Belgian Team for the World Championship.

[auscyclefan94]

Ride for gilbert to get away on the final lap and save van averamaet for the sprint

 

[tgsgirl]

and Gilbert compared it to the Braabantse Pijl.

That was Leukemans, not Gilbert.

Bert de Waele should definitely be there. He quietly assembles quite the solid list of results. Very underrated.

Agreed. It's why he got the last spot over Devolder last year. He may be on a small team, but he's a big rider.

Steegmans? What am I missing if he has not been mentioned? Injured?

Injured + the worst luck in the world. If you get picked up by freak one man tornadoes you have a solid case for that title.

Will the Netherlands get 9 riders for the WC? If so they should have a rider in every break just like Belgium. Make the course as hard as possible. Only way to have a small chance.

They do at the moment, but Vattenfall counts too and it's likely that Germany will jump back over them there. The Netherlands need someone in 9th or higher to jump Lux (who most likely won't be scoring any points), but who's going to do that for you with no Cervélo - and hence no Big Boss Man - there?

FYI: Keukeleire for the U23 WC.

Not quite in the right shape atm. So he'll need to get back to March form, fast. Kris Boeckmans might be a better bet at the moment.

Ride for gilbert to get away on the final lap and save van averamaet for the sprint

It'll have to be a very select group for Greg VA to win in a sprint... luckily he can climb enough to make it in a select group as long as they don't turn the heat up too much. See: San Sebastian.

 

[il_fiammingo]

It'll have to be a very select group for Greg VA to win in a sprint... luckily he can climb enough to make it in a select group as long as they don't turn the heat up too much. See: San Sebastian.

Avermaet has the disadvantage of:
- having produced zero results so far this year.
- since his crash in Schoten 2009 he's affraid of bunch sprints, so it really has to be a very select group.
- He's not the best friend of Gilbert. So if Phil has a little chat with Bomans; Avermaet could kiss the WC goodbye.
- He's leaving Omega Pharma-Lotto, so why would they select him for the Vuelta ( = offer him the best prep to become WC)? (the same goes for Devolder; I can definitely see Lefevere keeping him out of the Vuelta squad as a payback for his disappointing results since RvV2009)

I really like Greg, but he lost this youthful spirit of his early pro years. He became a doubter.

 

[tgsgirl]

Yeah, I'm not that much of a fan either. The points jersey was a bit of a fluke (it's a Vuelta points jersey after all), and apart from that...
And I know Phil and Greg don't get along, but I've never heard Gilbert mention anything about it, all remarks come from Van Avermaet. I'm not sure Gilbert would ask Bomans to keep Greg VA away.

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Avermaet has the disadvantage of:
- having produced zero results so far this year.
- since his crash in Schoten 2009 he's affraid of bunch sprints, so it really has to be a very select group.
- He's not the best friend of Gilbert. So if Phil has a little chat with Bomans; Avermaet could kiss the WC goodbye.
- He's leaving Omega Pharma-Lotto, so why would they select him for the Vuelta ( = offer him the best prep to become WC)? (the same goes for Devolder; I can definitely see Lefevere keeping him out of the Vuelta squad as a payback for his disappointing results since RvV2009)

I really like Greg, but he lost this youthful spirit of his early pro years. He became a doubter.

he hasn't done anything good since winning that points jersey actually Jurgen Roelandts sprints better than he does now. Such a waste of talent atm And why wouldn't Lefevere not let Devolder race the vuelta? He has the chance of a few stage wins and has said pre-season that would be one of his goals.

 

[tgsgirl]

And why wouldn't Lefevere not let Devolder race the vuelta? He has the chance of a few stage wins and has said pre-season that would be one of his goals.

Lefevre can be a bit vengeful if he wants to be, but I don't think he'd go that far (as to leave Stijn at home). Volder's transfer was done correctly, after all. Plus, it'll be one of the last and only chances to show off that Belgian QST jersey.

 

[theyoungest]

They do at the moment, but Vattenfall counts too and it's likely that Germany will jump back over them there. The Netherlands need someone in 9th or higher to jump Lux (who most likely won't be scoring any points), but who's going to do that for you with no Cervélo - and hence no Big Boss Man - there?

