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

[Richeypen]

More nonsense than normal in this thread.

Did Cancellara sit up on the donwhill so that Gerrans could hang on? No. He pushed it and played to his strength. Gerrans simply played to his.

The gap to the bunch was only 2 sec. had Gerro come through for lots of pulls like some think he should, its highly likely the lead 3 would have been caught. Gerro isn't a TT machine like Cancellara. And he also had one of the favourites in the bunch coming down the hill (until Goss was caught in the same crash which stopped Boonen) unlike Cancellara.

Congratulations to Gerrrans, does the best with what he's got.

The point I was making was that Pippo tried to do the same thing last year and was pilloried from all quarters for it.


Of course Gerrans was using a legitimate tactic, I however watch cycling to be entertained and I dont find that type of rider entertaining. So congrats to Gerrans but I didn't enjoy his victory for one second.

 

[greenedge]

I'm truely disappointed with this winner but well he was the smartest so there's nothing to whine about....

I think Nibali was working for Sagan all the way because he didn't hold anything back for the sprint, he was hanging on for dear life. I think he attacked just to force others to chase and give Sagan a free ride.

Sky was probably the biggest let down. They should have shifted to EBH as
soon as Cav was 2min down.

You can't say that he was not strong though ( he went well at P-N ) beforehand.

I think Nibali just wanted to win- by going on the Poggio.

To finish with only two riders is a disgrace- they should have just tried to get back up to help EBH.

I feel sorry for Boonen/ Gilbert. I also felt Freire would definitely take that when i saw they had 3 riders.

Rabobank at least showed themselves and rode committed to Renshaw which shows good signs.

 

[The Hitch]

Gerrans didn't follow Cancellara's attack by the way. He was in the best position at the Poggio and followed Nibali's attack.

Are you being annoying on purpose??

Why are you telling me that I am wrong to think that Cancellara initiated the attack when not only did I not say such a thing, I actually said the EXACT OPPOSITE.

Cancellara was way back when it happened. He came to join them only about 10 seconds later

 

[gingerwallaceafro]

More nonsense than normal in this thread.

Did Cancellara sit up on the donwhill so that Gerrans could hang on? No. He pushed it and played to his strength. Gerrans simply played to his.

The gap to the bunch was only 2 sec. had Gerro come through for lots of pulls like some think he should, its highly likely the lead 3 would have been caught. Gerro isn't a TT machine like Cancellara. And he also had one of the favourites in the bunch coming down the hill (until Goss was caught in the same crash which stopped Boonen) unlike Cancellara.

Congratulations to Gerrrans, does the best with what he's got.

Have to agree with that, did his turn at exactly the right time and judged it perfectly. I couldn't help looking at Cancellara on the podium at the end though, and thinking you're gee true champ, you are the strongest rider. The amount of seconds and thirds he gets nowadays is unreal. To me, Cancellara is the true champion.

 

[DominicDecoco]

@Jonathan Vaughters
I see quite a few interesting comments on MSR. It's a bike race. Tactics win over strength sometimes. That's what makes cycling interesting.

 

[greenedge]

He is but what does he expect- he was the favourite. From now on he has to try dislodge the riders with him ( Chavanel and Nuyens last year as well ).

 

[PCutter]

The point I was making was that Pippo tried to do the same thing last year and was pilloried from all quarters for it.

I think Pippo gets pilloried because he sits in and then doesn't win

 

[barmaher]

Is Gerrans a bit of the dead wood of which Wiggo spoke?

Gerrans way smarter than Spartacus.

Liqui ****ed up. They may have agreed to attack on the Poggio, but they should have tried keep it together given Sagan's form.

 

[Eric8-A]

I was waiting on Cancellara to try and break free from Nibali and Gerrans.

 

[Museeuw]

Hendrik J. Van Vliet ‏ @hjvanvliet

"@Vaughters then you understand why people are upset. Fans like to see the strongest win. Not the smartest."


Jonathan Vaughters ‏ @Vaughters

"@hjvanvliet well, that's stupid. Literally."

 

[Museeuw]

I think Pippo gets pilloried because he sits in and then doesn't win

+ Sits in is only thing what Pozzato have ever done. It's always nice race when Pozzato doesn't win.

