Bmc

[Kwibus]

Go BMC. I am very proud of them. They didn't wheel suck like Lotto, Sky and especially garmin did.

Greg van avermaet=beast

I have no idea what Sky is doing in that list. They have been animating races since the Tour Down Under imo. Same today. They are always up there and always attacking. I've really started to like Sky this season.
Same with BMC. I didn't like both teams last year, but this year things seem to be different.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Great to see BMC take responsibility to bring back the break and make a race of it. They didn't manage to do it all themselves, but without their impetus, Canc and Chav might have stayed away.

Really impressed with Van Avermaet. Hope he can get a result for himself or for Ballan at PR next Sunday.

Greg isn't riding PR. He'll be having a bit of a break before amstel.

 

[roundabout]

Hopefully he rides smarter there.

 

[red_flanders]

Nice thread, love the positive vibe. They indeed did save the race! Just wanted to jump on the BMC bandwagon.

 

[NickBVK]

They took their time though. They sat around looking at each other for a while then all of a sudden there was SEVEN of them on the front - shouldn't have taken that long.

But yes did eventually kick in and bring the gap back for Ballan and Hincapie to have a go

 

[badboyberty]

I have no idea what Sky is doing in that list. They have been animating races since the Tour Down Under imo. Same today. They are always up there and always attacking. I've really started to like Sky this season.
Same with BMC. I didn't like both teams last year, but this year things seem to be different.

Have to take Lotto off the list too. Greipel was a early animator and the best thing Gilbert could do to increase his win rate is learn how to sit back and suck a wheel every now and then.

BMC, Quickstep, Sky and Lotto all played played a good attacking team race. Leopard effectively had only Fabian and Stuey but they held their own.

The questions are; LIQUIGAS what happened, all take a wrong turn at the Paterberg, stop off for a quick Chimay and some frites? Radioshack did you know there was a race on? And Garmin-Cervelo, wow, Super Team or Super-Sucky Team?

 

[hrotha]

I can't believe anyone would diss Sky, what with EBH getting in that same move that causes all sorts of praise to be heaped on Van Avermaet, Flecha chasing and attacking like a headless chicken (as usual; ok, not very good as a tactic, but it's entertaining and the opposite of wheel-sucking) and Thomas Geraint Thomas almost single-handedly bringing it all back together.

 

[hughmoore]

They took their time though. They sat around looking at each other for a while then all of a sudden there was SEVEN of them on the front - shouldn't have taken that long.

But yes did eventually kick in and bring the gap back for Ballan and Hincapie to have a go

I thought the timing was fine, bring it back too early and then theres more attacks, if anything it was too early, as it gave Canc a chance to rest before his final attack.


Hugh

 

[Eric8-A]

BMC was definately the best squad out there today. To have your entire team at the front in the final K's is truly something to brag about. Something that not any other team could say about theirs.

Maybe Garmin should look to BMC and learn something.

 

[L'arriviste]

BMC have gone up hugely in my estimation after that demonstration. I couldn't believe it when we got to so late in the race and suddenly there were, what was it, six or seven of them pulling a mini-bunch.

To have that many guys up there so late in the day is quite extraordinary, although it also demonstrates the weakness that has been pointed out here before: the lack of real finishers.

Anyway, I hope they realise that a lot of folks are grateful for their (selfless) effort! They ought to rack up a big win now and seal the deal.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I was very proud of my BMC boys! I was very pleased to see nearly the whole team on the front riding. Even though BMC had one of their strongest team lineups, they should really look to ride like that more often like sky generally do even if they don't have a strong lineup in there. The moral of RVV 2011 is 'have a go'!

 

[ingsve]

BMC have gone up hugely in my estimation after that demonstration. I couldn't believe it when we got to so late in the race and suddenly there were, what was it, six or seven of them pulling a mini-bunch.

To have that many guys up there so late in the day is quite extraordinary, although it also demonstrates the weakness that has been pointed out here before: the lack of real finishers.

Anyway, I hope they realise that a lot of folks are grateful for their (selfless) effort! They ought to rack up a big win now and seal the deal.

