March 19: Milan - San Remo 2011 298km

[will10]

4 leaders: Allessandro De Marchi, Nico Sijmens, Takaschi Miyazawa, Mikhail Ignatiev 13 mionutes ahead of the bunch.
First hour done at 47,1 km/h

I was just about to post that I reckon Ignatiev will be in the break He just loves being out in front.

Not being able to get rid of, and almost losing a sprint to, Leif friggin Hoste?

Wow

Doesn't matter how much you win by And he didn't try to get rid of him IIRC, he was confident of beating him in the sprint and wanted to stop the group coming back,.

 

[ak-zaaf]

Doesn't matter how much you win by And he didn't try to get rid of him IIRC, he was confident of beating him in the sprint and wanted to stop the group coming back,.

Baiting ACF is my hobby.

 

[will10]

Baiting ACF is my hobby.

Ah, sorry for biting, you got the wrong fish

 

[Kellys Big Sprocket]

Watching Rai Sport 2's showing the past ten years of the race has been kind of depressing.
The forumula:
All day nobody break caught by the Cipressa. Attacks kick off, gets quite interesting. Over the top, a second group of well known puncheurs forms.
Taken back by the peloton around Arma di Taggia.
Onto the Poggio, more animation. Sometimes a single rider gets away, sometimes a small group. Cue Paolo Bettini.

Now, the problem: None of the riders involved can downhill like Sean Kelly.
Small gap stalemate.
Off the Poggio, break wants to do a bit of glass cranking, or the individual runs out of steam, while some no hopers pull the peloton up.

Someone may try a rare, Tscmill/Cancellara move.
More often than not: buncho sprinto.

Can Gilbert break the pattern? I'd like to think so............but I don't.

Mellow Velo. I guess you are referring to the 86 race. Yeep Seans two victory moves from the 86 and 92 races involved some remarkable risk taking descenting from the Poggio - especially the 92 epic chase down of Argentini. How he caught him still astounds me.

Back in 86, the attack came on the climb. Beccia went first, then Lemond and they got 50 metres clear from the KAS man. Sean was at the front of the bunch, Moser and Vanderaerden were covering every move he made. Kelly deliberatley slipped a gear to force these two wheel watchers to pass. When they did Kelly jumped and stayed clear from them. As we all know he caught and outsprinred Lemond and Beccia. A sweet victory. What a way to start that epic 1986 season.

This year, who ever clears the Poggio with 10 seconds advantage. Its theirs. Thats my personal opinion.

Wishing all riders a safe race and all race followers a great spectacle to follow.

 

[glass half full]

gilbert
hushovd
davis
vanavermaet

 

[Bromers]

1. Bennati
2. Haussler
3. EBH

 

[El Pistolero]

Hmm? Happened more often than not in the Tirreno finishes...

It weren't his finishes though, no matter what people(including me ) were saying

There's really only one person who can beat Gilbert on his type of hills. I think we all know who that person is and his name doesn't need to be mentioned.

 

[CraZyCaLL]

Farrar
Goss
Petacchi

 

[bicing]

Looking forward to the interesting part of the race, desperately hoping for a finish like the Melbourne WC where it was a big ? as to whether it would be sprinters or cobbles or hilly riders that would prevail. Can't help but compare the two races, wouldn't it be great if MSR course was designed to be more of a mixed bag...

I pray for Gilbert.
I bet on Haussler.

Estimated finished is 17h, right??

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

It weren't his finishes though, no matter what people(including me ) were saying

There's really only one person who can beat Gilbert on his type of hills. I think we all know who that person is and his name doesn't need to be mentioned.

Yup, TGBM is a menace

 

[thrawn]

Yup, TGBM is a menace

I guess he's sitting this one out to give Matthews his first monument yeah?

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Nobody thinks Cav will make it.

Interesting.

 

[sublimit]

Another ticker going - Quite a good one with a profile and updated every 5 k or so.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/cycling/livematch/429259.html

 

[stefrees]

Just seen the photos of miyazawa before the race, he looked really emotional. Good for him getting in the break

 

[LukeSchmid]

Absolutely nobody thinks Cav will make it.

Interesting.

I think he has a bit of a chance and I would not be greatly surprised if he does, but I think it is more likely he won't

 

[The Hitch]

Nobody thinks Cav will make it.

Interesting.

I chose Cav as my pick for victory, then again, i am nobody

If EBH werent injured i would have gone big for him though. I think this is the season where he lives up to expectations and he was many peoples favourite last year

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I chose Cav as my pick, then again, i am nobody

You, me and a few other ghosts then.

IF this is a 2009 misinformation campaign rather than a 2010 **** up, it's been incredibly successful.

I choose to hope for the former, mainly as he's had so much racing already this year it doesn't seem plausible that he's in worse shape than 2009.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Great stuff by Takashi Miyazawa! Getting in the break putting in a strong ride for Japan. Do your country proud Takashi!

 

[El Pistolero]

Cav is a boring pick, too obvious

Though I will be a little bit surprised if he makes it over the Poggio.

 

[LukeSchmid]

Great stuff by Takashi Miyazawa! Getting in the break putting in a strong ride for Japan. Do your country proud Takashi!

Agreed, it would be a bit of a fairytale if the break survives and he won but it is not going to happen.

 

[LukeSchmid]

Cav is a boring pick, too obvious

Though I will be a little bit surprised if he makes it over the Poggio.

In alot of races yes he is the obvious boring pick, in this race less so because of the big question of whether he is going to make it.

 

[sublimit]

Ignatiev in a break, what a surprise.
At least Katusha have an excuse not to ride though I suppose.

 

[auscyclefan94]

Ignatiev in a break, what a surprise.
At least Katusha have an excuse not to ride though I suppose.

pozzato has a more reasonable excuse to suck some wheel for 298km.

 

[LukeSchmid]

pozzato has a more reasonable excuse to suck some wheel for 298km.

Yes when Gilbert goes on the Poggio he will not have to look around to see whose nose is poking him in the backside.

 

[El Pistolero]

Yup, TGBM is a menace

I was talking about Wout Poels.