GP Québec, 201.6 km 07.09.18, GP Montréal, 195.2 km 09.09.18

[Finn84]

I feel rather that Montreal circuit has the finish line on the wrong place. Too long distance from Camilien-Houde to the finish.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Damn I missed the sprint

Looked like I didnt miss anything really interesting tho. Chapeau to Matthews, the Australians would be really stupid not to select him for the Worlds. Many races left he still can win this year.

 

[Alexandre B.]

This race lacked more puncheurs.

 

[El Pistolero]

Re: Re:

What a dominant performance in these two races by Matthews.

He just won two sprints, did nothing all day lol.

These races aren't hard enough, we already have enough bunch sprints in cycling.

And that can't be dominant?

On a course like this? No. It's not like he won with bike lengths anyway.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

Man, what a big peloton. This race shouldn't be WT.

Races finishing will large pelotons can't be WT?

Not one-day races no.

Can you please provide me with a link to the rule in the UCI rulebook stating that?

What was valgren doing? Lead out for colbrelli?

Terrible sprinter? Needed to get away? (Which he... didn't…)

 

[El Pistolero]

Re:

Damn I missed the sprint

Looked like I didnt miss anything really interesting tho. Chapeau to Matthews, the Australians would be really stupid not to select him for the Worlds. Many races left he still can win this year.

Lol why? Matthews can't do anything at the Worlds and he's too selfish and self-centred to work for others.

 

[Velolover2]

Re: Re:

Man, what a big peloton. This race shouldn't be WT.

Races finishing will large pelotons can't be WT?

¨

There are no history to those races and they are bland as f*ck.

I'd rather have Emilia and Paris-Tours on the WT calendar.

 

[Flamin]

Meh, there are just too many sprinters with strong teams who are capable of controlling the race. Not easy to avoid a bunch sprint.

 

[jaylew]

Re: Re:

What a dominant performance in these two races by Matthews.

He just won two sprints, did nothing all day lol.

These races aren't hard enough, we already have enough bunch sprints in cycling.

To be fair, the group was down to 30-35 riders and Matthews was in the first few wheels on most of the climbs but yeah, I wish the parcours was just a bit tougher.

 

[May0maniac]

Re: Re:

Damn I missed the sprint

Looked like I didnt miss anything really interesting tho. Chapeau to Matthews, the Australians would be really stupid not to select him for the Worlds. Many races left he still can win this year.

Lol why? Matthews can't do anything at the Worlds and he's too selfish and self-centred to work for others.

He worked for Barguil durning the 2017 TdF and Barguil worked for him, they were roommates durning the Tour and you can blame him for not wanting to help Gerrans after what happened in the 2015 WC RR.

 

[Blanco]

Re: Re:

Man, what a big peloton. This race shouldn't be WT.

Races finishing will large pelotons can't be WT?

Large peloton is exactly because it's a WT race. If not, many WT teams wouldn't be here, or would be significantly weaker, and racing would be much more interesting.

 

[janraaskalt]

Re:

Meh, there are just too many sprinters with strong teams who are capable of controlling the race. Not easy to avoid a bunch sprint.

Quebec is always a sprint, but Montreal is possible to avoid that. If no-one attacks however...

Was Van Avermaet really thinking he could beat Matthews in a sprint?

 

[RedheadDane]

So first (in Québec) Matthews referred to Gerrans as "my idol", now he calls him a very good friend.
Is it safe to assume that whatever issue happened between them after the 2015(?) Worlds is forgotten about?

Also, I really need to keep my races apart; I seriously thought it was Mollema attacking at one point...

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

Damn I missed the sprint

Looked like I didnt miss anything really interesting tho. Chapeau to Matthews, the Australians would be really stupid not to select him for the Worlds. Many races left he still can win this year.

Lol why? Matthews can't do anything at the Worlds and he's too selfish and self-centred to work for others.

Because he is Australia best bet in a long and hard one day race. Who is better.. Haig? Fricking Richie Porte?

 

[Kwibus]

Re:

Meh, there are just too many sprinters with strong teams who are capable of controlling the race. Not easy to avoid a bunch sprint.

Strong sprinters that can climb indeed.

GVA could for a change try to attack instead of getting outsprinted....

 

[oldcrank]

Re: GP Québec, 201.6 km 07.09.18, GP Montréal, 195.2 km 09.0

The sun never sets on the Empire. Great to see Bling do the
Laurentian Double in the land of his Commonwealth cousins,
and also become the second Australian to complete the feat.

 

[Velolover2]

I don't mind the potential of a bunch sprint but these circuit races are filled with half-hearted attacks and you always know it will end in a sprint.

This year's edition of Bretagne Classic was much better. Less hilly and the chance of bunch sprint was very likely but narrow roads and strong wind changed the outcome.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

do not really get the complaints. There was plenty of action the last 50km.

Just because the race ends in a sprint doesn't always mean it has been bad.

Some people are just...weird

 

[Kwibus]

Re: Re:

Meh, there are just too many sprinters with strong teams who are capable of controlling the race. Not easy to avoid a bunch sprint.

Quebec is always a sprint, but Montreal is possible to avoid that. If no-one attacks however...

Was Van Avermaet really thinking he could beat Matthews in a sprint?

Quebec isn't always a sprint, atleast 3 times it wasn't.

Also some sprints can't really be called sprints either. The time Gesink won certainly wasn't a real sprint.
Either way last years the races have become more controlled.

 

[Rollthedice]

Re:

Damn I missed the sprint

Looked like I didnt miss anything really interesting tho. Chapeau to Matthews, the Australians would be really stupid not to select him for the Worlds. Many races left he still can win this year.

You missed about 30km of exciting racing which in the end finished in a sprint won by the strongest sprinter in this type of race.

 

[El Pistolero]

Re: Re:

Meh, there are just too many sprinters with strong teams who are capable of controlling the race. Not easy to avoid a bunch sprint.

Strong sprinters that can climb indeed.

GVA could for a change try to attack instead of getting outsprinted....

He doesn't have the legs to attack, hasn't had them all year. He couldn't follow Wellens when he attacked on the final hill.

 

[Flamin]

Indeed, GVA is just happy to hold the wheel on the hills these days. An uphill sprint is his main quality.

Nobody in this field can put any significant time into Matthews, Colbrelli,... uphill. Give them a strong team (especially Bahrein was impressive) and you get this result 9 times out of 10.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

apart from 1,5 season, GVA is just back to normal imho

 

[search]

to be fair, he wants to win the Worlds, so I guess his training focusses have been accordingly recently?!

 

[roundabout]

I only watched the last lap, but when the 2 out of 4 people to be in meaningful moves were first year WT riders it does make one wonder