Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec & Montréal 2024, one day classics, September 13 & 15

[tobydawq]

Yes but they blew harder, Pogacar still managed to get 7th.

Berckmoes should end his career right now after blowing harder than Pogacar, WHAT an embarrassment.

 

[RedheadDane]

Not available, forced to fly to Vienna

Stea... errr... borrow a plane.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Anybody here is from Bratislava and knows best way to get there from Vienn airport?

What sort of internet access gives you access to CN forum but not to Google maps?

 

[E_F_]

Cool final few kilometres as always. Boring before then as always.

 

[Brullnux]

You're asking how to Bratislava from Vienna airport?
May I suggest a flight to Bratislava airport?

Surely they don't offer commercial flights from Vienna to Bratislava

 

[Cookster15]

Glad to see Michael Matthews back in the winning books !

 

[yaco]

Thank God, Matthews won today, as it's been a wasted year. Due to a combination of lack of team strength, tactical naivety on Matthew's account and his own mental fragility, he's cost himself another 3 or 4 wins. Will add that DeLie is tactically naive. When Pogi attacked on the final lap, he had to let his domestics chase down Pogi and stay in the bunch.

 

[yaco]

De Lie shouldve never tried to follow that group. Lotto had 2 guys in it. Let them go and keep your spring from behind. He was insanely strong, but he should stop thinking his sprint isn't his best asset.

The staggering thing is that in last year's edition, he did about the best sprint of 2023.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Matthews' forgettability seems to be his biggest asset. He's inherited that role in the somewhat lumpy but not truly hilly races where he is the threat of what happens if people don't take the bull by the horns.

And from a personal point of view, his forgettability is an asset in that if I remembered he existed more than a handful of times a year, I'd probably really dislike him à la Gerrans. As it is, if I miss a race and then see him on the podium, it's usually a byword for "you should probably skip this one", but this thread appears to suggest that the latter parts of the race were actually worth checking out.

 

[saunaking]

Nice work Bling!!!!!!
A great bloke since 12 years!

https://photos.google.com/album/AF1.../AF1QipP-LIuJtc5jwBJ0kCpR0qW9YyTa5LMdJZFj3a2u

 

[jmdirt]

Congrats MM!

For those who didn't see it this is (grainy) coverage without talking heads:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwPMpXHa4PI

 

[proffate]

They all blew up, otherwise Pogi would’ve accelerated away from the Lotto guys

I don't think pogi blew up but he did blow it. He was still afraid of dragging De Lie to the line even though he needed to just go as hard as possible and let De Lie's legs decide the winner. Ok hindsight is 20/20 but what was he planning to do? If De Lie was strong enough to follow a superhuman all the way to the line and still out sprint him, he's also strong enough to follow his mortal teammates and then win the sprint.

This was pretty similar to the Flanders mistake.

 

[proffate]

Actually you do. If you have 3 guys in a group of 5 obviously you're gonna need to do the work. It's not as good as a situation as it looks. It's super risky. He doesn't need to try and find out when you have teammates who are good enough to follow. They completely burried Van Gils and Berckmoes (how strong as he become jeez) for someone who was already dead. It's a waste of an opportunity for both De Lie and especially the other 2.

Opportunity for second maybe. I don't see those two beating Pog if de lie isn't there. Tbh I think Lotto played their cards well, 3vs1 is the minimum needed to have a shot against Pog. It's Pog's fault for sitting up and letting the move go to waste. If De Lie hadn't been there, instead waiting on the sprint, Pog would have soloed it in after gapping everyone. So nothing Lotto could have done differently would have resulted in the dub.

 

[AmRacer]

Opportunity for second maybe. I don't see those two beating Pog if de lie isn't there. Tbh I think Lotto played their cards well, 3vs1 is the minimum needed to have a shot against Pog. It's Pog's fault for sitting up and letting the move go to waste. If De Lie hadn't been there, instead waiting on the sprint, Pog would have soloed it in after gapping everyone. So nothing Lotto could have done differently would have resulted in the dub.

Pog could do nothing with 3 Lotto, so it was Lottos responsibility to keep going. But they wanted to sit on Pogs wheel.

 

[proffate]

Pog could do nothing with 3 Lotto, so it was Lottos responsibility to keep going. But they wanted to sit on Pogs wheel.

What race did you watch? two lotto were pulling all the way to the line with Pog in their wheel, after Pog's attack. Pog and de lie were drafting.

Hell, what sport are you even watching? "Pog could do nothing with 3 lotto" have you watched any cycling this decade?

 

[Rob5091]

Chapeau Bling and number 3 win at Quebec. Waiting for the sprint was the right idea.

