Ardennes 2016

[Kwibus]

For a while it really looked like their would be rain this sunday. Just like Roubaix it seems to be false hopes.

 

[Taxus4a]

Re:

EBH is doing Amstel, not sure what he can do - but he is clearly in good shape, and has done well on Cauberg before (WC). An outsider.

I think Amstel suit him more.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Re:

I see that Michael Woods is not on provisional startlist for both Amstel and Fleche. It would be kinda disappointing not being able to see how he fares in this type of races. But I guess his form is not there if he is being omitted in Cannondale's roster.

He was good in TDU, decent in Catalunya and bad in Pais Vasco. Seems like his form is getting worse and worse.

 

[Ruudz0r]

Re: Re:

I see that Michael Woods is not on provisional startlist for both Amstel and Fleche. It would be kinda disappointing not being able to see how he fares in this type of races. But I guess his form is not there if he is being omitted in Cannondale's roster.

He was good in TDU, decent in Catalunya and bad in Pais Vasco. Seems like his form is getting worse and worse.

Riding WT in Europe is completely different then riding WT in Australia. Especially the positioning is very different it is also 1 reason why a lot of the promising american riders have trouble making the transition to Europe. But Woods peaked for TDU anyway while most riders in TDU did not peak obviously so the level in general is much higher in Catalunya/Pais Vasco then in TDU. Still he did disappoint me in Pais Vasco as the route should suit him there, I really hope he will be added to the Fleche roster he needs some experience in these races/roads and Fleche is a race that is really good for his abilities.

 

[Anderis]

Re: Re:

He was good in TDU, decent in Catalunya and bad in Pais Vasco. Seems like his form is getting worse and worse.

He finished inside top50 in all but 2 stages in Pais Vasco (including 2 of the most selective), so I wouldn't call it "bad" for his 3rd ever WT race. That's a level that would make you an useful domestique at pretty much every team.

I feel that Cannondale's roster for Amstel is a bit meh. They used to have more options for these kind of races in the past. If Brabantse Pijl is anything to go by, Clarke and Slagter may have nobody with them heading into the last Cauberg. Fleche looks a bit better with the addition of Uran and with Craddock who is being in the form of his life recently.

 

[HelloDolly]

Enrico Gasperatto looked pretty strong the other day. Tim Wellens is also looking very strong

Gilbert though will be hard to beat as this is the race he knows so well and does so well....

Not a fan of Matthews but he is very strong as is Kwait but both can be beaten

 

[robin440]

phil for the win

 

[Saint Unix]

Bloody hell, Rebellin is still riding? He must be hitting 60 soon.

 

[CheckMyPecs]

Re:

Bloody hell, Rebellin is still riding? He must be hitting 60 soon.

That's his son's fault for not wanting to carry on the family business.

 

[Akuryo]

Re:

Bloody hell, Rebellin is still riding? He must be hitting 60 soon.

Funny thing is that he stil gets decent results

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Likely scenario: Nothing, nothing, nothing..... 600 meters to go... sprint and we have a winner.

 

[Rollthedice]

Re: Re:

Bloody hell, Rebellin is still riding? He must be hitting 60 soon.

Funny thing is that he stil gets decent results

24th in Strade, 21 in MSR, 14th in Brabantse, getting better in the year, a top 10 in Amstel seems logical. He'll be 45 in about four months.

 

[swissfr]

Amstel Gold Race is not in Ardennes...

 

[jflemaire]

Re:

Amstel Gold Race is not in Ardennes...

Neither is Flèche Wallonne. Only LBL is actually ridden in the Ardennes.

 

[Sciatic]

Re: Re:

Amstel Gold Race is not in Ardennes...

Neither is Flèche Wallonne. Only LBL is actually ridden in the Ardennes.

Hmmn, geographically speaking the southernmost part of the course for Flèche Wallonne dips into the Ardennes region.

 

[jflemaire]

Re: Re:

Amstel Gold Race is not in Ardennes...

Neither is Flèche Wallonne. Only LBL is actually ridden in the Ardennes.

Hmmn, geographically speaking the southernmost part of the course for Flèche Wallonne dips into the Ardennes region.

Yep, you're right. I hadn't noticed the race no longer starts from Charleroi. It definitely starts in the Ardennes this year.

 

[Anderis]

I just realised Moreno Moser isn't riding any of the three races. Strange including the fact he finished 3rd in recent GP Miguel Indurain.

 

[SafeBet]

I just realised Moreno Moser isn't riding any of the three races. Strange including the fact he finished 3rd in recent GP Miguel Indurain.

I'm biased but his exclusion really doesn't make any sense unless he's sick. Cannondale was a mess yesterday.

 

[OlavEH]

The hilly classics needs a couple of riders like Bettini (or Gilbert in his peak form a few years ago). Or a new Vino. Riders who actually tries something before there is 2 km left of the race. When was the last time we saw a really interesting Ardennes Classic?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Well even Gilbert is a boring rider compared to Bettini, Boogerd, Vino etc, because he starts his attack on the final Cauberg most of the time (2km out).

Those other guys started from 20/30km out, although, in hindsight, that might just have been because of the special sauce

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

I just realised Moreno Moser isn't riding any of the three races. Strange including the fact he finished 3rd in recent GP Miguel Indurain.

I'm biased but his exclusion really doesn't make any sense unless he's sick. Cannondale was a mess yesterday.

Losing Dan Martin would be a big problem for any hilly classics team, but Martin never rode AGR seriously anyway so their poor showing isn't about missing him. It will be interesting to see if they can step up at FW and LBL, which I think suit Slagter more than AGR. They should on paper have quite a strong Ardennes team, but there was no evidence of that in AGR and leaving out Moser does seem strange.

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

Well even Gilbert is a boring rider compared to Bettini, Boogerd, Vino etc, because he starts his attack on the final Cauberg most of the time (2km out).

Those other guys started from 20/30km out, although, in hindsight, that might just have been because of the special sauce

Shhhhh. You cannot say that here. People still want to believe is tactics.

 

[Popchu]

Didn't know Matthews was riding La Flèche Wallonne.

What about Mur de Huy? Too steep for him?

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Didn't know Matthews was riding La Flèche Wallonne.

What about Mur de Huy? Too steep for him?

Can't hurt to try really. Won't have the problem of nobody willing to pull for him after the Mur

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

He is 7kg to 15kg heavier than the usual contenders. The only recent winner who was even within 3-4kg of him was Gilbert in 2011. If he can pull that off, there has either been a freak soft-pedalling of the Mur, or he is a much bigger talent than anyone has ever realised.