E3 Saxo Classic 2024, one day classic, March 22

[meat puppet]

Yeah, wva looks done. Per Beckett: ever tried, ever failed, etc.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Rarely have I seen a race sum up a rider's career the way this E3 is summing up Van Aert's. Really strong, but not quite matching Van der Poel, and not daring enough to try and find other ways of winning than trying and failing to hang on.

 

[LookProGoSlow]

huge mental blow being exchanged

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Another classics masterclass from wva

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

If I have ever inadvertently slandered the Flanders paysage, I apologize. It looks like a magnificent place to ride and I am jealous.

 

[LookProGoSlow]

Rarely have I seen a race sum up a rider's career the way this E3 is summing up Van Aert's. Really strong, but not quite matching Van der Poel, and not daring enough to try and find other ways of winning than trying and failing to hang on.

my thoughts exactly

 

[Netserk]

Rarely have I seen a race sum up a rider's career the way this E3 is summing up Van Aert's. Really strong, but not quite matching Van der Poel, and not daring enough to try and find other ways of winning than trying and failing to hang on.

Before Paterberg, he was in a much better tactical position than Van der Poel was. He's the twice defending winner and would be the favourite in a group sprint.

 

[tobydawq]

Narváez is such a cool rider. I'm very happy to see him at such a level after his long break.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Honest question: if the roles had been reversed and MvdP had crashed and been put in the same situation with Wout up the road, what would Mathieu have done? Same as Wout or different?

 

[ManicJack]

Jorgenson is going to have to drop his group if he wants a podium spot. No way he'll win that sprint.

 

[Volderke]

Rarely have I seen a race sum up a rider's career the way this E3 is summing up Van Aert's. Really strong, but not quite matching Van der Poel, and not daring enough to try and find other ways of winning than trying and failing to hang on.

How do you think WvA could be 'more daring'?
He has a big target on his back, and MvdP with a sniper gun. Every single time he has tried to attack in his career, MvdP was on his wheel, ready to counter.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Before Paterberg, he was in a much better tactical position than Van der Poel was. He's the twice defending winner and would be the favourite in a group sprint.

Not exactly the first time he's been dropped on final Paterberg/final Kwaremont.

 

[tobydawq]

On another note; it is so annoying to be a Dane and always have to hear about how THIS TIME, certainly MADS P will win everything in the spring because he is stronger than ever and has gotten a NUTRITION EXPERT, so now NOBODY can beat him. And then he can't follow Stuyven and Skujins.

 

[Samamba]

Narváez is such a cool rider. I'm very happy to see him at such a level after his long break.

He's still incredibly underrated. Also out of contract.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Should've just bloody done San Remo

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I think Wout did the right thing. Jorgenson was done pulling, and that group wasn't going to be strong/cooperate well enough to close the gap.

 

[Netserk]

Not exactly the first time he's been dropped on final Paterberg/final Kwaremont.

Yet it was still an above average scenario going in to Paterberg for this race.

 

[skippo12]

Honest question: if the roles had been reversed and MvdP had crashed and been put in the same situation with Wout up the road, what would Mathieu have done? Same as Wout or different?

WVA probably doesn't gain as much time on the Kwaremont. Maybe MVP could have closed a 15s gap with an all out effort on the Tiegemberg.

 

[Netserk]

On another note; it is so annoying to be a Dane and always have to hear about how THIS TIME, certainly MADS P will win everything in the spring because he is stronger than ever and has gotten a NUTRITION EXPERT, so now NOBODY can beat him. And then he can't follow Stuyven and Skujins.

You should have done like me and voted for him in the most overrated thread.

 

[Billie]

On another note; it is so annoying to be a Dane and always have to hear about how THIS TIME, certainly MADS P will win everything in the spring because he is stronger than ever and has gotten a NUTRITION EXPERT, so now NOBODY can beat him. And then he can't follow Stuyven and Skujins.

Next week 250k he'll be a lot better

 

[skippo12]

On another note; it is so annoying to be a Dane and always have to hear about how THIS TIME, certainly MADS P will win everything in the spring because he is stronger than ever and has gotten a NUTRITION EXPERT, so now NOBODY can beat him. And then he can't follow Stuyven and Skujins.

He will always have Besseges. The only one that can match him on a cold and wet day in february is Tim Wellens.

 

[tobydawq]

You should have done like me and voted for him in the most overrated thread.

Yes, but I think he is reasonably rated on this forum. I thought that was the context.

 

[KOM]

You should have done like me and voted for him in the most overrated thread.

I wouldve, but too much belgian bias here. So it had to be De Lie which feels justified, cause in the first 3 pages he was the most mentioned rider and, as per usual, has nothing to do with the outcome of the race

 

[Volderke]

Belgian commentators saying you can't draw any conclusions as WvA crashed.... A deep sigh.

Ofcourse you can draw conclusions, the same as every year: MvdP is better than WvA and WvA is better than all others. That's all there is.
In E3 WvA could have had a small chance of winning if he could stick on MvdP's wheel, but in RVV the race is just too hard so no chance.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

On another note; it is so annoying to be a Dane and always have to hear about how THIS TIME, certainly MADS P will win everything in the spring because he is stronger than ever and has gotten a NUTRITION EXPERT, so now NOBODY can beat him. And then he can't follow Stuyven and Skujins.

To be fair, this is probably the race in the Sanremo-to-Roubaix bloc that suits him least. Not at monument length and relatively heavy on the hills. He will probably be in the mix at Gent-Wevelgem, in other words a perfectly average Pedersen Sanremo-to-Wevelgem bloc.