March 19: Milan - San Remo 2011 298km

[R.0.t.O]

When it comes to time trialing... Cancellare IS the next Miguel Indurain. Maybe better.

If he got the level of clinic help big Mig got... he might climb like him too.

Maybe if we had the routes that Mig had then Canc would already have won the Tour. Look up the 1993 Tour, I think there's a good chance Cancellara could have won on that route.

Randon thought:

How was he going to beat let alone place in the finale against Cancellara, Goss, Gilbert, Ballan, etc?

Well, Nibali is a good climber, and a great descender. It's far from impossible that he gets a gap on the Poggio and pulls away enough on the descent. Of course it's difficult.

 

[Echoes]

Why should a leader be criticized for his attacks. That's beyond me !

It's Milan Sanremo. Everyone of them has the right to race for himself.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Maybe if we had the routes that Mig had then Canc would already have won the Tour. Look up the 1993 Tour, I think there's a good chance Cancellara could have won on that route.



Well, Nibali is a good climber, and a great descender. It's far from impossible that he gets a gap on the Poggio and pulls away enough on the descent. Of course it's difficult.

You could be the best climber in the world and you won't stay away over the top of the poggio with organised teams behind. The Poggio is 3.8% average gradient.

 

[El Pistolero]

You could be the best climber in the world and you won't stay away over the top of the poggio with organised teams behind. The Poggio is 3.8% average gradient.

Gilbert did it in 2007 and 2008

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

It is more about having the power to hold off the group rather then being the best climber.

 

[Cobblestones]

Tactical Genius is overkill. Perhaps Tactially Astute is a more appropriate phrase.

No racehorse should be described as a 'genius'. Ulrich would approve.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Gilbert did it in 2007 and 2008

2007 was a bunch sprint so he did not stay away. When cancellara won in 2008, the group came back up to Gilbert and then Cancellara went away with it

 

[El Pistolero]

2007 was a bunch sprint so he did not stay away. When cancellara won in 2008, the group came back up to Gilbert and then Cancellara went away with it

In both cases Gilbert made it over the Poggio alone. In 2007 he was only caught with a km to go because Ricco was just sucking his wheel instead of helping and in 2008 the peloton never came back together, just a selective group of puncheurs.

 

[fatsprintking]

In both cases Gilbert made it over the Poggio alone. In 2007 he was only caught with a km to go because Ricco was just sucking his wheel instead of helping and in 2008 the peloton never came back together, just a selective group of puncheurs.

And yet it was straightforward for Goss to just ride with Gilbert over the Poggio and win a simple sprint......

 

[El Pistolero]

And yet it was straightforward for Goss to just ride with Gilbert over the Poggio and win a simple sprint......

It was, pretty much every sprinter got eliminated by crashes, mechanicals or health problems.

We already knew he could get over hills as we saw in last year's Giro. He was extremely lucky. If Gilbert would have won it still would have been just as lucky. Denying that is delusional.

 

[fatsprintking]

It was, pretty much every sprinter got eliminated by crashes, mechanicals or health problems.

We already knew he could get over hills as we saw in last year's Giro. He was extremely lucky. If Gilbert would have won it still would have been just as lucky. Denying that is delusional.

Aww come on dude - talking about my personal medical issues is a bit below the belt....

You have just outlined that Gilbert has not once but twice - he's almost three times a lady - been able to ride away from EVERYBODY, and yet you still want to add lucky and Goss together at every opportunity.

I admitted that I was a bit over the top with my "tactical genius" call. Come on, you can admit that Goss is actually a little bit special can't you...please...

 

[El Pistolero]

Aww come on dude - talking about my personal medical issues is a bit below the belt....

You have just outlined that Gilbert has not once but twice - he's almost three times a lady - been able to ride away from EVERYBODY, and yet you still want to add lucky and Goss together at every opportunity.

I admitted that I was a bit over the top with my "tactical genius" call. Come on, you can admit that Goss is actually a little bit special can't you...please...

Good cyclist, but he was lucky. Doubt he would've won without all the crashes and 90% of the sprinters eliminated.

Of course he didn't get this thrown in his lap as he still had to ride his guts out, but how often do things happen like this year at MSR you think? He even said he would've worked for Cav if he was still there.

 

[Mambo95]

Reading much of this thread, I feel that Goss isn't getting enough credit here. And I think this is because he is best known as a sprinter. But it wasn't a sprinter's win - far from it.

Had, for example, Matti Breschel, won like that, people would have been lauding him for riding a great race. But because it was sprinter, it's 'lucky'. It wasn't lucky, he worked for that win.

There seems to be a sort of anti-sprinter "racism" amongst some.

 

[El Pistolero]

Reading much of this thread, I feel that Goss isn't getting enough credit here. And I think this is because he is best known as a sprinter. But it wasn't a sprinter's win - far from it.

Had, for example, Matti Breschel, won like that, people would have been lauding him for riding a great race. But because it was sprinter, it's 'lucky'. It wasn't lucky, he worked for that win.

There seems to be a sort of anti-sprinter "racism" amongst some.

Not by me, as I said it would have been lucky if someone like Gilbert would've won as well.

 

[Echoes]

It is more about having the power to hold off the group rather then being the best climber.

Holding it off was not the main part. He was the best climber of the pack and his reputedly one of the best descender of the peloton.

In 1981, Fons De Wolf had but a 10m gap at the top of the Poggio (there was no Cipressa at that time) and he finished with 11 seconds on the Via Roma.

After such a hard classic race, if you're strong enough to get free from an élite group, even with 5 seconds, you manage it. You are normally one of the freshest and, most of all, you would count on the chasers to look to one another rather than work with each other. That's the way so many races went on.

My belief is that Nibali's mistake was definitely not having attacked on the Poggio but was not having attacked on the Cipressa while Agnoli paved the way for it. A hard race is for hard men.


Just consider this comment by him:

“It was a great opportunity. Almost all of the sprinters plus [Michele] Scarponi were left out of the first group. [Valerio] Agnoli pulled on the Manie, and then at the top we all looked at one another. I asked [Alessandro] Ballan to put some of his men on the front because they were suffering behind, and for them the race would have become difficult.”

 

[The Hitch]

There seems to be a sort of anti-sprinter "racism" amongst some.

Strange to see that, because your postings are usually very clear and lucid, but I believe the word you are looking for is "bias"