E3 Prijs Vlanderen-Harelbelke

[sublimit]

It starts Saturday and has a strong field..
its a nice warm up for Sundays Gent-W. I'm not entirely certain but hopefully can find live streaming for it, so should have further updates on that.

start list

previous winners-

2009 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Katusha
2008 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) CSC Saxo Bank
2007 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep-Innergetic
2006 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep-Innergetic
2005 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep
2004 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick.Step-Davitamon
2003 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank
2002 Dario Pieri (Ita) Alessio
2001 Andrej Tchmil (Bel) Lotto-Adecco
2000 Serguei Ivanov (Rus) Farm Frites
1999 Peter Van Petegem (Bel) TVM-Farm Frites
1998 Johan Museeuw (Bel) Mapei-Bricobi

 

[Anonymous]

 

[TRDean]

I don't consider this a warm-up for GW...it is a great race in its own right. Now if you mean a warm up for us fans...the Belgian beer has been flowing in my house for the last few days!! Gotta love it!!

 

[theyoungest]

Some nice Dutch spelling there

This race is usually much more fun than Gent-Wevelgem. Boonen FTW.

 

[sublimit]

Yes, the quality of the field should ensure a decent race, i'll probably spend most of Saturday trying to find coverage and tearing my hair out when it go's down..

it is more than a warm up to be fair. Hopefully better than Dwoors Vlanderen last wednesday because that just petered out, Breschel must of thought it was Christmas.

(sorry for a couple of spelling mistakes in the first post, i cant do anything about them now, mod required)

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

This is not at all a warmup for Gent Wevelgem.

On the contrary. Many Tour of Flanders candidates consider E3 Prijs THE final test. It's a mini Tour of Flanders in profile. It's much more like that race than Gent-Wevelgem. Just look at the startlist of both races this weekend and you'll see what I mean.

E3 >> Gent Wevelgem (past few years), and it won't be different this year

 

[ak-zaaf]

This is not at all a warmup for Gent Wevelgem.

On the contrary. Many Tour of Flanders candidates consider E3 Prijs THE final test. It's a mini Tour of Flanders in profile. It's much more like that race than Gent-Wevelgem. Just look at the startlist of both races this weekend and you'll see what I mean.

E3 >> Gent Wevelgem (past few years), and it won't be different this year

Totally agree. Wevelgem has the name, E3 has the action.

 

[Jonathan]

previous winners-

2009 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Team Katusha
2008 Kurt-Asle Arvesen (Nor) CSC Saxo Bank
2007 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep-Innergetic
2006 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep-Innergetic
2005 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep
2004 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick.Step-Davitamon
2003 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Rabobank
2002 Dario Pieri (Ita) Alessio
2001 Andrej Tchmil (Bel) Lotto-Adecco
2000 Serguei Ivanov (Rus) Farm Frites
1999 Peter Van Petegem (Bel) TVM-Farm Frites
1998 Johan Museeuw (Bel) Mapei-Bricobi

Yesss! What a list. This race is good. Traditionally a warm-up for the Ronde.

Boonen rather wouldn't start sunday as he doesn't see it as ideal preparation, but he is more or less forced to because G-W is an important race.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I don't consider this a warm-up for GW...it is a great race in its own right. Now if you mean a warm up for us fans...the Belgian beer has been flowing in my house for the last few days!! Gotta love it!!

This is not at all a warmup for Gent Wevelgem.

On the contrary. Many Tour of Flanders candidates consider E3 Prijs THE final test. It's a mini Tour of Flanders in profile. It's much more like that race than Gent-Wevelgem. Just look at the startlist of both races this weekend and you'll see what I mean.

E3 >> Gent Wevelgem (past few years), and it won't be different this year

I agree. I'm very excited for E3, whereas G-W im a little meh about. I think anyone who takes this race seriously probably wont be a contender at G-W.
Having PT status doesn't make a race better...

 

[auscyclefan94]

Some quotes from marcus Burghardt about upcoming classics and esp. E3

“This year things will be a lot different, with Harelbeke and Wevelgem on the same weekend,” . “I’ll go full gas at Harelbeke and I won’t think about Wevelgem until the first race is out of the way. After that I’ll hope I’ve got good legs but I think that some riders will do just Wevelgem and could be better for Sunday.

“For me, Harelbeke is a better race, it’s harder and if you’re in good shape there then you’ll be good in Flanders,” “I hope that I’m at 100 per cent for Flanders and Roubaix but at the moment I have good condition and hope that I can do well this weekend.”

 

[Michielveedeebee]

boonen'll rock on satruday, sunday he'll quit

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Yes, the quality of the field should ensure a decent race, i'll probably spend most of Saturday trying to find coverage and tearing my hair out when it go's down..

it is more than a warm up to be fair. Hopefully better than Dwoors Vlanderen last wednesday because that just petered out, Breschel must of thought it was Christmas.

(sorry for a couple of spelling mistakes in the first post, i cant do anything about them now, mod required)

http://www.sporza.be/wielrennen you can then click on to livestreaming of E3

 

[Mellow Velo]

Time for the meat and potatoes part of the season to begin. Bring it on.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Dwoors Vlanderen, lol, why is it that English-speaking have such great difficulty with Dutch racenames?

Dwars door Vlaanderen, it's really not that hard

 

[Anonymous]

http://www.sporza.be/wielrennen you can then click on to livestreaming of E3

couple of justintv links on teamskyfans, go the race page and click the tv icon. Sure there will be loads more tommorow.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Supposably this race has a lot of sharp corners and climbs so the riders have to be up the front. Cosmocatalano does a good analysis of the race on youtube.

 

[auscyclefan94]

http://www.e3prijsvlaanderen.be/dut/pages/parcours

A good link to show all the profiles of each of the climbs of E3 Prijs.

 

[sublimit]

Dwoors Vlanderen, lol, why is it that English-speaking have such great difficulty with Dutch racenames?

Dwars door Vlaanderen, it's really not that hard

Firefox spellchecker doesnt work on Flemish/Dutch/Belgian or whatever

anyway the course does look to have plenty of short sharp climbs, should be good so hopefully the livestreams can hang in there.

 

[rghysens]

http://www.e3prijsvlaanderen.be/dut/pages/parcours

A good link to show all the profiles of each of the climbs of E3 Prijs.

The profiles themselves are not correct...at all, trust me.

 

[spanky wanderlust]

it's really hard not to pick tommeke for this one.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Can't see any reason why Pozzato shouldn't win again

Be interesting to see whether Devolder has any form or where Quickstep will be a one-man-band and also whether Boom and Boassen Hagen can serve it up to the old(er) guard

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Can't see any reason why Pozzato shouldn't win again

Be interesting to see whether Devolder has any form or where Quickstep will be a one-man-band and also whether Boom and Boassen Hagen can serve it up to the old(er) guard

Boom has shown some promising signs on the cobbles so far this season, but seems to lack the endurance some of the other guys have.

 

[rghysens]

Hushovd abandoned after 14km

 

[maltiv]

Hushovd abandoned after 14km

what?

How come?

 

[rghysens]

gastro-enteritis