Kwiat Beats the wheelsuckers! Best thing of worlds?

[Miburo]

Amazing performance, the man cheered while the wheelsuckers were hoping they could still outsprint him.

Gerrans, like someone pointed out? What would have happened if you took a pull bro?

 

[Ferminal]

lol @ the Gerrans hate, imagine if he actually won! May have eclipsed the Bottle Suisse 2011 meltdown.

 

[the sceptic]

The best part is that Gerro will forever be haunted by the thought of what could have happened if he took a pull.

 

[Miburo]

lol @ the Gerrans hate, imagine if he actually won! May have eclipsed the Bottle Suisse 2011 meltdown.

A dark side within me was hoping for it so that i can unleash my hate for him to an unseen extent on this forum.

 

[Richeypen]

Everyone knew exactly what Gerrans was going to do today. For some reason only the Poles tried to stop him.

 

[Afrank]

Kwiatkowski winning the obvious answer.

Because if he hadn't had the balls to go for it the polls second option would have come to pass in the form of winning it.

Seriously though, just happy to have a winner that went off the front and took a chance instead of just waiting for the sprint (which Kwiat could have done, he's not to bad at the sprint himself).

 

[SeriousSam]

Gerrans is such a coward, he had put in a pull like the others, Valverde would have won this.

 

[Mellow Velo]

The best part is that Gerro will forever be haunted by the thought of what could have happened if he took a pull.

I'd rate this your best ever post.

The only guy in the race prepared to risk an attack from 7kms out, instead of the now customary 4km mark on this course, reaps the reward.
Plus the Polish team did all the donkey work to pull back the break.

With both Gerrans and Piti getting into that chase bunch, there was only going to be one outcome.

Sometimes, playing chicken, can lead to a rider getting well and truly plucked.

 

[Lupetto]

The best part is that Gerro will forever be haunted by the thought of what could have happened if he took a pull.

I don't think so. Gerrans doesn't even know what this is.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Gerrans has accumulated his palmarès since 2010 by never taking a pull, and has become an emblem of negative and disappointing racing as a result.

Now people are enjoying him not winning because he never took a pull. With Valverde 3rd, a lot of people are rejoicing in the success of daring over timidness for the first time in a while. After all, in Firenze Rodríguez, the one who brought all the entertainment to the table, was thwarted at the last due to Valverde being asleep at the wheel with 1km to go. This year, the one that brought the guts won out.

Valverde is actually a much more aggressive racer than people give him credit for, as seen in his wins in Roma Maxima, the GP Big Mig and San Sebastián this year. However, on the biggest occasions, the old "stay cool, wait til the sprint" Valverde tends to rear its head again and remind people why he got that tag in the first place.

Gerrans hasn't been an even remotely aggressive racer since he left Cervélo. It's just that he's honed his sprint from a reduced bunch so that he can win rather than come 7th in it now.

 

[Ferminal]

Hopefully this the start of a reverse Cancellara's Curse for Gerrans.

 

[MellowJohnny]

A bold attacking move pays of, well done Kwiatkowski - I thought he was a future rainbow jersey wearer but not this soon in his career.

 

[Jancouver]

Hopefully this the start of a reverse Cancellara's Curse for Gerrans.

Hopefully Kwiat will not suffer from the rainbow jersey curse

 

[Arredondo]

Gerrans has accumulated his palmarès since 2010 by never taking a pull, and has become an emblem of negative and disappointing racing as a result.

Now people are enjoying him not winning because he never took a pull. With Valverde 3rd, a lot of people are rejoicing in the success of daring over timidness for the first time in a while. After all, in Firenze Rodríguez, the one who brought all the entertainment to the table, was thwarted at the last due to Valverde being asleep at the wheel with 1km to go. This year, the one that brought the guts won out.

Valverde is actually a much more aggressive racer than people give him credit for, as seen in his wins in Roma Maxima, the GP Big Mig and San Sebastián this year. However, on the biggest occasions, the old "stay cool, wait til the sprint" Valverde tends to rear its head again and remind people why he got that tag in the first place.

Gerrans hasn't been an even remotely aggressive racer since he left Cervélo. It's just that he's honed his sprint from a reduced bunch so that he can win rather than come 7th in it now.

This. When the races are not so big, the more he attacks and dares to take risks. The bigger the races, the more he's afraid he makes mistakes and loses the race.

 

[DFA123]

This. When the races are not so big, the more he attacks and dares to take risks. The bigger the races, the more he's afraid he makes mistakes and loses the race.

But in the bigger races it is more difficult. Teams are stronger so attacks from further out are less likely to stick. Also, in the WC all the best riders in the world are there, with many of them peaking for it - it's much harder to drop everyone than in a race like San Sebastian.

 

[Arredondo]

But in the bigger races it is more difficult. Teams are stronger so attacks from further out are less likely to stick. Also, in the WC all the best riders in the world are there, with many of them peaking for it - it's much harder to drop everyone than in a race like San Sebastian.

Sure, but you still can put an all-in-attack on la Redoute or Mirador (today) for example. But you're right the level is so high that it is already a expection to be as dominant as someone like Gilbert was back in '11.

