2023 Brabantse Pijl, April 12th

[Red Rick]

I agree but I wonder if in the long term this continuum will rather weaken the standing of this race than strengthen it. I agree it neatly fits as a link between the Flanders and AGR (PR really is the odd one out here) but with the favorites of those two races now being mostly the same, the guys who would also be favored in Brabant will often leave it out as they would simply overrace themselves.

If they are more of a northern classics type they won't do this race in between Roubaix and AGR and if they are more of a hilly classics specialist they won't want to race too much before LBL. That basically leaves us with guys who would be good in both the AGR and the Ronde but neither focus on PR nor LBL and there just aren't that many such guys around. Don't know if that's a trend but least this year it's noticable.

To me it's basically the equivalent of Dwars door Vlaanderen but without any of the benefit of being a good light final tuneup for De Ronde.

To me there's nothing that can be realy done for Brabantse Pijl to grow that race in the long term. Top guns don't really have much incentive to race it, and it's more like you need to dodge multiple exclusion criteria, and the incentive for the lesser riders is that they actually have a shot at winning it.

I also think the archetype for this race is probably the weakest in the current peloton.

But the calendar was normal in 2019 and then Van der Poel outsprinted Alaphilippe, Wellens and Matthews to take the win. Even if the biggest names dominate today, the top-4 will pale compared to that one.

And I frankly don't believe those sorts of fields were ever sustainable.

Maybe the Wellens and the Matthews types are the sorts of riders you want to retain. The odd Ardennes/sprinter hybrids for who Amstel is too hard are probably the best sort of riders who would want to systematically target this race.

 

[Didinho]

Love to see some pro riders suffering on my local hills

 

[Netserk]

Van der Poel didn't race Roubaix in 2019, nor did Alaphilippe ride Ronde. Wellens had a lighter program when he did this. Colbrelli has retired. I think Pidcock and Teuns are more or less the only ones missing who should do this race.

Most of the Amstel favourites ride this one too (and I don't blame Pogi for cutting this one out): Cosnefroy, Hermans, Kragh, Kron, Kwiatkowski, Honore, Hirschi, Trentin, Kamp.

 

[Netserk]

To me it's basically the equivalent of Dwars door Vlaanderen but without any of the benefit of being a good light final tuneup for De Ronde.

To me there's nothing that can be realy done for Brabantse Pijl to grow that race in the long term. Top guns don't really have much incentive to race it, and it's more like you need to dodge multiple exclusion criteria, and the incentive for the lesser riders is that they actually have a shot at winning it.

Watch this space. When I'm done with my fantasy calender, it will have the spot of Flèche (Flèche and Liège will switch spots with Pijl and Amstel).

 

[frisenfruitig]

Van der Poel didn't race Roubaix in 2019, nor did Alaphilippe ride Ronde. Wellens had a lighter program when he did this. Colbrelli has retired. I think Pidcock and Teuns are more or less the only ones missing who should do this race.

Most of the Amstel favourites ride this one too (and I don't blame Pogi for cutting this one out): Cosnefroy, Hermans, Kragh, Kron, Kwiatkowski, Honore, Hirschi, Trentin, Kamp.

Are those really the main favourites for AGR? Can't say I'm terribly impressed with that list, pretty weak if you ask me.

 

[Didinho]

Van Empel looks at ease. My favorite to win this.

The other crossers already in the front earlier, with Brand, Kastelijn. Also glad to see Blanka Vas in better shape again. Van Anrooij and Persico in the mix now.

 

[Netserk]

Are those really the main favourites for AGR? Can't say I'm terribly impressed with that list, pretty weak if you ask me.

Bora, FdJ and Jumbo are not at the start here, but most of the Amstel favourites ride here too.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Watch this space. When I'm done with my fantasy calender, it will have the spot of Flèche (Flèche and Liège will switch spots with Pijl and Amstel).

Why exactly? I thought the reason for the current order was that it made more sense for Liège to be closer to the Giro for GC riders, while Amstel has cross-over riders from Flemish races to Liège.

 

[tobydawq]

Van der Poel didn't race Roubaix in 2019, nor did Alaphilippe ride Ronde. Wellens had a lighter program when he did this. Colbrelli has retired. I think Pidcock and Teuns are more or less the only ones missing who should do this race.

