Milan-Sanremo

[sublimit]

Milan-Sanremo .

Well a week to go so i thought I'd start it off, and also for it being my favorite one day race.

Its a very long 298K, some great winners in the past IE Eric Zabel,Tommy Simpson, Mario Cippolini, Oscar Freire, Eddy Merckx ,A Petacci, Mark Cavendish, Fabian Cancellara, the list goes on.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

hard to say.
I think boonen might take it.

 

[Big GMaC]

BOONENFTWThen party up

 

[philcrisp]

Gilbert if it breaks up on the Poggio, otherwise Cavendish if he gets to the last corner, if neither of the foregoing then Boonen.

 

[3rdWheel]

Boonen as well.

 

[Sasquatch]

Is Sagan racing?

 

[luckyboy]

Gilbert, hopefully. Reckon he could do this and Ronde this year.

 

[tgsgirl]

Is Sagan racing?

It wasn't on his race schedule originally (three weeks of rest after PN and then ToTurkey), but Liqui are meeting somewhere early next week (Monday I think) to see if they ought to rethink that.

 

[Big GMaC]

It wasn't on his race schedule originally (three weeks of rest after PN and then ToTurkey), but Liqui are meeting somewhere early next week (Monday I think) to see if they ought to rethink that.

Sagan is good but he doesn't beat the Tornado for me.

And at 20 there is no way he has the extensive partying repetoir to match either.

On another note, are you the same 'tgsgirl' as the BBC forums?

 

[zapata]

If it's a bunch sprint, I'm hoping Bennati. But most of all, I hope for some surprise, a late attack, or even a earlier breakaway staying away, and someone other than the big favourites taking it. Maybe Igantieff will time his attack correctly for once? Probably not.

 

[maltiv]

Think it will be won in a breakaway, as Columbia probably doesn't have anything to ride for unless Greipel has a good day.

EBH obviously won't be in that breakaway, because since he came to sky he seems to be locked in a "have-to-mindlessly-follow-teammates" role. Probably someone like Gilbert or Pozzato. Or perhaps even Sagan...this kid is nuts!

 

[Echoes]

Everything but a sprint. Every year, I'm praying.
A great classic like Milan Sanremo doesn't deserve it.

 

[Tugboat]

If Cav goes into it with the same form he's showing this week then he'll be out the **** on the Poggio.

I'm picking Cancellara.

 

[elapid]

Boonen - he wants it and is building up his form. EBH and Haussler will be in the mix. Sagan will be interesting if he is allowed to ride instead of the Tour of Turkey. In fact, I am really looking forward to a showdown between EBH and Saga, both now and in the future. Very exciting. I doubt Cavendish will repeat, or even feature highly, because he is too heavy and working towards results later in the season, mainly the green jersey and the GTs. Cancellara is apparently concentrating on Flanders and seems happy to have one MSR on his mantlepiece. While the same could be said of Boonen (ie, concentrating on Flanders and PR), I think Boonen still wants MSR badly enough and can maintain form for the latter cobbled classics.

 

[tgsgirl]

Sagan is good but he doesn't beat the Tornado for me.
And at 20 there is no way he has the extensive partying repetoir to match either.
On another note, are you the same 'tgsgirl' as the BBC forums?

I agree, just answering the question of the poster above. And yes, I am her and she is me. Do you post there?

 

[thehog]

If Cav goes into it with the same form he's showing this week then he'll be out the **** on the Poggio.

I'm picking Cancellara.

Cav's out of it.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news...ving-but-san-remo-win-unlikely-says-piva.html

 

[trompe le monde]

I'd like to see Haussler finish what he started last year, but I'm unsure of his form right now. Was it a knee problem that he was trying to overcome and yet he still managed to finish 2nd at Omlop? Stiil, he's not to be discounted.

Failing that, I'd be happy with one of Gilbert, Spartacus, Pippo, or Luis Leon Sanchez to win. Oh what the hell, why not Chavanel too.

 

[luckyboy]

Failing that, I'd be happy with one of Gilbert, Spartacus, Pippo, or Luis Leon Sanchez to win. Oh what the hell, why not Chavanel too.

Me too, except take out LLS and swap Pozzato for any other rider in the peloton.

 

[Potomac]

....

On another note, are you the same 'tgsgirl' as the BBC forums?

. And yes, I am her and she is me. Do you post there?

Ahhhhh, spring. This could be the start of something beautiful.

 

[MADRAZO]

All the normal topsprinters pretty much looks shaky this season, not in topform or semi-injured, Freire (what is going on with him?), Haüssler (another ? with his kneetroubles), Petacchi (perhaps still influenced by his crash), Cavendish (nowhere near topform) and so on. Boonen, Boasson Hagen and Bennati all seem in good shape, but also quite unstabile, but they must be the favourites. Ofcourse also Greipel and Farrar are posibilites, but Greipel has always dissapointed in clasics, and Farrar still also seem to lack some form.

The 1 sprinter that really looks in great shape right now though is Lorenzetto, so I hope Lampre will give him a chance instead of Petacchi, and in that case he is my topfavourite, but they'll propably stick with Petacchi anyways.

Other sprintcontenders should be Ventoso, Rojas and young Modolo who should all be certain top-finishers, but propably don't have the speed to win.

Plenty of breakaway candidates though, and if both Petacchi and Cavendish is weak, I think they will have a good chance this year. Most likely Gilbert, Pozzato, Breschel, Paolini, Luis Leon Sanchez and Sagan (if riding).

Anyways it will for sure be a very exiting race, at least the last 1/10 of it

 

[tgsgirl]

Pff, I woke up in the middle of the night yesterday because I was freezing. No spring over here yet

 

[Big GMaC]

I agree, just answering the question of the poster above. And yes, I am her and she is me. Do you post there?

No I haven't/don't post, only looked. When I started following cycling more I was looking at those forums, then moved here as it covered more areas and allowed discussion about doping, which is like a blocked word there? I just noticed your username when you joined here and thought i'd ask

 

[Inner Peace]

I just hope they don't leave it to a bunch sprint. What a waste of 297.5 kilometres if that's the case.

Plenty of room to shake it up on the penultimate, and ultimate climbs, and hopefully someone does.

I wanna see Gilbert win, and I think Hagen and Boonen will be rounding out the podium.

 

[tgsgirl]

...allowed discussion about doping, which is like a blocked word there?

Ha, yes. Then again, so is Giro half the time. Makes discussing The Italian Grand Tour fairly complicated at times. They're weird as to what words they don't allow

 

[Ferminal]

Gilbert or Boonen, leaning towards the former.