Liege - Bastogne - Liege

[peloton]

i dedicated my new avatar to this great example of sportsmanship by the two great cyclists and teammates.

texas farker you have something to learn here !

+1

Looks great!

 

[Francois the Postman]

The schlecks were saying the AC was stuggling on the last climb.

I sure as hell hope they were not on top form them, as a "s.t" finish doesn't look too impressive if that was the case.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I didn't say everyone is a cheat. I said no one is an altar boy.

Nothing is white, doesn't mean that everything is black...

ditto for supporting phonak version 2

Yes, the amount of phonak staff and riders is overwhelming!

Dekker, agreed - really don't get ASO's attitude re: Vacansoleil. Can only assume they didn't want to give them false expectations. Would still give BMC the boot - Evans may have morphed into a one day winner but the rest of the team?

Francois, that's looking to be the case isn't it? Astana have had a great start to the season, winning week long tours and Classics (and let's not forget AC's podium at Fleche) - such a smart move by AC/Astana to let Vino go away to contest the win. Seems like AC will do something meaningful for his teammates rather than simply buy their loyalty.

The team did a lot of work up to the Col de Rosier (spelling) but lacked someone for the finale like KK. evans was unhappy that Valverde didn't work at all.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I sure as hell hope they were not on top form them, as a "s.t" finish doesn't look too impressive if that was the case.

I think AC and the schlecks have come into the classics with good form but didn't quite have it in the end.

 

[dolophonic]

Contador looked pretty good when he bridged up to shleckette and phil...
They were saying he was cooked on euro sport, then when he bridged they were like... maybe not.. he did a great job.

 

[flicker]

Schlecks get over it. You were smoked by better riders and a better team.

Andy go back to Yo' M-TV Crib!

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

evans was unhappy that Valverde didn't work at all.

Evan's miffed that someone was wheelsucking? Surely you jest

 

[Publicus]

The schlecks were saying the AC was stuggling on the last climb.

He probably was and yet they couldn't drop him and he finished with the same time as them. Now what does that say about the Schlecks?

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

I sure as hell hope they were not on top form them, as a "s.t" finish doesn't look too impressive if that was the case.

I thought AC was struggling a bit. He looked really tense in his shoulders. When he's on fire he looks like everything is relaxed except his legs. Same thing on the stage in Paris Nice when he went for it, and at the finish of La Fleche Wallone. Not quite in top form yet IMO, and the Schlecks still can't put time into him...

 

[caça-foice]

Did Someone see vino gesturing seemed as if kissing the alliance in the last 2 kms?....that time I felt he would win ..

It's looked like Cancellara and his angel...

"maybe he was just wiping his mouth ..."

at 28' in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=604Edu_DWao

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

Gotta say I'm still buzzing after watching that race. Whatever help Vino had, he left it all on the road, as did Kolobnev and Gilbert during that massive effort to bridge .....and probably a number of others the camera wasn't focusing on. That race just epitomizes the beautiful madness that is bike racing.

 

[karlboss]

Issoisso, does this change your opinion on Contador and his stamina? Though if he was failing a little on the last clmb that might be something.

The dynamic between 3-5 was interesting, at times it looked liked they'd do it, Gilbert and Evans looked like they were going for the catch and then thinking about the victory and Valverde was thinking about the win.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I'm actually quite surprised by Gesink's result... he was still suffering from the cold that's been bothering him all week, but for a 23 year old he still did pretty darn well in such a hard race. Of the youngsters, only Andy Schleck did better.

He clearly isn't well and props to him for still giving it his all and honoring the race.

 

[Francois the Postman]

I thought AC was struggling a bit. He looked really tense in his shoulders. When he's on fire he looks like everything is relaxed except his legs. Same thing on the stage in Paris Nice when he went for it, and at the finish of La Fleche Wallone. Not quite in top form yet IMO, and the Schlecks still can't put time into him...

Contador certainly had moments throughout the Spring in which he looked vulnerable, to me, in-between all the bits in which he totally dominated. And that is even putting the obvious days aside, in races that he easily won. He again mentioned that hay-fever was troubling him slightly today, if that automated translation got close to what he said. And as a Spring sufferer myself, I find his performance wholly in line with that. Most days you don't feel a thing, but when it gets in the way, even slightly, it does sap your energy. If you start to notice on the last climb after 200km, you are not in bad shape. July, no problemo. Saying that, he doesn't quite seem to be in the Spring equivalent cycling-at-will form yet, and I'm not sure if it is all hay-fever related.

The Schlecks are a bit behind on where they would like to have been for these classics. Andy more than Frank probably, ongoing knee problems trump an incidental crash. But a couple of weeks ago I was dreading a total non-show by Andy in the Tour, and I don't rate Frank high enough to worry any GT contender, certainly without his brother around. But both seem to be back on course for July, which is great news for those that hope that for once the Tour will be exciting. Looks like the damage has been limited to "just" the Ardennes, which for the Schlecks will be annoying enough.

