Cancellara, ungraceful loser.

[ergmonkey]

after the finish line, he should go to nuyens and punch him in the face.

Absolutely. Cycling needs more intentional violence. After every bunch sprint, there's no excuse for punches to not be thrown at anyone who might have ridden poorly in the final dash. In breakaways, we should be seeing bottles chucked into the front wheels of anyone who refuses to pull on team orders--hopefully these pathetic wannabe racers will lose many teeth in the process. Whenever someone marks a favorite on a mountain climb, that useless wheelsucker should be pushed off the road to die in a ravine so that cycling never has to be plagued by his weakness again.

 

[c&cfan]

Absolutely. Cycling needs more intentional violence. After every bunch sprint, there's no excuse for punches to not be thrown at anyone who might have ridden poorly in the final dash. In breakaways, we should be seeing bottles chucked into the front wheels of anyone who refuses to pull on team orders--hopefully these pathetic wannabe racers will lose many teeth in the process. Whenever someone marks a favorite on a mountain climb, that useless wheelsucker should be pushed off the road to die in a ravine so that cycling never has to be plagued by his weakness again.

exactly!! that was what i was going to post! i am glad i found you here!

manlove on.

lol you know what i meant.
we need rage and emotion. they are entertainers pushing their bodies to the limit, in pain. thats it.

 

[ulrikmm]

Expecting him to do well, I followed Nick Nuyens on TV for the last 2 or 3 climbs of RVV 2011. NN clearly knew his limitations, that he was not strong enough to rush uphill in the exaggerated speed of Gilbert, and therefore he let the fastest riders go to the front, and then tried to and succeeded in catching up on the flat sections afterwards. In interviews he has said, that he knew that he was not the strongest, and therefore tried to conserve energy for the finale. In the final kilometers, he closed one gap only, but that was the gap that made the difference for him, and he clearly was aware of the potential of that breakout, and really buried himself in order to catch FC and SC again.

When you look at the sprint from the finish line camera, it indeed looks as Nuyens impedes SC, but the helicopter footage shows that it is actually FC that delays SCfirst. NN is clearly in front at the time of this incident. A bit later, the SC is delayed by a advertisment board barrier that protrudes. NN makes a very small sway, to his left and to his right, but nothing serious. Nuyens positioned himself cleverly in the sprint, and rode a clean sprint. http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/MG_sportnieuws/MG_wielrennen/1.995643

The RVV 2011 shows that FC and SC were the strongest, that Nuyens was the cleverest, and that sometimes it is better to be smart than to be strong.

 

[doperhopper]

want real action

> Cycling needs more intentional violence.

may help to increase TV attractivity (e.g. during long boring flat stages) - but so far one can find only some innocent kindergarden-level stuff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-bMiyES46Y

 

[greatking88]

yes he should. after the finish line, he should go to nuyens and punch him in the face.

what is your problem? we need more cavs, cipos, cancs, armstrongs etc!! this is the real problem here! cycling is for hard men.. for killers! not pussies!

for example... if instead of hugging shleck, contador showed is midfinger to him, we would be sweating ourselfs next time it was a mano a mano between them. this is what we need: emotion! rage!

what do you want to make cycling better? riders like gilbert (in the road) sprinting instead of atacking just to blow themselfs up and lose all of the big races and them complaining against pozzatos? if they are not strong\talented\man enough thats their problem!

canc is the best ever TTr and one of the best ever one day riders. that combination in modern era makes him unique. he knows that. nobody can do what he does. so? whats wrong in knowing that and saying that?

Yeah of course Cancellara can say this, that and everything, 'I'm the greatest' 'I'm a Gladiator'..But the 'average, wheel-sucking, weak' Nuyens won Flanders..

