De Brabantse Pijl: April 14th 2021

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Did they go out there with a stone grinder and grind until the tops are all smooth and even? Or did they replace them with new cobbles? Or maybe it is a linoleum covering as suggested above.

Complete overhaul. Eurosport commentator Vanbelleghem passed by when they were busy.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1378432523416535062

View: https://twitter.com/JeroenVanbelle/status/1378432523416535062

 

[yaco]

I doubt the parcours is hard enough for AVV - It suits more of a cobbled rider.

 

[BlueRoads]

I doubt the parcours is hard enough for AVV - It suits more of a cobbled laminate rider.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I doubt the parcours is hard enough for AVV - It suits more of a cobbled rider.

I know she isn't made of cobbles or laminate, but it's not like she hasn't won cobbled races before, and she is clearly in fine shape right now.

 

[Gigs_98]

Btw I'm all in on calling smooth cobbles laminate in the future. Like, not just for this race but generally. I think this should become a thing

 

[BlueRoads]

Yeah, this race really evokes excitement... I'm going to bump the thread a bit... maybe you can even sticky it.

 

[Wvv]

Looking forward to this afternoon. I suspect the cobblestone riders to take the upperhand here.
Besides GVA, I grant Turgis a win too for his very fine spring season.
Glad Herregodts finally gets to race again.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Looking forward to this afternoon. I suspect the cobblestone riders to take the upperhand here.
Besides GVA, I grant Turgis a win too for his very fine spring season.
Glad Herregodts finally gets to race again.

If it comes down to an uphill sprint at the end lighter guys with a good sprint like Coquard or Pidcock could have a bit of an advantage over the heavier riders.
Speaking of Pidcock, aren't they overracing him a bit? He did nearly all the bigger spring classics and is now also racing the Ardennes classics after an intense CX season at a really high level. That's a bit much for a neopro and he has been fading since Strade Bianche.

 

[Wvv]

If it comes down to an uphill sprint at the end lighter guys with a good sprint like Coquard or Pidcock could have a bit of an advantage over the heavier riders.
Speaking of Pidcock, aren't they overracing him a bit? He did nearly all the bigger spring classics and is now also racing the Ardennes classics after an intense CX season at a really high level. That's a bit much for a neopro and he has been fading since Strade Bianche.

Agree about Pidcock.
Don't really agree about the sprint. To me it looks a lot like Montreal's finishing line, which suits GVA, Matthews, Colbrelli ... And watch out for this Van Aert guy, he could surprise.

 

[Boes]

Autumn weather expected with some rain here and there.
Tim Wellens weather?

 

[Mayomaniac]

Agree about Pidcock.
Don't really agree about the sprint. To me it looks a lot like Montreal's finishing line, which suits GVA, Matthews, Colbrelli ... And watch out for this Van Aert guy, he could surprise.

Yeah, it's probably not steep enough to give th lighter guys an advantage over those riders.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Autumn weather expected with some rain here and there.
Tim Wellens weather?

It would be... But he's not riding for some reason.

 

[SafeBet]

Negative startlist would be quite something here: Alaphilippe, Wellens, Van der Poel, Hermans, Gilbert, Sagan just to name recent winners of the race.

 

[Pantani_lives]

Autumn weather expected with some rain here and there.
Tim Wellens weather?

1. It's dry and sunny
2. Tim Wellens has never won anything in bad weather. It's the most ridiculous myth.

Negative startlist would be quite something here: Alaphilippe, Wellens, Van der Poel, Hermans, Gilbert, Sagan just to name recent winners of the race.

They should hold a separate race with the negative starters.

 

[Oliver]

1. It's dry and sunny
2. Tim Wellens has never won anything in bad weather. It's the most ridiculous myth.

They should hold a separate race with the negative starters.

Dry, but no sun
Little wind.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

1. It's dry and sunny
2. Tim Wellens has never won anything in bad weather. It's the most ridiculous myth.

I think he won a stage in the Ruta del Sol once when it was raining.

 

[Boes]

1. It's dry and sunny
2. Tim Wellens has never won anything in bad weather. It's the most ridiculous myth.

They should hold a separate race with the negative starters.

I remember on the top of my head:

• a very wet GP de montreal
• a solo in the tour de Pologne queen stage
• a win in Eneco tour ardennens in the rain

 

[SafeBet]

Women's race: 6 riders with a good enough gap to fight for the win with 7 km to go.

Men's race: interesting break (Meeus, Van Moer, Robeet, Leknessund, Coquard among others), gap around 4 minutes. Long way to go.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

6k to the finish of the women's race and it most likely won't be won by van Vleuten, because Movistar has Leah Thomas in the front group together with Demi Vollering, Elisa Balsamo, Ruth Winder, Juliette Labous and Joscelin Lowden.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Coquard in the breakaway, that's a bit unexpected.

 

[Orbit501]

Surprised Coquard has chosen to go in the break.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Just bumped in - are the women riding in pitch dark?
Edit: oh, there's the signal.

 

[Bolder]

Not any more!

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Vollering deserved to get a win at some point, while Balsamo really cocked it up, but she was probably empty at the end
Ruth Winder came very close... but now they say she actually won. Wow!

It looked close at the finish, but the close up photos (together with Vollering's celebration) made it look like Winder got nicked.

 

[SafeBet]

Vollering deserved to get a win at some point, while Balsamo really cocked it up, but she was probably empty at the end

Yeah she had no legs. Finished more than a bike behind and never even tried to get out of the saddle.