94th Ronde van Vlaanderen - April 4

[Cerberus]

Wouter Mol won the Tour of Qatar and 7th in Dwars door Vlaanderen (Waregem).
I'm a bit suprised you don't know who that is.
Also a former winner of the GP Jef Scherens, and last year 2nd in the Münsterland Giro and 3rd in the Hel van het Mergelland. Good rider.
But not a favorite or outsider for Flanders ofcourse.

I'm bad with names, and I only really started following other races than the Tour a year ago or so. There's a lot of riders I don't know.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Ah, same thing as my father, he is bad iwth names also

 

[issoisso]

Ah, same thing as my father, he is bad iwth names also

Which is why you have that name

 

[theyoungest]

Which is why you have that name

Dekker Tifosi is a very common name in the Netherlands.

 

[Anonymous]

Hincapie - I guess he's not really on anyone's radar. He did manage a second and is in the twilight of his career but I think he can pull it off. Being older sometimes makes these classics a bit easier to manage with the better stamina. He flubbed Ghent but hey... My 2 cents.

No, the problem is that EVERY year writers and commentators in the English speaking world try to tout him as a contender in RVV and P-R...since what, 1999. And EVERY year he doesn't come in first. This year, he will be near the front most of the race...and then he will not win. 2006 was his best chance, and I believe he had P-R in the bag...and then he was undone by Trek...and his decision to ride an ALLOY steerer in PARIS-ROUBAIX!

I would jump for joy if he won either, but I can assure you that my feet will remain firmly planted on the ground because he will not win.

 

[delgado]

while I realize Cancellara is a lame bet, he just has too much going for him this time around, because he can follow a number of very different scenarios: either drop everybody at one point (I'm guessing Bosberg or, more likely, Berendries) or arrive at the finish with superior sprinters (Boonen, Breschel...) and take advantage of their eyeing each other, classic style.
In other words, he has the most options. Boonen et al will likely be focusing on a one-point-strategy, that hurts their odds.

 

[BroDeal]

Michel Wuyts: "Did Devolder win 'Vlaanderen' becuase he was in your team?"
Tom Boonen: "He doesn't like to hear that, so no. But he did."



Boonen wins this year.

 

[gingerwallaceafro]

while I realize Cancellara is a lame bet, he just has too much going for him this time around, because he can follow a number of very different scenarios: either drop everybody at one point (I'm guessing Bosberg or, more likely, Berendries) or arrive at the finish with superior sprinters (Boonen, Breschel...) and take advantage of their eyeing each other, classic style.
In other words, he has the most options. Boonen et al will likely be focusing on a one-point-strategy, that hurts their odds.

I disagree, I think he has one option - to go for it with a couple of km's left (whether someone can do anything about it is another thing!). The likes of Boonen has better chances as he can follow and still be in it to win it at the end.

My prediction is Mark Cavendish .

 

[BroDeal]

No, the problem is that EVERY year writers and commentators in the English speaking world try to tout him as a contender in RVV and P-R...since what, 1999. And EVERY year he doesn't come in first. This year, he will be near the front most of the race...and then he will not win. 2006 was his best chance, and I believe he had P-R in the bag...and then he was undone by Trek...and his decision to ride an ALLOY steerer in PARIS-ROUBAIX!

I think that was same year when in the days before P-R Hincapie was testing his wheel reliability by attempting to break the rims. He was riding through the cobbled sections and deliberately bashing his wheels into stuff. That could have been what caused cracks in his steerer, moreso than what the steer tube was made out of.

 

[Anonymous]

I think that was same year when in the days before P-R Hincapie was testing his wheel reliability by attempting to break the rims. He was riding through the cobbled sections and deliberately bashing his wheels into stuff. That could have been what caused cracks in his steerer, moreso than what the steer tube was made out of.

Didn't know that about the wheels. I thought the crack was attributed to a crash earlier in the race. I stand corrected.

 

[BroDeal]

Didn't know that about the wheels. I thought the crack was attributed to a crash earlier in the race. I stand corrected.

I'm not sure it was the same year. I think it was, but I might be off a year.

 

[craig1985]

getting excited
I hope for a real big upset.

Do you have Austar/Foxtel? It's on Eurosport from 9pm and should last you to 1am.

 

[Ferminal]

Why can't it be Sunday already.

 

[Cerberus]

Have you guys noticed how Cycling sites sometimes make completely idiotic predictions for races? Cyclingworld just named the 3 favourites for Tour of Flanders as: Tom Boonen (Quick Step), Juan Antonio Flecha (Team Sky) and Matti Breschel (Team Saxo Bank). Did Cancellara break a leg while I wasn't looking? I even get Breschel outranking Cancellara, not because I agree, but because it's a Danish site, and Breschel did "beat" Cancellara in Dwars. For reasons that had nothing to due with being better of cause, and largely thanks to Cancellara, but he did. Still why on Earth is Flecha ranked above Cancellara? He got beat in E3 and he didn't display Cancellara's strength in Dwars. Did they just think it would be silly to have to Saxo Bank guys ranked as favourites? *sight*

/Rant.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Same reason why wielerflits.nl always put's a dutch contendor on 4 or 3 stars, without any reason.

 

[theyoungest]

Same reason why wielerflits.nl always put's a dutch contendor on 4 or 3 stars, without any reason.

They don't.

 

[issoisso]

Dekker Tifosi is a very common name in the Netherlands.

Not that, dum dum

His real name, which I obviously won't post here.

If you ever name one of your kids "Dekker Tiffosi", though, let me know

 

[ak-zaaf]

Ah, same thing as my father, he is bad iwth names also

Aren't you that Boogerd-fan from the old Cycling Manager forums? Argueing with drunkensailor etc?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

They don't.

Oh cmon they do it nearly all the time. Westra, Gesink, Boom, etc.. always the same

@AK-Zaaf: Exactly, where you ever there? But boy that is a long time ago (the cyanide forums that is)

 

[craig1985]

I wonder how Scott Socal is getting on now...

 

[theyoungest]

Oh cmon they do it nearly all the time. Westra, Gesink, Boom, etc.. always the same

Really, they rarely have a Dutchman as top favourite. Quite the opposite, actually. Except for Westra in De Panne, which immediately jinxed him for the victory

 

[auscyclefan94]

Do you have Austar/Foxtel? It's on Eurosport from 9pm and should last you to 1am.

unfortunately, no for me. I will be on the net talking to you muppets while watching!

 

[auscyclefan94]

Anyone from the eastern coastal cities of aus know when the flanders is predicted to finish as sydney and melbourne times are going back an hour at 2am?

 

[thehog]

Anyone from the eastern coastal cities of aus know when the flanders is predicted to finish as sydney and melbourne times are going back an hour at 2am?

Did you know in 2013 clocks will go forward +2 in the winter and +1 in the summer. True. Means it will be lighter at night so people use less power. Also you can ride later.

 

[karlboss]

Anyone from the eastern coastal cities of aus know when the flanders is predicted to finish as sydney and melbourne times are going back an hour at 2am?

there is a schedule on the website...1am more or less