 

[Basecase]

Fabian - a tool, never!! :... ?:

http://www.google.ie/imgres?q=fabia...&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0&biw=1280&bih=615

http://www.google.ie/imgres?q=fabia...=1t:429,r:8,s:59&tx=83&ty=46&biw=1280&bih=615

http://www.google.ie/imgres?q=fabia...1t:429,r:17,s:59&tx=51&ty=65&biw=1280&bih=615

http://www.google.ie/imgres?q=fabia...t:429,r:18,s:116&tx=78&ty=72&biw=1280&bih=615

http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Fabian+Cancellara

http://www.google.ie/imgres?q=fabia...1t:429,r:0,s:172&tx=79&ty=39&biw=1280&bih=615

http://www.google.ie/imgres?q=fabia...1t:429,r:8,s:191&tx=17&ty=37&biw=1280&bih=615

http://www.google.ie/imgres?q=fabia...ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:449&biw=1280&bih=615

 

[isayic]

Yeah of course Cancellara can say this, that and everything, 'I'm the greatest' 'I'm a Gladiator'..But the 'average, wheel-sucking, weak' Nuyens won Flanders..

That's great. Cancellara doesn't have to love the man who beat him but it would have shown some greatness to congratulate the winner. Who isn't an average rider. He had problems with his former team and he's not the only one. He already was 2nd in De Ronde -- not the achievement of an average rider.
I can do without a Cippolini (his timer is over) or a Cancellara who tried to throw Chavanel into the barriers but after running out of gas he didn't manage to do it. I'm not the only one who saw it in a video.
And what about history lessons. Does anybody realize that Gladiators were slaves and most of them died in the sand of the Colosseum to entertain the ordinary people of Rome. I'd think twice before I say that I'm a Gladiator OK Fabu is a great time trialist but that's all. Let him ride the Angliru and watch what happens.

 

[greatking88]

That's great. Cancellara doesn't have to love the man who beat him but it would have shown some greatness to congratulate the winner. Who isn't an average rider. He had problems with his former team and he's not the only one. He already was 2nd in De Ronde -- not the achievement of an average rider.
I can do without a Cippolini (his timer is over) or a Cancellara who tried to throw Chavanel into the barriers but after running out of gas he didn't manage to do it. I'm not the only one who saw it in a video.
And what about history lessons. Does anybody realize that Gladiators were slaves and most of them died in the sand of the Colosseum to entertain the ordinary people of Rome. I'd think twice before I say that I'm a Gladiator OK Fabu is a great time trialist but that's all. Let him ride the Angliru and watch what happens.

Hmmm maybe you missed the sarcasm of my last post???

 

[Winterfold]

I like Spartacus more for his post RVV bravado - but he came third.

Who is strongest or does biggest turns at front is irrelevant. Winning a race is about who got to the final selection with the best sprint or most energy to go from a long way out.

"If I had dropped Goss I would have won" - you didn't drop Goss - he played his strengths better against your's

Nuyens did an excellent job of being quiet for 250km then sneaks the win. Clearly strong or he would not be there and tactically perfect.

The less energy a guy expends to win a race - the smarter the racer.

Road racing is brains as well as muscles. Having brains means you suck when its the smart thing to do

 

[greatking88]

I like Spartacus more for his post RVV bravado - but he came third.

Who is strongest or does biggest turns at front is irrelevant. Winning a race is about who got to the final selection with the best sprint or most energy to go from a long way out.

"If I had dropped Goss I would have won" - you didn't drop Goss - he played his strengths better against your's

Nuyens did an excellent job of being quiet for 250km then sneaks the win. Clearly strong or he would not be there and tactically perfect.

The less energy a guy expends to win a race - the smarter the racer.

Road racing is brains as well as muscles. Having brains means you suck when its the smart thing to do

^
^
^
Totally agree

 

[The Hitch]

Ah, his name is only remembered cos they made a movie and put Kirk Douglas in it.

All right then 1950 years later

Yes I do race, every weekend. And nothing annoys me more than the guy whose ONLY strategy is to pick the strongest rider and suck his wheel. You might get enjoyment out of this but I'm sorry, I don't. If I won a race this way I would be embarrassed. It's a pi$$weak way of winning the race. It's like cheating on your exam and claiming you got an A.

Au contraire. I find its the best way to win. I dont want to buy an iphone. I want to find one on the street. I dont want to work for $50 000. I would be a million times more ecstatic if i found it in a briefcase on the tube with that cash. It would be a far more enjoyable experience then signing a million dollar a week contract.

Likewise if a friend told me he found a way to rig an A in an important exam, then even if i was too get an A anyway i would still take it.

