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

[roundabout]

Re: Re:

Sure its a baby classic but im sure its more than good enough for sky (considering their records afterall)

E3 Harelbeke > AGR

No way. More interesting certainly, but Amstel is bigger race

Funnily enough the bigger race had a top-10 worthy of 1.1 race somewhere in Italy this time around.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Sure its a baby classic but im sure its more than good enough for sky (considering their records afterall)

E3 Harelbeke > AGR

No way. More interesting certainly, but Amstel is bigger race

I think E3 slowly has become more prestigious. I mean, look at the guys in the top-10 as roundabout noted. Its quite franky pathetic.. compare that to E3 or Strade which isn't even WT.

 

[classicomano]

Re:

Ugh what a dreadful race. If it werent for Wellens it would have been even worse. Please change the course back

#ImpeachLeovanVliet

 

[HelloDolly]

Amstel may not look great on TV but it is a very very hard race....

 

[RedheadDane]

Re:

Amstel may not look great on TV but it is a very very hard race....

Especially in the wonderful weather they had today, I'd assume.

 

[dacooley]

Re:

I dont know if its fair, but I like Matthews much more than Gerrand, altho Matthews honestly is as negative racer as Gerro. There just something associated with Gerrans...

what you imply by a negative racing?

 

[Brullnux]

Colbrelli was in great shape today. At or near the front (alone) for the last 20k on all the climbs and led the peloton up for a bit of the Cauberg. Probably thought that it would come back together, or that a favourite like Alaphilippe or Vakoc would attack and he'd follow too. He even took a a mini-pull once, either when chasing Wellens or Gaspa and Valgren, which for a sprinter (sort of) is impressive.

 

[Lexman]

Really happy for Gasporotto and especially Wanty Group Gobert .... deserve to win a classic

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

Amstel may not look great on TV but it is a very very hard race....

Nobody's saying it's not tough. There's over 30 ascents in it, it's full of twists and turns, narrow roads and short sharp climbs over 250km, that's tough in anybody's language. The problem is that the parcours is not best set up for action at present. It's the same as when I criticised the Corvara stage of the Giro and was criticised for insulting the many who suffer through the Maratona dles Dolomites because of its difficulty: it's about the placement of the obstacles as much as the obstacles themselves; the current final loop neuters a lot of action until late on as it moves the important climbs other than the Cauberg too far from the finish to make them worth attacking from, much as the last climb in that Giro stage being the comparatively benign Valparola compared to the preceding Giau will affect the willingness of riders to go hard on the earlier ascent.

Amstel Gold is a race that should be more than it is from a racing point of view and if it maximised its terrain it could be, that's all.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

I dont know if its fair, but I like Matthews much more than Gerrand, altho Matthews honestly is as negative racer as Gerro. There just something associated with Gerrans...

what you imply by a negative racing?

I imply that I have never, ever seen Gerrand take a pull for someone else or even himself. He has become the poster child of boring, negative racing, unfortunately for him

 

[HelloDolly]

Amstel Gold is a race that should be more than it is from a racing point of view and if it maximised its terrain it could be, that's all.

Well I like it the way to it is
I like that races are different and afford different riders the chance to excel.
I also think the twisty nature of the race is good...It a hard race and as we saw Orica and SKY with the strongest teams did not excel.I quite like that ....that is all

But I guess many come on here to moan

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

Amstel may not look great on TV but it is a very very hard race....

Nobody's saying it's not tough. There's over 30 ascents in it, it's full of twists and turns, narrow roads and short sharp climbs over 250km, that's tough in anybody's language. The problem is that the parcours is not best set up for action at present. It's the same as when I criticised the Corvara stage of the Giro and was criticised for insulting the many who suffer through the Maratona dles Dolomites because of its difficulty: it's about the placement of the obstacles as much as the obstacles themselves; the current final loop neuters a lot of action until late on as it moves the important climbs other than the Cauberg too far from the finish to make them worth attacking from, much as the last climb in that Giro stage being the comparatively benign Valparola compared to the preceding Giau will affect the willingness of riders to go hard on the earlier ascent.

Amstel Gold is a race that should be more than it is from a racing point of view and if it maximised its terrain it could be, that's all.

One could argue that moving the finish line also means more riders think they have a chance in the final (at least a better chance than attacking), whilst if the race finished on top of the hill, those riders would know they'd have no chance at all.

As it is now, the final (3km) is selective enough that you can get away, either on the climb or after it, but not selective enough that the best on the climb automatically wins. The balance it has now means as many as possible have some kind of a chance to win, which is great for the final in itself, but it also encourages more riders to wait.

However, the finish line probably only has a lesser impact on the racing compared to the final circuit.

 

[Mr.White]

Re: Re:

Sure its a baby classic but im sure its more than good enough for sky (considering their records afterall)

E3 Harelbeke > AGR

No way. More interesting certainly, but Amstel is bigger race

Funnily enough the bigger race had a top-10 worthy of 1.1 race somewhere in Italy this time around.

You had Hayman, Saramotins, Erviti, Sieberg and Petit in Roubaix top 10 this year, so what's your point?!

