E3 Saxo Classic 2025, one day classic, March 28

[tobydawq]

I just finished watching now.

Van der Poel - the best cobbled classics rider I have seen in my life. Is the guy never sick? Has he no bad days? What an absolute beast and champion. What keeps motivating him? Hard to say, but thank God it does.

Van Aert - it's genuinely sad to watch him this season.

E3 organisers - it's quite hilarious how they keep trying not to be woke through 1) having on-screen graphics written in Dutch, 2) keeping the Kanarieberg approach and 3) combining 1) and 2) by in Dutch informing how the Kanarieberg approach ended Wout's classics campaign last year.

Casper Pedersen - I'm happy for him.

 

[Netserk]

Chapeau to Ineos today, they have been a pleasure to watch this year. Nailed Cipressa Saturday, nailed Kortekeer and Taaienberg today.

 

[Didinho]

Anyone know what the Kwaremont time was? KOM 3:56 from 2023, I think VDP still had something left in the tank today though and rode quite measured.

On Strava they've official segments now for all the famous hills and it's only the cobbled section (1,48km in 2:59 Asgreen).
The times from 2022 seems to be the fastest together with Pogi's 2023. I can't find his 2024 race.
Nothing to find on/with the run-in.

Don't know if it was filmed all the way from the start today, otherwise someone could've timed.

Florian Vermeersch (and Wout) had the best time today, only 10" behind the KOM. And 15" faster than the Stuyven/Jorgenson group.

 

[jono]

By my stopwatch, it looks like VDP did about 2:59-3:00 from the start of the Kwaremont cobbles to the turn onto the main paved road.

The Kwaremont cobbles start just after 39.4km to go in the race if anybody wants to time it for themselves.

 

[KoopaCycling]

WVA c ame good last season in the vuelta after racking up racedays. That's my only glimmer of hope for him becoming a champion again. Him going the unscientific route and just rack up racedays. Instead of training, training, training.

 

[kingjr]

Anyone know what the Kwaremont time was? KOM 3:56 from 2023, I think VDP still had something left in the tank today though and rode quite measured.

From the white line on the asphalt that says "Start" I have it clocked at 4:08. The cobbled section would be 3:01. Keep in mind they did the Paterberg just before that, though.

 

[Didinho]

From the white line on the asphalt that says "Start" I have it clocked at 4:08. The cobbled section would be 3:01. Keep in mind they did the Paterberg just before that, though.

Now I want to know the cobbled section time from Pogi last year.

Edit: On the Sporza video he starts at 00:15 and is close to the end at 3:12, not filmed when he leaves the road. So about the same time as the last years bests.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Now I want to know the cobbled section time from Pogi last year.

2 years ago.

 

[jono]

Now I want to know the cobbled section time from Pogi last year.

You mean in 2023?

3 minutes even.

So basically the same time as MVDP today. Not sure which day wind and other conditions were more advantageous, but Pogi's attempt was with 100 additional kilometers already in the legs.

 

[Unchained]

I just finished watching now.

Van der Poel - the best cobbled classics rider I have seen in my life. Is the guy never sick? Has he no bad days? What an absolute beast and champion. What keeps motivating him? Hard to say, but thank God it does.

Van Aert - it's genuinely sad to watch him this season.

E3 organisers - it's quite hilarious how they keep trying not to be woke through 1) having on-screen graphics written in Dutch, 2) keeping the Kanarieberg approach and 3) combining 1) and 2) by in Dutch informing how the Kanarieberg approach ended Wout's classics campaign last year.

Casper Pedersen - I'm happy for him.

He has lots of that!! has raced multiple times sick, has knee and back issues which if you watched today would look to be completely healed.
And he has super limited style, doesn't sneak up on anyone, races from the front pushes pace as a rule and is not particularly brilliant at picking spots, he attacks and once he gets separation he banks on all his character..
He is mentally stronger than almost everyone, can punish himself at super human levels and other riders who are behind him dying replay the mental image of their pain and him riding like he is out for coffee and pastry, uphill, rain, falling, cobbles, technical roads..guy gives off the essence that nothing phases him.
Pedersen gets interviewed and says with a smile that he is happy, rode a proper race and getting " beat by a monster " nothing to hang your head about!!!

 

[Didinho]

2 years ago.

You mean in 2023?

Indeed. His last ascent when he dropped Mathieu is in the edit of my post. Around 3 minutes the cobbles.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Van der Poel - the best cobbled classics rider I have seen in my life. Is the guy never sick? Has he no bad days? What an absolute beast and champion. What keeps motivating him? Hard to say, but thank God it does.

