LA fleche wallone thread

[movingtarget]

2010 Fleche had the best Mur de Huy pacing.

Even Gilbert attacked at like 350 to go when he won it

Evans learned his lesson from the year before while Contador went a little early.

 

[Squire]

Which part of Norway? Bit of a distance between the North and the South...

5-7 degrees and rain/sleet is pretty normal everywhere. But I think a big problem for the riders today was that it didn't start out like that, and that some were a bit more prepared or quicker to get themselves properly clothed than others.

 

[Norbea]

Which part of Norway? Bit of a distance between the North and the South...

Don´t know which part he's referring to. But I am in the northern part and we are still skiing.

 

[roundabout]

Or you didn't see today's race? It was 3 degrees today too and a strong wind instead of a weak one.

But no, I didn't watch that race, I'm just saying the weather was quite shitty today and based on what you've written, it wasn't worse back then.

Of course it cleared up a bit today so the final 30 kilometres weren't as brutal as the preceding 60.

Well, yes, that the whole point, the weather cleared up today towards the end while it did not in 1999 (arguably it got worse as race went on).

 

[BigCoward]

Of course the Welsh dude won in that weather.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Skjelmose was totally frozen

https://twitter.com/x/status/1780593118733103297

View: https://twitter.com/willoo31/status/1780593118733103297

Seems pretty extreme. But actually I've thought about this scenario since I first noticed him at close range in a youth class licenced race; immediate thoughts were that this guy must have extremely low fat percentage and that it must hit him hard on a day when the weather is not exactly a gift for him.

 

[Sciatic]

It's always like this. Camera from behind can still show a solo rider. Camera behind a group doesn't show the strong guys in the front, so camerabike is ahead.

I don’t know why more people can’t see this?

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

View: https://youtu.be/7iUGVK7BNtY?t=162


look at the weather graph in the video at that timestamp

I think it was snowing then at some point

Cannoth fathom 25 years have gone!
Who has activated the fast forward button!?
I want to go back home!

 

[proffate]

Would be a bit tough for the organisers.

I'd think it was easy to find volunteers willing to man the roadside hoses?

 

[Sciatic]

1			Williams Stephen	Israel-Premier Tech	400​	04:40:24​
2			Vauquelin Kévin	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	320​	+ 00​
3			Van Gils Maxim	Lotto Dstny	260​	+ 03​
4			Cosnefroy Benoît	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team	220​	+ 03​
5			Buitrago Santiago	Bahrain Victorious	180​	+ 03​
6			Johannessen Tobias Halland	Uno-X Mobility	140​	+ 10​
7			Grégoire Romain	Groupama-FDJ	120​	+ 10​
8			Godon Dorian	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team	100​	+ 10​
9			Benoot Tiesj	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	80​	+ 10​
10			Martin Guillaume	Cofidis	68​	+ 10​
11			Champoussin Clément	ARKEA-B&B HOTELS	56​	+ 16​
12			Skujins Toms	Lidl-Trek	48​	+ 18​
13			Carapaz Richard	EF Education-EasyPost	40​	+ 20​
14			Jegat Jordan	TotalEnergies	32​	+ 23​
15			Madouas Valentin	Groupama-FDJ	28​	+ 24​
16			Van Wilder Ilan	Soudal Quick-Step	24​	+ 24​
17			Eiking Odd Christian	Uno-X Mobility	24​	+ 24​
18			Laurance Axel	Alpecin-Deceuninck	24​	+ 24​
19			Hermans Quinten	Alpecin-Deceuninck	24​	+ 30​
20			van Dijke Tim	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	24​	+ 32​
21			Leijnse Enzo	Team dsm-firmenich PostNL	16​	+ 32​
22			Armirail Bruno	Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team	16​	+ 32​
23			Skaarseth Anders	Uno-X Mobility	16​	+ 36​
24			Formolo Davide	Movistar Team	16​	+ 36​
25			Doubey Fabien	TotalEnergies	16​	+ 41​
26			Adrià Roger	BORA-hansgrohe	16​	+ 43​
27			Staune-Mittet Johannes	Team Visma | Lease a Bike	16​	+ 52​
28			Van Boven Luca	Bingoal WB	16​	+ 59​
29			Howson Damien	Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team	16​	+ 01:08​
30			Hoelgaard Markus	Uno-X Mobility	16​	+ 01:21​

All the big power teams on the podium

 

[search]

Oh look, Ulissi working at 90k to go???

he can still be the best UAE rider in the end, no worries

he was last to abandon at least, by the look of it. No UAE riders made it to the finish. Same for Ineos, Intermarché and Jayco

 

[Krzysztof_O]

he was last to abandon at least, by the look of it. No UAE riders made it to the finish. Same for Ineos, Intermarché and Jayco

Apparently Teddy called and told them to save themselves for the Sunday labour camp.

 

[TrekCyclist]

Seems pretty extreme. But actually I've thought about this scenario since I first noticed him at close range in a youth class licenced race; immediate thoughts were that this guy must have extremely low fat percentage and that it must hit him hard on a day when the weather is not exactly a gift for him.

Also, seems not the optimal choice of clothing for these conditions tbh. Full gloves, longer / different trousers and an additional thermo vest maybe could have saved him from this. Hope he recovers fast.

 

[Poursuivant]

Brutal conditions

 

[Netserk]

It's not like that has happened every year...

Roglic went earlier than this, Fuglsang went earlier than this.

2021 (and 2020) was without Cherave.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

So, no need for the ice tub today then?

Maybe just a lukewarm bath first to defrost, ice tub later is optional.

 

[Slavique Nuke]

As a Norwegian, seeing this weather characterized as 'dantesque' makes me quite jealous of what you non-Arctic people see as normal. This was a pretty average day in Norway for about 8 out of the 12 months of the year. No wonder Uno-X had all their guys in the front group, I guess.

Folks who have the Sun up all day for months complain about the weather

 

[wheresmybrakes]

Looking at the state of Skeljmose, it makes you wonder how he managed to get up the last climb. Well done to him. Now get in that bath!

 

[Berniece]

No Valverde leading the peloton from 500 m to go with a controlled and even pace until the sprint after it flattens.

Valverde also went earlier and didn’t always wait until it flattened the last 150m.

 

[Red Rick]

Skjelmose was totally frozen

https://twitter.com/x/status/1780593118733103297

View: https://twitter.com/willoo31/status/1780593118733103297

That's awful managment by team and rider he gets off that late

 

[RedheadDane]

Folks who have the Sun up all day for months complain about the weather

They also have no sun at all for months.
But those things are only in the northernmost parts.

 

[tobydawq]

2021 (and 2020) was without Cherave.

Fair enough but it still seems like quite a weird obsession you have with that climb for a very little difference.

I'm just annoyed that it prevented Sagan from having a shot in 2013.

 

[Sciatic]

That's awful managment by team and rider he gets off that late

Scary.

 

[Netserk]

Fair enough but it still seems like quite a weird obsession you have with that climb for a very little difference.

I'm just annoyed that it prevented Sagan from having a shot in 2013.

It was introduced in 2015 (because of the Tour).

 

[staubsauger]

Skjelmose was totally frozen

https://twitter.com/x/status/1780593118733103297

View: https://twitter.com/willoo31/status/1780593118733103297

Nah, looks fine compared to Erik Breukink & Bob Roll! 🥶😄