Well, they took as much advantage of the numbers as could be expected. They made sure their guys where in contention and had two riders left in the final 12. Ballan could probably have ended higher if he had made different choices in the final 10km. He went for the tactic of attacking rather than waiting but with the calibre of the riders there at the end it's difficult to get away without a little luck. He wasn't really weaker than the others. They were just more lucky with when they spent their last energy.

 

[boomcie]

I just want to emphasize how much I liked BMC racing for the win, not for second or third.

I think they have showed how good publicity is not only gained from winning a race, but also from having a positive attitude. A lot of the people on this forum who disliked BMC now acknowledge they did an awesome job at "De Ronde". They single-handedly turned this edition into a nailbiter.

Let's hope this class act is not soon forgotten and is picked up by some other teams.

PROPS

 

[movingtarget]

Well, they took as much advantage of the numbers as could be expected. They made sure their guys where in contention and had two riders left in the final 12. Ballan could probably have ended higher if he had made different choices in the final 10km. He went for the tactic of attacking rather than waiting but with the calibre of the riders there at the end it's difficult to get away without a little luck. He wasn't really weaker than the others. They were just more lucky with when they spent their last energy.

Sure BMC were strong but they are making a habit of having more riders left than other teams at the end of races but not getting results. I know you have to make split second judgements but Ballan messed up. He wasted too much energy after the last climb and was trying to close most of the gaps on his own. He was too impatient. It was a gutsy ride all the same. BMC definitely made the other teams believe that the gap could be closed. At one stage it looked more like a sprint train than a chase group. A shame Kroon is injured again.

 

[Arnout]

I just want to emphasize how much I liked BMC racing for the win, not for second or third.

I think they have showed how good publicity is not only gained from winning a race, but also from having a positive attitude. A lot of the people on this forum who disliked BMC now acknowledge they did an awesome job at "De Ronde". They single-handedly turned this edition into a nailbiter.

Let's hope this class act is not soon forgotten and is picked up by some other teams.

PROPS

Agreed. I went from dislike to sympathy in a single event.

 

[therhodeo]

Anyone else imagine Cadel sitting somewhere thinking "where the hell were they at the Giro?"

 

[Jamsque]

Anyone else imagine Cadel sitting somewhere thinking "where the hell were they at the Giro?"

Could this be the year Cuddles actually gets support in a GT?









No. No it couldn't.

 

[boomcie]

Anyone else imagine Cadel sitting somewhere thinking "where the hell were they at the Giro?"

No, but I hear ACF has been imagining a whole lot of other things involving Cadel. Start a thread

 

[Anonymous]

Could this be the year Cuddles actually gets support in a GT?









No. No it couldn't.

That made me laugh.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Anyone else imagine Cadel sitting somewhere thinking "where the hell were they at the Giro?"

Only Schaer in that team was in the giro team last year. (waiting for joke about BMC still riding through holland)

 

[luckyboy]

Ochowicz - "But if you don’t make the race, you don’t have a chance to win the race" + "We don’t want to race for second or third. We don’t win that many races, but at least we try."

 

[beer_thirty]

Ochowicz - "But if you don’t make the race, you don’t have a chance to win the race" + "We don’t want to race for second or third. We don’t win that many races, but at least we try."

Hell yes! And this:

“The outcome didn’t give us a win, but it looks good and it feels good,” he said. “The morale on the team is working and if we keep doing that, we’re bound to get one of these races in our pockets some day I hope.”

This momentum and approach has a way of building on itself; it's got to feel GREAT being on that team right now, as opposed to how it must feel riding at Garmin. These guys are going to get a big one soon; I'd love to see it be this coming weekend.

 

[pmcg76]

And the BMC stage racing side over in Basque Country

 

[beer_thirty]

And the BMC stage racing side over in Basque Country

You.. you mean there are other races going on right now??

 

[ansimi]

Has anybody seen any good pictures of BMC all massed at the front for the chase? I thought that was a great image but I haven't seen any stills of it yet.