47th Amstel Gold Race (The maze) - Sunday April 15, 2012

[hrotha]

The thing you are missing now is perspective. Look where Dekker is coming from and remember how much of a struggle his comeback road was so far in terms of results

When I apply some perspective, what I get is that he had just won a stage in the Circuit de la Sarthe.

 

[El Pistolero]

three years after rebellin is not so much though

now on the other hand look at the french and the tour.that's a long wait

Or Belgians at Milan-San Remo.

We've won 7 Monuments since 2009, but never La Primavera.

There are 5 Monuments each year though and only one Tour. So it's not really the best comparison you're making here.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

When I apply some perspective, what I get is that he had just won a stage in the Circuit de la Sarthe.

An indicator has form was decent. I never claimed he'd win or be a contender...

I'm not a deluded fanboy like bmc fans etc. I have perspective. I hoped for a top 20 in brabantse pijl after sarthe (he finished 20th). And then hoped he could repeat that today because this race is a higher level and would show progression. He did exactly that.
Which gives me confidence that his old level is coming back faster than expected. Because in 2009 it took him half a year. And after his suspension finished it was a really bumpy road so far...

 

[El Pistolero]

An indicator has form was decent. I never claimed he'd win or be a contender...

I'm not a deluded fanboy like bmc fans etc. I have perspective. I hoped for a top 20 in brabantse pijl after sarthe (he finished 20th). And then hoped he could repeat that today because this race is a higher level and would show progression. He did exactly that.
Which gives me confidence that his old level is coming back faster than expected. Because in 2009 it took him half a year. And after his suspension finished it was a really bumpy road so far...

Then why are you laughing at Valverde and Gerrans?

 

[Kwibus]

Or Belgians at Milan-San Remo.

We've won 7 Monuments since 2009, but never La Primavera.

There are 5 Monuments each year though and only one Tour. So it's not really the best comparison you're making here.

Yeh I feel really bad for you belgians that you guys are not capable of winning M-SR

You *******s!

 

[Kwibus]

Then why are you laughing at Valverde and Gerrans?

Seriously. Only few posters on this forum have good judgement. 80% of the posters nowadays are fanboys with biased opinions that like to throw dirt at eachother in a childish way.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Then why are you laughing at Valverde and Gerrans?

you really don't get it do you? Do you even try? Or do you just want to **** people off? Or are you actually not smart enough to get it?

I give up with you. I'll just not answer next time

 

[The Hitch]

Of course, Nostradamus. "Purito always finds someone to come 2nd to". Definitely called that 24th place.

lol, made my day

 

[Arnout]

Seriously. Only few posters on this forum have good judgement. 80% of the posters nowadays are fanboys with biased opinions that like to throw dirt at eachother in a childish way.

Yes. The level here is exceptionally low. I barely post anymore because of it. Shame really.

 

[The Hitch]

Or Belgians at Milan-San Remo.

We've won 7 Monuments since 2009, but never La Primavera.

There are 5 Monuments each year though and only one Tour. So it's not really the best comparison you're making here.

More like 10 classics and 1 tour cos agr isnt a monument.

 

[El Pistolero]

More like 10 classics and 1 tour cos agr isnt a monument.

I used Monuments as an example as I don't know how many classics there are in one season and I didn't feel like counting.

Where did you see me saying AGR is a monument by the way?

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Seriously. Only few posters on this forum have good judgement. 80% of the posters nowadays are fanboys with biased opinions that like to throw dirt at eachother in a childish way.

I dont't think i am a fanboy at all..i support basso but i think he sucks as el pistolero can testify

 

[The Hitch]

I was talking about monuments

The conversation was about how its been a while since Italy won a classic.

Jens compared it to France not winning the Tour.

You quoted Jens post, continuing the discussion and said that its not the same because there are only 5 monuments.

But the conversation was about classics.

Observe.

Definitely not! - The RaiSport2 guys were so happy that after such a long wait an Italian won a Classic - phew.

three years after rebellin is not so much though

now on the other hand look at the french and the tour.that's a long wait

Or Belgians at Milan-San Remo.

