Cobbled Classics Discussion Thread

[auscyclefan94]

Because I can't wait for the real 'stuff' to start @ Omlooop Het Nieuwsblad (Feb 26), I thought we could preview the classics. Who will win? Who will fail? Who will surprise everyone? Teams and tatics for the classics? Discuss away...

I will also have a poll question about Paris Roubaix. I hope it isn't tooo mind boggling for some people to work out.

 

[Jancouver]

Spartacus or Boonen. I hope Fabian can get it again but I dont think he will be able to drop Boonen this year.

1. Boonen
2. Pippo
3. Cancellara
4. Hushovd
5. Haussler
6. Big George
7. Farrar
8. Maaskant
9. Flecha
10. Vansummeren

I should also include Ballan, maybe he should take Big George place. And what about Stybar? I dont think he can hang for 6h.

 

[Boeing]

what does this poll have to do with your topic?

 

[auscyclefan94]

what does this poll have to do with your topic?

Paris Roubaix is a cobbled classic. Like I said earlier I hoped it wouldn't be too mind boggling for people to work out that I chucked a poll question into the thread that wasn't entirely about the thread topic but only partly.

 

[taiwan]

Boonen, otherwise someone off Garmin.

 

[Havetts]

Voted for Boonen too, otherwise one of the garmins indeed.

 

[taiwan]

Going by the poll, apparently someone fancies Gilbert for it, and presumably one is going for Breschel, so far.

 

[auscyclefan94]

RVV ballan
PR Boonen

The other cobbled classics are bit hard to predict right now. Depends who has good form and the rider will generally be the winner or right up there in Het Volk.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

I think Boonen will win Paris-Roubaix. He's the best allround rider for this race, meaning he can get away solo or he can win in a sprint.

Spartacus has to be next in line just because of last year.

Hushovd could definately win as well. Same goes for Haussler. For me, he's kind of a Boonen guy because he can win in a sprint or by going solo. He was the strongest looking 2 years ago.

If I was a bookie, I would set the odds something like this:

Boonen - 3.25
Cancellara - 3.75
Hushovd - 7.50
Haussler - 13.00

And then you'd need guys like Breschel, Ballan, Flecha, Pozzato etc.

Oh, and I'm predicting Gilbert to win RVV.

 

[theyoungest]

RVV ballan
PR Boonen

The other cobbled classics are bit hard to predict right now. Depends who has good form and the rider will generally be the winner or right up there in Het Volk.

Seriously mate, Ballan still needs any sort of result in any sort of classic before we can see him as a favourite for RvV again.

Boonen, Cancellara and maybe Pozzato will share the spoils in Roubaix. With 4 or 5 Garmins chasing behind them

 

[auscyclefan94]

Seriously mate, Ballan still needs any sort of result in any sort of classic before we can see him as a favourite for RvV again.

Boonen, Cancellara and maybe Pozzato will share the spoils in Roubaix. With 4 or 5 Garmins chasing behind them

Ballan only won the event a few years ago, He has had a strong start to the season at Down Under and it would be naive to not call a rider of Ballan's calibre a favourite

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Favorite from the second line until he proves he has somewhat the form of 2007/2008 again

 

[theyoungest]

Ballan only won the event a few years ago, He has had a strong start to the season at Down Under and it would be naive to not call a rider of Ballan's calibre a favourite

Currently, Ballan isn't a rider of Ballan's calibre, if you know what I mean. Oh, and if Ballan is a favourite for the RvV, so is Leif Hoste.

 

[El Pistolero]

There's only 3 people that I can see winning Paris-Roubaix this year.

Boonen, Cancellara and Hushovd.

RvV:

Boonen, DeVolder, Cancellara or Gilbert.

 

[ultimobici]

Seriously mate, Ballan still needs any sort of result in any sort of classic before we can see him as a favourite for RvV again.

Boonen, Cancellara and maybe Pozzato will share the spoils in Roubaix. With 4 or 5 Garmins chasing behind them

Have a look at his palmares, then you might reassess your view of Ballan. He has had a couple of fallow seasons but he is far from a flash in the pan. Have a look at 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008 - hardly a shabby record is it? 2009 was a season Ballan would likely prefer to forget due to injury & 2010 saw him sidelined by BMC while an investigation was in process. Once he started racing he was up to speed pretty quickly albeit not winning due in part to a lack of competition in April & May.

 

[taiwan]

Vacansoleil has to be the next team on the list. Leukemans was one of the strongest riders in both races last year, and then they signed Devolder. Could see Leukemans on one podium or other, but there's a fairly long list who could do that.