And to be given a win at a race like Flanders. To have your name next to such greats as Eddy Merx, RDV, Fabian Cancellara, a race even king kelly couldnt win. Knowing no one could ever take that away from you.

Madone.

Where do i sign up

 

[Polyarmour]

Au contraire. I find its the best way to win. I dont want to buy an iphone. I want to find one on the street. I dont want to work for $50 000. I would be a million times more ecstatic if i found it in a briefcase on the tube with that cash. It would be a far more enjoyable experience then signing a million dollar a week contract.

Likewise if a friend told me he found a way to rig an A in an important exam, then even if i was too get an A anyway i would still take it.

And to be given a win at a race like Flanders. To have your name next to such greats as Eddy Merx, RDV, Fabian Cancellara, a race even king kelly couldnt win. Knowing no one could ever take that away from you.

Madone.

Where do i sign up

I found an I Phone 4. It was all in Chinese, my neighbours are Chinese so I took it over and said is this yours. They took one look at the phone and said "of course it is". My wife still thinks it wasn't theirs... and she might be right.
Now that 50G's on the Tube. I'd be thinking it was drug money and if I take it.. they'll have my photo on every camera in the place carrying this briefcase... and then the police or worse... the Kray Bros grandkids will be after me... I'd better hand it in.
The exam I could cheat in but then I'd worry about being ignorant and that would be much worse.

Actually Hitch you're onto something here. I guess to be consistent with your world view then taking a few PED's is ok too?

 

[la.margna]

http://youtu.be/qjEm9o-NZtM

He says it here in this interview again. "Honestly, for me, Nuyens is not a winner."

While I agree that FC should sometimes be more careful with his words and show more respect and less arrogance, we should not misunderstood this quote. It's his character to be direct and not hide behind diplomatic quotes. I fully understand what he meant. But of course, he has to accept that not anybody can win a race in the way he, Boonen, Gilbert or Vino (just to name a few examples) win, by riding aggressive and attacking. It's Nuyens right to choose the strategy that suits him and gives him the highest rate for success. And honestly, Nuyens won it, nobody can take it away and nobody will care what FC said.

On the other hand, we should be happy that we have riders like FC (and others), that create for thrilling and spectacular races. Would really be boring with guys that only hide in the field/group and sit on the backwheel. FC just does not want to win a classic. He wants to do it in an epic way with the risk to lose it all, just to honour these races. But too often in history, the guys with a too big mouth ended in tears or disaster... "Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall" - "Pride goes before a fall".

Let's hope for another great and spectacular race this Sunday!
Peloton against Spartacus, chapter 2

 

[ergmonkey]

Let's hope for another great and spectacular race this Sunday!
Peloton against Spartacus, chapter 2

More like 'Spartacus vs. the guy who's won this race more times than him'

 

[Angliru]

http://youtu.be/qjEm9o-NZtM

He says it here in this interview again. "Honestly, for me, Nuyens is not a winner."

While I agree that FC should sometimes be more careful with his words and show more respect and less arrogance, we should not misunderstood this quote. It's his character to be direct and not hide behind diplomatic quotes. I fully understand what he meant. But of course, he has to accept that not anybody can win a race in the way he, Boonen, Gilbert or Vino (just to name a few examples) win, by riding aggressive and attacking. It's Nuyens right to choose the strategy that suits him and gives him the highest rate for success. And honestly, Nuyens won it, nobody can take it away and nobody will care what FC said.

On the other hand, we should be happy that we have riders like FC (and others), that create for thrilling and spectacular races. Would really be boring with guys that only hide in the field/group and sit on the backwheel. FC just does not want to win a classic. He wants to do it in an epic way with the risk to lose it all, just to honour these races. But too often in history, the guys with a too big mouth ended in tears or disaster... "Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall" - "Pride goes before a fall".

Let's hope for another great and spectacular race this Sunday!
Peloton against Spartacus, chapter 2

While I'm happy for riders that animate the races as Cancellara, Gilbert, Vino and others do, I certainly don't have to be happy when out of spite he minimizes the accomplishments of those that win in ways that are less than spectacular. To me it simply shows a lack of character and an overblown sense of his self-importance for him to say that "Nuyens is not a winner". The record books for RVV will show otherwise and there isn't a damn thing Cancellara can do about it. He's showing extremely poor sportsmanship. I guess he expects everyone to bow done to his greatness and get the hell out of the way while he parades to victory after victory. He really needs to get over himself and swallow a bit of humility.

