79th Gent-Wevelgem, 26th March 2017, 249 km, 1.UWT

[KGB]

Lol week ago was on only Sagan and GVA not in for after two races even last year RVV was Sagan luck))))) I love this forum).I guess if Sagan win next Sunday we will talk again only about Sagan.

 

[kingjr]

It's his own fault for showcasing his strength in every race, he could ride much more carefully and have the same palmares, maybe better. You reap what you sow.

 

[kingjr]

Re:

GVA will never be stronger than cancellara 2016. So sagan is still the man to beat

GvA is the better sprinter after a hard race.

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

Nah, I agree what is being said earlier. Sagan is more marked than GVA somehow. Which makes racing easier for Greg. If he was the only favourite, he would have a much harder time doing these things

He doesn't have the one glaring weakness that Sagan does though - the inability to sprint well after working hard in the last few kms. GVA can absolutely bury himself in the last 10km and still put out a great sprint - which means he doesn't have to be so cautious about closing gaps or using up resources. I think Sagan knows very well his big weakness and it's playing on his mind even more after MSR.

When has Sagan lost such a sprint *when the others worked as much as he did*?

 

[KGB]

Re:

"I don't know what terpstra was doing, I'm not his teammate"

"Against everyone, this is not sport, this is cheap"

Not too happy is peter, great interview like, like the authenticity

Exactly Sagan,you are world champion he should work for you.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re:

It's his own fault for showcasing his strength in every race, he could ride much more carefully and have the same palmares, maybe better. You reap what you sow.

You've got to wonder why Van Avermaet is not as heavily marked though. It's really weird.

 

[jaylew]

Re: Re:

It's looking increasingly like Sagan got very lucky that GVA crashed out of RVV last year - otherwise he'd probably be monument-less. GVA is better tactically and the stronger sprinter from a small breakaway - Sagan will need a lot of luck to win again next week.

Uh...I like GVA too but that's a pretty big assumption, no?

No, GvA is stronger in these races and already was last year. He is the man to beat.

GVA is certainly one of the ones to beat at RVV and who'd I'd like to see win but it's complete nonsense that GVA would have won without his crash last year and that he's necessarily any stronger than Sagan.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

"I don't know what terpstra was doing, I'm not his teammate"

"Against everyone, this is not sport, this is cheap"

Not too happy is peter, great interview like, like the authenticity

Sounds like he cut off his nose to spite his face. It was much more in his interests to close the gap than it was for Terpstra - who had relatively little chance of winning with that run in.

 

[portugal11]

I'm pretty sure that if sagan don't participate in ronde, gva won't win ronde

 

[TomLPC]

Re: Re:

"I don't know what terpstra was doing, I'm not his teammate"

"Against everyone, this is not sport, this is cheap"

Not too happy is peter, great interview like, like the authenticity

Sounds like he cut off his nose to spite his face. It was much more in his interests to close the gap than it was for Terpstra - who had relatively little chance of winning with that run in.

Yes, I think for this race that might've been the case, but the precedent that was set here might aid Sagan further down the line

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

"I don't know what terpstra was doing, I'm not his teammate"

"Against everyone, this is not sport, this is cheap"

Not too happy is peter, great interview like, like the authenticity

Sounds like he cut off his nose to spite his face. It was much more in his interests to close the gap than it was for Terpstra - who had relatively little chance of winning with that run in.

Of course Terpstra wouldn't have won from that group. He should still have closed that gap immediately. When you have two of the best sprinters behind, you don't let 2 riders go without having a man with them.

 

[jaylew]

Re: Re:

GVA will never be stronger than cancellara 2016. So sagan is still the man to beat

GvA is the better sprinter after a hard race.

I'm not convinced of that at all. Now, I'd agree if you said that GVA is the better sprinter when racing a bit smarter and not doing as much work but maybe it's just implied that that will always be the case.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

It's looking increasingly like Sagan got very lucky that GVA crashed out of RVV last year - otherwise he'd probably be monument-less. GVA is better tactically and the stronger sprinter from a small breakaway - Sagan will need a lot of luck to win again next week.

Uh...I like GVA too but that's a pretty big assumption, no?

No, GvA is stronger in these races and already was last year. He is the man to beat.

GVA is certainly one of the ones to beat at RVV and who'd I'd like to see win but it's complete nonsense that GVA would have won without his crash last year and that he's necessarily any stronger than Sagan.

He might not necessarily have won - but him being absent leaves some question marks over Sagan's win imo. If the best cobbled rider of the last two years crashes out, then of course it's fair to say there is some luck involved for the guy who eventualy wins.

 

[KGB]

Re: Re:

"I don't know what terpstra was doing, I'm not his teammate"

"Against everyone, this is not sport, this is cheap"

Not too happy is peter, great interview like, like the authenticity

Sounds like he cut off his nose to spite his face. It was much more in his interests to close the gap than it was for Terpstra - who had relatively little chance of winning with that run in.

No he just send msg for Etixx and another teams I've got my money and won already some bigger races so comon guys start to work otherwise you will not get a new contract or better next contract because you will not win anything.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Re: Re:

It's looking increasingly like Sagan got very lucky that GVA crashed out of RVV last year - otherwise he'd probably be monument-less. GVA is better tactically and the stronger sprinter from a small breakaway - Sagan will need a lot of luck to win again next week.

Uh...I like GVA too but that's a pretty big assumption, no?

No, GvA is stronger in these races and already was last year. He is the man to beat.

GVA is certainly one of the ones to beat at RVV and who'd I'd like to see win but it's complete nonsense that GVA would have won without his crash last year and that he's necessarily any stronger than Sagan.

