Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2021 (April 25th)

[johnymax]

It got confirmed that team UAE can start.

Pidcock won't start after all. Crash in FW is bothering him.

Who replaces Pidcock?

 

[Bonimenier]

Who replaces Pidcock?

On PCS Dunbar got added to the startlist, after he got replaced by Golas yesterday. But not sure that's official.

Weird that De Plus is not on the startlist. This was one of the few races he wanted to race in a free roll when he signed for Ineos.

 

[Red Rick]

I'm really not big on xyz rider should move on La Redoute. It's not like potential riders haven't gone there and given any indication it could work.

Here's an if you have a strong team. Put one or two pure domestiques in the breakaway. Then take your remaining domestiques, presumably 2 or 3 riders, and *** drill it in the run in to the Stockeau, then you go hard on the Stockeau and split the peloton and get a big numerical advantage in that split.

 

[johnymax]

I'm really not big on xyz rider should move on La Redoute. It's not like potential riders haven't gone there and given any indication it could work.

Here's an if you have a strong team. Put one or two pure domestiques in the breakaway. Then take your remaining domestiques, presumably 2 or 3 riders, and *** drill it in the run in to the Stockeau, then you go hard on the Stockeau and split the peloton and get a big numerical advantage in that split.

Good tactics. But then you probably still need an xyz rider to atack on La Redoute.
Uae and Ineos have the teams to make the race hard. Their leaders would defenitely benefit from that, so I expect them to do it in one way or another.

 

[Eyeballs Out]

Weird that De Plus is not on the startlist. This was one of the few races he wanted to race in a free roll when he signed for Ineos.

He's been fully programmed and successfully converted to train fodder now

 

[Salvarani]

On PCS Dunbar got added to the startlist, after he got replaced by Golas yesterday. But not sure that's official.

Weird that De Plus is not on the startlist. This was one of the few races he wanted to race in a free roll when he signed for Ineos.

DNF in Itzulia.

Probably not hundred percent and then it makes more sense that someone else gets the opportunity.

 

[Anderis]

* * * * * - nobody
* * * *- Aranburu, Matthews, L. Mas
* * *- Alaphilippe, Pfingsten
* *- Carr, Poels, Burgaudeau, Doubey
*- Higuita, Seigle, Caicedo, Madouas

 

[tobydawq]

• * * * * - nobody
• * * *- Aranburu, Matthews, L. Mas
• * *- Alaphilippe, Pfingsten
• *- Carr, Poels, Burgaudeau, Doubey

*- Higuita, Seigle, Caicedo, Madouas

Seems reasonable.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

• * * * * - nobody
• * * *- Aranburu, Matthews, L. Mas
• * *- Alaphilippe, Pfingsten
• *- Carr, Poels, Burgaudeau, Doubey

*- Higuita, Seigle, Caicedo, Madouas

Did this ranking appear in a dream?

 

[Anderis]

Did this ranking appear in a dream?

No, I used a random number generator.

 

[KZD]

I would like to see Pogačar winning but Alaphilippe might take this in a small group sprint

 

[Pantani_lives]

My watermelon men:
Alaphilippe, Roglic
Pogacar, Carapaz, Fuglsang, Hirschi
Valverde, Schachmann, Mollema, Woods
Yates, Formolo, Mohoric, Teuns, Chaves, Almeida

And my watermelon women:
Van der Breggen, Van Vleuten
Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma, Vos
Uttrup, Spratt, Mackaij
Vollering, Lippert

 

[BlueRoads]

Team DSM, Parkhotel Valkenburg team out of Liège-Bastogne-Liège with COVID-19 cases

UPDATE: DSM also withdraw after team member tests positive

www.cyclingnews.com

My watermelon men:
Alaphilippe, Roglic
Pogacar, Carapaz, Fuglsang, Hirschi
Valverde, Schachmann, Mollema, Woods
Yates, Formolo, Mohoric, Teuns, Chaves, Almeida

And my watermelon women:
Van der Breggen, Van Vleuten
Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma, Vos
Uttrup, Spratt, Mackaij
Vollering, Lippert

Just seeing these watermelons makes me happy, they look so fresh and colourful!

 

[RedheadDane]

My watermelon men:
Alaphilippe, Roglic
Pogacar, Carapaz, Fuglsang, Hirschi
Valverde, Schachmann, Mollema, Woods
Yates, Formolo, Mohoric, Teuns, Chaves, Almeida

And my watermelon women:
Van der Breggen, Van Vleuten
Longo Borghini, Niewiadoma, Vos
Uttrup, Spratt, Mackaij
Vollering, Lippert

Is this gonna be your Thing? Rating riders with watermelons.