 

[El Pistolero]

Cancellara doesn't make races more interesting. He makes them boring. With some exceptions.

 

[soOpOSMthanks!]

I think Fabian needs his nickname changed to "Baby-Waa-Waa"

 

[Arnout]

Riders who sabotage the peloton and hide behind the DS told them so for the general interest excuse are no winners and cyclists for me.

 

[El Pistolero]

Unless of course Langeveld would have won.

 

[The Hitch]

I
Actually Hitch you're onto something here. I guess to be consistent with your world view then taking a few PED's is ok too?

No its not. It causes harm to oneself which goes against the most important instinct - self preservation.

In all my examples you get something for nothing. Taking peds on the other hand you get a win (pff) and risk depression, cancer, heart diseases, and lots of really really nasty s**t.

You really misunderstood either a what i said or b doping if you think that risking cancer is a easy an exciting way to get something you want.

 

[boomcie]

No its not. It causes harm to oneself which goes against the most important instinct - self preservation.

In all my examples you get something for nothing. Taking peds on the other hand you get a win (pff) and risk depression, cancer, heart diseases, and lots of really really nasty s**t.

You really misunderstood either a what i said or b doping if you think that risking cancer is a easy an exciting way to get something you want.

I agree, unless it's cancer you want of course.

 

[ergmonkey]

I think Fabian needs his nickname changed to "Baby-Waa-Waa"

I was thinking "Spartacock" might work.

 

[131313]

http://youtu.be/qjEm9o-NZtM

He says it here in this interview again. "Honestly, for me, Nuyens is not a winner."

I may not have this bike racing thing figured out, but last time I checked the winner of a one-day race is the guy who crosses the line first. It's not a contest of who worked the hardest, who attacked the most, or who is the strongest rider. That's what those ridiculous indoor computrainer TT's are for.

Dude was a huge engine, but he pretty much defines "classless". Nuyen's raced to win, and he pulled it off. Chapeau!

 

[JA.Tri]

varied skills, less than optimum words

131313 post #123... following on.

Each rider brings a skillset to the peloton...some as per Spartacus bring a huge engine (and a very healthy ego).

Such an engine allows the possibility of a solo attack with 50km to go. I understand Spartacus' desire to honour a race (an important race) with a stunning monumental attack. Both ability and ego would play a part in that objective...IMO.

However only a few riders have such a capability...should all such races be awarded to those few so gifted??? A race of a handful....does not serve the sport IMO.

Should sprinters be denigrated because they don't have the same skillset?

Therefore each rider brings their skills to bear with the hope of finishing and possibly winning. And only a few individuals in each race will be favoured with a position in the final selection (conditions, parcours, skills, luck, team etc all impacting).

I would love to see a race of the last kms with TB FC PG AV... tearing the race to pieces. Given that, NN still rode "the race".

To finish: FC had the option of being gracious in defeat. Understandably he chose to speak with true emotion (frustration?), a human trait. Unfortunately such comments, IMO, devalued/tarnished his race/reputation rather than NN's.

 

[Boeing]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-warns-rivals-to-fasten-seatbelts-ahead-of-paris-roubaix


Think its a little bit rich of Cancellara to demean the manner of Nuyens victory. Nuyens rode the perfect race and the manner of his victory was very admirable..
To be honest, I have lost a lot of respect for Cancellara after this strange interview and I hope that somebody can do the same to him in Paris-Roubaix..

is there a canned response to losing a classic you are favored to win? really, especially after spending the last 30k anaerobic???

Gee the guys really gave it their all, hats off the the winner, they were better today, I gave it my best, just wasnt in the cards, the chips didnt fall, thats the way the cookie crumbed, we will get them next time, balh blah blah blah. Is that what you are looking for?

What I wanted him to say was 'me losing is proof there is not God' that would have been awesome

say what you feel FC. glad to see a pro athlete shun the morality police