March 17th 2012 Milan-Sanremo - The Primavera - 298km

[Ryo Hazuki]

This should be a sticky message on every thread.

cancellara actually got very upset with it. just remember last years roubaix

 

[DominicDecoco]

cancellara actually got very upset with it. just remember last years roubaix

He chose the wrong sport then.

 

[maxmartin]

Lots of people in the peloton think Matt Goss if have a proper training program, he will be at least on par with Cave. Goss just like to enjoy life a little bit too much.

Heard from a good source that Cav has one speed when he trains and it is full on.

 

[Benotti69]

cancellara actually got very upset with it. just remember last years roubaix

And yet he still expects riders to ride with him to the finish. He got upset no one would help chase in Roubaix. Then he rode of every ones wheels near the end to finish second. What does he want? Everyone to ride with him till he is ready to ride away to the win? That's what sprinters do! Maybe he should learn to sprint.

All the ex pro commentators don't have a problem with it!

 

[maxmartin]

Boonen was caught in a crash
according to him, today he had the best legs ever for MSR
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boonen-held-up-by-milan-san-remo-crash

Often DID !

Boonen can sprint but doesn't even seem able to cross the Poggio, right?

A sprinter can certainly not win Paris-Roubaix. I've always that race was the hardest. But they can do well in Flanders. Cipollini already top10ed in 2002.

Of course if I'm telling you that Godefroot won 1968 Tour of Flanders in a bunch of 15 you're gonna respond that it's too long ago, so I might remind you that in 2000, Andrei Tchmil barely had a 4" advantage ahead of a bunch of 20 riders (despite a mighty crash in that bunch). And Zabel was 4th.

When Devolder won the second one, he was more ahead but there was also a huge bunch for 2nd.


EDIT: Now look there's a 2" gap between Nibali and Sagan



But it IS discrediting. Those guys could stay in wheels all day long. There should not be any major classic which they can compete for. In 70's/80's, Paris-Tours was raced in opposite direction in order to avoid this. The beauty of a classic is that no sprinter can win it.

I do believe that as far as Milan-Sanremo is concerned, we're witnessing the end of an era. How can anyone believe that a race of 300km after a few hills can end up in a bunch sprint. In the last 7 editions, 4-3. We're going to see fewer and fewer sprints in the years to come. Mark my words !

 

[Mambo95]

Sprinters can't, and don't, win the Ronde or Roubaix. Sprinters can, and often do in recent years, win Milan-San Remo. Yes Tom Boonen can sprint, but he's not a pure sprinter the way Cipollini, or Petacchi, or Cavendish are. Those three won't win the Ronde.

It depends what you mean by 'pure sprinter' ('pure' anything is a daft term IMO). In 2005/6 Boonen was as good as any sprinter around.

It's more true to say riders don't usually win on courses that don't suit them. But sometimes they do.

 

[hrotha]

Dumbest post in the history of this forum.

Contador: one trick pony. He can only climb and ITT.
Gilbert: one trick pony. He can only sprint up hills or on false flats or maybe on the flat.

So I guess it... makes sense?

 

[The Hitch]

Gerrans deserved it. Smart riders deserve to win over strong riders. Being smart is something you have to learn, being strong is something you're born with. These guys all train as hard... Well maybe not Cavendish and Andy Schleck, but you get what I'm saying.

I dont think following Canc makes someone smart. It is the obvious choice.

and Cancellara wasnt necessarily being dumb. That was probably the best position he could get this year in MSR which is ironic considering he is twice the rider of the guy that actually won.

But since you are so smart, tell me what you would have done in his position, smart guy.

 

[cycladianpirate]

So, the 'strongest' rider didn't win the race - goodness! I wonder if that's ever happened in cycling before.........

Gerrans did his job superbly today and thoroughly deserved the win.

As for Cavendish - really disappointing. Not so much in his performance but in not accepting much, much earlier that it wasn't going to be his day and telling his team not to bother trying to get him back on. Really poor show.

 

[roundabout]

Boonen was caught in a crash
according to him, today he had the best legs ever for MSR
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/boonen-held-up-by-milan-san-remo-crash

Even with "best ever" legs and a slow tempo (sorry) for the first 2/3 of the Poggio Boonen was too far back over the top.

 

[The Hitch]

Contador: one trick pony. He can only climb and ITT.
Gilbert: one trick pony. He can only sprint up hills or on false flats or maybe on the flat.

So I guess it... makes sense?

Being able to itt AND climb means that he isnt a 1 trick pony

As for Gilbert he kind of does specialize mainly in short sharp hills. Goldilocks hills. Not to short, not too long, not to steep not too easy. Other hilly riders do well in exactly the same type of races he does well in.

The point about Cancellara is that he also is the best cobbled rider in the world and possibly the best classics one - looking at races like msr, MSb, olympics and worlds.

With Gilbert it is about the hill acceleration. Others who specialise in that do well in the same type of races as he does.

With Canc its not just about the tt because riders like T mart and Larsson who compete with him in tts dont come close to him in cobbles or classics.

