95th Ronde van Vlaanderen - April 3 2011

[taiwan]

What a race! Chavanel shouldn't have lost that one, must not be very happy with QS orders tonight. First being told not to relay Canc., then seeing Boonen almost bridge in the end, turned back one time too many, and then messing up his sprint. Now of course Canc. might have dropped him like he dropped Boonen last year. Didn't expect to ever see Chavanel at that level.

I agree, if someone gets into the race winning position Chavanel was in, the team should be behind them fully.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Imo Fabian just tries to get in Nuyens´ sliptream, but really Chav should have gone left. But hey, everytime there is a sprint you can always analyse it and find mistakes.

yeah this, a sprint at the end of a classic, especially with guys like cancellara and chav who have been in the break all day wont be the cleanest thing you see.

Omloop was the same.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Wow, that's a lot of posts. Just skimmed through the last 30 pages. A couple of things:

1. Re Boonen's attack. The only reason it looks stupid now is because he couldn't hang on to Cancellara's wheel. No-one says it's stupid when teams send a rider up the road in the TdF mountains for the leader to bridge to. If he'd managed that extra 3 metres and got on the wheel, it would have been him and Chavanel vs Cancellara. 2 Quickstep v Cancellara. That would have been a race-winning position for QS, and two podium places.

this is what i was trying to say. People are suggesting Boonen merely launched spartacus up the road, but don't consider tommeke might have thought he could handle spartacus.

 

[thehog]

this is what i was trying to say. People are suggesting Boonen merely launched spartacus up the road, but don't consider tommeke might have thought he could handle spartacus.

It was a good move. He had to draw you Canc early. No point waiting with 17km. The sooner he exposed Canc the better. Fabian has next to zero team-mates so it was a good move. Expect the same next Sunday.

 

[Lanark]

Lol @ Tristan Hoffman: "I know how to stop Cancellara. We get a sniper". Wasnt it more or less what Boonen said last year after the race? "What should I do? Shoot the man?"

The sniper is Nick Nuyens' nickname.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

It was a good move. He had to draw you Canc early. No point waiting with 17km. The sooner he exposed Canc the better. Fabian has next to zero team-mates so it was a good move. Expect the same next Sunday.

exactly, he forced spartacus to show his hand. Waiting last year didn't work, if anything spartacus looked more convincing at e3 this year then last, so yeah, some risks were necessary.

 

[boomcie]

The sniper is Nick Nuyens' nickname.

This is correct.

 

[R.0.t.O]

It was a good move. He had to draw you Canc early. No point waiting with 17km. The sooner he exposed Canc the better. Fabian has next to zero team-mates so it was a good move. Expect the same next Sunday.

Yes. Just because things didn't quite work out doesn't mean the tactic was wrong. QS got a strong man up the road, Leopard went awol (apart from Posthuma who went onto the grass instead), then Boonen called Cancellara's bluff. Quite a tidy strategy really, just that Boonen didn't really have it yesterday. If he stayed with Canc then he can justifiably sit on while they motor up to Chavanel and be the freshest in the finale. Of course he couldn't stay with him, but it still worked out ok and he was there in the finale when he couldn't go with him AGAIN. I would blame Tommeke's legs not the tactics.

no acf is right, it was an error.
they showed spartacus, he was lacking a bit of the kick he had earlier, but wasn't going at the racte of losing 35 seconds in about 10

There were a few points in the race where the time checks seemed to freeze. I started watching at 100km to go, and it was still 100km to go 5 minutes later with the same time gaps. Definitely Cancellara slowed down a bit: I think he was backing off in preparation to really hit Chavanel on the Muur and was caught out by the pace of Gilbert coming up from behind.

 

[beer_thirty]

Yes. Just because things didn't quite work out doesn't mean the tactic was wrong. QS got a strong man up the road, Leopard went awol (apart from Posthuma who went onto the grass instead), then Boonen called Cancellara's bluff. Quite a tidy strategy really, just that Boonen didn't really have it yesterday. If he stayed with Canc then he can justifiably sit on while they motor up to Chavanel and be the freshest in the finale. Of course he couldn't stay with him, but it still worked out ok and he was there in the finale when he couldn't go with him AGAIN. I would blame Tommeke's legs not the tactics.