The funny thing is that before he switched his focus to the road, Van der Poel used to be known for having complete offdays at the most random moments (Arctic Race 2018 is a textbook example, or the Koppenbergcross in the same year if we're talking offroad). It happened one last time at Dwars door Vlaanderen in 2021 and since then, he's been utterly relentless in the races he cares about.

 

[Netserk]

The funny thing is that before he switched his focus to the road, Van der Poel used to be known for having complete offdays at the most random moments (Arctic Race 2018 is a textbook example, or the Koppenbergcross in the same year if we're talking offroad). It happened one last time at Dwars door Vlaanderen in 2021 and since then, he's been utterly relentless in the races he cares about.

Roubaix 2022 is not fully crisp in my memory, but my impression is that he was less than stellar then.

 

[jono]

The funny thing is that before he switched his focus to the road, Van der Poel used to be known for having complete offdays at the most random moments (Arctic Race 2018 is a textbook example, or the Koppenbergcross in the same year if we're talking offroad). It happened one last time at Dwars door Vlaanderen in 2021 and since then, he's been utterly relentless in the races he cares about.

I'd argue Roubaix 2022 was a bit of an off-day for MVDP.

 

[tobydawq]

The funny thing is that before he switched his focus to the road, Van der Poel used to be known for having complete offdays at the most random moments (Arctic Race 2018 is a textbook example, or the Koppenbergcross in the same year if we're talking offroad). It happened one last time at Dwars door Vlaanderen in 2021 and since then, he's been utterly relentless in the races he cares about.

His only weakness seems to be teenage girls interrupting his sleep.

 

[Unchained]

Just saw a video of a guy spitting on Mathieu on the E3 hill I think. Hope they make it go viral again and find the man.

Probably easier to identify the goon if they show a photo of him face down in the pillow with his pants on the floor.. Or at a dog park eating dried left behind canine candy!! The guy will be on TV in the next few days crying hysterically for forgiveness.. Hope it was worth it..hope he is shown no mercy

 

[Devil's Elbow]

Roubaix 2022 is not fully crisp in my memory, but my impression is that he was less than stellar then.

That was the spring where he had to go in with very little preparation due to injury, so not a random offday. It also was nowhere near the same level of offday given that he made the top-10. Compare to said Koppenbergcross, in a season where he won 32 out of 33 races he finished, that was the 33rd and he came 21st. Now that's a proper complete and random offday, and in a prestigious race to boot.

 

[jmdirt]

Good thing that those teams tried take advantage early huh?! Even if it would have worked today, was it a smart gamble in the long run?

 

[kingjr]

Now I want to know the cobbled section time from Pogi last year.

Edit: On the Sporza video he starts at 00:15 and is close to the end at 3:12, not filmed when he leaves the road. So about the same time as the last years bests.

Watching the footage side-by-side, vdP was roughly 5 seconds faster than Pogacar the last time up the Kwaremont in '23.

 

[Netserk]

Good thing that those teams tried take advantage early huh?! Even if it would have worked today, was it a smart gamble in the long run?

Yes. It's good to race races. Let the commissaires neutralise it when you are not supposed to race, and then hammer it whenever you feel like it the rest of the time.

 

[Berniece]

Watching the footage side-by-side, vdP was roughly 5 seconds faster than Pogacar the last time up the Kwaremont in '23.

And he probably can go faster

 

[Unchained]

****ing Cofidis snagging 7th and some good UCI points with quite a decent tactical move.

Eric Vanderaerden - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

If you are going to show blonde racers might as well have won E3..and Eric also won Paris Roubaix like MVP!!!

 

[Arvid Falk]

Scary strong MVDP. First riding 40-45k in front with Pedersen and Ganna, and then solo from Kwaremont. And he still looked fresher in the end than most of the others. He is phenomenon.

Pedersen also very impressive. Podium in Ronde coming up?

Bit sad to see WVA. Hope he just had a bad day and will be better in RVV and PR. But really can't see him challenging MVDP and Pog in RVV. If it will happen it will be in PR.

 

[Didinho]

Watching the footage side-by-side, vdP was roughly 5 seconds faster than Pogacar the last time up the Kwaremont in '23.

Seems like that's the time they're doing mostly. A bit faster. The Ronde will still be tougher, more km's and more tired if Pogi makes every climb hard. I'm on the fence if he can keep up with Pogi in this scenario, untill I see him follow. (Hopefully next week)

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Bora terrible performance, wtf has happened to oeir lakzano