Greg Van Avermaet

[tobydawq]

Re:

At this rate, there won't be anyone left to sprint against him on the Champs Elysees.

Sagan isn't going anywhere. Neither is Cort who has been among the 30 last remaining in the peloton the past couple of days.

 

[Amazinmets87]

What a Tour so far. What's next for GVA? A top 25 + a win on Champs?

 

[SHAD0W93]

He is definitely doing going sitting 17th but should try grtying as many stages as possible.

 

[Amazinmets87]

GVA should attemor to make break every remaining stage. Would love to see him and BMC crack the GC men on the flats of stage 18. Top 15 would be phenomenal

 

[Nirvana]

The only stage where the break will succed it's 19, today will be probably all out for the entire stage and tomorrow the break could go only if Sagan, Kristoff and Degenkolb will finish outside time limit today.

 

[Vasilis]

Re: Re:

At this rate, there won't be anyone left to sprint against him on the Champs Elysees.

Sagan isn't going anyway. Neither is Cort who has been among the 30 last remaining in the peloton the past couple of days.

Yeah put Cort only has 1 top 10 in bunch sprints this Tour, and that was after all the sprinters left and Van Avermaet finished ahead of him.

 

[jmdirt]

He's looking pretty solid...

 

[Valanga]

Re:

He's looking pretty solid...

That's his thing, looking pretty solid and finish behind Sagan in the important races ;-)

 

[Emotional Cobble Guy]

Re: Re:

He's looking pretty solid...

That's his thing, looking pretty solid and finish behind Sagan in the important races ;-)

Lol you missed out on quite a number of races then
Interesting to see how it's gonna go. I think he overdid himself in 2017, hence the slight but clear drop in strength during the earlier part of the 2018 season. I think he'll be fresher now, had a longer winter too.

 

[Flamin]

Absolutely loved today's version of GVA. A bit like the old one. Make the race and don't be afraid to lose. His attack on the Tiegemberg was bloody looong. I fully understand why he was so mad at himself after Sanremo that he missed the boat, because he certainly must have had the legs to be in the front group and sprint for the win.

I pray that he wins de Ronde.

 

[Nirvana]

In Sanremo i think he had a bad day, every time i spotted him in the last 80 kms he was in the bottom half of peloton, even when before the Cipressa a couple of orange jerseys appeared near the front were without him, he tried to sprint up the peloton only at the beginning of the Poggio when the pace was already too high and riders were dropping from everywhere with a lot of gaps.
A rider with a lot of experience like him doesn't ride in this way in race where is essential to be always on the front at least in the last 50 kms if doesn't have a problem.

 

[Flamin]

Re:

In Sanremo i think he had a bad day, every time i spotted him in the last 80 kms he was in the bottom half of peloton, even when before the Cipressa a couple of orange jerseys appeared near the front were without him, he tried to sprint up the peloton only at the beginning of the Poggio when the pace was already too high and riders were dropping from everywhere with a lot of gaps.
A rider with a lot of experience like him doesn't ride in this way in race where is essential to be always on the front at least in the last 50 kms if doesn't have a problem.

You'd expect a rider like Sagan to not *** up the sprint like that either, yet he did. These things happen.

And you most certainly don't have to be near the front in the final 50k of Milano Sanremo. Nothing ever happens before the Poggio.

 

[Emotional Cobble Guy]

Re:

Absolutely loved today's version of GVA. A bit like the old one. Make the race and don't be afraid to lose. His attack on the Tiegemberg was bloody looong. I fully understand why he was so mad at himself after Sanremo that he missed the boat, because he certainly must have had the legs to be in the front group and sprint for the win.

I pray that he wins de Ronde.

AMEN

 

[Wvv]

Re: Re:

Absolutely loved today's version of GVA. A bit like the old one. Make the race and don't be afraid to lose. His attack on the Tiegemberg was bloody looong. I fully understand why he was so mad at himself after Sanremo that he missed the boat, because he certainly must have had the legs to be in the front group and sprint for the win.

I pray that he wins de Ronde.

AMEN

+1
GVA winning de Ronde will make me have peace with all other results this season.

 

[Nirvana]

Re: Re:

In Sanremo i think he had a bad day, every time i spotted him in the last 80 kms he was in the bottom half of peloton, even when before the Cipressa a couple of orange jerseys appeared near the front were without him, he tried to sprint up the peloton only at the beginning of the Poggio when the pace was already too high and riders were dropping from everywhere with a lot of gaps.
A rider with a lot of experience like him doesn't ride in this way in race where is essential to be always on the front at least in the last 50 kms if doesn't have a problem.

