Amstel Gold Race -18th April -257km

[blaxland]

Gilbert
Ivanov
Kroon

So close...But Kroon will get away before the finish..this is his goal for season;
1st:Kroon
2nd:Gilbert
3rd:Ivanov or Gerrans..
Team Bmc=1st Win

 

[auscyclefan94]

So close...But Kroon will get away before the finish..this is his goal for season;
1st:Kroon
2nd:Gilbert
3rd:Ivanov or Gerrans..
Team Bmc=1st Win

Gilbert has the kick to beat hm in imo and Amstel is most suited of the classics for gilbert imo.

 

[red_flanders]

Those outside of Europe may not know: The cloud is way up there at airplane elevation. There is nothing visible, in fact it was very sunny today. The cloud is not expected to have any health effect at all, and we should not even be aware of it in any way, other than the flight ban.

Susan

Why are they banning flights if not for visibility issues? Pollution? Thanks!

 

[AntonioRossi]

ash clouds + airplanes is not a good combination. The ashes from the Icelandic volcano can cause engine failure in airplanes. Flight controls/ electrical wires can get damaged to.

 

[red_flanders]

ash clouds + airplanes is not a good combination. The ashes from the Icelandic volcano can cause engine failure in airplanes. Flight controls/ electrical wires can get damaged to.

Interesting. That's a much better explanation.

 

[AntonioRossi]

while everyone is stuck and trying to find ways to get to Holland, Gesink has been training on the Dutch hills he should definitely be ready for the race and I hope that he finishes in the top 5. I have high hopes for Kroon and F. Schleck

 

[cyclopeon]

Those outside of Europe may not know: The cloud is way up there at airplane elevation. There is nothing visible, in fact it was very sunny today. The cloud is not expected to have any health effect at all, and we should not even be aware of it in any way, other than the flight ban.

Susan

You should get some spectacular sunrises and/or sunsets.

As long as I'm a bit off-topic, if the ash cloud is at 30,000ft, why the heck can't the jets fly at 20,000? It's not rocket science!

 

[luckyboy]

I thought the cloud was 20,000ft and upwards. If they fly lower than that, then the engines aren't efficient enough and consume too much fuel to get where they're going. Thats what it said on the news anyway.

 

[Beech Mtn]

Interesting site showing flights above Europe - you can tell what airports are apparently closed:
http://flightradar24.com/

 

[craig1985]

Can somebody please tell me when Oscar Freire won Amstel Gold?

Even though Freire has won the Amstel, the Spaniard will be hard to beat if he remains in the mix in the tough finale.

From the front page news article.

 

[Ferminal]

Why are they banning flights if not for visibility issues? Pollution? Thanks!

So this doesn't happen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_009

Can somebody please tell me when Oscar Freire won Amstel Gold?

Even though Freire has won the Amstel, the Spaniard will be hard to beat if he remains in the mix in the tough finale.

From the front page news article.

It's a typo, should read "has not won".

 

[auscyclefan94]

I don't think Freire will be able to stay with the climbing classics riders on the climbs especially with the continual climbing at amstel. Not his race imo. Even if he can get up the cauberg in the main group I don't think he will have the legs to finish it off.

 

[theswordsman]

It's a typo, should read "has not won".

Maybe this time it was, but the other day they emphasized in both the title and article that Sastre was going to ride his first race of the year at Amstel Gold. I sent them a tweet reminding them he had just raced in Catalunya. They were just wrong, and I notice it way more lately.

 

[Motion]

Go Astana

I think Iglinsky have good chances.

 

[Michele]

The duo Gasparotto/Iglinsky is a dangerous one indeed.

 

[theyoungest]

while everyone is stuck and trying to find ways to get to Holland, Gesink has been training on the Dutch hills he should definitely be ready for the race and I hope that he finishes in the top 5. I have high hopes for Kroon and F. Schleck

Video of Gesink's Amstel training

 

[auscyclefan94]

Much pressure on Gesink/Rabo to win from Dutch media?

 

[Moondance]

Much pressure on Gesink/Rabo to win from Dutch media?

For Gesink not so much pressure as just simple eagerness... People want him to win, but don't think he will or should. It's healthy attitude for right now, but people wont stand for it forever.

 

[theyoungest]

Much pressure on Gesink/Rabo to win from Dutch media?

It's not nearly as bad as the pressure on Boonen to win Flanders, because cycling is not as big in Holland as it is in Belgium, but there is some pressure, yes. But somehow everyone's got used to Boogerd's string of near-wins, so expectations aren't overly high.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Video of Gesink's Amstel training

I don't know dutch but in the interview, does it seem that Gesink really wants to win in Amstel more than the other classics?

 

[Moondance]

I don't know dutch but in the interview, does it seem that Gesink really wants to win in Amstel more than the other classics?

He doesn't say it, but I guess it's probably so (Liege excepted I would imagine, but that wasn't mentioned). He did sort of diss the Brabantse Pijl tho

 

[theyoungest]

He doesn't say it, but I guess it's probably so (Liege excepted I would imagine, but that wasn't mentioned). He did sort of diss the Brabantse Pijl tho

He does mention the highest step on the podium a few times, and he says he knows the only way you can be sure to reach it is by finishing alone. My guess is he'll try to do a repeat of last year, but maybe a little earlier. And without Kroon and Ivanov in his wheel, of course

 

[Mellow Velo]

I wonder if we will have a radically different, probably reduced line up, due to the eruption?
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/amstel-versus-volcano-eyjafjallajokull

Can't see Carlos Sastre making it and he's only got these races before the Giro...

 

[auscyclefan94]

I wonder if we will have a radically different, probably reduced line up, due to the eruption?
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/amstel-versus-volcano-eyjafjallajokull

Can't see Carlos Sastre making it and he's only got these races before the Giro...

Sastre imo is going into the giro a bit under done. He hasn't raced much.

I know bmc are driving some of there riders from Switzerland to holland last night euro time. How long would that drive take?

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

No podium competition this week, by the way.

Susan