And in this year's Clasica, all he did was follow Purito on the steep climb, and rode away in the descent. Nothing really special imo

 

[Red Rick]

For Valverde, attacking from further out was the perfect way to screw up. He had the bad luck that Kwiatkowski got away and that he couldn't drop Gerrans

 

[MellowJohnny]

Kwiatkowski's attack today reminded me of Adam Hansens attack in the Vuelta a few weeks ago.

 

[Jagartrott]

The best part is that Gerro will forever be haunted by the thought of what could have happened if he took a pull.

Exactly.
This time, it was especially obvious.

 

[dirkprovin]

Exactly.
This time, it was especially obvious.

Really .... and how are you so certain ?? Kwia eased up and started celebrating well before the line thus making it look far closer than it really was. Chapeau to him ...... he calculated what would work best for him, took the chance and it paid off. Gerrans took one short turn early in the move then sat on; he was far from alone in doing so. Their group certainly didn't sit up and fart around arguing like what happened in yesterday's women's race.

We can argue race "aesthetics" until we're blue in the face but Gerrans and Valverde have worked out what works for THEM and their abilities/skill set ..... and they get results. I'm certain their team-mates/team managers don't chide them over 'aesthetics' when the prize money and points some in.

 

[Sciocco]

Boring race, but expected as much 5/10
Kwia wins 15/10
Gerrans does not win 10/10

 

[Cance > TheRest]

If there was a 'none of the above'-option in the poll, I would have voted for that. The only very good thing about the race, was Valgren's impressive ride. Valverde getting a medal (though not of gold ) and the fact that Gerrans didn't win, was ofcourse okay aswell. Kwiatkowski winning was a bit meh. Not a fan, never will be and I generally just don't care much about him, as impressive as he might seem

 

[BigMac]

If there was a 'none of the above'-option in the poll, I would have voted for that. The only very good thing about the race, was Valgren's impressive ride. Valverde getting a medal (though not of gold ) and the fact that Gerrans didn't win, was ofcourse okay aswell. Kwiatkowski winning was a bit meh. Not a fan, never will be and I generally just don't care much about him, as impressive as he might seem

Great post Cance. I'm a fan now.

 

[movingtarget]

Gerrans has accumulated his palmarès since 2010 by never taking a pull, and has become an emblem of negative and disappointing racing as a result.

Now people are enjoying him not winning because he never took a pull. With Valverde 3rd, a lot of people are rejoicing in the success of daring over timidness for the first time in a while. After all, in Firenze Rodríguez, the one who brought all the entertainment to the table, was thwarted at the last due to Valverde being asleep at the wheel with 1km to go. This year, the one that brought the guts won out.

Valverde is actually a much more aggressive racer than people give him credit for, as seen in his wins in Roma Maxima, the GP Big Mig and San Sebastián this year. However, on the biggest occasions, the old "stay cool, wait til the sprint" Valverde tends to rear its head again and remind people why he got that tag in the first place.

Gerrans hasn't been an even remotely aggressive racer since he left Cervélo. It's just that he's honed his sprint from a reduced bunch so that he can win rather than come 7th in it now.

You need to check out some cycling history. Plenty of successful riders did what Gerrans does and no one had a problem with it. Gerrans did come to the front but they kept looking at each other. Gilbert did the bulk of the chasing. The hesitation cost them the race not Gerrans. You are right Valverde is aggressive in races he is expected to win but not in the best races although his San Sebastian win was superb. If Kwia was a caught I would not have had a problem with either Valverde or Gerrans winning. What is worse is when a rider gets into a breakaway and does not work. Not sure what the French rider thought he was doing but they finally had enough of him and stopped working.

 

[auscyclefan94]

You need to check out some cycling history. Plenty of successful riders did what Gerrans does and no one had a problem with it. Gerrans did come to the front but they kept looking at each other. Gilbert did the bulk of the chasing. The hesitation cost them the race not Gerrans. You are right Valverde is aggressive in races he is expected to win but not in the best races although his San Sebastian win was superb. If Kwia was a caught I would not have had a problem with either Valverde or Gerrans winning. What is worse is when a rider gets into a breakaway and does not work. Not sure what the French rider thought he was doing but they finally had enough of him and stopped working.

Gerrans did not come to the front at all for the chase. His modus operandi was, 'I'll let the others do the work and clean up in the sprint'. I would be more supportive (still not 100% aboard with the team vote fiasco in 2009) of him if he actually took a pull in a victory. Whether it be his victory in the Tour Down Under or his victories in pretty much any one day race that he has won, he simply sits in the wheel and cleans up in the sprint. That is all well and good if you are a bunch sprinter, but that doesn't fly when you are a so-called 'classic specialist'.

I also resent the fact that he is strongly fawned over by the Australian cycling press by the likes of Tomalaris, Mackenzie, etc. The guy is not an 'A-Grade' rider in any discipline. The only people in the past decade from Australia who could regard themselves as being at that level in a discipline of road cycling are Evans and maybe Mcewen. He does not really deserve the palmares that he has attained. Good luck to him, but I won't be barracking for him anytime soon.