BMC in disarray?

[Eric8-A]

These days aero wins over power ... Cav is super low and aero. Same for Levi on TT bike ... super aero/compact ... perhaps the lowest aero drag ever measured for a Pro cyclist

But is sprinting on the hoods really aero?

 

[FabulousCandelabra]

Up against some cobbles and many foes, The Time Lord (that's Fabian) will once again provide everyone with the most exciting bike racing of the year. Going solo, like an even braver version of Rambo, he will crush everyone that stands in his way! Let's hear it for Fabu!

 

[mewmewmew13]

Hear, Hear!! FAbu!!

continue crushing

 

[nevada]

Up against some cobbles and many foes, The Time Lord (that's Fabian) will once again provide everyone with the most exciting bike racing of the year. Going solo, like an even braver version of Rambo, he will crush everyone that stands in his way! Let's hear it for Fabu!

Hell be marked out of contention again.

 

[The Hitch]

Exactly. It was a dead heat with Greipel for the bronze.

Not to mention beat Gilbert in the sprint at MSR.

 

[pedaling squares]

This BMC thread is in disarray.

 

[El Pistolero]

Not to mention beat Gilbert in the sprint at MSR.

Not to mention he did that after Gilbert went on an all or nothing attack where Cancellara had no answer for

Luckily for Goss Pozzato closed the gap for him otherwise we might have seen a different winner.

Pozatto was the second fastest of that group yet came fourth because he killed him self when he closed the gap with Phil. Or do you think that didn't consume any energy at all?

The person that got second is just the last loser

 

[Froome19]

He will be real scared of his sprint after watching Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

If Cancellara is the strongest man on the day he could see off Boonen even at the end. Just look at Vanmarcke recently. On paper when it comes to a sprint all of us would say Boonen everytime but Vanmarcke was the strongest overall that day and he saw him off in a final sprint.

My point still stands that that is the only way boonen will beat Cancellara.

Of course sprinting in a group of 3 is different to sprinting in a group of 10 and of course thats different to sprinting in a group of 50 etc, tactical errors are especially easy to make in a group of 3 like Boonen did at omloop and Cancellara at flanders last year where he should have even so won the sprint.

That he was overconfident because of that E3 Prijs and it came back to bite him in the *** during the Ronde(going solo from 50+ km out, seriously?) and Roubaix("I'm a jet plane and you better strap on your safety belts because the Cancellara plane will be on fire"). That's my point. Everyone was also looking at him because of his great performance there. Cancellara put all his cards on the table and the peloton called out on his bluff when it truly mattered(weak team).

But the fact was that he was the strongest and he thought he could attack and win.
if you are so knowledgeable then how would you have suggested he win, by winning the sprints against boonen and hushovd? (see above) he knew when he should attack and he probably had his reasons for attacking when he did where he did.
A rider like him doesnt have the luxury of a gilbert/valverde/boonen and being able to have the power to attack and also waiting for the sprint, he only had one choice and there was no other way he could have won besides putting all his cards on the table.

 

[Fetisoff]

This BMC thread is in disarray.

So true. Surprised there's no Cav or Andy-bashing going on yet.

 

[El Pistolero]

My point still stands that that is the only way boonen will beat Cancellara.

Of course sprinting in a group of 3 is different to sprinting in a group of 10 and of course thats different to sprinting in a group of 50 etc, tactical errors are especially easy to make in a group of 3 like Boonen did at omloop and Cancellara at flanders last year where he should have even so won the sprint.


But the fact was that he was the strongest and he thought he could attack and win.
if you are so knowledgeable then how would you have suggested he win, by winning the sprints against boonen and hushovd? (see above) he knew when he should attack and he probably had his reasons for attacking when he did where he did.
A rider like him doesnt have the luxury of a gilbert/valverde/boonen and being able to have the power to attack and also waiting for the sprint, he only had one choice and there was no other way he could have won besides putting all his cards on the table.

He could have attacked a little bit later He attacked way too soon, he made the same mistake in 2007... Not even a donkey makes the same mistake twice.

He could have also held back a little at E3 Prijs because everyone was watching him now. If you have a strong team that isn't a big problem, but it was a big problem now.

 

[maltiv]

But is sprinting on the hoods really aero?

I think Vroomen wrote an article on that, saying that Cancellara's initial position on the hoods was so low that he simply could not get lower, so he can't use the drops at all.

 

[FignonLeGrand]

He will be real scared of his sprint after watching Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

If Cancellara is the strongest man on the day he could see off Boonen even at the end. Just look at Vanmarcke recently. On paper when it comes to a sprint all of us would say Boonen everytime but Vanmarcke was the strongest overall that day and he saw him off in a final sprint.

