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

[theyoungest]

I agree with you. That statement was nonsense. Why do people always bring in the nationality in to the debate? It really does annoy me.

I dont judge a rider on his nationality or native tongue and i only judge them on the quality of rider they are. I dont look at their passports when i am judging a racing situation.

Dekker_T has a point though. If it were Alejandro Valverde winning the race in that way, I think the Anglophone audience would have been slightly more critical regarding the winning tactics.

 

[greenedge]

I think Gerrans tactical accumen is overrated in this race's finale, as Cancellara was really stuck with a Hobbes' choice after the descent was too successful to give up but not successful enough to leave him any options at all. Even I could see that it was Gerrans' to lose after the descent, and Canc was racing for second. I congratulate Gerrans just for being there to take the win, not for anything tactical that he did after latching on to Niballi's attack. (Which was telegraphed a few days ago in an interview cyclingnews quoted.)

In my view it was simple and therefore just as significant ( which is why people say it was his main advantage- in the race ). He is also quite a canny rider over a lot of times. Gerrans might also have been unawares of what Nibali was planning as GE would have probably focused on maybe helping to get rid of Cav then set up Goss for the sprint.

Do you honestly think Valverde would have hung on- in the Poggio or tried to ATTACK???

I sort of resent the idea that all of us Anglophones would call out Valverde ( i quite like him- though i know others do not, maybe because he could have doped ). The only real prominent wheel suckers that come to my mind are Pozzato and Levi ( though he backs up with good results/ very old- so has to conserve energy ). That is a ratio of one Euro and one English speaker.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Didn't he get his TdF stage victory by wheelsucking the hell out of Egoi Martínez, though?

yeah. simon gerrans is a worse version of nick nuyens

 

[JRanton]

The worst peice of wheelsucking this season was Quintana against JTL at Murcia. 7km in a strong head wind up a climb.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

In my view it was simple and therefore just as significant ( which is why people say it was his main advantage- in the race ). He is also quite a canny rider over a lot of times. Gerrans might also have been unawares of what Nibali was planning as GE would have probably focused on maybe helping to get rid of Cav then set up Goss for the sprint.

Do you honestly think Valverde would have hung on- in the Poggio or tried to ATTACK???

I sort of resent the idea that all of us Anglophones would call out Valverde ( i quite like him- though i know others do not, maybe because he could have doped ). The only real prominent wheel suckers that come to my mind are Pozzato and Levi ( though he backs up with good results/ very old- so has to conserve energy ). That is a ratio of one Euro and one English speaker.

Did Gerrans attack? No he did not. He followed Nibali's move. Valverde would more than likely have done the same as though Valverde is notorious for not animating races himself he is very good at knowing which moves to follow, and even he wouldn't back himself in a sprint against some of the people who were still left when Nibali made his move - Goss, Renshaw, Boasson Hagen, Boonen. Do I think Valverde would have hung on in the Poggio? People like Degenkolb, Oss and Geschke managed to, I'm pretty sure Valverde could.

It's all moot because he wasn't there, but yes, Valverde could have won that race in the way Gerrans did. He has the ability to. And he would have been crucified for it just the same.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The worst peice of wheelsucking this season was Quintana against JTL at Murcia. 7km in a strong head wind up a climb.

There was no footage of that. JTL is in front on all the photos, but one side maintain Quintana sat on while JTL did all the work, the other side maintain JTL drove on the front to drop Quintana but couldn't.

It's up to you which side you believe. Both sides will obviously make themselves out to be the innocent party.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

The worst peice of wheelsucking this season was Quintana against JTL at Murcia. 7km in a strong head wind up a climb.

except that didn't happen. lol

 

[JRanton]

except that didn't happen. lol

Quintana didn't put his nose in the wind until about 1km from the top. Both sides agree on that.

 

[theyoungest]

except that didn't happen. lol

Didn't Quintana sort of admit it? Although in different words, "this time he couldn't drop me, like he did in Haut Var"?