There were a few points in the race where the time checks seemed to freeze. I started watching at 100km to go, and it was still 100km to go 5 minutes later with the same time gaps. Definitely Cancellara slowed down a bit: I think he was backing off in preparation to really hit Chavanel on the Muur and was caught out by the pace of Gilbert coming up from behind.

Hmm, I'm one who didn't like the move, and I stand by my position. In hindsight it doesn't look so bad because FC didn't have the legs to make it stick. I still say, with a man up the road, you make Cancellara chase first. I thought Quickstep did a great ride yesterday, don't get me wrong, but everyone who made it to that finale owes a HUGE debt of gratitude to BMC. In any event it was REALLY good to see Boonen active and I think it bodes well for him for Roubaix; he fights with everything he's got and did a better ride yesterday than I thought he would.

I don't think Cancellara was undone by hubris; this is the guy after all that rode Boonen straight off his wheel last year, tore up PR, and looked like Zeus himself a week ago. I still think he's got the FORM to make something like that stick; just today happened to be the day the captain was screaming down to the engine room "I said MORE STEAM dammit" and nothing happened.

2 biggest factors in the race were, Cancellara not having his E3 legs, and BMC being willing to lay it on the line. I am surely one who thought it was over when Canc took off, but did begin to think after awhile he was not looking like the same rider we saw last Saturday (and not just due to BMC chasing, btw. He just seemed less comfortable from the get go). If he gets to the top of the Muur still in the lead the whole dynamic of the finale would have changed for sure in my opinion. As it was, it was a great ride to come back from what would have mentally crushed many riders, and to have nearly pulled off the win. He and Chava share Ride of the Day honors.

The time checks also seemed really odd to me; at one point the gap was at around 47 seconds or so, then magically back to 1:01 seemingly in seconds, for a brief period seeming like the steam had gone out of the chase. Ultimately I have to agree with the folks who suggest the rapid decrease in gap approaching the Muur was due to the Canc not wanting his legs to be totally cooked just prior to being caught; only explanation.

In any event, the finale was some of the most exciting racing I've ever seen, and is why I love the one day classics. No one holding anything back; this one could have had 5 different winners. A great race and certainly the promise of Paris Roubaix looms even more exciting. Can't wait.

 

[boomcie]

I still think he's got the FORM to make something like that stick; just today happened to be the day the captain was screaming down to the engine room "I said MORE STEAM dammit" and nothing happened.

Well phrased

 

[Captain_Cavman]

Yes. Just because things didn't quite work out doesn't mean the tactic was wrong...

Funny thing is, I was going to start my post with, "Just because things worked out doesn't mean the tactic was right..."

My interpretation is as follows,

2nd and 4th for Quickstep is an excellent result, only missing 1st by half a bike length in a sprint which could have gone either way. The cycling gods (with a bit of help from Cancellara) decided for Nuyens.

Cancellara failed to ride away because the pace that BMC drove the peloton, with a little help, was simply too high for too long. So he eased off, making sure he had enough in the tank to make the selection following the Muur.

So giving Cancellara the ideal launching pad to escape the peloton and bridge to Chavanel was a mistake that BMC rectified and turned into an advantage. If BMC hadn't gone so hard, Cancellara would have cruised away, dropping Chavanel wherever he chose. But BMC's pace can't have been in the Quickstep plan. They just happened to have virtually their whole team there and be prepared to use it.

As for the JV radio message, it was absolutely the right call. The astonishing thing was that he had to make it. And yes, it does blow his justification for radios clean out of the water.

Fantastic race, like MSR was, and a similar result in that a relatively unfancied, isolated rider pipped the favourites at the end.

 

[Ferminal]

I believe this thread has now broken the record for a race thread, in terms of both views and posts.

 

[movingtarget]

Chavanel has every right to be upset. He should have won. If he had jumped on the other side of the road the race was his. Cancellara moved across in front of him and so did Nuyens and then he got squeezed out close to the fence. But that's racing, the moves were not deliberate. Sean Kelly's prediction was correct. He did not expect one of the favourites to win. I hope the the rest of the classics live up to what we have already seen in the Milan San Remo, Ghent and Flanders.