 

[theyoungest]

Have a look at his palmares, then you might reassess your view of Ballan. He has had a couple of fallow seasons but he is far from a flash in the pan. Have a look at 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008 - hardly a shabby record is it? 2009 was a season Ballan would likely prefer to forget due to injury & 2010 saw him sidelined by BMC while an investigation was in process. Once he started racing he was up to speed pretty quickly albeit not winning due in part to a lack of competition in April & May.

I know what Ballan used to be capable of, no need to be condescending in that regard. But he first needs to show that he can approach that level again, before we can consider him an out-and-out favourite for RvV, wouldn't you agree?

Vacansoleil has to be the next team on the list. Leukemans was one of the strongest riders in both races last year, and then they signed Devolder. Could see Leukemans on one podium or other, but there's a fairly long list who could do that.

Yeah, it's a bit strange to have BMC and Rabobank there, when Leukemans on his own was far superior than any BMC or Rabo riders last year.

 

[The Hitch]

I think the poll would have been better for Flanders. That one is much more of a anyone can win.

For Roubaix the obvious answer is Boonen. Then Garmin. But ill vote for Vacan cos i like them.

Also, why is Euskatel not on the list?

 

[maltiv]

Surprisingly few believe that Cancellera can win again. I guess it is partly because people expect his new Trek to literally fall apart from the extreme pressure when he tries to launch a devastating attack

RVV is a lot more open, as it could end in a lot of different ways. It could even end in a 20- 30 man bunch sprint, which would be boring, but as a Norwegian this is the outcome I hope for.

 

[ak-zaaf]

Quickstep. Or Leopard. Or Katusha.
I don't think Garmin will win this. Boonen is still better at this race. So is Pozzato normally.
And so many people dismissing Canc? Wow.
Just youtube last years races. He should really be the only favorite. Even if his Trek falls apart every 5 kilometers he shouldn't be worried if he's (anything close to) as good as last year.

 

[ultimobici]

I know what Ballan used to be capable of, no need to be condescending in that regard. But he first needs to show that he can approach that level again, before we can consider him an out-and-out favourite for RvV, wouldn't you agree?

When you compare Ballan to Hoste you have to expect to be picked up on it. Comparing their records in the Classics is a little one-sided, IMO. Host has no wins at all in the cobbled classics to Ballan's Ronde. That's before you take into account the 2008 Worlds. When you bear in mind Leif Hoste has been a professional twice as long as Ballan yet has a palmares less than half of Ballan's it puts his worth into perspective.

 

[The Hitch]

I think the lack of support for canc maybe thanks to the fact that he said hed try for LBL and Lombardy.

Even if he has said stuff to suggest hes changed his mind, no one is sure what he will target next year and whether hell be on top form.

 

[ak-zaaf]

When you compare Ballan to Hoste you have to expect to be picked up on it. Comparing their records in the Classics is a little one-sided, IMO. Host has no wins at all in the cobbled classics to Ballan's Ronde. That's before you take into account the 2008 Worlds. When you bear in mind Leif Hoste has been a professional twice as long as Ballan yet has a palmares less than half of Ballan's it puts his worth into perspective.

I think he meant that it's 2011 now, not 2008. Hoste could be up there for the win (he contested for the win in RVV more times than Ballan did), so could Ballan, it's just not very likely given their results of the last seasons.
Both have to win solo, which isn't going to happen looking at the sprint speeds of the other favorites. Hushovd, boonen, Pozzato, Canc...Ballan won't win to any of them on the velodrome or in Meerbeke.

Ballan would be an outsider, definitely not a favorite.

 

[theyoungest]

Quickstep. Or Leopard. Or Katusha.
I don't think Garmin will win this. Boonen is still better at this race. So is Pozzato normally.
And so many people dismissing Canc? Wow.
Just youtube last years races. He should really be the only favorite. Even if his Trek falls apart every 5 kilometers he shouldn't be worried if he's (anything close to) as good as last year.

If you think Canc should be the favourite, why didn't you vote for him?

 

[ak-zaaf]

I think the lack of support for canc maybe thanks to the fact that he said hed try for LBL and Lombardy.

Even if he has said stuff to suggest hes changed his mind, no one is sure what he will target next year and whether hell be on top form.

Good point, but still. Canc was so much better than everybody else last year. Even if his peak should be at LBL he would still be a major contender 2 weeks earlier, more than most names named in this thread.