Congrats to Gerrans on MSR.... BUT

[Anonymous]

Nothing got to do with him not contesting against canc but rather because he had nothing left

Perhaps. He talked about riding the "right way" in the finale.

I dunno guys ... This horse is beat to death.

We disagree.

 

[humble]

With all the risk factors in winning a bike race such as Milan San Remo, when you are in a position to be assured a shot at 1st and guaranteed at least 3rd, you damn well better take it. That's why Fabian keeps doing what he does.

There is a podium, it has three spots, not one.

1st Place 100 pts, 2nd 80, 3rd 70, 10th-4.

 

[Froome19]

Perhaps. He talked about riding the "right way" in the finale.

I dunno guys ... This horse is beat to death.

We disagree.

Yeh of course he would say that......

The underlying factor is that Nibali would want to win MSR more than anyone else and would certainly do anything for it, why was he the only GC rider to properly race it? you can only be a truly succesful rider if you have that determination to win deeply ingrained in you so that it becomes natural.

Yeh but i agree with you about the horse....

 

[rhubroma]

If a cat 3 rider rode like Cancellara we' d be laughing at him for being so stupid for bringing a better sprinter to the line. Cancellara's tactic didnt work
Gerrans did, therfore the best rider on the day won.

Utter nonsense. Gerrans had the luxury of calling Cancellara on his "bluff," when the Swiss asked the others to pull through. For he knew his only chance at victory was to force Cancellara to continue eyeballs out at the front. While Sparticus knew his only chance for victory was to not get caught from behind, thus the same verdict: keep the hammer down. It was a tactical game of cat and mouse that favored, in those particular circumstances, the Aussie. He was cold and confident enough to stick to what was most convenient to his race. If anything, hats off on that.

But to say the Swiss road like a Cat 3 rider is ridiculous and amateurish.

Unless a podium finish meant nothing to the Swiss, but also no chance whatsoever at victory, then he pulls over. Thus he fought, honorably, till the bitter end like a lion, while sacrificing himself to finish second. Perhaps only regreting that he had such an astute companion as the Aussie. For Nibali he could have handled on his own.

 

[King Of The Mountain's]

how could fatty look canc in the eyes

 

[Irish2009]

Riding on the front for 8km at any type of speed while dragging 2 riders from other teams to the finish may be heroic but it is ridicolous, amateurish & a futile tactic irrespective of what standard your riding at. Nibali didnt contest because he couldnt. As someone already stated no current or former pro has berated Gerrans tactic/win because they were morally correct and worked, its that simple.

 

[Froome19]

Riding on the front for 8km at any type of speed while dragging 2 riders from other teams to the finish may be heroic but it is ridicolous, amateurish & a futile tactic irrespective of what standard your riding at. Nibali didnt contest because he couldnt. As someone already stated no current or former pro has berated Gerrans tactic/win because they were morally correct and worked, its that simple.

Yet it may be so but what would you advise then he should have done?

 

[Irish2009]

Attacking in the final 2k. With Bennati in the chasing group Cancellara had the option of calling Gerrans bluff (they should of been aware that Goss was in trouble up the Poggio) & sharing the work to the finish. Imho I think Cancellara has proved himself to be so strong that nobody will work with him (look @ PR last year). In MSR he could have just sat on when he got to Nabili & Gerrans until he had recovered enough to counter alone. Sadly for Cancellara I think unless he can get away alone he's gona be like mother goose with the goslings in tow anytime he tries to move......such is the burden of being branded the strongest.

 

[mr. tibbs]

Attacking in the final 2k. With Bennati in the chasing group Cancellara had the option of calling Gerrans bluff (they should of been aware that Goss was in trouble up the Poggio) & sharing the work to the finish. Imho I think Cancellara has proved himself to be so strong that nobody will work with him (look @ PR last year). In MSR he could have just sat on when he got to Nabili & Gerrans until he had recovered enough to counter alone. Sadly for Cancellara I think unless he can get away alone he's gona be like mother goose with the goslings in tow anytime he tries to move......such is the burden of being branded the strongest.

PR last year was Cancellara's fault. He wanted to play tactics when all he had to do was hammer away from Hushovd and win the race. He played tactics for a bit, then hammered away and almost won, but it was too late.