 

[hayneplane]

Is this gonna be your Thing? Rating riders with watermelons.

We need pizza ratings for the giro

 

[postmanhat]

Ineos not bringing Moscon is a bit meh. Yes, they have multiple options, but the guy is in great shape, can handle the distance and has the engine for a long range attack.

Just wierd. One of your most ahem, agressive and attacking riders, in superb form, is dropped in favour of Golas. Stinks of Ineos caution and disregard for one day races. Presumably they're protecting Moscon so he can tool pointlessly round Italy for three weeks in the Giro

 

[Mayomaniac]

Just wierd. One of your most ahem, agressive and attacking riders, in superb form, is dropped in favour of Golas. Stinks of Ineos caution and disregard for one day races. Presumably they're protecting Moscon so he can tool pointlessly round Italy for three weeks in the Giro

With him and Ganna alone they can probably win at least 5 stages at the Giro, if their GT riders flop.
I guess they want to keep him in their Giro bubble, but with Pidcock not being able to race not bringing Moscon in this kind of form seems a bit stupid to me.

 

[trevim]

Interested to see how João Almeida goes; althought it's only his second monument race, he's a former winner of U23 version. He should have good condition going into the Giro but it may be that he can be crap as well since he's probably just readapting after being in altitude camp.
I think Quickstep could use a Jungels type for this race, not sure whether Vansevenant or Honoré can provide such an option if Almeida ends up not having decent legs.

 

[Oliver]

On PCS Dunbar got added to the startlist, after he got replaced by Golas yesterday. But not sure that's official.

Weird that De Plus is not on the startlist. This was one of the few races he wanted to race in a free roll when he signed for Ineos.

Did De Plus crash out of Itzula ? He hasn’t start any race since then...

 

[BlueRoads]

Deceuninck und Ineos werden das Rennen früh eröffnen | radsport-news.com

www.radsport-news.com

google translation, what Paul Martens thinks about the race tomorrow:

Two and a half rest days are behind us. Yesterday we looked again at the last 80 kilometers of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège route, so how fast all the teams. I know the region here very well from my training drives.

Hardly anything has changed on the route plan, none of the last ascent before the Redoute - which is of course a bit longer than most (Col du Maquisard). The descent to the Redoute will be less lost that way, I was of course welcomed. As follows, drivers like me are of course not exactly opposed to a harder route. Overall, however, I welcome the changes, as the steeper ascent results in less pressure on the following descent, where speeds of 80 km / h were expected. Years ago when I was on the asphalt.

The weather is more pleasant compared to previous years, even if it will be cold. However, the wind will play a role tomorrow. In particular, the outward route to Bastogne is largely "open" and that could mean that drivers on the windward edge have to waste energy to stay in position. Therefore, some helpers may not be there in the final.

That's one of the reasons why I expect the final to open earlier tomorrow. If Alaphilippe hadn't fallen on the descent of the Côte de Wanne last year, Quick-Step would have got through there and opened the race before the redoubt. And that's a scenario I expect tomorrow, especially when I see which teams Deceuninck - Quick-Step and Ineos Grenadiers start with. I would be surprised if the long ones waited. That would be a waste of resources.

With us everything is geared towards Primoz Roglic. He's up for the race and took another look at the track today. He leaves nothing to chance. It is then up to us to support him as long as possible so that he does not waste energy unnecessarily. Primoz will be in the final and then we'll see what comes out of it.

Edit: lol, what a translation. sorry, too tired to go through it, but I guess you get the points

 

[CyclistAbi]

There you have it.

P.S. 80 km still to go and total havoc ahead.

 

[Sciatic]

There you have it.

P.S. 80 km still to go and total havoc ahead.

I better wake up earlier than planned!

 

[King Of The Wolds]

tool pointlessly round Italy for three weeks in the Giro

Like 2 of the last 3 years, right?

 

[RedheadDane]

P.S. 80 km still to go and total havoc ahead.

For a moment I thought you were talking about the current situation in the Women's race, but then I realised that would have been a rather early start.
In my defence; I haven't quite had my coffee yet. I'll come back when my brain works!

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Glad that UAE is taking part in LBL! They will be a big factor (Pog and Hirschi). The latter (even if not in his best form) could be an important figure helping Pog in a tactical race.