He might not necessarily have won - but him being absent leaves some question marks over Sagan's win imo. If the best cobbled rider of the last two years crashes out, then of course it's fair to say there is some luck involved for the guy who eventualy wins.

The best cobbled classics rider of the last two years did not crash out

 

[Screecher]

Sagan is stronger on those cobbled climbs than GVA though, if he gets to the last Kwaremont - Paterberg combo in RVV with GVA he can drop him and win solo like he kind of did last year. What he doesn´t want is to be with him after the climbs are over. I don´t think anyone can match Sagan on those climbs now that there´s no Cancellara.

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

"I don't know what terpstra was doing, I'm not his teammate"

"Against everyone, this is not sport, this is cheap"

Not too happy is peter, great interview like, like the authenticity

Sounds like he cut off his nose to spite his face. It was much more in his interests to close the gap than it was for Terpstra - who had relatively little chance of winning with that run in.

Of course Terpstra wouldn't have won from that group. He should still have closed that gap immediately. When you have two of the best sprinters behind, you don't let 2 riders go without having a man with them.

Alternatively you don't close the gap yourself, because you assume the guy who has a better shot of winning will close it. You don't assume he's going to throw his dummy out of the pram and refuse to work to prove some kind of point.

It was probably a tactical error by both. But Sagan criticising Terpstra for not bridging is ridiculous when he did nothing himself - and had more to gain by doing so.

 

[KGB]

Re: Re:

It's looking increasingly like Sagan got very lucky that GVA crashed out of RVV last year - otherwise he'd probably be monument-less. GVA is better tactically and the stronger sprinter from a small breakaway - Sagan will need a lot of luck to win again next week.

Uh...I like GVA too but that's a pretty big assumption, no?

No, GvA is stronger in these races and already was last year. He is the man to beat.

GVA is certainly one of the ones to beat at RVV and who'd I'd like to see win but it's complete nonsense that GVA would have won without his crash last year and that he's necessarily any stronger than Sagan.

He might not necessarily have won - but him being absent leaves some question marks over Sagan's win imo. If the best cobbled rider of the last two years crashes out, then of course it's fair to say there is some luck involved for the guy who eventualy wins.

There is not any even little question mark Sagan beat Cancellara even in solo,period.You really can not compare GVA with Fabian.

 

[Velolover2]

One thing is for sure: you are doing the best you can when it comes to hyping the duel (Sagan vs. GVA) for RVV.

 

[jaylew]

Re: Re:

It's looking increasingly like Sagan got very lucky that GVA crashed out of RVV last year - otherwise he'd probably be monument-less. GVA is better tactically and the stronger sprinter from a small breakaway - Sagan will need a lot of luck to win again next week.

Uh...I like GVA too but that's a pretty big assumption, no?

No, GvA is stronger in these races and already was last year. He is the man to beat.

GVA is certainly one of the ones to beat at RVV and who'd I'd like to see win but it's complete nonsense that GVA would have won without his crash last year and that he's necessarily any stronger than Sagan.

He might not necessarily have won - but him being absent leaves some question marks over Sagan's win imo. If the best cobbled rider of the last two years crashes out, then of course it's fair to say there is some luck involved for the guy who eventualy wins.

Well, I completely disagree with that. His win was definitive and well-earned. Anyone trying to downgrade that victory is grasping at straws.

 

[El Pistolero]

Besides Freddy Maertens, GVA has to be the best rider to have never won a Monument (of those who really try to win these races, so not including Contador and co)

- Paris-Tours 2011
- Omloop het Nieuwsblad 2016
- Olympic Road Race 2016
- GP de Montreal 2016
- Omloop het Nieuwsblad 2017
- E3 Harelbeke 2017
- Gent-Wevelgem 2017

 

[DFA123]

Re: Re:

He might not necessarily have won - but him being absent leaves some question marks over Sagan's win imo. If the best cobbled rider of the last two years crashes out, then of course it's fair to say there is some luck involved for the guy who eventualy wins.

The best cobbled classics rider of the last two years did not crash out

OK perhaps not, but Kristoff didn't have the same form last year as 2015. GVA has been the guy hoovering up the wins since then.

 

[Netserk]

Re: Re:

"I don't know what terpstra was doing, I'm not his teammate"

"Against everyone, this is not sport, this is cheap"

Not too happy is peter, great interview like, like the authenticity

Sounds like he cut off his nose to spite his face. It was much more in his interests to close the gap than it was for Terpstra - who had relatively little chance of winning with that run in.

Of course Terpstra wouldn't have won from that group. He should still have closed that gap immediately. When you have two of the best sprinters behind, you don't let 2 riders go without having a man with them.

Alternatively you don't close the gap yourself, because you assume the guy who has a better shot of winning will close it. You don't assume he's going to throw his dummy out of the pram and refuse to work to prove some kind of point.

It was probably a tactical error by both. But Sagan criticising Terpstra for not bridging is ridiculous when he did nothing himself - and had more to gain by doing so.

If you're an idiot. The gap was only there because Sagan sat up. It would have taken no energy for Terpstra to close it immediately, but he refused to do so.

 

[Velolover2]

Re:

One thing is for sure: you are doing the best you can when it comes to hyping the duel (Sagan vs. GVA) for RVV.

It's funny how things change. We thought it would the future would be Kristoff vs. Degenkolb based on the 2015 season.


It turned out to be Sagan vs. GVA. Maybe it has something to do with the races being raced harder.

 

[Geraint Too Fast]

I think Juraj might have finished top 15 today.