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

[Sciatic]

He can win one day this race if all stars align.

He’ll have Remco to deal with as well as Pogacar his entire career, as well as other new stellar climbers that might COE along.

 

[Boehmand]

I have great appreciation and respect for Pogacar and MvdP - but man do they make the big races a boring watch

 

[Netserk]

The race went exactly as expected for first. Nothing before Redoute (besides a crash), as the section from Stavelot to the foot of Redoute favours a big group and is known as such by the riders, reinforcing a stalemate there.

Then come the climb, and the race was over at the top. The gap quickly went out, and there never was any doubt.

Modulo headwind, I actually quite enjoyed the race for 2nd. It took a while for 4 riders to get away before RaF and they worked quite well together. They duked it out on RaF, and Bardet was strong enough to drop the rest and stay away. Ineos chased behind, and Bernal (!) was the first to bridge the gap to the three left in front. The wind, the route and the distribution of strengths of those left then meant that no one could get away for 3rd.

While I would like the route to change, I think it's important to keep in mind how different it would have been without Pogi here. Or with Evenepoel at his best here too.

 

[ppanther92]

Heroic sprint for 17th for Hirschi

 

[noob]

Okay, VDP was 3rd.

Congratz to azing the poll

 

[Sciatic]

Pogi actually looks fatigued in post-race interview.

Emotionally drained

 

[ppanther92]

Pogi actually looks fatigued in post-race interview.

Boredom boreout syndrome is a psychological disorder that causes physical illness, mainly caused by mental underload at the workplace due to lack of either adequate quantitative or qualitative workload.

 

[Sciatic]

I have great appreciation and respect for Pogacar and MvdP - but man do they make the big races a boring watch

Ten years ago we would have rejoiced to see a 30 km solo. But it has become predictable.

 

[Netserk]

100% strongest Bahrain guy today.

Maybe I overlooked him for a while, but how was he better than Bilbao today?

 

[Lui98]

Then you wake up

"I’m sorry you can’t dream big and I’m sorry you don’t believe in miracles" cit.

 

[dazaau]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I see LBL as far better suited to WvA than VdP. Wout is a significantly better climber. The stars really had to align for VdP to podium here, and they did.

Agree, and if pog had ridden into a ditch, which was realistically MVDP' only chance (and everyone else's), he could have won.

Wout is a way better climber from everything we have seen

 

[ppanther92]

"I’m sorry you can’t dream big and I’m sorry you don’t believe in miracles" cit.

"Siento que no puedas soñar a lo grande y siento que no creas en los milagros"
- E. Bernal, 2024, maybe

 

[Boehmand]

Ten years ago we would have rejoiced to see a 30 km solo. But it has become predictable.

Yep.

Every time one of them goes, the race is over.

 

[Peyroteo94]

People still thinking Pogacar won't be at least 99% at the Tour?

You really just watched LBL and think the cycling common sense of 2015 applies to him?

I'm with you this time. If he doesn't crash, he can walk in the easiest Giro in the last decade and we can add a super weak field. He will be good in the Tour and I fear he can kill the race in the first 4 days with his insanely strong team in the mountains.

 

[meat puppet]

Pogacar peaking too early, like remco last year, bardet and Thomas will outclass him in the giro

Pog is at 72%, ask mou

 

[proffate]

Perhaps it is, but people would ride very different without Pog in front.

In this race how would it have made a difference? The group wouldn't have just let a Bardet stay away imo. That size group could close down 20s in ~7km or whatever if they were racing for the win. Of course they know MvDP is unbeatable in the sprint so there would have been attacks, but I still think mvdps chances of beating the entire field minus Pog would have been greater without Pog up the road.

But if Remco were present that would have also been a problem. So I think we can say MvDP is going to need a lot of tactical luck, a change of course, some freakish weather (?) or some better climbing doms to ever win this race among this generation of riders. Still a podium is mad respectable.

 

[Rob5091]

People still think Red Rick was trolling when he said he longs back to the Sky era?

Trolling, no? "Senior moment"? Yes!

 

[velaso montador]

A great win for the greatest rider in the world. Bardet impressive in second. Van der Poel exceptional to make the podium after a long spring campaign and having to ride hard to make it back to the lead group after getting held up in the crash mid race.

Impressive indeed from Van der Poel for those reasons indeed! Teddy is something else ive never seen anything like him. Chapeau too Bardet too what a ride.

 

[Samamba]

Vansevenant almost crashed after the finish line.

Just rewacthed it cause at first I thought Van Gils made a dangerous move (he goes a bit to the right after the finish) but Vansevenant literally touches someone at the side of the road. Thank god he stays upright. Wouldve been a nasty crash.

 

[noob]

Emotionally drained

Yes, he looks very overwhelmed

 

[Samamba]

Maybe I overlooked him for a while, but how was he better than Bilbao today?

He was the one riding the VdP group to the front and once again the guy chasing the Bardet group (before Poels took over). Then still finishing in the group is impressive imo.

 

[Netserk]

De facto, Pogi won with the help of Bax, Novak, Ulissi and Fischer-Black only. And the latter two only worked a limited amount.

 

[Bolder]

The race went exactly as expected for first. Nothing before Redoute (besides a crash), as the section from Stavelot to the foot of Redoute favours a big group and is known as such by the riders, reinforcing a stalemate there.

Then come the climb, and the race was over at the top. The gap quickly went out, and there never was any doubt.

Modulo headwind, I actually quite enjoyed the race for 2nd. It took a while for 4 riders to get away before RaF and they worked quite well together. They duked it out on RaF, and Bardet was strong enough to drop the rest and stay away. Ineos chased behind, and Bernal (!) was the first to bridge the gap to the three left in front. The wind, the route and the distribution of strengths of those left then meant that no one could get away for 3rd.

While I would like the route to change, I think it's important to keep in mind how different it would have been without Pogi here. Or with Evenepoel at his best here too.

I just pretended that Pog wasn’t there after la redoubte. Made for an exciting race,

It would have been a vastly more exciting race with Remco. I think he would have followed Pog, or, even more interestingly, might have prevented Pog from attacking until later on faucons.

I’m now convinced that this is not a race for Mvdp, despite his podium. That sounds a little odd, I know, but he likes to win, not contest the sprint for 3rd…

 

[movingtarget]

Dominant win. Nice result for Bardet, he looked very happy.

This might be the year the Tour/Giro double gets done again. Pogacar just needs an incident free Giro. He could win it just on the TT and the field looks bare compared to previous years. Depends on Roglic's form in the Tour and the fatigue factor for Pogacar from the Giro.

 

[noob]

After Itzulia we will never hear or watch anyone injured in a crash ever again. How is Canal?