Milano - Sanremo changes route!

[Eshnar]

No thread for this yet?

 

[Netserk]

See my post in the general news thread

New MSR route!

https://twitter.com/inrng/status/377410500197220352


EDIT: I think we can say for certain that Cav will never win another one.

EDIT2:

 

[winkybiker]

Setting it up for Sagan? He'll win it either way, of course.

 

[Race Radio]

Sagan

Don't we have enough classics with hills?

 

[Eshnar]

See my post in the general news thread

Well it needed a thread anyway

 

[Red Rick]

So le Manie is out, and instead we have a pretty hilly final with the capi and now 3 hill in succession. This great for attackers

 

[Ferminal]

Not really, as you will just get teams of puncheurs showing up instead of teams full of rouleurs.

 

[deValtos]

I thought the previous route had a nice balance between sprinters and punchers, this route not so much. Now it becomes just a bit less unique ..

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

Setting it up for Sagan? He'll win it either way, of course.

Just like this year, right? I am still waiting for Sagan to win a classic.

Anyway, this change is so unnecessary. There have been all kinds of finishes with the old layout, mass sprints, solos, small groups. Why change it?

 

[roundabout]

That's bull****.

What exactly is the official reason for changing the route?

 

[burning]

I dislike this change as this puts quite a bit riders out of contention, Le Manie is already used in good extent to eleminate sprinters and I enjoy watching guys like Stannard and Nibali fighting for win/podium even though they are completly different riders.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Setting it up for Sagan? He'll win it either way, of course.

Just like this year?

 

[DominicDecoco]

Makes no sense what so ever.

 

[Don't be late Pedro]

Just like this year, right?

You beat me to it.

Just like this year, right? I am still waiting for Sagan to win a classic.

Gent Wevelgem?

 

[DominicDecoco]

Just like this year?

This year was a bit special, though.

 

[Eshnar]

That's bull****.

What exactly is the official reason for changing the route?

The same reason why they included over the years, Poggio, Cipressa and Manie (even though the latter has disappeared): they don't want a massive sprint.

 

[tomorrow]

You beat me to it.


Gent Wevelgem?

GW is not considered as monument

 

[Bushman]

GW is not considered as monument

He said a classic, not monument.

 

[burning]

The same reason why they included over the years, Poggio, Cipressa and Manie (even though the latter has disappeared): they don't want a massive sprint.

They probably didnt watch last 3 edition.

 

[roundabout]

The same reason why they included over the years, Poggio, Cipressa and Manie (even though the latter has disappeared): they don't want a massive sprint.

I don't buy it. How many mass sprints have been there since Manie was added?

1.5 in 6 years.

Why not simply replace Cipressa with Pomepeiana if they want to avoid mass sprints?

 

[tomorrow]

Setting it up for Sagan? He'll win it either way, of course.

Yup, Sagan probably. But it favours the odds of Fabian even more. If nothing else, it clearely increases the gap of the peloton to these two guys, and closes the gap in odds that Fabian has on beating Sagan here. Also, the odds for getting Cioleked are nearly zero now.

EDIT: now that I think about it, with the deadly combo in the end including capos, climbers(e.g. Nibali) will have serious chances to win it too, Sagan maybe lost more than he gained

 

[hrotha]

I thought the previous route had a nice balance between sprinters and punchers, this route not so much. Now it becomes just a bit less unique ..

Exactly this. MSR has been one of the best races of the year the last few seasons (well, ok, this year's was merely alright). Why do anything to change the delicate balance it had achieved?

 

[Eshnar]

I don't buy it. How many mass sprints have been there since Manie was added?

1.5 in 6 years.

Why not simply replace Cipressa with Pomepeiana if they want to avoid mass sprints?

La Cipressa has quite an historical value today, so I guess they didn't wanna get rid of it. Le Manie instead is new so in a few years no one will remember it anymore.
There may be a lot of reasons for this change anyway. Maybe they didn't want to use Le Manie anymore (problems with authorities, dangerous descent, bad surface... I don't know) or maybe a new sponsor wanted to climb la Pompeiana and they went for the money.
edit: or maybe they just wanna help Nibali.

 

[Netserk]

The sad thing is that I doubt Boonen will be able to win it now

He should've won it in either '12, '10, '07 or '06.

 

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

He said a classic, not monument.

Correct, and I meant monument but wrote classic. My bad.