theyoungest said:If you think Canc should be the favourite, why didn't you vote for him?
Because I like Boonen better. [/wensvadervangedachte]
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theyoungest said:If you think Canc should be the favourite, why didn't you vote for him?
ultimobici said: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 said: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.
maltiv said: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.
By that measure Hausler could beat Cav! The line is where the line is, first over it is the winner.Descender said:The comparison is fine.
Had the finish line been just two metres earlier we'd be talking about Hoste having one RvV to Ballan's none right now. Add to that two additional second places and a top ten in Roubaix just last year, where Ballan was missing. He did finish second in Roubaix once too (train incident).
He probably would've won the sprint for third in 2009 if he weren't smashed into the barriers. He's improved every year in races like this though if he's there for the sprint I think only Boonen can stop him from winning, but chances are that Boonen already has wasted much energy on attacking/following every move at this point. Same with Haussler, who I actually consider as faster than Hushovd but he seems to ride a lot more aggressively which might prove unwise.Ferminal said:Hmm, has Thor ever won a bunch sprint for a placing in Flanders?
I think maybe they will give RvV to Haussler and then swap roles the week after.
Ferminal said:Hmm, has Thor ever won a bunch sprint for a placing in Flanders?
I think maybe they will give RvV to Haussler and then swap roles the week after.
taiwan said:Going by the poll, apparently someone fancies Gilbert for it, and presumably one is going for Breschel, so far.
If Breschel shows up in race winning form, that would be nothing short of a miracle.Archibald said:it wasn't me, but I'd like to see Breschel win PR. Really, I'd just like to see someone other than Boonen or Spartacus win it...
Archibald said:it wasn't me, but I'd like to see Breschel win PR. Really, I'd just like to see someone other than Boonen or Spartacus win it...
ultimobici said:By that measure Hausler could beat Cav! The line is where the line is, first over it is the winner.
Hoste's Ronde record is excellent, but while Ballan's is shorter it has the added cachet of a win. Hoste's best position in Roubaix is not 2nd, it's 6th as he was disqualified in 2006. Ballan has 2 thirds in Roubaix.
On this basis, while favourite is a little too optimistic, he is an interesting outside odds bet. His pedigree is not in question, rather it is whether he has fully recovered from the setbacks of the last two years.
pedaling squares said:All I really want is to see some great racing. And mud. I'm picking Boonen for PR albeit I'm thinking he'll probably get burned out following every serious attack. Party boy needs a break. I'd love to see Gilbert take RvV.
That is very unlikely. Most riders can't manage the 250 km + races before they are 25 at least.Dundee said:No idea if they will even be starters but looking at the young riders, I think Michael Matthews will be in the mix for Flanders (2nd in the past 2 U23 events) and Taylor Phinney would have to be watched in Paris Roubaix (winner of 2 U23 Paris Roubaix).
I knew I missed one important team. I guess it is sometimes hard to put them all in. Aplogies to the vacansoleil fans.taiwan said: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.
maltiv said:That is very unlikely. Most riders can't manage the 250 km + races before they are 25 at least.
Well I wouldn't exactly say top 20 is "in the mix", but that's a realistic goal I guess. Last year the 10th place finisher was 7 minutes behind, after all.auscyclefan94 said:He said that he would be dissapointed if he didn't top 20 at roubaix this year.
zapata said:By the way, does anyone remember what happenened to cancellara in 2009? As far as i remember, he was not in the first group, with hushovd, flecha, pozzato, hoste, etc, when everybody started crashing and boonen got away. Did he have some sort of accident?