 

[Sasquatch]

Most of Gerrans major victories have been to him wheelsucking.

His 2009 Vuelta one stands out like a sore thumb - in stage 10

He was in a break with Hesjedal, Vinokourov and a few others, and for the last 50km, he did not take a turn at the front and naturally swamped them all.

 

[42x16ss]

Most of Gerrans major victories have been to him wheelsucking.

What about his TdF, Giro stage wins and his GP Plouay win?

They certainly weren't

 

[blaxland]

Most of Gerrans major victories have been to him wheelsucking.

His 2009 Vuelta one stands out like a sore thumb - in stage 10

He was in a break with Hesjedal, Vinokourov and a few others, and for the last 50km, he did not take a turn at the front and naturally swamped them all.

Are you shore you actually follow cycling,Gerrans has also won other races

 

[rhubroma]

Attacking in the final 2k. With Bennati in the chasing group Cancellara had the option of calling Gerrans bluff (they should of been aware that Goss was in trouble up the Poggio) & sharing the work to the finish. Imho I think Cancellara has proved himself to be so strong that nobody will work with him (look @ PR last year). In MSR he could have just sat on when he got to Nabili & Gerrans until he had recovered enough to counter alone. Sadly for Cancellara I think unless he can get away alone he's gona be like mother goose with the goslings in tow anytime he tries to move......such is the burden of being branded the strongest.

Bawww!!!! Attack?!?!? This is not the kind of humor, I had expected so early in the day. Whereas if he had sat on anyone’s wheels, and not charged down the descent as he did, the gruppeto would have been caught immediately and Sagan would have won.

Apart fro this he was proceeding at 62 k per hour!! It is, thus, impossible to put in an attack at such a velocity, which is the same reason nobody else did.

Whereas the rest of your analysis would have had some merit, were it not for the fact that Bennati was not swift enough to outclass Peter Sagan, hence the Swiss did well to gamble on himself (or else caused no more defeat, than his teammate would have with the added benefit of showing the fans a unique demonstration of awesome potency). And, as I have already mentioned before, the day Cancellara sacrifices himself in a classic for the Italian, above all in a situation like that, is the day the sky appears purple with green polka dots. Wild fantasy. Besides the plans were already set, the Swiss for an attacking move, the Italian for the sprint (only, though, if Fabian isn't already away, in which case he has carte blanche to play his own cards, whatever hand that may be and however improbable). Your analysis, therefore, has not taken into consideration any of these things, which were the only ones that mattered in the case we have examined so far and, consequently, your previous amateurish thinking has now been compounded by obstinacy.

Sparticus was racing for the podium, had little choice otherwise, and honorably did the only thing required under the circumstances.

 

[ultimobici]

Most of Gerrans major victories have been to him wheelsucking.

His 2009 Vuelta one stands out like a sore thumb - in stage 10

He was in a break with Hesjedal, Vinokourov and a few others, and for the last 50km, he did not take a turn at the front and naturally swamped them all.

A little light reading for you.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/vuelta-a-espana-2009/stage-10/live-report
http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2008//tour08/?id=live/tour0815
http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2009//giro09/?id=live/giro0914

No mention anywhere of soft pedalling or missing turns that I can see. Indeed, in the Vuelta he was bringing back attacks from Vino & Hesjedal in the final kilometres.

 

[rhubroma]

Riding on the front for 8km at any type of speed while dragging 2 riders from other teams to the finish may be heroic but it is ridicolous, amateurish & a futile tactic irrespective of what standard your riding at. Nibali didnt contest because he couldnt. As someone already stated no current or former pro has berated Gerrans tactic/win because they were morally correct and worked, its that simple.

Well if you are accusing me of such things, then your thoughts are misplaced. Now I don't know what morality has got to do with it, above all in cycling: let's just say it worked.

 

[Maxiton]

I'm amazed by the notion that Gerrans, the faster of the three, would have been stupid to work his hardest to make sure the trio stayed away. And no, I don't buy the whole "if Gerrans took real turns, they'd be caught" thing.

It was unnecessary work because Cancellara rode for 2nd by towing a faster guy to the finish line, though. Problem is, if Cancellara had decided he was not going to be taken advantage of, I bet Gerrans still wouldn't have ridden.

