51st Brabantse Pijl - 204km

[sublimit]

love how neither resorted to taken 2nd wheel. a very 'fair' fight

@leukemans should be at leopard

too good to be a domestique

Not as a slave, more like a Hayman or Stannard style rider and given leeway to ride, try things and also help out.

 

[Museeuw]

who took 3rd?

Geslin ....

 

[dlwssonic]

1. Gilbert
2. Leukemans
3. Geslin
4. Hoogerland
5. Tankink
6. Devenyns
7. Zingle
8. Meersman
9. Pineau
10. Getschke

Thanks, BMC better no dissapoint me on sunday!

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

@Boomcie: Why does it only seem to bother you when it's about a Belgian rider?
Right back at ya

It's not exactly like I'm the only one criticizing Leukemans' sprint, yet you single me out. What's the point?

 

[sublimit]

Sod it I have to work, see you all at Amstel on Sunday.

 

[boomcie]

@Boomcie: Why does it only seem to bother you when it's about a Belgian rider?
Right back at ya

It's not exactly like I'm the only one criticizing Leukemans' sprint, yet you single me out. What's the point?

Maybe because Leukemans actually did an admirable ride? After all these weeks of Cancellara wheel-sucking that was a nice change.

 

[Winterfold]

when I said Leukemans was strong enough to keep trying, that was obviously in case Gilbert flatted, fell off, hit a dog etc etc

 

[hrotha]

Maybe because Leukemans actually did an admirable ride? After all these weeks of Cancellara wheel-sucking that was a nice change.

I like Leukemans a lot, but he rode for 2nd. Vacansoleil should have tried to use their numerical advantage. Attacking on the climb was kind of dumb.

 

[superconfex]

A good ride for Gilbert who will give everyone a shoein on sunday

 

[theyoungest]

Okay, we have our winner for the Amstel Gold Race. Everyone else might as well give up already.

 

[icefire]

A good ride for Gilbert who will give everyone a shoein on sunday

He will be marked like Cancellara

 

[boomcie]

I like Leukemans a lot, but he rode for 2nd. Vacansoleil should have tried to use their numerical advantage. Attacking on the climb was kind of dumb.

Nah, that's not true. Gilbert would have attacked himself and Hoogerland would have been toast. Same outcome. Leukemans just likes riding, not sucking.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I like Leukemans a lot, but he rode for 2nd. Vacansoleil should have tried to use their numerical advantage. Attacking on the climb was kind of dumb.

meh not sure I agree. Leukemans can probably go harder on the flats then gilbert, attacking at that point was his best option. Leukemans/Gilbert were at a higher level then the rest, so the numbers probably didn't matter here.

He certainly didn't ride for 2nd.

 

[theyoungest]

Nah, that's not true. Gilbert would have attacked himself and Hoogerland would have been toast. Same outcome. Leukemans just likes riding, not sucking.

Leukemans is the new Michael Boogerd.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Leukemans is the new Michael Boogerd.

I can live with that, I really do like Leukemans.

Pretty decent race.
bring agr.

 

[superconfex]

He will be marked like Cancellara

....and if that happens he will be professional as always and won't whinge and cry unlike a certain swiss miss

 

[boomcie]

Leukemans is the new Michael Boogerd.

Didn't Boogerd win this race twice?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Herman Frison is not afraid of a Cancellara scenario, and why would he be. I got tired of the Sporza-commentator (Wuyts) reiterating over how the rest would see this and be hugely impressed.

Ofcourse, Gilbert made it look easy. But 2nd is Leukemans, while a fantastic classics rider, his best result in the Ardennes is 7th in AGR. 3rd is Geslin, a rider good enough to have a decent sprint after a hard race, but not your top favorite for the ardennes either. 4th and 5th are Hoogerland and Tankink. Hoogerland has 5th in Lombardy as highlight, but apart from that never did anything in the Ardennes.
Tankink is just a domestique in classics...

Wuyts and co make it sound like Gilbert just easily defeated both Schlecks, Gesink, Sammy Sanchez, Cunego and all other contendors or something. While he only won the Brabantse Pijl against Leukemans, Geslin and Tankink for crying out loud.

A Cancellara-scenario definately won't happen. They will all want to ride, and riding on someone's wheel is not so effective in the hilly classics, unless your name is Rebellin and your opponent is Boogerd.

 

[El Pistolero]

E3 Prijs Vlaanderen also had a weak field. Of course a Cancellara scenario won't happen because AGR can't be compared to the cobbled classics. But winning AGR will be a lot harder than this, but right now, he is the top favorite.

 

[theyoungest]

Herman Frison is not afraid of a Cancellara scenario, and why would he be. I got tired of the Sporza-commentator (Wuyts) reiterating over how the rest would see this and be hugely impressed.

Ofcourse, Gilbert made it look easy. But 2nd is Leukemans, while a fantastic classics rider, his best result in the Ardennes is 7th in AGR. 3rd is Geslin, a rider good enough to have a decent sprint after a hard race, but not your top favorite for the ardennes either. 4th and 5th are Hoogerland and Tankink. Hoogerland has 5th in Lombardy as highlight, but apart from that never did anything in the Ardennes.
Tankink is just a domestique in classics...

Wuyts and co make it sound like Gilbert just easily defeated both Schlecks, Gesink, Sammy Sanchez, Cunego and all other contendors or something. While he only won the Brabantse Pijl against Leukemans, Geslin and Tankink for crying out loud.

A Cancellara-scenario definately won't happen. They will all want to ride, and riding on someone's wheel is not so effective in the hilly classics, unless your name is Rebellin and your opponent is Boogerd.

Maybe the win isn't as impressive if you just look at the opponents (although Leukemans has great form, that much is clear) but just look at the ease with which Gilbert rode... he could have won with 4 minutes advantage, but he was in energy saving mode. I'm definitely impressed.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Wuyts said several times competition wasn't that big this race.

 

[search]

I've missed the last 25k and just came back for the post race coverage. So looks like van Avermaets attack to reach the frontgroup wasn't succesfull - did he finish in the group from Geschke onwards?

 

[boomcie]

Maybe the win isn't as impressive if you just look at the opponents (although Leukemans has great form, that much is clear) but just look at the ease with which Gilbert rode... he could have won with 4 minutes advantage, but he was in energy saving mode. I'm definitely impressed.

Plus uno...

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

yeah Gilbert looks really good.

Moreso then Agr, I hope he owns LBL.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Ofcourse Gilbert is top favorite, but that on basis of his results last year, and his results and riding in MSR and Flanders.

Brabantse Pijl says nothing to me.

EG, the E3 Prijs comparison also makes no sense, because while the field there was also weaker, it had at least some RVV favorites (Nuyens, who won the RVV a week later, Leukemans, and also Boom/Langeveld who did well in PR/RVV). And he didn't win by beating someone in a two man sprint, but by finishing far in front.

So again. The comparisons made no sense.