Yes he did, and I agree that Landa being the local boy should get to target that race. However, I also remember Valverde saying that as the team leader you must race for your teammates once in awhile if you expect them to race for you and give you everything they have. He was supposed to go to Paris-Nice last year and didn't because he'd gotten sick. So maybe go this year and then Catalonia and let Landa have Pais Vasco to himself, which would be fair.WheelofGear said:Valverde already won Pais Vasco, job done. Let Landa target the race. He is the local boy after all.
I'd like to see Paris-Nice again. And I wonder if he could get away with a small group like last year on Poggio. The climb is on paper not hard enough but Alaphilippe was able to jump away with Kwai and Sagan after all.
Nirvana said:If he'll ride Paris-Nice he can't go to Strade Bianche where he can realistically win.
In MSR he doesn't stand a chance.
He is faster than Alaphilippe and occasionally faster than Kwiatkowski. And like GVA and Kwai, he could outsprint a spent Sagan. In fact, he has done it before in the Vuelta.Nirvana said:Where there were riders faster than him in a flat sprint.
He should go with a rider like Nibali to win or solo, he's pretty fast compared to GT riders but in a flat sprint with fast classics guys he can't win, and the stronger in MSR are all fast men.
The stage of the Vuelta where he outsprinted Sagan had the last 500 metres uphill and an hard ramp in the last kilometres, it's completely different to a flat sprint. I remember Sagan in the post race interview saying that if he knew it was so hard the finale he didn't even try.Velolover2 said:He is faster than Alaphilippe and occasionally faster than Kwiatkowski. And like GVA and Kwai, he could outsprint a spent Sagan. In fact, he has done it before in the Vuelta.Nirvana said:Where there were riders faster than him in a flat sprint.
He should go with a rider like Nibali to win or solo, he's pretty fast compared to GT riders but in a flat sprint with fast classics guys he can't win, and the stronger in MSR are all fast men.
The problem isn't his sprint against those guys but his ability to jump away with them on a relatively flat climb like Poggio. You need more raw power than climbing skills to do that. The likes of Kwai and Gilbert can do it, but I think Valverde is too light weight.
He out sprinted Kwiatkowski, Alaphilippe and Van Avermaet numerous times on the flat, so I don't know what you're talking about.Nirvana said:The stage of the Vuelta where he outsprinted Sagan had the last 500 metres uphill and an hard ramp in the last kilometres, it's completely different to a flat sprint. I remember Sagan in the post race interview saying that if he knew it was so hard the finale he didn't even try.Velolover2 said:He is faster than Alaphilippe and occasionally faster than Kwiatkowski. And like GVA and Kwai, he could outsprint a spent Sagan. In fact, he has done it before in the Vuelta.Nirvana said:Where there were riders faster than him in a flat sprint.
He should go with a rider like Nibali to win or solo, he's pretty fast compared to GT riders but in a flat sprint with fast classics guys he can't win, and the stronger in MSR are all fast men.
The problem isn't his sprint against those guys but his ability to jump away with them on a relatively flat climb like Poggio. You need more raw power than climbing skills to do that. The likes of Kwai and Gilbert can do it, but I think Valverde is too light weight.
He can outsprint Sagan, Alaphilippe, Kwiatkowski, Van Avermaet if is uphill not on the flat.
For this reason i think he should ride Strade Bianche, in a uphill finish like Siena he can win against fast classics riders and he doesn't have any problem in following them on the sterrato.
Well, if Liege is a flat sprint he beat Alaphilippe there in 2015. He was faster then Van Avermaet in Ponferrada 2014 and in Amstel 2015 for example. And he beat Kwiat numerous times, couple of times at Liege, twice at Amstel (although he lost the most important one in 2015) and once in Pais Vasco if I remember correctly.Netserk said:When?
I don't recall so, and when I check his wins since his ban, none of them (I'm 99% sure) were in a flat sprint against any of those three riders.
He is definitely a better sprinter than Alaphilippe who is more Albasini-tier on the flat.Blanco said:Well, if Liege is a flat sprint he beat Alaphilippe there in 2015. He was faster then Van Avermaet in Ponferrada 2014 and in Amstel 2015 for example. And he beat Kwiat numerous times, couple of times at Liege, twice at Amstel (although he lost the most important one in 2015) and once in Pais Vasco if I remember correctly.Netserk said:When?
I don't recall so, and when I check his wins since his ban, none of them (I'm 99% sure) were in a flat sprint against any of those three riders.
Bottom line is I don't claim he's faster then those guys on the flat, but he can certainly beat them.
You asked for a flat sprint and you got it tho. You can also add a bunch of Catalunya stages to that list.Netserk said:Liege is an uphill finish.
I'll give you Ponferrada. Amstel is a bit more complicated and heavily influenced by Cauberg, so while the sprint is flat, granted, I wouldn't compare it to Via Roma. He only outright won the sprint in Amstel in '13, mind.
The biggest difference is of course the vertical gain in races. A hard hilly race favors Valverde in the sprint, obviously. That can't be said of MSR (nor Flanders).
Dude, Valverde won couple of 30-40 men bunch sprints in his career, he beat the likes of Freire, Hushovd, Gerrans and Coquard, something Cancellara never did. So I highly doubt that Cancellara was faster then Valverde at any point in their respective careers.Nirvana said:Maybe one time out ten he can beat one of them on the flat but it's very hard to happen and for sure he can't beat three of them like if he would have been with them in this year MSR.
And a small group breaking away on the Poggio is less likely than a bigger sprint with more fast (and faster) guys.
I think if in some way he'll manage to win MSR will be something exceptional in race difficult to win even for riders better suited than him, think for example at the two greatest classics riders of 21st century, a lot faster rider and with more raw power like Boonen that never win it and a faster rider with a lot more raw power like Cancellara that managed to win it only one time sneaking away in the last km.
It probably has to be steeper than 10-15 % for Sagan to not be the fastest if the final climb is shorter than a kilometer. Just think back at the European Championships last year, when Alaphilippe was completely destroyed. And in the Tour last year, the same happened with Valverde and van Avermaet also in the mix. The same would have happened in Rodez 2015 if Sagan's brain had worked and not told him to sit down when he reached Greg's wheel and instead just keep the momentum to go past him.WheelofGear said:Uphill sprint (depending on the gradient):
1. Valverde
2. Alaphilippe
3. Kwiatkowski/Sagan
4. GVA
Flat sprint (including 1-2% gradients):
1. Sagan
2. GVA
3. Kwiatkowski/Valverde
4. Alaphilippe
But I'd like to see them all five in a close match next year. Make them to ride at least 4 out of 5 of the classics like the Grand Tour challenge a couple of years ago.
I think some people are seeing milder gradients (3-5%) as being kryptonite for Valverde. More so than the flat.tobydawq said:What I don't understand is the claims from some people that he is as fast as some of the others in a sprint but not powerful enough to go away with them on the Poggio. It makes no sense to claim that he should be able to sprint better than them on the flat but not as well when it's rising....WheelofGear said:Uphill sprint (depending on the gradient):
1. Valverde
2. Alaphilippe
3. Kwiatkowski/Sagan
4. GVA
Flat sprint (including 1-2% gradients):
1. Sagan
2. GVA
3. Kwiatkowski/Valverde
4. Alaphilippe
But I'd like to see them all five in a close match next year. Make them to ride at least 4 out of 5 of the classics like the Grand Tour challenge a couple of years ago.