 

[hrotha]

Wait, Hitch, why are you replying to that post as if it was serious. I was trying to demonstrate how stupid it was.

 

[Benotti69]

Did Grenedge's team make all the difference today for Gerrans?

EBH or Lovquist could have sat in, and no doubt did, out of the wind till the Poggio like all the Leaders. What would Sky have done with the 5 riders who waited for Cav?

Boonen was held up by a crash! What did OPQS do to get him back?

BMC same for Gilbert. BMC would not have got Gilbert back into contention.

Knocking TeamSky today is over critical.

 

[jens_attacks]

I do believe that as far as Milan-Sanremo is concerned, we're witnessing the end of an era. How can anyone believe that a race of 300km after a few hills can end up in a bunch sprint. In the last 7 editions, 4-3. We're going to see fewer and fewer sprints in the years to come. Mark my words !

yes the end of an era because they put le manie on the route.
if mercatone,casino,once or gewiss ballan would have had this climb they'd drop too zabel,cipo and the other sprinters i'm pretty sure

2008 no sprint
2009 sprint
2010 sprint
2011 no sprint
2012 no sprint

it's because of le manie
le manie is not a false flat,it's a proper climb

 

[Panda Claws]

Every very good classics rider has to have something that sets him apart from the others.

Cancellara has his ITT
Gilbert has his Acceleration
Boonen has his Sprint

What do subpar guys like Leukemans, etc... have?

 

[Swede1]

**** this! I wanted Canc to win. or Sagan. First off this reminded me of flanders last year. Gerrans was obviously strong, stronger than most but he rode like an *******. Also, it seemed as though liquigas rode for nibbles instead of sagan. Oss and Nibbles should both have worked to bring back the duo in front and things may have turned out differently. btw what happened to haussler, I thought he was supposed to do well.

 

[The Hitch]

By the way, in Flanders no GT riders on the podium since 1988 (Kelly).

And roubaix

 

[Benotti69]

Every very good classics rider has to have something that sets him apart from the others.

Cancellara has his ITT
Gilbert has his Acceleration
Boonen has his Sprint

What do subpar guys like Leukemans, etc... have?

Luck and some race smarts, the same that every other non Canc, Gilbert or Boonen does to get a win.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Every very good classics rider has to have something that sets him apart from the others.

Cancellara has his ITT
Gilbert has his Acceleration
Boonen has his Sprint

What do subpar guys like Leukemans, etc... have?

a big mouth

 

[roundabout]

Did Grenedge's team make all the difference today for Gerrans?

EBH or Lovquist could have sat in, and no doubt did, out of the wind till the Poggio like all the Leaders. What would Sky have done with the 5 riders who waited for Cav?

Boonen was held up by a crash! What did OPQS do to get him back?

BMC same for Gilbert. BMC would not have got Gilbert back into contention.

Knocking TeamSky today is over critical.

I am not sure what point you're making. Or do you think that after being outclimbed by 100+ people on Le Manie Cavendish would suddenly find the legs for Cipressa and the Poggio?

Luckily for Sky EBH didn't have it/ doesn't still have it so their one-eyed tactics didn't matter.

 

[The Hitch]

Wait, Hitch, why are you replying to that post as if it was serious. I was trying to demonstrate how stupid it was.

I know, but you mentioned Gilbert as (not) a 1 trick pony and i was explaining why he is more so than Canc

 

[hektoren]

Knocking TeamSky today is over critical.

Aren't knocking TeamSky. Knocking Cav. On Le Manie he should've known. He was pedaling backwards through the field faster than *** through a goose. Unfortunately EBH chose to stay with Sky. Major mistake. The dual approach-strategy was worth diddlysquat when all their resources were hogged by Cav.

 

[Panda Claws]

As the only current cyclist with the ('proven') potential of being able to win 4 different monuments Gilbert is hardly ever a one-trick pony.

 

[Benotti69]

I am not sure what point you're making. Or do you think that after being outclimbed by 100+ people on Le Manie Cavendish would suddenly find the legs for Cipressa and the Poggio?

Luckily for Sky EBH didn't have it/ doesn't still have it so their one-eyed tactics didn't matter.

I am talking about posters giving out about Sky riders waiting for Cav.

I dont see what difference any teams made today for their respective leaders. BMC pushed today to ensure Cav did not get back. Did that benefit them? Liquigas did pace the Cipressa and thinned the race more. What would have Sky done for EBH. If had smarts he would've picked another leader's wheel to follow to the Poggio and from there if he had the legs make his own race.

 

[roundabout]

I am talking about posters giving out about Sky riders waiting for Cav.

I dont see what difference any teams made today for their respective leaders. BMC pushed today to ensure Cav did not get back. Did that benefit them? Liquigas did pace the Cipressa and thinned the race more. What would have Sky done for EBH. If had smarts he would've picked another leader's wheel to follow to the Poggio and from there if he had the legs make his own race.

Sky wasted riders that could have potentially kept the race together/caught the Poggio attackers.

That's what Sky could have done.