 

[hfer07]

honestly - who foresaw Gasparoto as winner of AGR at all?

glad he did win though

 

[Kwibus]

Re: Re:

Unbelivable how Sky flops yet again tho how many years its been now without a classic ?

Actually shockingly bad considering their budget and riders

A few weeks:

Sure its a baby classic but im sure its more than good enough for sky (considering their records afterall)

Don't get why you're hating on SKY classics team so much. The GC and GT team very boring but they are fun in the classics. They always attack like in E3, Milano Sanremo, Ronde Van Vlaanderen and Omloop for example and in Paris-Roubaix they helped to create a great race, first by tactically riding a perfect race with 4 men in the front 15, then ruining it by crashing. I enjoy SKY in the classics.

Completely agree with you, allthough today they rode like they do in GT's. I hope they dare to attack in Liege, because they really have more chance winning that way.

 

[Red Rick]

As it is, AGR is a *** race, and I won't bother watching anything of it but the Cauberg. Luckily its a Sunday and there's always other sporting events going on.

Teams are too big, only difficult climbs too far away, the peloton is filled with riders who can hold a wheel on the likes of the bemeler and stuff. Add all those lesser riders that are happy with a top 20 spot, and you have a dead race moaning in its grave

 

[Tonton]

Re:

As it is, AGR is a **** race, and I won't bother watching anything of it but the Cauberg. Luckily its a Sunday and there's always other sporting events going on.

Teams are too big, only difficult climbs too far away, the peloton is filled with riders who can hold a wheel on the likes of the bemeler and stuff. Add all those lesser riders that are happy with a top 20 spot, and you have a dead race moaning in its grave

Pretty spot on. I'm very disappointed too.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Re:

Amstel Gold is a race that should be more than it is from a racing point of view and if it maximised its terrain it could be, that's all.

Well I like it the way to it is
I like that races are different and afford different riders the chance to excel.
I also think the twisty nature of the race is good...It a hard race and as we saw Orica and SKY with the strongest teams did not excel.I quite like that ....that is all

But I guess many come on here to moan

The twisty nature of the race isn't what people have a problem with.
The difficulty of the race isn't what people have a problem with.
That the race affords a different type of rider the chance to excel from the other Ardennes races isn't what people have a problem with.

The problem is that since they changed the course to add the extra loop with the Bemelerberg, all racing prior to the last time up the Cauberg has been rendered moot, because the last circuit does not offer enough opportunities for an aggressor to get away as the climbs apart from the Cauberg are not particularly selective ones, therefore all of the relevant action is compressed into the last 4km. On the old course, some of the more selective climbs on the course were closer to the finish which meant more meaningful early moves and fewer teams riding to stifle the race until the closing stages.

Fans don't have a problem with Amstel Gold as a concept; the area around Maastricht is great cycling terrain. They are disappointed that, with all the options available, the current iteration of the course is such that there's little chance of anything but the final 5 mins being of any importance, the disappointment at which is exacerbated by the fact we just saw a stellar edition of Roubaix last week with a couple of hours of solid action.

 

[Flamin]

Reading some of the comments, I'm indeed glad I only tuned in for the final 5k. Though it was a pretty logical call of course.

Even the Cauberg ascent was the lamest I've ever seen. Gasparatto vs Bakelants

Oh and impressive attack from Wellens.

 

[rei_da_montanha]

The best moment of the race, happened in the neutral zone. The Felline stunt...

 

[Anderis]

Howes spent the whole day in the breakaway and still finished in front of the rest of the Cannondale team...

 

[yaco]

Well when you let two riders away with 1.6km and the two riders aren't going full gas but yet still win it's an indictment on the peloton. Especially when the leading teams had multiple riders in the peloton.

 

[yaco]

It was very obvious when OGE had four riders in a line in front of the peloton but yet Gerrans was at the back of the peloton nowhere near his teammates. And Matthews and Gerrans will ride the TDF together when OGE will be hunting stage victories.

 

[yaco]

Re: Re:

Why this singling out of Orica? There were 20 other teams who also didn't win.

Cause they had the 2 biggest favourites and as always is riding negatively, nobody likes that apart from Aussies

I am apart of a 100+ cadel based fan group who still comments on races and no one, not a singular rider likes the way Gerrans rides.

I cannot stand your posts

I don't really care if you like my posts or not, do you feel singled out as an Aussie?

Pity that Hayman broke the script by winning PR from a breakaway. And even had the audacity to ride away from the breakaway 80kms from the finish.

 

[dirkprovin]

Re:

It was very obvious when OGE had four riders in a line in front of the peloton but yet Gerrans was at the back of the peloton nowhere near his teammates. And Matthews and Gerrans will ride the TDF together when OGE will be hunting stage victories.

Whilst I agree that OGE management SHOULD have spelt out that Matthews was "the man" for today; it's actually plain sense for your option B not to be riding in close proximity to option A so as to not have both wiped out by the one accident.

Matthews DOES go off contract at the end of this year and whilst the money from other teams may be comparable or better; its hard to see where else he will have the "precedence" that he has at OGE. As for the Gerrans situation; it will be interesting to see if anything is said after this race but Gerrans goes off contract at the end of 2017 and it may well be that he calls it quits given his age.