Liege Bastogne Liege-7 hour monument, Sunday, April 21, 2024

[how yes no?]

After the race was over, I thought it passed without one surprise, then I heard the rendition of the Slovenian anthem... does anyone by any chance know where the *** did the get this? was it played live in some local music way? or where did they find this recording?

 

[noob]

Pogacar looks fine, you guys are really overdoing the appearance analysis. The guy has just ridden 250km with 4500m altitude in cold weather of course he looks a bit drained.

Did anyone suggest the race had nothing to do with it?

 

[meat puppet]

Not so
Much in LBL

Well, it was, and I'm talking in general here.

Here's the deal: In the sky era everyone knew that we were in for a dull, timid race. Now we know that one of the superhumans will take off and solo from 82k out, or a bit less if we are lucky.

The latter insults my admittedly limited intellect more.

 

[zlev11]

what a shitty spring

 

[Sciatic]

Well, it was, and I'm talking in general here.

Here's the deal: In the sky era everyone knew that we were in for a dull, timid race. Now we know that one of the superhumans will take off and solo from 82k out, or a bit less if we are lucky.

The latter insults my admittedly limited intellect more.

Since this is the LBL thread I am talking specifically.
Sky didn’t have much impact on one-day racing with the exception of a few individual performers like Kwia.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

not the most interesting race as expected.

VDP is gonna need to lose kilo's and have an LBL without remco/pogi to stand a chance. Probably needs to skip Flanders/Roubaix as well. But he was never lost much time to the others and kept returning even though he didn't have the legs.

However ig Pogi/Remco keep riding lbl no shot. Basically did the same as Van Aert now

 

[Peyroteo94]

Someone misses Valverde's uphill sprints? I don't think so...

 

[Taxus4a]

A bit like Wva podium last year?

A bit, but WVA is a rider who has been quite Up on the hight mountain stages. He won at Ventoux at le Tour...WVA is a more complete rider..he ido able to get the five monuments, as well as Pogacar, MVP no...today was 3, but very far to win. And this year without WVA, Roglic and Evenepoel.

 

[Brullnux]

Well, it was, and I'm talking in general here.

Here's the deal: In the sky era everyone knew that we were in for a dull, timid race. Now we know that one of the superhumans will take off and solo from 82k out, or a bit less if we are lucky.

The latter insults my admittedly limited intellect more.

I think it depends what part of the sky era you compare it to. 2012-2016 was by and large dire – almost every Grand Tour was one sided (all the Tours, 2013 Giro) or kind of boring (2012 Giro, 2014 Giro, 2016 Giro). The vueltas were kind of better but because they were very much second rate, so people cared less about them. Monuments were also all, routinely, terrible – countless Ans sprints, no-action MSRs, some of the most defensive Paris-Roubaixs of all time, riders only just getting used to the Oudenaarde finish and waiting until the last 15km. Some major exceptions (2016 PR), but it was pretty bad.

2017-covid was much better, especially in monuments. Since COVID it's been up and down, and this year has been very bad, but 2022 and 2023 were clearly better than the Sky era. To think otherwise is just doomerism, I think.

 

[meat puppet]

Sky didn’t have much impact on one-day racing with the exception of a few individual performers like Kwia.

Agree. But Sky era is but a device to periodise cycling. In so doing it is a more general notion that extends beyond, and thus does not allow a very focused zoom on, the spring classics.

My point is simply that outrageous solos were more the exception in spring classics between, say, 2012 (Boonen did his raids then) and 2018 (Gilbert's RVV was that year, wasn't it), and IMHO one can extend the era to 2020 or the COVID-19.

After that they have gradually become the norm.

 

[Taxus4a]

If someone could have go with Carapaz at Redoute we have seen another race. Carapaz had to wait the Next group, other way he would have been at 10 seconds of Poggio at the top. Imagine Bardet going with him..a good colaboration and not sure tongo solo for Pogacar toll the end.

 

[RedheadDane]

and 2018 (Gilbert's RVV was that year, wasn't it)

No, 2017.

 

[Brullnux]

Agree. But Sky era is but a device to periodise cycling. In so doing it is a more general notion that extends beyond, and thus does not allow a very focused zoom on, the spring classics.

My point is simply that outrageous solos were more the exception in spring classics between, say, 2012 (Boonen did his raids then) and 2018 (Gilbert's RVV was that year, wasn't it), and IMHO one can extend the era to 2020 or the COVID-19.

