Omega Pharma Quick Step: Are you kidding me??

[DirtyWorks]

Fair enough. Perhaps I had the wrong sense of his strengths, or of the parcours -- but I wasn't expecting him to do as well on this kind of finish as someone with the strengths that Valverde's record in the hilly classics (and in the FW in particular) displays.

But by others' reaction it sounds as if it's my expectations (whether of ?tybar or of the parcours) that were off rather than his performance that was suspicious.

A former cyclocross world champion who has taken a couple of years to transition to road distances. This kind of racing suits him very well.

Is he clean? No clue. We'll know if he becomes Omega Pharma's grand tour climbing extradinaire.

 

[JimmyFingers]

A former cyclocross world champion who has taken a couple of years to transition to road distances. This kind of racing suits him very well.

Is he clean? No clue. We'll know if he becomes Omega Pharma's grand tour climbing extradinaire.

This. It's a parcours and surfaces that suit his power and technical nous. Valverde couldn't wheelsuck as they all had to work to keep the hard-charging Canc away. Stybar's power told in the end.

 

[Netserk]

If only Vanmarcke actually could win a race, which he can't. Valverde is still a great rider who wins more than the young gen guys you speak of. Strade Bianche is a good race for Valverde, but being beaten by semi-sprinter GVA and Stybar (who's in the form of his life) doesn't suggest that he's lost his top speed. It only suggests that he targets other races. His top speed is still unique for a climber/GT specialist of his class.

The same was said about Kwiatkowski this time last year...

 

[roundabout]

whenever I get to feeling my life is bad, I'll just look at your post and think about how much worse it could be.

cool story bro

However "bad" my life is, at least I am not a sockpuppet like you

 

[the sceptic]

This. It's a parcours and surfaces that suit his power and technical nous. Valverde couldn't wheelsuck as they all had to work to keep the hard-charging Canc away. Stybar's power told in the end.

have you ever watched a race and thought to yourself "wow, this guy looks he is on something"?

 

[skippythepinhead]

cool story bro

However "bad" my life is, at least I am not a sockpuppet like you

3 hours to come up with that? I hope you at least got a ride in.

 

[Irondan]

3 hours to come up with that? I hope you at least got a ride in.

Seriously???? Both of you sound ridiculous! (Skippy and Roundabout)

Take it someplace else..

 

[sittingbison]

Agreed.

Time to move back to discussing the topic and not each other gentle(wo)men

Cheers
Bison

 

[blackcat]

If only Vanmarcke actually could win a race, which he can't. Valverde is still a great rider who wins more than the young gen guys you speak of. Strade Bianche is a good race for Valverde, but being beaten by semi-sprinter GVA and Stybar (who's in the form of his life) doesn't suggest that he's lost his top speed. It only suggests that he targets other races. His top speed is still unique for a climber/GT specialist of his class.

but Gerrans, 'tho not the class of Valverde, has managed to take his mantle as the fastest finisher for those difficult finishes, the point up and shed Sagan.

if Sagan makes it, not one can match him. Gerrans is about the next best. Valverde has just dropped off. Gerrans, unlike alot of others, and especially the GC riders, has not chosen to take those weightloss drugs or peptides. He still carries the ball of muscle. Which is a very good decision. He can take on the guys who have dropped 4lb or 5lbs and just lost a few miles of explosivity and acceleration.

Kwiatkowski is damn fast, if he can hold those accelerations from the likes of dan martin.

Ricco, Kwiatkowski, Kirchen, Valverde, Rebellin, Gerrans, Bartoli,

I think Gerro now holds the mantle for a rider who can finish (the rider) in those diminished group sprints and accelerations from around ~50 to 66km. If Sagan makes it, he can smoke them. If the group comes into a sprint at 65 and holding it Cancellera can compete, but not if they are accelerating up to their terminal velocity from ~50km. He loses some wattage when he has to jump with his 80kg.

 

[blackcat]

Valverde is a rider who will still win a handful of races this years and probably quite a few nice ones.

But he will have lost top speed, it's really unavoidable, even with rocketfuel. Even in the most chemical years sprinters slowed down when they hit 30. Now granted uphill sprinting after 6 hours racing is more slanted towards the one with the best endurance, yet even then, he will have slowed down due to his age.

So sure, he can win a finish against younger guys simply because of his huge engine (with additives^^), but it will get rarer.

i agree with all of this, with a caveat. Gerro is about 34 or 35, and he may not have got quicker, but he has developed the endurance to be able to use his speed. And he has not dropped the muscle and the weight the other puncheurs like gilbert and the GC riders have. It was wise to maintain his weight and explosive power. triangulating against his competition, all have lost the weight, and lost some explosivity and power, he may have improved his explosivity and power.