Yeah well remember Nuyens beating Cancellara in last years RVV? First few days of racing in Europe are interesting but maybe not key indicators for the monuments to come

 

[El Pistolero]

And Boonen did beat Vanmarcke today in the sprint, so yeah

 

[function]

Oh and el p, call me when Phil does a 13 km solo vs a group like that rather than just another attack on the last hill

Het Volk 2008, 40km out?

 

[Eric8-A]

So true. Surprised there's no Cav or Andy-bashing going on yet.

Cav's a ***.

 

[greenedge]

He could have also held back a little at E3 Prijs because everyone was watching him now. If you have a strong team that isn't a big problem, but it was a big problem now.

I hope he does not hold back this year as otherwise Boonen will be buoyed by confidence. E3 is also WT now and he needs to earn more points because Andy might not even finish 2nd at the TDF. I would love if Fuglsang/ Monfort get a good season at the Giro/ Vuelta. I think Monfort should sit out on the TDF but Bruyneel will probably want him to race it.

 

[dlwssonic]

BMC look pretty good to me in PN.

 

[El Pistolero]

Het Volk 2008, 40km out?

Het Volk 2006, Het Volk 2008, Giro di Lombardia 2010 where he was solo for many kms, stage 3 Eneco Tour 2011, he raced on the front of the queen stage of the Tour of Belgium for many many kms with everyone suffering and sucking his wheels, etc

His winning move at the Belgian Nats was made from what? 80km out? He split off the entire peloton with one attack there.

Except Cancellara who has won multiple one day races in a successful solo? Besides Phil, that would be Tom Boonen, but apparently he's game over and can only sprint

 

[Parrulo]

Het Volk 2006, Het Volk 2008, Giro di Lombardia 2010 where he was solo for many kms, stage 3 Eneco Tour 2011, he raced on the front of the queen stage of the Tour of Belgium for many many kms with everyone suffering and sucking his wheels, etc

His winning move at the Belgian Nats was made from what? 80km out? He split off the entire peloton with one attack there.

Except Cancellara who has won multiple one day races in a successful solo? Besides Phil, that would be Tom Boonen, but apparently he's game over and can only sprint

ya, the assumption that boonen can only sprint is just pathetic. . . .

when on form boonen is as spectacular as canc on a cobbled classic, if not even more spectacular simply for that fact that he could just use boring tactics like hushovd and follow wheels until the sprint but he prefers to shred the race to pieces 80k out and cause the selection and then drop said selection anyway, while canc knows he has to race like that to win otherwise he could be beaten in the sprint.

not taking anything away from canc tho, the man is an absolute machine and his rivalry with boonen will imo be one for the ages and be regarded as one of the biggest rivalries the cobbles have ever seen.

 

[El Pistolero]

Friendly rivalry though, not like with Bartali and Coppi

 

[Froome19]

ya, the assumption that boonen can only sprint is just pathetic. . . .
.

Wow, you are the one making assumptions by suggesting that I assumed Boonen can only sprint, Boonen is the best cobbles rider in the world at the moment besides cancellara.
Meanwhile my statement or assumption that Boonen can only beat Cancellara in a classic (proper one) is a perfectly reasonable one which I have seen no stats which say otherwise (from the last 2 years or so).

 

[function]

ya, the assumption that boonen can only sprint is just pathetic. . . .

when on form boonen is as spectacular as canc on a cobbled classic, if not even more spectacular simply for that fact that he could just use boring tactics like hushovd and follow wheels until the sprint but he prefers to shred the race to pieces 80k out and cause the selection and then drop said selection anyway, while canc knows he has to race like that to win otherwise he could be beaten in the sprint.

not taking anything away from canc tho, the man is an absolute machine and his rivalry with boonen will imo be one for the ages and be regarded as one of the biggest rivalries the cobbles have ever seen.

Absolutely, even as a leader, every race he targets (and sometimes just because i'ts the Taainberg!) he makes it his job to force the selections and races aggressively all the way to the line.

 

[Panda Claws]

The other chiefs at BMC better start doing work.

Gilbert stated that his form was not too good and that he likely would not be good at MSR and that RVV would be tough too. He is probably bluffing though.

Anyway, I predict GVA to do well at MSR and Gilbert to have a late season like never before.

EDIT: I just read the 'non-sensational newspaper' version of this interview and Gilbert does not say anything like that.

He just says that he is not worried, will work for Evans at TA. That he has a long season ahead of him and that the Ardennes week remains the most important.

 

[DominicDecoco]

Gilbert looks a mess.

 

[El Pistolero]

No surprise, it's an Olympic year with a WC that suits him.