 

[El Pistolero]

Hendrik J. Van Vliet ‏ @hjvanvliet

"@Vaughters then you understand why people are upset. Fans like to see the strongest win. Not the smartest."


Jonathan Vaughters ‏ @Vaughters

"@hjvanvliet well, that's stupid. Literally."

I'm starting to like Vaughters lol.

 

[curium]

Just noticed that half the GreenEdge Team didn't finish

 

[PCutter]

Just noticed that half the GreenEdge Team didn't finish

And that matters why?

 

[killswitch]

“In general I think everything went the way it should go,” said Fabian Cancellara after the race. “It was a hard race and a fast one too. At the end I was right there and when the attack came I was ready. It was part of our plan that Daniele could continue on without stress in case it came to a group sprint. I had in my mind to make a difference on the Poggio on the downhill and then to the finish line.

"Gerrans did some pulls and I understood that Nibali had his teammate Peter Sagan behind for the sprint so he didn’t have to work. I saw the riders coming at the end but after 300k it’s not easy to calculate exactly what to do and be right each time. In the end I got a nice second place and second in Sanremo is prestigious of course, but it wasn’t the birthday present I was looking for,” said Cancellara, referring to his 31st birthday on Sunday. “I came to win.”

http://www.radioshacknissantrek.com/news/cancellaras-style-full-force-milano-sanremo

 

[BillytheKid]

I was waiting on Cancellara to try and break free from Nibali and Gerrans.

You did watch the final 7k? Cancellara had gaps several times, but he just could not shake them. That's obviously a technical finish, and I thought he was gonna shake them...not. He had to do it on the Poggio. Nibali did attack to help Sagan get the free ride.

 

[DominicDecoco]

I'm starting to like Vaughters lol.

Me too.

____

 

[El Pistolero]

Greipel also crashed at the top of the Cipressa by the way. No wonder Milan-San Remo wasn't a bunch sprint this year!

 

[cocteau_ireland]

For all the posters who ***** about wheelsucking, i have never heard any seasoned pro go on like some of the posters here who get so upset about it.

Sitting on a wheel, as is the correct term, is part of the sport.

Gerrans went after Niabli and then Canc joined to make it 3. Where were the others from the same group?

For me the biggest fail today is Sagan. He should have seen Canc go and realised that Canc would beat Nibali, but you cannot cover all the attacks.

I am glad it wasn't a bunch sprint. I like it when trains fail to bring their rider to the last 300 metres and when an attack wins.

For me the biggest fails today should be judged by who was on the Poggio.

Boonen
Freire
Sagan
EBH
Visoconti

etc...these are the guys imo who should be looking at themselves and say they should have done better.

Utter garbage. Sagan the fail? What rider follows a team leader with 6k to go in such circumstances. Remember, the break wasn't an explosive one; it slowly(relatively) developed. No way sagan could have been expected to follow this slow moving break. Dragging up others would have ensued, indubitably[thanx to s.connery 4 that].

 

[cocteau_ireland]

You did watch the final 7k? Cancellara had gaps several times, but he just could not shake them. That's obviously a technical finish, and I thought he was gonna shake them...not. He had to do it on the Poggio. Nibali did attack to help Sagan get the free ride.

Sagan had a free ride? What planet are you on?!

 

[cocteau_ireland]

It has been st patricks day. I have just watched Kelly descend off the poggio.

 

[cyclopeon]

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. ....

Plenty of evidence out there that one has to be born with the right wiring to learn to be smart, just like being born with the right engine to train into superior strength. Some riders can never learn to be tactical, some can always pick the right tactical decision, and some get to a certain point in their lives after which their tactical intuition fails more often than not.

It's a rare rider who has both the physical engine and the tactical smarts to excel.

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.)

 

[cocteau_ireland]

[Hobson's choice,surely]. Was nice to see gerrans with a sprint. Under-appreciated valverde's so in turn..Thought it a really good climax. Great race

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

so watched the race later when i came home.

And what an awful winner. Did almost no work and profited from Cancellara.
Horrible win really.

And Nibali did 0.00 and could do nothing? Wtf... why not work for Sagan then who could've won

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Gilbert should just vent his anger in the ardennes and RVV. Gilbert can beat gerrans easily in a sprint.

Should've stayed on his bike then.