Pogi saying he waited for the sprint instead of atacking earlier -
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/i-...ebec-in-first-race-back-since-tour-de-france/

"We managed to do a really hard last couple of laps but I was not sure of my last kilometre if I would attack or not, but I made the wrong decision, waited for the sprint and I was boxed in."

De Lie and Lotto did I think all they could and chapeau to have 2 teammates with De Lie at the finish. If Pogacar had gone again before they got caught I think he would have got the win.

 

[Sciatic]

For American viewers it's a rarity. Cycling after breakfast instead of before.

And quite a few American riders.

Pos.	Rider	Team	Age at start
1	August Andrew	INEOS Grenadiers	18y + 337d
2	Shmidt Artem	INEOS Grenadiers	20y + 227d
3	Lamperti Luke	Soudal Quick-Step	21y + 257d
4	Sheffield Magnus	INEOS Grenadiers	22y + 148d
5	Simmons Quinn	Lidl - Trek	23y + 128d
6	Vermaerke Kevin	Team dsm-firmenich PostNL	23y + 332d
7	Quinn Sean	EF Education - EasyPost	24y + 126d
8	Jorgenson Matteo	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	25y + 75d
9	Powless Neilson	EF Education - EasyPost	28y + 10d
10	Phippen Logan	Team Novo Nordisk	32y + 126d
11	Craddock Lawson	Team Jayco AlUla	32y + 206d
12	Warbasse Larry	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team	34y + 78d

For a bike race, 12 is a lot of Americans.

😜

 

[AmRacer]

It's Pog's fault for sitting up and letting the move go to waste.

What race did you watch? two lotto were pulling all the way to the line with Pog in their wheel, after Pog's attack. Pog and de lie were drafting.

Hell, what sport are you even watching? "Pog could do nothing with 3 lotto" have you watched any cycling this decade?

You make it sounds it was Pogs fault. When it's 3 against the 🐐, the 3 have the responsibility.

 

[AmRacer]

If everyone is obligated to just help Pogacar any time I can see how you win everything.

There's no way De Lie should pull there

Not De Lie, and yes 3 is to few against Pog.

 

[tobydawq]

Matthews' forgettability seems to be his biggest asset. He's inherited that role in the somewhat lumpy but not truly hilly races where he is the threat of what happens if people don't take the bull by the horns.

And from a personal point of view, his forgettability is an asset in that if I remembered he existed more than a handful of times a year, I'd probably really dislike him à la Gerrans. As it is, if I miss a race and then see him on the podium, it's usually a byword for "you should probably skip this one", but this thread appears to suggest that the latter parts of the race were actually worth checking out.

It definitely is. His Tour win from '22 definitely also is and on that occasion - unlike yesterday - he rode very much unlike Gerrans.

 

[Lequack]

Some pics

 

[movingtarget]

Matthews again. Nice sprint.

 

[Bolder]

Thank God, Matthews won today, as it's been a wasted year. Due to a combination of lack of team strength, tactical naivety on Matthew's account and his own mental fragility, he's cost himself another 3 or 4 wins. Will add that DeLie is tactically naive. When Pogi attacked on the final lap, he had to let his domestics chase down Pogi and stay in the bunch.

Because some random Belgian farmers can chase down the world’s greatest cyclist? It wasn’t a bad idea by DeLie but once he caught Pog there wasn’t really a plan B. If no one goes after Pog he likely wins.

 

[proffate]

Thank God, Matthews won today, as it's been a wasted year. Due to a combination of lack of team strength, tactical naivety on Matthew's account and his own mental fragility, he's cost himself another 3 or 4 wins. Will add that DeLie is tactically naive. When Pogi attacked on the final lap, he had to let his domestics chase down Pogi and stay in the bunch.

Just cause Matthews wears his heart on his sleeve doesn't mean he's fragile. I don't think the mental aspect is what's holding him back. He's just a cut rate Sagan who needs the perfect course to win. Even yesterday he would have lost to Bini if Bini didn't botch the positioning.

(Actually the comparison to Sagan is a bit unfair as Sagan did lose the drive to compete in later years. Bling looks pretty resilient in comparison.)

 

[yaco]

Just cause Matthews wears his heart on his sleeve doesn't mean he's fragile. I don't think the mental aspect is what's holding him back. He's just a cut rate Sagan who needs the perfect course to win. Even yesterday he would have lost to Bini if Bini didn't botch the positioning.

(Actually the comparison to Sagan is a bit unfair as Sagan did lose the drive to compete in later years. Bling looks pretty resilient in comparison.)

Matthews has been mentally fragile at times this year. His training numbers have been excellent this year and he should have got more than 2 wins this year. You also add some tactical naivety and lack of team support and that's your recipe. At the end of the day, Bling went early in the final and was far too strong.