Mar 27 2011: Gent - Wevelgem 210km

[Descender]

Another great show of cyclists' brightness.

What have the likes of Nuyens, Sieberg, the BMC's, Voeckler now reached again?

Make Sagan lose?


A race is raced for the win. If you wanna catch breakaways, you have to be 100% sure of your sprinter. None of the top3 had domestiques riding for them.

Sagan could have caught a prestigious victory in style without those morons.

The first non-sprint in both Sanremo and Wevelgem is again not for this year ! [Edit: OK happened in 2003 and 2006]

Nuyens used to be one of my favourite riders, now he's one of my least favourite. This is worse than Poz' dirty trick to Gilbert in Sanremo.

As long as you are 1% sure of him, your duty should be to chase the breakaway. Why? You give the reason yourself: a race is raced for the win.

 

[The Hitch]

sagan and chav upping it tho.

I just realised this.

Who is chav? Stannard?

 

[More Strides than Rides]

Sylvain Chavanel?

 

[maltiv]

It's quite funny how Sky as a team so far has been much better than Garmin, although both teams have suffered from some bad luck. Sky were extremely good today, putting someone into every move with Flecha, Stannard and Hayman all being very strong. Too bad they lost G to a early crash and everyone else in the crash at the end...

 

[The Hitch]

Sylvain Chavanel?

Oh, my bad. I thought maybe Timmy was just calling all Brits Chavs

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

I

Also Boonen didn't look good to me on the climbs, he won't win Flanders, I don't think he can improve that much in one week.
Might be good for Roubaix though.

Gilbert looked really strong today. He might be the only one to challenge Cancellara.

Don't agree. Gilbert didn't look that strong to me.
And I do believe Boonen will be good.

 

[stefrees]

It's quite funny how Sky as a team so far has been much better than Garmin, although both teams have suffered from some bad luck. Sky were extremely good today, putting someone into every move with Flecha, Stannard and Hayman all being very strong. Too bad they lost G to a early crash and everyone else in the crash at the end...

Not many egos, a very good young pair of ds's in Steven de jongh, and a willingness to race, I'm pleased with them so far. Can't wait til next Sunday when I'll be on the muur

 

[El Pistolero]

Gilbert looked good enough, this parcours wasn't selective enough that's all and he flatted just before the second Kemmelberg. Cancellara wouldn't have done here what he did at E3 Prijs or anything.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Gilbert looked good enough, this parcours wasn't selective enough that's all and he flatted just before the second Kemmelberg. Cancellara wouldn't have done here what he did at E3 Prijs or anything.

OK, but Gilbert wasn't able to force anything on that second Kemmel, while I believe he went 100% there.

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Good for tornado Tom, who's starting to click at the right time.
I thought he looked good in the sprint. Once he got out front noone could pull an inch back.
I'm looking forward to seeing him revved up next month starting with RVV.
goOOOO BOONEN!

 

[Anonymous]

It's quite funny how Sky as a team so far has been much better than Garmin, although both teams have suffered from some bad luck. Sky were extremely good today, putting someone into every move with Flecha, Stannard and Hayman all being very strong. Too bad they lost G to a early crash and everyone else in the crash at the end...

Yea...tons better

1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team 4:35:00
2 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Leopard Trek
3 Tyler Farrar (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo
4 André Greipel (Ger) Omega Pharma-Lotto
5 Lloyd Mondory (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
6 Mitchell Docker (Aus) Skil - Shimano
7 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) HTC-Highroad
8 Kristof Goddaert (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale
9 Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team
10 Baden Cooke (Aus) Saxo Bank Sungard
11 Yoann Offredo (Fra) FDJ
12 Leonardo Fabio Duque (Col) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
13 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
14 Tiziano Dall'antonia (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
15 Adrien Petit (Fra) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
16 Sébastien Chavanel (Fra) Team Europcar
17 Anthony Geslin (Fra) FDJ
18 Daniel Oss (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
19 Robert Hunter (RSA) Team RadioShack
20 Roy Curvers (Ned) Skil - Shimano
21 Lars Ytting Bak (Den) HTC-Highroad
22 Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Cofidis, Le Credit En Ligne
23 Borut Bozic (Slo) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
24 Pablo Lastras Garcia (Spa) Movistar Team
25 Kristijan Koren (Slo) Liquigas-Cannondale
26 Mirko Selvaggi (Ita) Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team
27 Simon Spilak (Slo) Lampre - ISD
28 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) Team Europcar
29 Grégory Rast (Swi) Team RadioShack
30 George Hincapie (USA) BMC Racing Team
31 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team
32 Alan Marangoni (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
33 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Procycling