 

[boomcie]

Chavanel has every right to be upset. He should have won. If he had jumped on the other side of the road the race was his. Cancellara moved across in front of him and so did Nuyens and then he got squeezed out close to the fence. But that's racing, the moves were not deliberate. Sean Kelly's prediction was correct. He did not expect one of the favourites to win. I hope the the rest of the classics live up to what we have already seen in the Milan San Remo, Ghent and Flanders.

The moves were most definitely deliberate. Nuyens even admitted this. Nothing wrong with that though.

 

[boomcie]

I overlooked Friday's newspaper again and stumbled upon an opinion piece by Rik Vanwalleghem (Director at the "Ronce Van Vlaanderen Centre). The guy mostly bothers me, but he wrote something that was quite prophetic.
The quote, translated by me :

The cyclist is human again, vulnerable again. He still reaches for the stars, but is now confronted with his limitations.

Turned out to be right. It was a clinic piece by the way

 

[The Hitch]

Did Canellara and Chavanne shake hands? i went over the replay but couldnt see it.

 

[boomcie]

Did Canellara and Chavanne shake hands? i went over the replay but couldnt see it.

Wasn't really a shake, but yes. Somewhere in the last two k I believe...

VIDEO OF LAST k's
at about 3:15.

 

[thirteen]

Wasn't really a shake, but yes. Somewhere in the last two k I believe...

VIDEO OF LAST k's
at about 3:15.

it was a shake -- well, as much as possible under the circumstances...

i thought it was pretty cool.

 

[boomcie]

it was a shake -- well, as much as possible under the circumstances...

i thought it was pretty cool.

Alright, let's call it a shake. Though I believe most of the shaking was fatigue-induced.

 

[thirteen]

Alright, let's call it a shake. Though I believe most of the shaking was fatigue-induced.

agreed!

want to shake on it?

 

[boomcie]

agreed!

want to shake on it?

Yes ma'am.

 

[Dedelou]

cycling is a team sport Barrus. They had no chance for a podium Vaughters recognized. If they had chased it would have been worse than Pozatto chasing Gilbert in MSR. It would have fouled the true results.

I am curious . What is a "true result" Do you mean by that , results that can be decided in advance and not interfered by the action of other riders? I am not clear what you mean. I assume you are saying some actions (chasing or sitting on wheels ) can be futile or foolish but I can't see how they make the "results " less true

 

[Dedelou]

Why did Boonen attack his teamate Chavanel when Chav had over a minute gap??? Quickstep IDIOTS! Boonen does this time and time again.. he thinks he is "testing" Fabian but he is really just showing everyone what we already know, that Boonen is the weaker rider, and the dumber rider. Why didn't he play it safe and simply mark Fabian??? Hey lets use up tons of energy with macho man tactics! Ooops I'm tired, bye bye fabu.

Gilbert went too soon on the last climb (bosberg?)! He can't hold out in a solo TT against that group... he should have quit sooner..

Chavanel messed up his sprint and lost it for Quickstep!

If you check the video tape of the finish you can see that when chavanel moved in front with a few hundred meeter to go he slows up , still awaiting boonen to arrive. You cannot concentrate on a tactical 3 men sprint , in my opinion , and be checking for your teammate in 4th .. The timing won't be sharp.. Quickstep direction jeopardized the win.

 

[Oldman]

If you check the video tape of the finish you can see that when chavanel moved in front with a few hundred meeter to go he slows up , still awaiting boonen to arrive. You cannot concentrate on a tactical 3 men sprint , in my opinion , and be checking for your teammate in 4th .. The timing won't be sharp.. Quickstep direction jeopardized the win.

I'm weighing in late in the exchange but you are 100% correct. The only thing that feels worse than getting second after 6 hours of work is pulling the victor across a gap to your teammate...

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Wasn't really a shake, but yes. Somewhere in the last two k I believe...

VIDEO OF LAST k's
at about 3:15.

was a nice scene
warriors on the road.