March 19: Milan - San Remo 2011 298km

[Kwibus]

All major networks seem to have run stories during the day and/or this evening. 3 or 4am on Sunday morning is not a good time for sporting news if it is to be run in the media a little later that morning - at least for minor sports such as cycling.

That's is rather dissapointing indeed.

Australia is an incredible sportminded country. They are at the top in a lot of sports with just 22 million citizens. Last 10 years they have made their way to the top of cycling as well. With more and more good australians in the world tour ranks. Right now they simply are 1 of the bigger cycling nations. It's sad to hear it doesn't get any attention at all though.

 

[El Pistolero]

All I know is Omega pharma Lotto should buy Offredo.

 

[maltiv]

they covered the cricket which finished after MSR. Lets see if the papers cover it tommorow.

You australians really don't deserve all this success when you clearly don't even care about cycling. Let someone who cares win once in a while, please?

 

[Havetts]

All I know is Omega pharma Lotto should buy Offredo.

Any team should, if hes on FDJ next season I'm going to gauge out my eyeballs .

 

[will10]

Why would he want to leave? At FDJ he is allowed to ride for his own chances in the bigs races, if he went to Omega he would get very few chances, would just be Gilbert's b1tch.

 

[simo1733]

I heard people dismiss this bike as it is not as stiff as the tarmac SL.Sure seemed stiff enough for Mr Goss.
I wonder what Mclaren have done for the British Olympic Team?

 

[Havetts]

Fair enough, but wouldnt he be better off on a team with a World/Pro Tour license? Guaranteed participation to the classics etc, Im sure Lotto isnt the best place to go if you want to go for your own chance, but surely enough WTour teams could use a classics man.

 

[LukeSchmid]

You australians really don't deserve all this success when you clearly don't even care about cycling. Let someone who cares win once in a while, please?

I know you were joking but Goss's win is only the second win by an Australian in a monument after O'Grady's Paris Roubaix. No Australian has won a GT and only a couple have even got close. There will be plenty of wins for non Australians, but for the moment all I can say is GOSS I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Fair enough, but wouldnt he be better off on a team with a World/Pro Tour license? Guaranteed participation to the classics etc, Im sure Lotto isnt the best place to go if you want to go for your own chance, but surely enough WTour teams could use a classics man.

Right now he's on his way to being FDJ's ticket to these events.

 

[Kellys Big Sprocket]

Cool and calculated Goss style. Well done Mr Goss. What a great finish. The new Wizard of Oz showed that old school bunch how to do it. GET IN THERE MY SON

 

[Libertine Seguros]

How did he "show them how to do it"? None of the others in the group could have done what he did, because he was the only sprinter left. They had to try and drop him, and couldn't. He didn't have to try and drop them, because he knew he could outsprint them to the line.

It was a great win for him, don't get me wrong, but let's not kid ourselves that he showed the others how to do it, because they couldn't have won it the way he did, and he couldn't have won it the way they were trying to. Being the best sprinter in the group means you don't have to try to break things up (though Pozzato should have made him chase down Gilbert to wear him out, that was the big tactical mistake that gave Goss the win). We didn't see Goss on the front until the last 50m, because he knew he didn't have to be on the front as long as everybody was pulling everybody else back for him.

 

[TourOfSardinia]

We didn't see Goss on the front until the last 50m, because he knew he didn't have to be on the front as long as everybody was pulling everybody else back for him.

Almost redefining Wheel-sucking Big-time lol.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Nah, they made him work for it. He was wheelsucking the way Menchov was wheelsucking di Luca in the Giro. They knew they had to get rid of him, he knew that if they couldn't he would win. Simple equation.

 

[El Pistolero]

I wonder if Petacchi and Boonen could have stayed in the front group if they didn't have health problems.

 

[Archibald]

can anyone enlighten me as to why ballan was wholeheartely involved in the chase for vanAvermat?
surely he should have been at the back of that chase group instead of in the first two or three most of the time...

 

[curium]

Philip Gilbert was angry that Pozzato chased him. Why? Pozzato is not a team mate and as a previous winner he also felt that this was a race he could win.

Why do some riders act surprised/upset when riders not on their team chase them?

 

[thehog]

That's is rather dissapointing indeed.

Australia is an incredible sportminded country. They are at the top in a lot of sports with just 22 million citizens. Last 10 years they have made their way to the top of cycling as well. With more and more good australians in the world tour ranks. Right now they simply are 1 of the bigger cycling nations. It's sad to hear it doesn't get any attention at all though.

