De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne 1.HC 11.4.2016

[SKSemtex]

Next race: De Brabantse Pijl, the race that almost always delivers.

Date: 11.4.2018
Location: Flemish Brabant and in Walloon Brabant, Belgium
History: 1961 - now
2005-2010 1.1
2011-now 1.HC

Record holders:

Winners 2000-2017:

Route: start LEUVEN - finish Overijse

Provisional List:

 

[SKSemtex]

Re: De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne 1.HC 11.4.201

It looks like Bora is not riding this race.

On the other hand according the web site of this race Gilbert should be there.
http://www.debrabantsepijl.be/en/dbp/elite-men/news

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re: De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne 1.HC 11.4.201

Interesting how this changed from RVV prep race into being halfway between cobbles and ardennes.

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/1999/mar99/brabantpijl99.html#route

Also a completely different route.

 

[Blanco]

Tim Wellens ftw.

 

[Netserk]

Re: De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne 1.HC 11.4.201

It looks like Bora is not riding this race.

On the other hand according the web site of this race Gilbert should be there.
http://www.debrabantsepijl.be/en/dbp/elite-men/news

From last year.

 

[SKSemtex]

Re:

Tim Wellens ftw.

no rain no win
Big Phill to get his only win this season

 

[SKSemtex]

Re: De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne 1.HC 11.4.201

It looks like Bora is not riding this race.

On the other hand according the web site of this race Gilbert should be there.
http://www.debrabantsepijl.be/en/dbp/elite-men/news

From last year.

Lol . You are right.. Sorry.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Gilbert is not racing.
I wonder who Quick Step should ride for. Jungels seems to be their leader. Jakobsen is riding also but this race is too difficult for him I think. Maybe Narvaez or Cavagna can surprise.

 

[SKSemtex]

Re: De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne 1.HC 11.4.201

It looks like Bora is not riding this race.

On the other hand according the web site of this race Gilbert should be there.
http://www.debrabantsepijl.be/en/dbp/elite-men/news

From last year.

Lol you are right. Sorry.
Ok it could be his only win

 

[can3478]

Re:

Gilbert is not racing.
I wonder who Quick Step should ride for. Jungels seems to be their leader. Jakobsen is riding also but this race is too difficult for him I think. Maybe Narvaez or Cavagna can surprise.

Petr Vakoc was team leader for the last 2 years. Since he's injured, I think the team is riding for Bob Jungels.

 

[The Barb]

Re: De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne 1.HC 11.4.201

I like this race. The last 10-15 kilometres, where there are often multiple attacks, any of which could succeed, is really good. Almost always better than Fleche Wallonne, usually better than Amstel (not last year, obviously) and sometime better than Liege.

Colbrelli was supreme last year. I presume he'll be the favourite and deservingly so but any number of riders could win with a late attack.

 

[Orbit501]

I'm really excited to see what Eddie Dunbar can do in this and AGR.

 

[red_flanders]

I've never watched it, will be exciting to see it this year for the first time.

 

[El Pistolero]

I wonder if Tiesj Benoot will be able to confirm here and proof he can consistently win bike races. Field isn't that strong, you'd expect him to win it or Tim Wellens. Maybe Jungels.

I think this race would make a fine addition to the WT, even though there are already a lot of Belgian WT races.

 

[Squire]

Re:

I wonder if Tiesj Benoot will be able to confirm here and proof he can consistently win bike races. Field isn't that strong, you'd expect him to win it or Tim Wellens. Maybe Jungels.

I think this race would make a fine addition to the WT, even though there are already a lot of Belgian WT races.

If the race becomes selective, Lotto might do a Quick-Step with Vanendert.
Teuns should be good here.

And let's keep the race the way it is. Not every good or prestigious race needs to be WT.

 

[jaylew]

Benoot hopefully. I like the balance this race races strikes with the types who can win.

 

[GenericBoonenFan]

Re:

I've never watched it, will be exciting to see it this year for the first time.

How?..................
Work or did you just have better things to do?

 

[search]

on paper, Benoot should be a strong contender indeed. Hard to say if fitting in an altitude training camp between the cobbled classics and the Ardennes is the right approach though. He returned back home from Spain just yesterday. Personally I would think a bit of rest could turn out to be more beneficial... but who knows.

 

[The Barb]

Re: De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne 1.HC 11.4.201

I don't get the Benoot love. He has so little finishing speed that he basically has to win solo and (particularly given the forecast is not bad) he is unlikely to find himself in that situation (a la Strade Bianche). I don't understand on what planet he is rated a better chance than, say, Colbrelli.

Anyway, Jungels for me.

 

[Pantani_lives]

It's harder to give stars in this race that's more suited for climbers, but I'll give it a go. It's a pity that Vakoc isn't racing, first and second in the past two years. He's recovering from a traffic accident in South Africa.

***Benoot, Wellens
**Jungels, Colbrelli
*Boasson Hagen, Teuns, Barguil

 

[Blanco]

Re: De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne 1.HC 11.4.201

I don't get the Benoot love. He has so little finishing speed that he basically has to win solo and (particularly given the forecast is not bad) he is unlikely to find himself in that situation (a la Strade Bianche). I don't understand on what planet he is rated a better chance than, say, Colbrelli.

Anyway, Jungels for me.

And Jungels will just out sprint the field including that same Colbrelli

 

[Pantani_lives]

Re: Re:

I've never watched it, will be exciting to see it this year for the first time.

How?..................
Work or did you just have better things to do?

I have missed this race several times myself. In the past, when it was still on a Sunday, I was sometimes forced to spend one spring Sunday with the family, so I sacrificed this one rather than missing a monument.

 

[Laplaz]

No one mentioned Impey? I think he also has a chance to grab this.

 

[SKSemtex]

Re: De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne 1.HC 11.4.201

EBH ftw

 

[The Barb]

Re: De Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne 1.HC 11.4.201

I don't get the Benoot love. He has so little finishing speed that he basically has to win solo and (particularly given the forecast is not bad) he is unlikely to find himself in that situation (a la Strade Bianche). I don't understand on what planet he is rated a better chance than, say, Colbrelli.

Anyway, Jungels for me.

And Jungels will just out sprint the field including that same Colbrelli

No, of course Jungels wouldn't outsprint Colbrelli, but he could outsprint many small groups (he's actually pretty good in that regard). But Benoot could hardly outsprint anyone.

But I might be wrong.