 

[JimmyFingers]

have you ever watched a race and thought to yourself "wow, this guy looks he is on something"?

Of course, plenty of times. Boonen P-R win in what was in, 2012 when he soloed from 50k out, it was jaw-dropping. But I'm just cut from different cloth from you, I don't know enough to pass judgement of people on situations where we only have fragments of information about and the rest is assumptions and guesswork. It's not enough for me to condemn them out of hand as dopers. I just try to observe and see where this merry little dance leads us.

 

[Franklin]

Gerro is about 34 or 35, and he may not have got quicker, but he has developed the endurance to be able to use his speed.

OT: Gerrans is a nice example of a sprinter who "transformed"to a classic rider, where he is indeed mega-fast compared to others. And yeah, transforming is a loaded word here, but this is actually as old as cycling itself. Even pre-epo this was something which was not exactly common, but every generation had it's examples (Jansen, Kelly, etc).

Sprinting is a funny thing in cycling. There's no other sport where you need to be explosive after 6 hours

But this is way beyond the subject at hand.

 

[blackcat]

OT: Gerrans is a nice example of a sprinter who "transformed"to a classic rider, where he is indeed mega-fast compared to others. And yeah, transforming is a loaded word here, but this is actually as old as cycling itself. Even pre-epo this was something which was not exactly common, but every generation had it's examples (Jansen, Kelly, etc).

Sprinting is a funny thing in cycling. There's no other sport where you need to be explosive after 6 hours

But this is way beyond the subject at hand.

never really was a sprinter.

in about 2004 in Dauphine or tdSuisse for AG2R, he outclimbed Rasmussen in the hors stage when they were off the front in a break group.

he is more like a puncheur, someone like Titi Voeckler, or Philippe Gilbert. Not as talented as Gilbert, p'raps not the GC ability of Voeckler, but an equivalent puncheur that Voeckler is.

He has won TdU twice or three times, won Herald Sun Tour once or twice.

But he is damn fast if the group has to jump from a low speed, but could not compete with the field sprinters, or bunch sprinters, when they need to put out over 1000watts in the km coming in, which is tough for a small guy. He can compete if it is going up hill, and jumping from 45 or 50km ph. But not at 60kmph and going faster in the sprint.

 

[Benotti69]

Top 4 places and CIRC think doping is not a team wide program

http://www.procyclingstats.com/mob/race.php?id=150125

Why is Ibauguren not being investigated by UCI?

 

[Franklin]

Watching MSR and just shaking my head.

 

[Franklin]

Well, that's one way to loose your best assets, riding into the wall.

 

[hrotha]

Seriously folks, stop calling him Taus. His name is Ibarguren.

 

[neineinei]

UCI took interest in their bikes today.

https://twitter.com/gregorbrown/status/ ... 1217844224

 

[luckyboy]

Certainly to do with The Clinic

 

[IndianCyclist]

Re:

Top 4 places and CIRC think doping is not a team wide program

http://www.procyclingstats.com/mob/race.php?id=150125

Why is Ibauguren not being investigated by UCI?

How come it is the only team having 3-4 riders in the finale for the last 3-4 years in most of the cobbled races?

 

[DirtyWorks]

Re:

UCI took interest in their bikes today.

https://twitter.com/gregorbrown/status/ ... 1217844224

My first guess is they are looking for rules violations. Starting the race with the bike at minimum weight and finishing below. That kind of thing. The book is *full* of equipment rules, so plenty of opportunities for infractions.

Maybe they are mad at Lefevre?

 

[DirtyWorks]

Re: Re:

Top 4 places and CIRC think doping is not a team wide program

http://www.procyclingstats.com/mob/race.php?id=150125

Why is Ibauguren not being investigated by UCI?

How come it is the only team having 3-4 riders in the finale for the last 3-4 years in most of the cobbled races?

It's not been 3-4 years. More like 30 years. The classics is what Patrick does, has done, and organizes his team around every year.

 

[classicomano]

Out of nowhere, Alaphillippe comes in 2nd in his very first Fleche Wallonne, just behind Piti. This team never fails to disappoint.

 

[DBotero]

Re:

Out of nowhere, Alaphillippe comes in 2nd in his very first Fleche Wallonne, just behind Piti. This team never fails to disappoint.

New clean era and a young talent like Allaphilippe can come to the surface,why are you surprised?

 

[luckyboy]

Alaphilippe first of the clean riders!