Kamikaze Kenny? Or our best Flandrian classics man whom no one (including me) has noticed, Tom Veelers?

 

[tgsgirl]

Kamikaze, maybe. Veelers... meh. He'll have to be very lucky. If you do manage to hang onto your top ten spot, Veelers sneaked one point in Poland which makes him your ninth individual scorer, so you'll get to send a full nine men squad.

 

[theyoungest]

Kamikaze, maybe. Veelers... meh. He'll have to be very lucky. If you do manage to hang onto your top ten spot, Veelers sneaked one point in Poland which makes him your ninth individual scorer, so you'll get to send a full nine men squad.

That one point was just a sign of what's to come: Veelers will be the saviour of the fatherland.

 

[tgsgirl]

That one point was just a sign of what's to come: Veelers will be the saviour of the fatherland.

Haha For the sake of my northerly neighbours, I hope that's true!

 

[brianf7]

Cadel Evans thinks it will be a bunch finish but interestingly Cavendish doesn't. I think he envisages the field breaking up quite a bit? If the finish line was on the hill, Gilbert would have to be a favorite but it's 6km beyond the last hill. It's hard to imagine him staying away that long? I have no idea what to expect really but I'm going to watch, should be awesome.

The finish line is on a hill about 5% at 300- 400 meters and the sprinters teams have a chance after the last climb to bring it together .

 

[sublimit]

=il_fiammingo;311763]On the top of my head: Gilbert, Monfort, Leukemans, Devolder, Roelandts, Avermaet, Bakelants, Nuyens. Leaves only 1 spot for a real domestique.
I think Bomans will definitely have to scratch a few of these name and add guys like Van De Walle, Wijnants, Vandenbergh, Kaisen, Rosseler to do the dirty work.

Van Summeren rode a solid tour and possibly could do a domestique job and maybe De Gent. You look spoilt for choice unlike Britain.

 

[il_fiammingo]

Van Summeren rode a solid tour and possibly could do a domestique job and maybe De Gent. You look spoilt for choice unlike Britain.

...But only the first place counts. You should check out our team in Verona 1999. But what a disappointment it was!

14 AERTS Mario BEL
15 BRUYLANDTS Dave BEL
16 FARAZIJN Peter BEL
17 MATTAN Nico BEL
18 MUSEEUW Johan BEL
19 PEETERS Wilfried BEL
20 TCHMIL Andrei BEL
21 VAN BONDT Geert BEL
22 VAN DE WOUWER Kurt BEL
23 VAN PETEGEM Peter BEL
24 VANDENBROUCKE Frank BEL
25 WAUTERS Marc BEL

To show the quality (for the younger readers), these riders won
6x Flanders, 5x Roubaix, 1x Amstel, 1x Sanremo, 1x Liege, 4x Tours, 2x Zurich, 1x Worlds, 3x Wevelgem, 1x Fleche, 6x Het Volk, 1x Hamburg, 3x Plouay

 

[Gcraenen]

Awesome comments everyone. thanks for the insights.

I love CN forum.

 

[Ryaguas]

Belgium should root for Gilbert and let him make his magic... This course is not for a bunch sprint... Manxman will be dropped in the 4 or 5 lap in the circuit and Classics men will have the opportunity... None team will work for a bunch sprint besides UK, US for sure and those others teams will work for their Classics men...

I'll root for:

Gilbert
Cunego - Pozzato
Freire - LL Sanchez - Purito
Haussler - Evans

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Haha For the sake of my northerly neighbours, I hope that's true!

Vattenfall is also kind of a special sprint after a few times Waseberg. Veelers is a good classics man. And there are a lot of his type sprinters that suddenly place in such sprints.
It's a bit of a lottery. But Veelers can definately sprint top 8 if he is one of the lucky ones with the placing before the sprint.

Hope for him he's in better form than last year, then he didn't survive the Waseberg

 

[Barrus]

Please let Greipel get a mechanical in the last few kilometres. Let Kamikaze Kenny do something amazing again. I want the Great Bauke in the Rainbow jersey, the only worthy successor to Cadel.

But in all seriousness, I think that Greipel will win. ALthough I do hope for a Milram victory, that would be a nice touch, and hopefully they will get a sponsor out of that (even if they can only stay pro-conti, I would hate to lose another German squad)