Most of the Amstel favourites ride this one too (and I don't blame Pogi for cutting this one out): Cosnefroy, Hermans, Kragh, Kron, Kwiatkowski, Honore, Hirschi, Trentin, Kamp.

Matthews not riding is strange, I think.

 

[DNP-Old]

Please, someone tell these ladies that handlebars are meant to steer with.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Please, someone tell these ladies that handlebars are meant to steer with.

I'm on the train so can't watch. I'd like to know what they are doing with the handlebars instead exactly?

 

[Netserk]

Why exactly? I thought the reason for the current order was that it made more sense for Liège to be closer to the Giro for GC riders, while Amstel has cross-over riders from Flemish races to Liège.

I think Vinokourov is the only Liège winner to race the Giro and not Amstel after they changed spots.

Landa and Bardet were the only Giro contenders last year to ride Liège, and for both it was after Trentino and without a result.

Added: Landa, Nibali and Dumoulin were the only riders on the Giro podium of the previous five May editions to ride Liège, and only Nibali made the top-10 (8th).

 

[Netserk]

Matthews not riding is strange, I think.

He is currently not set to ride Amstel either. And Jayco are not riding today.

Did he crash in Ronde?

 

[Mayomaniac]

Please, someone tell these ladies that handlebars are meant to steer with.

Are they mainly grabbing the break hoods one again? Seeing a ton of them grabbing them instead of the handlebars on the freaking Roubaix cobbles, where grabbing your actual handlebards is a big advantage, blew my mind.

 

[DNP-Old]

I'm on the train so can't watch. I'd like to know what they are doing with the handlebars instead exactly?

Nothing, just leaning on them for physical support. Another strange crash just occurred: someone just crashed uphill, on a straight, non-cobbled road because they ended up in a gutter for no apparent reason at all. Didn't get bumped, didn't get have to make a sudden manoeuvre, didn't get boxed in. Just decided that it was time to go.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Well, Pauliena Rooijakkers seems to be coming into the part of the season that is designed for Pauliena Rooijakkers (the part with climbing in it) although this part of the season is still a bit too bike-handling biased for her just yet. SD Worx not happy with the composition of the selection.

 

[search]

He is currently not set to ride Amstel either. And Jayco are not riding today.

Did he crash in Ronde?

didn't read anything about it, but last time they showed the "peloton" in the Ronde Matthews was among those at he very front, so the DNF didn't really make much sense. Maybe he crashed indeed.

edit: according to Stybar, Matthews crashed on the Koppenberg descent

Štybar po Flandrech: Kluci vypadali, jako by se vrátili odněkud z fronty - iDNES.cz

Podesáté startoval na monumentu Kolem Flander, který kdysi označil za svoji nejoblíbenější jarní klasiku. Zdeněk Štybar tu v minulosti dojel osmý, devátý a desátý. Letos měl především pomáhat Michaelu Matthewsovi, lídrovi australské stáje Jayco Alula. Jenže podobně jako při předchozích závodech...

www.idnes.cz

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Vas is able to follow Van Empel for once, but unfortunately they're not in the front group.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Every split in the bunch feels exciting but the strength of Trek and SD Worx has a tendency to reduce the impetus since none of the Persicos or Lipperts of the world want to work when outnumbered, so need to go again to set up a new move.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

A shame that bredewold wasn't allowed to ride with Faulkner, who may have blown herself up in usual fashion.

 

[Didinho]

Every split in the bunch feels exciting but the strength of Trek and SD Worx has a tendency to reduce the impetus since none of the Persicos or Lipperts of the world want to work when outnumbered, so need to go again to set up a new move.

Strange tactics today.
Started to rain heavily, it's gonna be chaos on the Moskesstraat if someone slips.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Looks like an attack has finally succeeded.

 

[Didinho]

Van Anrooij the only one who will ride today. The others doesn't want a top 5 it seems.

Better cooperation now.

 

[dobrien]

When you have a group of seven with both Vollering and Reusser in it, hard to imagine anyone else having a chance.

 

[Didinho]

When you have a group of seven with both Vollering and Reusser in it, hard to imagine anyone else having a chance.

Shirin riding for an other outcome. Hope to see a sprint here with Vollering and Persico.