85th/24th La Flèche Wallonne, April 21st, 2021

[tobydawq]

Actually, I think FW has to be like it is, the who is who in the puncheurs state of the peloton. I wouldnt mind more hardness on the race to see less riders arriving at the Mur, but I wouldnt like to watch other thing than a sprint.
I also think that AGR and LBL should finish uphill, as these three races are the true world championships of puncheurs. For flat finish there are many more classics the rest of the year.

I agree with wanting to see a sprint in FW.

I absolutely do not agree with the point about AGR and LBL.

 

[SafeBet]

Actually, I think FW has to be like it is, the who is who in the puncheurs state of the peloton. I wouldnt mind more hardness on the race to see less riders arriving at the Mur, but I wouldnt like to watch other thing than a sprint.
I also think that AGR and LBL should finish uphill, as these three races are the true world championships of puncheurs. For flat finish there are many more classics the rest of the year.

Why do you need 3 WCs for the punchers?

 

[Fernandez]

Why do you need 3 WCs for the punchers?

To make the average

Not, serious, how many classics are there with uphill finish?
Cauberg finish in AGR was great and Ans finish in LBL too.

 

[tobydawq]

To make the average

Not, serious, how many classics are there with uphill finish?
Cauberg finish in AGR was great and Ans finish in LBL too.

No they weren't.

 

[Blanco]

I am interested to see how Chaves and A.Yates perform in their debut in the race - This is a race where you should always have 2 riders for the final.

Maybe to put into position the main guy, other than that you don't need 2, one is more than enough. Valverde only once had Dani Moreno 200-300 m into the Mur, chasing Jungels if I remember correctly. Every other time he was on his own, but that didn't bother him...

 

[Blanco]

Yates had done the race three times before, but with no luck (he DNF'd twice and finished 97 in his debut). It's a race that should suit him though - after all he did beat Roglic on a similar finish in Tirreno two years ago. However, he didn't look very good in Pais Vasco, so I'm not too sure the form is there.

It's too short for him, he hasn't got the speed.

 

[Red Rick]

The interesting thing for me is if one of the real favorites attacks the Mur early, like Fuglsang in 2019. Feel like Pogacar should probably be the #1 guy to try that.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

It's too short for him, he hasn't got the speed.

Yeah, I think so as well.

 

[Velolover2]

Roglic vs. Pidcock.

Ala doesn't look like he is in stellar shape.

Breggen (again x 7) for the women's race.

 

[42x16ss]

Roglic
Alaphilippe, Pogacar
Valverde, Pidcock, Hirschi
Cosnefroy, Woods, Matthews, Gaudu
Teuns, Kwiatkowski, Vansevenant, Fuglsang, Matthews

Matthews twice? Why would you tell a lie like that?

 

[Leinster]

To make the average

Not, serious, how many classics are there with uphill finish?
Cauberg finish in AGR was great and Ans finish in LBL too.

Milano-Torino (except last year, of course).
And that's where summit finishes belong; midweek classics in the buildup to the real monument.

 

[SafeBet]

Giro dell'Emilia too.

 

[Ktarie]

Pidcock has good form but I don't think he has that climbing ability. in RVV he got dropped. Surprised nobody gave a star to Schachmann, I think the guy would be in top10. Pogacar is the favorite for me, I think Roglic is gonna mess up the attack.

Yeah, maybe top 10 for Max. Conquering a steep ramp in a short time is not necessarily Schachmann's main strength. I think that's a good self-assessment from Max from today:

“The past few years have shown that the decision always falls out of the remaining field. That will probably happen again this time too. And since it is very, very steep in the end, I tend to count myself among the extended circle of favorites "

Klettert Schachmann auch an der Mauer von Huy aufs Podium? | radsport-news.com

www.radsport-news.com

 

[Gigs_98]

Agree with the notion that a somewhat big group arriving at the foot of the Mur is fine for this race. We only have this kind of racing with this kind of field once a year so I don't mind.

I disagree however that I'd be outright sad if it doesn't end in a sprint. I think attackers theoretically being able to win is something that should always remain part of the race. The question if this will be the year where someone can finally pull it off feels like the most (and really only) intriguing thing for the first 191km and I'm always rooting for the Wellens' and Schachmann's of this world to make it.

Edit: *191.5km

 

[BlueRoads]

I think Schachmann should definitely get a good placing here, but I can't see him winning - Liège should be better for him.

 

[ice&fire]

What's up with all this discussion about FW ending in a sprint? Do you want a photo finish as well?

 

[yaco]

Yates had done the race three times before, but with no luck (he DNF'd twice and finished 97 in his debut). It's a race that should suit him though - after all he did beat Roglic on a similar finish in Tirreno two years ago. However, he didn't look very good in Pais Vasco, so I'm not too sure the form is there.

Yes, one time Yates was involved in a crash with 30kms to go - Never realised Chaves has twice ridden Fleche but they were in his infancy as a rider - I'll be interested to see how they perform as outsiders.

 

[yaco]

Have Roglic as a strong favorite with Woods as the biggest danger - Throw a blanket over the rest.

 

[Rackham]

If it's a sprint to the finish between the favourites, Roglic is #stompmaster & not even Pogacar will beat him. Alaphilippe maybe, but he seems downbeat for whatever reasons (even his interviews come off as depressing these days).

But if there's a lot of action, breaks & movement in the peloton beforehand, it's anyone's guess really. That's what makes these one day races special.

 

[Amazinmets87]

I agree with wanting to see a sprint in FW.

I absolutely do not agree with the point about AGR and LBL.

I agree that LBL should finish uphill. Don't think AGL needs to.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

What's up with all this discussion about FW ending in a sprint? Do you want a photo finish as well?

No more photo finishes ever again, please! Or at least not for some time.

 

[RedheadDane]

No more photo finsihes ever again, please! Or at least not for some time.

Or could we at least have a photo finish, where you can see on the photo finish, who won?

 

[Leinster]

I agree that LBL should finish uphill. Don't think AGL needs to.

There's no need for Liege to finish uphill. There' 4,500m of climbing before you get to the finish. What's another 50-100m going to tell you?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Or could we at least have a photo finish, where you can see on the photo finish, who won?

I think it's easier to say to the riders, that unless they're sure they can beat an opponent by a clear margin, they shouldn't try to pass them.

 

[Velolover2]

I agree that LBL should finish uphill. Don't think AGL needs to.

LBL should never finish uphill. Having 40-50 riders arriving together in Ans was a disaster.

We can even argue if FW should. You could add Thier De Huy if you want pre-Mur attacks but it will change the character of the race radically. They will arrive in small groups before the Mur.