You'd expect a rider like Sagan to not **** up the sprint like that either, yet he did. These things happen.

And you most certainly don't have to be near the front in the final 50k of Milano Sanremo. Nothing ever happens before the Poggio.

You have, Sanremo is one of the few races in which positioning is almost essential, there are dozen of narrowing sectors on the road due to galleries and town centre crossings that stretches the peloton and create the elastic effect when you return on a wider road, if you are in the second half of the group is always a sprint to follow riders in front of you, do this 5, 10, 15 times and you are done. And this year that happened more than ever considering that the fast pace started early than usual because of the big break upfront.

 

[Screecher]

Another winless classics season. Is this the new norm or will he be able to repeat his 2017 results? You could say that age is not on his side but then look at what Gilbert and Valverde were able to do.

 

[Red Rick]

Re:

Another winless classics season. Is this the new norm or will he be able to repeat his 2017 results? You could say that age is not on his side but then look at what Gilbert and Valverde were able to do.

Gilbert and Valverde were winning year in year out.

GvA had like 2 years in which he was a top contender in the races he rides.

 

[Wvv]

So, as stated in the Canada GP's thread, I think we're witnessing some of the 2016-2017 GVA again.
I don't say he's top favourite for the world title now, but this might be his biggest chance (and certainly one of the last).

 

[Red Rick]

So, as stated in the Canada GP's thread, I think we're witnessing some of the 2016-2017 GVA again.
I don't say he's top favourite for the world title now, but this might be his biggest chance (and certainly one of the last).

I don't buy GvA being at that level again.

I think he wasted his only chance at the Worlds in 2016 when Belgium had 6 dudes in the final 15 and decided to sprint against Sagan and Cavendish.

 

[Wvv]

I think he wasted his only chance at the Worlds in 2016 when Belgium had 6 dudes in the final 15 and decided to sprint against Sagan and Cavendish.

Well ... only chance? In 2015 he was very good, lost track of Sagan's wheel downhill and then Boasson Hagen didn't want to cooperate because of Kristoff, who got 4th ... A year before he had a really good shot too. And he was already fifth in 2010.

 

[Wvv]

Really think he has a decent shot tomorrow. He's not top favourite of course, but if he's there to sprint uphill after a demanding race ...

 

[Emotional Cobble Guy]

I don't buy GvA being at that level again.

I think he wasted his only chance at the Worlds in 2016 when Belgium had 6 dudes in the final 15 and decided to sprint against Sagan and Cavendish.

THIS
That was a pretty retarted race from Belgian point of view and very naive to assume Boonen would have stood a chance against Cav and Peto at that point. I'm quite sure old Tom forbid anyone from having a go, you see, Kevin De Weert (the national coach at the time) used to be a domestique for Boonen ... . The Belgian squad jus towed some sprinters to the finish line, they should at least have let GVA or Roelandts have a go in the final 2K.... . Heard Tom tried to pull the same thing in the 2012 worlds but luckily Gilbert could 'hire' Leukemans at the right time.

 

[Red Rick]

THIS
That was a pretty retarted race from Belgian point of view and very naive to assume Boonen would have stood a chance against Cav and Peto at that point. I'm quite sure old Tom forbid anyone from having a go, you see, Kevin De Weert (the national coach at the time) used to be a domestique for Boonen ... . The Belgian squad jus towed some sprinters to the finish line, they should at least have let GVA or Roelandts have a go in the final 2K.... . Heard Tom tried to pull the same thing in the 2012 worlds but luckily Gilbert could 'hire' Leukemans at the right time.

Gilbert wasnt ever losing 2012 and Boonen wasnt ever gonna top 20 it. 2012 sounds weird to me but 2016 Id absolutely buy.

Still think that WC deserved Tom Leezer as the champion

 

[Emotional Cobble Guy]

Gilbert wasnt ever losing 2012 and Boonen wasnt ever gonna top 20 it. 2012 sounds weird to me but 2016 Id absolutely buy.

Still think that WC deserved Tom Leezer as the champion

I agree, however my source is a documentary on Belgian TV where Leukemans told that -Boonen all for me- story in regards to Valkenburg.
Leezer for the win I agree as well hahhhhha balls in

 

[Thomson]

Will he finally be able to win Flanders?