Don't take me wrong, it's a legitimate tactic by Gerrans and he won fair and square, but he's still a wheelsucker. It's just a matter of how much of a negative connotation you want to give to that term.

I read an interview with Cancellara right after the race where he said that when he asked Gerrans to come through and pull, Gerrans obliged, but these pulls were slowing them down. Canc said he would have been angry about it, but he could see that Gerrans was really working and just didn't have enough left for it, so Canc moved to the front again and pulled in order that they wouldn't be caught, and hoped he could beat him at the line. Sorry i can't provide a link right now, but that's what he said.

Cancellara had one chance at victory after he was unable to drop those two coming off the Poggio. He did what he needed to do and it almost worked.

+1. Exactly.

 

[Woody22]

Most of Gerrans major victories have been to him wheelsucking.

His 2009 Vuelta one stands out like a sore thumb - in stage 10

He was in a break with Hesjedal, Vinokourov and a few others, and for the last 50km, he did not take a turn at the front and naturally swamped them all.

Wow.. for someone with as many posts as you perhaps it is time you actually watch a cycling race.

 

[Angliru]

Not saying Nibali gave in to anybody. I'm saying Nibali did not contest the finish.

Nibali gives me the impression as being a very honorable guy. Since he didn't contribute to the break once Cancellara arrived, it's possible that he felt it wrong to jump Cancellara at the line. Also he may have been on the rivet and simply knew he didn't have the legs to come around. I'd have to watch the finish again to really make a judgement but even then it still may be hard to tell. Unless he's tells us he had nothing left to contest the win we're only speculating, which is what we do here.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

Nibali gives me the impression as being a very honorable guy. Since he didn't contribute to the break once Cancellara, it's possible that he felt it wrong to jump Cancellara at the line. Also he may have been on the rivet and simply knew he didn't have the legs to come around. I'd have to watch the finish again to really make a judgement but even then it still may be hard to tell. Unless he's tells us he had nothing left to contest the win we're only speculating, which is what we do here.

He is sicilian of course he is honorable

 

[Angliru]

Riding on the front for 8km at any type of speed while dragging 2 riders from other teams to the finish may be heroic but it is ridicolous, amateurish & a futile tactic irrespective of what standard your riding at. Nibali didnt contest because he couldnt. As someone already stated no current or former pro has berated Gerrans tactic/win because they were morally correct and worked, its that simple.

As Cancellara has shown in the past, he can simply ride some of the best pro's off of his wheel. I believe that once he realized that Gerrans was not going to continue to contribute and Nibali wasn't contributing at all, he hoped that the pace that he was riding would make Gerrans unable to come around him at the line. I don't think his tactic was "amateurish and futile" considering that in the position that he was in there was no other option. If he had refused to pull any longer they certainly would've been caught. Possibly the only failed tactic was his attacking them on the descent, when he could've used that energy to attack them on the flat lead in to the finish, where his obvious advantage on the flats would've been put to better use.

 

[movingtarget]

Wow.. for someone with as many posts as you perhaps it is time you actually watch a cycling race.

True. Sounds like one of those "I don't like him arguments" but with no basis in reality. I can't believe this is still being discussed. Everyone in the same situation as Gerrans, with half a brain would have done the same.

 

[movingtarget]

Nibali gives me the impression as being a very honorable guy. Since he didn't contribute to the break once Cancellara arrived, it's possible that he felt it wrong to jump Cancellara at the line. Also he may have been on the rivet and simply knew he didn't have the legs to come around. I'd have to watch the finish again to really make a judgement but even then it still may be hard to tell. Unless he's tells us he had nothing left to contest the win we're only speculating, which is what we do here.

He was stuggling to keep up on the descent. I don't think he had the legs and he did not even try to sprint at the end. Got nothing to do with morals I don't think plus he had Sagan 100 metres behind him.

 

[Andy99]

From @Plastic_Peloton on twitter: Hmmm? I take it these wind tunnel tests to 'dominate' M-S-R involved sitting behind a replica of Fabian Cancellara?

 

[movingtarget]

From @Plastic_Peloton on twitter: Hmmm? I take it these wind tunnel tests to 'dominate' M-S-R involved sitting behind a replica of Fabian Cancellara?

Ha Ha I like it.......