After that they have gradually become the norm.

The classics were really not fun for a long time, though. I think there's a lot of revisionism about the 2012-2017 classics, as if most of them weren't really dull until the last 20km. I am sure if we go back 000s of pages and bring up race threads/race voting for that period, you will see that complaint being repeated over and over.

 

[Unterlenkerfahrend]

If someone could have go with Carapaz at Redoute we have seen another race. Carapaz had to wait the Next group, other way he would have been at 10 seconds of Poggio at the top. Imagine Bardet going with him..a good colaboration and not sure tongo solo for Pogacar toll the end.

Nah, Carapaz just totally blew up that's why he wasn't even in the second group. He always does this trying to follow Pogacar or Vingegaard, goes completely in the red and then bonks.

 

[Gigs_98]

The classics were really not fun for a long time, though. I think there's a lot of revisionism about the 2012-2017 classics, as if most of them weren't really dull until the last 20km. I am sure if we go back 000s of pages and bring up race threads/race voting for that period, you will see that complaint being repeated over and over.

Yeah I think if multiple "big 6" members are in a race, the racing is way better than in the "Sky era". It's only when there is one guy so much better than the rest, like today, that you can reasonably argue races like the annual Ans sprints were more exciting.

 

[KOM]

Holy fk people are always results oriented, but this is ridiculous. MvdP was like the 20th best climber in this race, you guys

 

[Peyroteo94]

The problem is: There is no big 6. I am the only one who can see that?
In GT's, the gap between Vingegaard/Pogi and Remco is abysmal! Roglic is far away but a lot closer than Remco.
In Flanders, only a duel between MVP and Pogi can give us excitement. WVA is not close anymore.
In Roubaix, WVA is capable of beating MVP but he has bad luck in this race.
In hilly monuments, we don't know how Remco would behave against Pogi but if we take out Remco, Roglic is nowhere near the level of Pogi. In fact, I fear Pogi is really in a league of his own.

 

[BigCoward]

Since his first liege, he's averaging 2.27 place in 11 monuments.

 

[jmdirt]

A strange race overall, with TP doing exactly what he planned.

 

[Barkintheeye]

Would’ve been very nice if MVDP could have contested Pog but realistically that was only a dream. Some +10 kg is an impossible obstacle to bridge at Redoute or Faucons.

Have we ever seen a stronger rider P4P than Pog? The Double looks almost in the bag. Can Vingo stop him?

 

[Filippo_3467]

Fortunately only 10 days till Eschborn-frankfurt. Then we can see real racing again and not a walk in the park for 1st. All monuments besides San Remo were complete trash this year.

 

[YavorD]

Since his first liege, he's averaging 2.27 place in 11 monuments.

He'd be even further up if he didn't finish 4th in a sprint of 2.

 

[Taxus4a]

Nah, Carapaz just totally blew up that's why he wasn't even in the second group. He always does this trying to follow Pogacar or Vingegaard, goes completely in the red and then bonks.

Maybe, but he wanst so bad later...and maybe he worked for Healy. he waited for next group, that is for sure, how much exausted he was, I dont know, but q pity he was the only to try to follow Pogacar. With just another rider with Carapaz, IMO we have seen another race very different..but of course Pogacar has no rival if Evenepoel is not here.

 

[Pantani_lives]

Pogacar made the ultimate mother-in-law joke today. His win was so easy to predict that you would almost overlook how impressive it is. Just show up, drop everyone, and that's it. In the post-race interview he said he was suffering, but my impression was that the others were suffering much harder.

I feel a bit sorry for Bardet. That guy was second in the Tour, second in the WC, and now second in LBL. He'll probably finish his career without a major win, not counting Tour stages. He would deserve one major win, but he always comes out against one stronger rider.

 

[staubsauger]

Nah, Carapaz just totally blew up that's why he wasn't even in the second group. He always does this trying to follow Pogacar or Vingegaard, goes completely in the red and then bonks.

To be fair, it worked up towards Portet & Luz Ardiden in 2021. Carapaz simply has been a non-show since his move to Education First.

I think if Bardet had ridden the 2016 Giro d'Italia in theory he could have gotten a big win @Pantani_lives. Eventually that's purely hypothetical of course. Before he fell ill at the 2022 Giro d'Italia he looked the strongest climber on Blockhaus however. He's obviously past his prime now.