race. (I think he should, but that is neither here nor there). And there you have the difference.

I think some of us fanatics, thinks it is a fantastic race but people that are semi-interested have no clue.

 

[Krokro]

Re: Re:

Such conservative talks about classics/Monuments..
A Monument becomes to be a Monument when people start to look at it like this

Yeah, and until everyone universally look at it like some of you. Then it will be regarded at such. Until then, it will not be regarded like that.

I think this is very subjective. I have actually no feelings when I watch FW or LBL but one is a Monument..

AGR is quite old and pretty cool since they changed the finish but I don't feel it more prestigious than SB.

Anyway I just don't buy the "not old enough" criteria.

 

[Laplaz]

1st break of the day:
Geniez, Denz, Vincent and Rosa with 55 seconds on the peloton

 

[Krokro]

No TV for 2 more hours and yet we get full panflat stage coverage in the TDF. So silly.