Last battle at lombardy! Who will win?

[powderpuff]

You and dekker tifosi need to get a room. the way you guys suck up to gesink is sickening. i thought you as an australian would appreciate a little more for the amount he has done for australian cycling and the feats he has risen to. You may think that we "fanboys" go on about his bad luck but over the years he has been close but hadn't had the support or luck needed to win the tdf or the vuelta or the giro.... i could go on.

Evans was superb today and hopefully lotto give back some of the great support evans has given gilbert and the publicity from the victories he has got over the years that they will give him all the support required.

Silence have a lot of good riders who could win a lot but their seems to be a lack of direction, focus and working for each other. They are finally getting it right... well hopefully. Lotto's season has been salvaged big time by evans and gilbert. Imagine what S/L be like without those two.

Hey mate, chill, this is not a place for converting the disbelievers.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

No offence taken at all...

On these forums you can make a comment about a particular incident and depending on the rider it can be viewed as whinging but made about another rider it will be viewed differently.

That's the way these forums work, they would be a pretty boring place if we all had the same views. I enjoy the obscure and sometimes perverse (is that a word?) opinions; do I let them get me down, no way; just like the comments about Gesink from the learned folk out there don't worry you either.

I agree, nicely put.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Hey mate, chill, this is not a place for converting the disbelievers.

Agreed. Did you get my Private message?

 

[powderpuff]

Did you get my Private message?

Gee a private message.. people will think we are dating...

 

[auscyclefan94]

Gee a private message.. people will think we are dating...

To put this in the open, i'm from melb and i think your from the sunshine state so we are a bit far apart to date

 

[craig1985]

Yeasterday I watched the DVD of the 2008 Omloop Het Volk were Gilbert went on a suicidal break 49km out (and he was not wearing his radio either) from the finish. Well suicidal to the other riders, commentators, and all the other pundits, as Gilbert stayed away to the finish. Clearly a good omen there.

Gilbert's year:

1st Giro di Lombardia
1st Paris-Tours
1st Stage 20 Giro d'Italia
1st Giro del Piemonte
1st Coppa Sabatini
1st Overall Ster Elektrotoer
1st Stage 4
3rd Ronde van Vlaanderen
4th Amstel Gold Race
4th Liège-Bastogne-Liège

What a year for Gilbert. Apparently after the Classics, the S/L management read the riot act to them, so what a way to make up for the lousy Classics and TdF.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Finally, the real breakthrough for Gilbert.

Sanremo will be next!

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I find cunego's post race comments some what tasteless. And he is one of my favorite riders.

 

[Moondance]

You and dekker tifosi need to get a room. the way you guys suck up to gesink is sickening.

Says someone with a Cadel Evans picture as his avatar and a Cadel Evans quote as his signature.

BTW, can I be included with dekker and timmy please, I can suck hard in an upwards direction, I promise.

 

[Moondance]

I find cunego's post race comments some what tasteless. And he is one of my favorite riders.

Totally agree. To the first part, not the 2nd.

 

[TheObjectiveBelgian]

Appearently all FDJ did was screw him up in small races. 1 year Silence and Gilbert can do this... wow.

I do not agree, Gilbert is one year older, stronger...
And SL is a better team then FDJ...
That's all...

That's how it is in cycling, you have teams with small budgets and then you have teams with big budgets...

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

actually SIL don't have a big budget at all.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I do not agree, Gilbert is one year older, stronger...
And SL is a better team then FDJ...
That's all...

That's how it is in cycling, you have teams with small budgets and then you have teams with big budgets...

In 1 year from outside top 10 to winning these classics and finishing top 3 is not 1 year older, stronger, that's a huge leap

 

[Moondance]

actually SIL don't have a big budget at all.

Silence-Lotto have a larger budget than Saxo, Liquigas, Caisse d'Epargne, Cervelo, Sky and Garmin.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

really? I thought I remember reading somewhere that there budget was rather low. Not too sure though. My mistake I guess

PS: I was aware that Liquigas had a moderate budget too, fantastic team considering.

 

[TheObjectiveBelgian]

Finally, the real breakthrough for Gilbert.

Sanremo will be next!

Yeah, great, wasn't it?

Sanremo, maybe, but what about RVV & LBL?
A gilbert with this condition can do it almost everywhere...