 

[maltiv]

Yea...tons better

Did I say they had better results? Racing better as a team doesn't always lead to good results, one has to have some luck as well. Either way Sky has done better so far in the classics than garmin-cervelo have.

 

[El Pistolero]

OK, but Gilbert wasn't able to force anything on that second Kemmel, while I believe he went 100% there.

He wasn't at the front the second time.

 

[beer_thirty]

Dude.

Did you see Cancellara last year at E3. IMO that was even more impressive. No chains, no undergearing, no hills. He just dropped, at will, the second and third best cobbled specialists in the world, in the last 1k, on pan flat, and made about 15 seconds on them in the space of 800m before sitting up to celebrate.

And we all know what happened next.

Hes only hit form too early if he wants to carry the form to AGR.

LOL! Man we are totally on the same page! I'm just being a wuss and trying to please all sides. Silly me. I thought his dropping of Boonen and Flecha in 2K10 E3 was the most awesome classics moment of the year! Tommeke flat out, and just got DROPPED. Nothing else came close. I'm pinned between you (whom I most agree with) and the folks who think this years RVV and PR will be even close. A guy just can't win!!!

 

[BroDeal]

Yea...tons better

1 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quickstep Cycling Team 4:35:00
2 Daniele Bennati (Ita) Leopard Trek
3 Tyler Farrar (USA) Team Garmin-Cervelo
4 André Greipel (Ger) Omega Pharma-Lotto
...
32 Alan Marangoni (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
33 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) Sky Procycling

33 is better than 3. Like...there are two threes instead of one. It is twice as good.

 

[beer_thirty]

Good for tornado Tom, who's starting to click at the right time.
I thought he looked good in the sprint. Once he got out front noone could pull an inch back.
I'm looking forward to seeing him revved up next month starting with RVV.
goOOOO BOONEN!

Yep, nice win for Tommeke, in the context of GW. In the context of the next two weeks, however, let us compare E3 to GW:

Race 1. No need; just read the quotes of all the shell shocked opposition. Fear right to the core of the entire peloton.

Race 2. 2nd time up the Kemmel; Tommeke looking VERY shaky, barely able to hold the wheel of none other than famed specialist Pablo Lastras. 10th up the hill in the pack, a 3m gap to the guy in front of him. Does NO work in the final, has a teammate both up front and one to sheperd him to the sprint. A very nice win, but was this the ride of a guy who is going to come even close to the guy we saw Saturday?? I'm not a mindless Fabo fan; it's just reality we are seeing here. That's all. I am a big Boonen fan, but he is not as good this year as last, and Cancellara is better. And we all saw what happened last year.

 

[Anonymous]

33 is better than 3. Like...there are two threes instead of one. It is twice as good.

33 is also 3 x 11...so sky goes to 11! Just like Nigel Tufnel's amp!

 

[beer_thirty]

i think you are overdoing it a bit.

Shame on me! I really missed a great potential line here; should have replied along the lines of "You mean, you think three beers is too many for Paris-Roubaix? OK girlfriend... "

I don't miss too many like that..dang!

 

[Tuarts]

Surprised no one has mentioned Docker. Awesome ride by him to get 6th!

 

[Astana1]

Sky need not worry since Wiggins will probably win the tour