We've won 7 Monuments since 2009, but never La Primavera.

There are 5 Monuments each year though and only one Tour. So it's not really the best comparison you're making here.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I don't think I'm a fanboy, though I was flat wrong on my prediction on this race.

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Gasparotto for the win with Iglinsky as a close second

Well, i almost got it, Iglinsky was up there but managed to screw it up

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

well nordhaug crashed and henao finished 22th

so technically henao was better

the flag was all over the place _O_ fantastic and a great henao. the race sucked though

 

[Havetts]

the flag was all over the place _O_ fantastic and a great henao. the race sucked though

So it was you with the Colombian flag? I knew it

 

[kjetilraknerud]

Well, i almost got it, Iglinsky was up there but managed to screw it up

Iglinsky did well, he took out two riders to smoothen the ride for his captain

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

So it was you with the Colombian flag? I knew it

some others were holding it on the 2nd passage. the final sprint it was me holding it

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Iglinsky did well, he took out two riders to smoothen the ride for his captain

 

[karlboss]

I was surprised by everyone in the top 7.
Astana had numbers in the final 20km and Gasparotto finished perfectly. Vanendert shows what he can do when given the opportunity.
Sagan needs to learn a little patience, there was no need to chase Ballan, follow Voekler, ride with Cancellara...and in these tough finishes wait, and when you think you've waited too long...wait. (Unless you are super Gilbert, then it really doesn't matter)
Friere did really well to almost steal the show and Katusha were active in the chase all day.
Voekler, I think looking really good for LBL.
Gilbert, BMC did superbly all day, but their captain again failed to fire, though this time perhaps forced to fire too early and wasn't super...I actually prefer no super Gilbert.
Sanchez coming back from his puncture to finish 7th is pretty solid.

The pre race favourites...did Rodriguez not go so as to not bring back Friere, and was marked at the time by Gerrans and Valverde, they finished really close to each other

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Lol at D-T stating last year that Amstel was hard because continuously up & down.

I tuned in with 67km to go. It was panflat !!

Between 67km to finish and 30k you barely have 3 Flanders-like climbs but without cobbles of course.

If this race finishes with a sprint, it is because it's way too soft, period. Only the final part is hard and every observer with more than two brain cells would understand that the part between 2/3rd and 3/4th of the route should be sharpened to make it hard and exciting. The former course to Maastricht with the Côte d'Hallembaye was definitely more interesting.


Amstel really has no charm for me. Already the name of the race being an extrasport sponsor (and, what's more, a bad beer), doesn't make it greater.

Amstel = Dustbin.

maybe you should ride it once. You are a complete fool if you think it's pan flat between any km.

i've ridden the last 100km finale a ton of times. There is hardly any flat. And certainly not as much as you think. The hills are always harder than they appear on tv.
You know why nothing happens? Everyone is already dead from the continous interval-efforts.
You saw it in the sprint on the cauberg. Sprint of the dead guys...

You sir. Fail. (at understanding this race, as many do not understand this race)

 

[unsheath]

You can't expect someone who was already good in the Tour Down Under to also be good in the Ardennes classics. I always knew he wasn't going to figure in the Ardennes classics.

Gerrans is certainly over the top. Been up since 3+ months since Australian
Nationals. Did well to finish where he did IMO.

 

[jens_attacks]

You saw it in the sprint on the cauberg. Sprint of the dead guys...

well still at pro's speed...30 km/h for the cauberg yet again...

it looks like the dutch hills are just false flats for these riders

nah i'm fooling with you,this is unfortunately the modern racing,no big risks,no one attacking from far away when they know they can make the difference on the cauberg or in the best case for the show,on keutenberg.that's it and that's how it will stay.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

well still at pro's speed...30 km/h for the cauberg yet again...

it looks like the dutch hills are just false flats for these riders

nah i'm fooling with you,this is unfortunately the modern racing,no big risks,no one attacking from far away when they know they can make the difference on the cauberg or in the best case for the show,on keutenberg.that's it and that's how it will stay.

they should just drop 15 hills from the course and have a little more rest between the hills. Then you will see action in the final