You guys only get excited if Lance comes to town. Hardly a cycling nation.

Dream on.

 

[flicker]

Pozatto is a wheelsucker. I would support anybody over him, even Thor.

I would say Thor is more of a wheel sucker then Pozatto.

 

[Mrs John Murphy]

One day journalists are going to start calling Pozzato for the over-rated wheelsucking show pony he is.

Yesterday, was another victory for anti-cycling. Why bother to attack when you can just wheelsuck your way to victory.

 

[Echoes]

Yesterday was the day that a sprinter couldn't win M-SR, but Goss managed to win anyways. Very very impressive. If you look at the first 8.... no if you only look at the podium. He was on the top with Cancellara and Gilbert next to him. So this guy was in a group of 8 at the finish with monument winners and future cycling legends. Well if he managed that then he certainly ain't just a sprinter. He might as well become a cycling legend in the future.

I would just like to agree about Goss not being just a sprinter. Some already argued that he had to do al the job by himself and counter the attacks by Gilbert et al but let's remember one of his first great performances (when I actually discovered him):

Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne 2008

1 Steven De Jongh (Ned) Quick Step 4.27.03 (43,362 km/h)
2 Sebastian Langeveld (Ned) Rabobank 0.02
3 Matthew Goss (Aus) Team CSC 0.04
4 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step
5 Enrico Franzoi (Ita) Liquigas
6 Borut Bozic (Slo) Cycle Collstrop
7 Bobbie Traksel (Ned) P3Transfer - Batavus
8 Karsten Kroon (Ned) Team CSC
9 Nicolas Jalabert (Fra) Agritubel
10 Frédéric Amorison (Bel) Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner
11 Maarten Wynants (Bel) Quick Step
12 Frédéric Guesdon (Fra) Française des Jeux
13 Christophe Mengin (Fra) Française des Jeux
14 Juan Antonio Flecha (Spa) Rabobank
15 Stijn Devolder (Bel) Quick Step
16 Matteo Tosatto (Ita) Quick Step
17 Frederik Willems (Bel) Liquigas 0.12
18 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas 0.18
19 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Quick Step 0.29
20 Leif Hoste (Bel) Silence-Lotto 0.40

How many sprinters can do that !

(LOL I didn't even remember that Devolder was in there)

 

[Cobblestoned]

I wonder if Petacchi and Boonen could have stayed in the front group if they didn't have health problems.

I was wondering what Peter would have done if he didn't crash 2weeks ago and then a week later again.
He still had a respectable, good result yesterday and ended up17th in that 2nd group with many big names in it.
There were just few % missing. I think 2nd behind Goss would have been possible if he was fine.

He will crush them all next year.

 

[Jamsque]

300km was probably a little too long for Sagan at this stage in his career but M-SR is definitely a race he should target in the future.

 

[sublimit]

I would just like to agree about Goss not being just a sprinter. Some already argued that he had to do al the job by himself and counter the attacks by Gilbert et al but let's remember one of his first great performances (when I actually discovered him):



How many sprinters can do that !

(LOL I didn't even remember that Devolder was in there)

Interesting. He first came to my notice at 2009 Gent-Wevelgem where came position 3. Also the other Aussie rider Hayman did a good ride in that race.

Kind of followed his progress ever since.

 

[El Pistolero]

Philip Gilbert was angry that Pozzato chased him. Why? Pozzato is not a team mate and as a previous winner he also felt that this was a race he could win.

Why do some riders act surprised/upset when riders not on their team chase them?

The interview on cyclingnews is wrong. Gilbert just smiled and said my friend Pozatto brought me back. Of course he thinks Pozatto is an idiot, but that's besides the matter.

 

[royalpig180]

300km was probably a little too long for Sagan at this stage in his career but M-SR is definitely a race he should target in the future.

I thought he still did a really good ride to get 17th. Did anyone see what happened to him on the Poggio? Did he just get deposited out the back along with everyone else who came in in that second group? On a good day, he could even have outsprinted Goss (not likely, but possible if it plays out just right) or at least gotten 2nd.

My surprise was Canc's sprint. If you watch the replay where they show the overhead view, he's going just about as fast as Goss when they both accelerate. Problem was that he had to swing left when Goss went right. Gilbert also swung right just as Goss went, so there was less room for Canc. Had he been able to stay on Goss's wheel he may have been able to come around him. Probably still would have just gotten second though. Impressive sprint from him either way.