I don't read much more into it then "today neither one really had it in the end", and like Gesink, they all seem to have plausible and documented reasons for falling a tad short. C'est la vie. All ought to be sharper in July, in a totally different type of event.

Which only means that today could have been even more exciting. It looks likely that all key players today would be keen to return next year -older, wiser, stronger and hopefully fitter- I'm gonna mark the last 2 Sundays in April next year in red already.

Nice to see that Evans' forms is on course for a solid Giro performance too. Over the last weeks, a boost in confidence and a Giro peak focus seem to have done his Spring performance a world of good. Still hoping he really will give the Giro a proper shot, risking total Tour failure as a consequence. I'd like to see him walk away from his career with a GT victory on his slate (even if that would mean that certain posters here would become insufferable for a bit ), and the opportunities are evaporating quickly.

 

[Iker_Baqueiro]

I thought AC was struggling a bit. He looked really tense in his shoulders. When he's on fire he looks like everything is relaxed except his legs. Same thing on the stage in Paris Nice when he went for it, and at the finish of La Fleche Wallone. Not quite in top form yet IMO, and the Schlecks still can't put time into him...

Alberto Contador mentioned that he was affected a little bit by allergies today.

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

Yes it's silly to draw comparisons between AS and AC at the moment, because there are reasons neither are riding at 100%, and it's April.....It's just that they seem to be doing that themselves, with Andy's comment about Contador struggling and Contador bridging to AS and Gilbert, then riding to the front as if "I'm not suffering here, quite happy to do a turn..."

Let the (head) games begin !

 

[auscyclefan94]

Yes it's silly to draw comparisons between AS and AC at the moment, because there are reasons neither are riding at 100%, and it's April.....It's just that they seem to be doing that themselves, with Andy's comment about Contador struggling and Contador bridging to AS and Gilbert, then riding to the front as if "I'm not suffering here, quite happy to do a turn..."

Let the (head) games begin !

I think both are in good form, but Andy has targeted these classics especially so he will be dissapointed. Contador always seems to have good. Andy is very on and off with his form.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Cyclingnews botched up another report, claiming that Ten Dam went away solo after the Redoute, when it was really teammate Bram Tankink who joined and passed the group of Ten Dam.

It really makes me sad to read the reports sometimes

 

[Ferminal]

Great race, the rest of the season just got a whole lot more exciting, especially the Giro.

Good the see the embrace of two genuine teammates, working towards a common goal.

Thoroughly enjoyed this week of racing.

 

[thehog]

Twitter.com/vaughters: Phil Liggett: “so, Jonathan, how is it these guys can come back from suspension and still ride so well?” JV: “Ummmmm…. Uhhhh….”

But his latest streak of form — winning at Lìège only two days after he took the mountainous, four-day Giro del Trentino — came as a result of an intense period of altitude training on the massive Mount Teide on the Spanish island of Tenerife. One French sportswriter asked Vinokourov whether he went to Tenerife to be with the infamous Operación Puerto blood-doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes (who lives there) or Italian trainer Michele Ferrari.
“No, I don’t train with Ferrari anymore. Nor with anyone else, come to that. I have plenty of experience and I train alone most of the time,” he said.

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

FFS
@Phillligget: How is it that the texan can come back at 37 and still ride so well?

 

[theyoungest]

Can I please complain to ASO now for not inviting Vacansoleil?
Why did they invite Androni again? Only 2 riders finished the race, the best man being Bertagnolli in uhm 32th place or something.

I would love to see what Hoogerland, Marcato and Leukemans could have done here. Certainly more than Bertagnolli or Jerome Baugnies (best topsport vlaanderen guy)

ASO fails once again

Landbouwkrediet did well though... with a Dutchman

 

[Galic Ho]

Stupid recorder only taped the first hour today for some reason so had to read the report and the last 60 pages for the play-by-play review. Thanks as always for this. Astana are having a great season for a weak team. If they win the Tour, they will really blow away the whole Postal/Shack myth on focusing on one race.

Here is a link for a channel on YouTube that posts footage from all the major races. The show the major moves and the finish for all the latest big Pro Tour events. Look for the appropriate video. Decent quality and download buffering. If you've got a strong bandwidth downlink you can even up the video quality as they have multiple formats.

http://www.youtube.com/user/worldcyclingchannel2

 

[blaxland]

Hard to do if you support clean riders who get robbed of victories by these guys.

+1 agreed luckyboy..........By clean guys you mean Evans or Gilbert or Bobridge.............

 

[knewcleardaze]

Here is a link for a channel on YouTube that posts footage from all the major races. The show the major moves and the finish for all the latest big Pro Tour events. Look for the appropriate video. Decent quality and download buffering. If you've got a strong bandwidth downlink you can even up the video quality as they have multiple formats.

http://www.youtube.com/user/worldcyclingchannel2

Cool link, thanks.