 

[cobblehead]

Great win for gilbert though I have to say I didn't really suprise me, a victory in a race like this has been a long time coming for phil, nice to see that he now has the strength to pull it off!

plus it's nice to see (from a belgians perspective) that he's not the only one who's going to be able to win races like this one in the years to come, for the last 10 years it seemend like the only part of the season that still mattered to belgian cyclists were the cobbles-classics, san remo and the other semi-flat races, good to see that that is in the past now...

hope gilbert tries to take LBL next year (though that's gonna be very difficult), if he becomes the next belgian to win it after VDB he's gonna become as popular as boonen...

 

[pmcg76]

In 1 year from outside top 10 to winning these classics and finishing top 3 is not 1 year older, stronger, that's a huge leap

He won Het Volk & Paris Tours last year and wasnt he close to winning Milan-San Remo and went on a suicidal break in L-B-L or is my memory failing. He seemed to lack the extra bit for the longer races and that is where he has improved this year whether that is due to natural progression, being on a stronger team or whatever you are getting at. Maybe a combination but I dont think he has made a massive leap as you suggest. At Lombardy there were about 30 guys in contention until the Civiglio and I dont think Gilbert is that bad of a climber. Cunego has not exactly climbed well this year either. Hoogerland, now that is a massive leap.

 

[Echoes]

I agree. Gilbert was already very impressive last year for FdJeux. I would also add his duels with Cancellara and/or Bettini for wins in Tour of Switzerland or Vuelta stages.

However now I have to admit Gesink did an excellent race.

 

[TheObjectiveBelgian]

In 1 year from outside top 10 to winning these classics and finishing top 3 is not 1 year older, stronger, that's a huge leap

You're right of course, just wanting to say that cycling is not science, although getting older/stronger and a better team should help a lot...

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

He won Het Volk & Paris Tours last year and wasnt he close to winning Milan-San Remo and went on a suicidal break in L-B-L or is my memory failing. He seemed to lack the extra bit for the longer races and that is where he has improved this year whether that is due to natural progression, being on a stronger team or whatever you are getting at. Maybe a combination but I dont think he has made a massive leap as you suggest. At Lombardy there were about 30 guys in contention until the Civiglio and I dont think Gilbert is that bad of a climber. Cunego has not exactly climbed well this year either. Hoogerland, now that is a massive leap.

MSR, Het Volk, MSR and suicide breaks in classics don't compare to actually be a top 10 contender in classics. So I still say it's a huge leap Gilbert took in comparison with his FDJ time.

And I fully agree about Hoogerland, he came from Belgium/Dutch kermesses to 5th in Lombardia and 12th in a GT (vuelta), that's not a huge leap, that's insane. But that was not what this discussion was about. It was about Gilbert, now keep to that.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

You're right of course, just wanting to say that cycling is not science, although getting older/stronger and a better team should help a lot...

I don't say it is suspected also, you often see these kind of leaps when riders get 27/28/29/30

Remember Erik Dekker. Also a -just not- rider like Gilbert until he suddenly won 3 tour stages, a world cup race, and the year after the World Cup itself, at age 30/31.

I'm just concluding he made a huge leap, nothing to search behind it.

For people like Hoogerland however, who come out kermesses and amateur races, it's insane and weird. But ok, so far, he hasn't been caught so we shouldn't judge Hoogerland either

 

[TheObjectiveBelgian]

For people like Hoogerland however, who come out kermesses and amateur races, it's insane and weird. But ok, so far, he hasn't been caught so we shouldn't judge Hoogerland either

All my respect to Hoogerland, great attractive rider (reminds me a bit of Ludo Diercxssens)...

Yesterday, he was riding with a 'Per te VDB' slogan on his t-shirt...
Nice gesture !

 

[usedtobefast]

Evidently, I don't "do" logic, so it was just luck on my part. (this is of course a reference to an assertion made by another member on another thread, but I thought it was funny that you had said that in light of the content of that thread.)

Past that, I wouldn't bet on my observations very often. Unless you like losing money.

aaahhh whata they know?????

 

[Echoes]

MSR, Het Volk, MSR and suicide breaks in classics don't compare to actually be a top 10 contender in classics.

Top10 in Milan Sanremo, isn't that Top10 in a classic?