 

[Arnout]

Cancellara was not very smart. I know by riding onwards he would at least score a third place, but he and we knows that he can still do something special after a failed attack (Flanders last year for example). He didn't even try to unnerve the other two (apart from one unconvincing elbow). It reminded me a bit of the Schleck tactic in LBL and on l'Alpe d'Huez last year. When you don't know what to do anymore, help your opponent by riding on front at a steady pace.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Didn't Quintana sort of admit it? Although in different words, "this time he couldn't drop me, like he did in Haut Var"?

no. he said tiernan locke tried to drop him a few times but he held on and then attacked with 1 km to go. he dropped tiernan quite hard as he came over the top by more than half a minute lead. and headwind?? tiernan locke attacked with like 6 to go where it was 12% steep and from there on it stays steep. 7% average and done in an area where there are trees everywhere. headwind my ***. I can't hear anymore of these anglophone bs excuses. tiernan locke simply found out quintana is a much better climber and he is. nothing to be ashamed of. maybe only a few riders right now can climb better than quintana and he will show again in catalunya. he's better than valverde no doubt

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Quintana didn't put his nose in the wind until about 1km from the top. Both sides agree on that.

yeah and he dropped tiernan like a sack of **** quintana was a lot better and headwind? lol tiernan went where ity was 12% steep and there are trees everywhere on that climb. it;'s basiclaly in a forrest. simply take a look at the facebook of tiernan locke and it should say enough about who to take serious

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

yeah and he dropped tiernan like a sack of **** quintana was a lot better and headwind? lol tiernan went where ity was 12% steep and there are trees everywhere on that climb. it;'s basiclaly in a forrest. simply take a look at the facebook of tiernan locke and it should say enough about who to take serious

Seriously, stop being such a joke.

He dropped JTL 1km from the top of a hill and put a gap in to him which was smaller than the gap JTL put in to him a week before.

If you want to pretend Quintana is next year's Giro winner, you're going to have give JTL some credit too.

 

[theyoungest]

Then the question remains why Quintana sat on Tiernan-Locke's wheel, if he had no profit from it

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Then the question remains why Quintana sat on Tiernan-Locke's wheel, if he had no profit from it

because he had pardilla behind him and in the short image you can see in youtube I posted quintana sat in his wheel easily. simply team orders. I don't like them either but quintana is a very aggressive rider everyone knows that. he showed last year in every race he did in europe, also catalunya. now he'll be in valverde team and that sucks. but I think his status within the team is rapidly growing as unzue realises he is the future of the team and not valverde

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Seriously, stop being such a joke.

He dropped JTL 1km from the top of a hill and put a gap in to him which was smaller than the gap JTL put in to him a week before.

If you want to pretend Quintana is next year's Giro winner, you're going to have give JTL some credit too.

I think tiernan locke is great. I alreayd named him last year that he would be a rider to do great because he returned from sickness and last year showed great climbing form in vuelta leon. you are right tiernan didn't have half a minute, was poels, who came down that much. but tiernan was definitely tired down as he dropped even more in the downhil after it and headwind? 100% bs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-1S1bzQaFc&feature=related

check the trees on the climb.

 

[theyoungest]

What? The great Pardilla?

If anything, the climb looks very open to wind on that video.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

What? The great Pardilla?

If anything, the climb looks very open to wind on that video.

yeah but there is no wind. and as I said. the final 6 km are all over 7% steep

 

[hrotha]

but I think his status within the team is rapidly growing as unzue realises he is the future of the team and not valverde

Hahahaha, seriously now.

 

[theyoungest]

I think Valverde will have to be walking with a cane before Unzue regards anyone else as the absolute leader of that team.

 

[Duartista]

What? The great Pardilla?

If anything, the climb looks very open to wind on that video.

Castroviejo was also not far behind.

Anyway, after Tiernan-Locke's performance in Haut Var it's not surprising Quintana was cautious about riding with him. Perhaps JTL was a bit over-confident in his own ability to drop Quintana on a longish climb (as opposed to the explosive Mur de Fayence). He also made a bad tactical mistake in waiting for Poels and Pardilla to do the descent. If he had not, he may well have won the overall.

 

[jens_attacks]

lol ryo for your own health you better don't watch this week's catalunya with quintana dragging valverde uphill on all the climbs.i can't see unzue giving him a free role with valverde in the team,no way unfortunately

 

[Duartista]

That'll probably happen, unless Valverde struggles badly on his first big mountain stage since his comeback.

 

[jens_attacks]

That'll probably happen, unless Valverde struggles badly on his first big mountain stage since his comeback.

according to manolo saiz it can happen this week.valverde raced too much full-gas since his comeback.but on the other hand i think after catalunya,he will take a break before the ardennes so probably he still has some energy left for this one.

 

[Mellow Velo]

I've only just caught up on watching the Primavera, came here, and found myself once again in Ryo's parallel universe.

Not so much that he's talking about a guy who wasn't relevant, rather the utterly biased rubbish with which he tries to re-writes races.

Anyhow, after last year's racing feast, this year turned out to be back to the usual, cold buffet.
Pretty bland, predictable and uninspiring, apart from the fact that the three stayed away.........just.