51st Amstel Gold Race, 249km - 17/04/16

[Orbit501]

Re:

Dan has ridden it for the last 4 years, and it seems to have worked as preparation for FW and LBL.

Fair enough if he is trying a new preparation, I was just worried he wasn't well.

Maybe he is a bit ill as he was another one who bowed out of the Basque country with a DNF.

 

[Laplaz]

Vakoc wins this for sure

 

[SafeBet]

Maybe Martin fears a possible crash in AGR, which is always a nervous race, and Etixx have better options for this race anyway.

 

[Arredondo]

Re:

Maybe Martin fears a possible crash in AGR, which is always a nervous race, and Etixx have better options for this race anyway.

Just as Purito.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Re: Amstel Gold Race 17/04/16

Why just why did they change the route. The classics season has been superb so far (with the exception of MS) but I still don't expect anything from Amstel and FW. Liege is a bit harder so maybe something will happen there but for this weekend I wouldnt expect anything more than a sprint up the Cauberg and than either another sprint for the line or a Gilbert solo.

Ironically the reason for the change was to make the final easier so more people attack. But all it has done making it harder to attack and easier to control. They really need to go back to the old course with the Eyserbosweg and Keutenberg much closer to the finish

 

[liamito]

Wind, rain, small roads, crashes....

Chaos seems to be guaranteed.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Crashes in the Amstel have not been worse than crashes in the Tour of Flanders, Paris Roubaix or even the Tour de France, or any big race actually. It's just what happens when 200 men want to be in front.
Heck in the Tour half of the top 20 contenders are already out of the race or hurt before the mountains begin, and then they even crash on big wide roads straight through.

It's the peloton itself which causes the crashes.

 

[Gigs_98]

Re: Amstel Gold Race 17/04/16

Why just why did they change the route. The classics season has been superb so far (with the exception of MS) but I still don't expect anything from Amstel and FW. Liege is a bit harder so maybe something will happen there but for this weekend I wouldnt expect anything more than a sprint up the Cauberg and than either another sprint for the line or a Gilbert solo.

Ironically the reason for the change was to make the final easier so more people attack. But all it has done making it harder to attack and easier to control. They really need to go back to the old course with the Eyserbosweg and Keutenberg much closer to the finish

Thats so stupid.
Making the finale of a race easier is a good idea if nobody wants to attack early but everyone attacks on the final 10 kilometers. But if you have a race in which nobody attacks anyway an easier route just supports this tactic.

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

Wind, rain, small roads, crashes....

Chaos seems to be guaranteed.

If there was wind and rain......

 

[Kwibus]

Re: Amstel Gold Race 17/04/16

Why just why did they change the route. The classics season has been superb so far (with the exception of MS) but I still don't expect anything from Amstel and FW. Liege is a bit harder so maybe something will happen there but for this weekend I wouldnt expect anything more than a sprint up the Cauberg and than either another sprint for the line or a Gilbert solo.

Ironically the reason for the change was to make the final easier so more people attack. But all it has done making it harder to attack and easier to control. They really need to go back to the old course with the Eyserbosweg and Keutenberg much closer to the finish

Thats so stupid.
Making the finale of a race easier is a good idea if nobody wants to attack early but everyone attacks on the final 10 kilometers. But if you have a race in which nobody attacks anyway an easier route just supports this tactic.

On the cobbles they usually have the hardest part rather 'far' from the finish. This forces early action so it's an bad idea.
If you make the final 20km easier, but you keep the Cauberg as finish then it won't change a thing. Actually it will make it worse. With this final, but finishing before the Cauberg action might certainly start early.

Either way they better return to the old format.

 

[saganftw]

after watching brabantse pijl im going for alaphillipe

 

[Eyeballs Out]

I think the current course is not as big a problem as the awful, negative riding and the usual great weather in April. How is it that if you stick these parcours in the Tour in July the weather is usually dreadful, whereas in April it's always great ?

As for the tactics I can't believe they will continue to be as dumb but maybe I expect too much. Van Avermaet refusing to ride with Fuglsang has to be the idiotic thing I've ever seen in a bike race (like Gilbert vs the field was a better bet than Van Avermaet vs Fuglsang ?). See also Martin refusing to ride with Nibali

At least Tim Wellens won't be hanging around for the finale

 

[jens_attacks]

Vakoc with a new cauberg record. Him or lutsenko

2. Gerrans
3. Matthews

 

[liamito]

Re: Re:

Wind, rain, small roads, crashes....

Chaos seems to be guaranteed.

If there was wind and rain......

I see It is like a pattern, sundays in april compared to the weather forecasts during the week.

 

[Billie]

Gilbert has fastest Cauberg ascent every year since 2009 right?

2009: Ivanov wins from a break, GIlbert wins sprint from the chasers
2010: Gilbert wins
2011: Gilbert wins
2012: Gaspa wins AGR but Gilbert fastest over Cauberg at WC
2013: Kreuziger wins from break, Gilbert first over Cauberg from the peloton
2014: Gilbert wins
2015: Gilbert first over cauberg, but matthews in his wheel

 

[jens_attacks]

in 2006 tour de france, he was also pretty much same time with mythical kessler

it's phil's climb basically.

 

[liamito]

Some strange comments from Phil today though.

Now he says he was feeling great before the accident. But one week earlier in Volta Limburg he was running behind schedule and would need every day of training to reach his peak for Amstel (which clearly did not work out).

 

[robin440]

anyone knows what kind of wattage gilbert puts out for that 1:30 ?

 

[Flamin]

I was watching extra time koers (Belgian program about cycling). Bakelants was a guest there and he was asked about Amstel. He litterally said it was pointless to attack from far here. Only thing you can do is wait wait wait and hope you have enough punch on the last time Cauberg.

Pretty depressing that an aggressive rider like Bakelants says this, but what's even more sad is that he's just completely right.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Re:

I was watching extra time koers (Belgian program about cycling). Bakelants was a guest there and he was asked about Amstel. He litterally said it was pointless to attack from far here. Only thing you can do is wait wait wait and hope you have enough punch on the last time Cauberg.

Pretty depressing that an aggressive rider like Bakelants says this, but what's even more sad is that he's just completely right.

Kreuziger must be a cycling god then

 

[Flamin]

Clearly was a one-off.

 

[Akuryo]

I hope Vakoc will take it, that guy is on fire in recent weeks! Really impressive developement by the young Czech.

 

[PremierAndrew]

Vakoc Alaphilippe Martin (ok he's not starting amstel, but still) - What a team for the ardennes

 

[doperhopper]

Re:

Gerrans to wheelsuck Matthews and outsprint him at the line.

... after they wheelsuck Valverde who wheelsucks everyone

 

[snccdcno]

Re: Re:

Gerrans to wheelsuck Matthews and outsprint him at the line.

... after they wheelsuck Valverde who wheelsucks everyone

All the way from Spain