Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

[Anonymous]

GP dell'Insubria

Could the GP di Lugano be the same, or simillar?

different...

GP dell'Insubria-Lugano is saturday

GP di Lugano is sunday...

 

[Anonymous]

Anyone know if Eurosport are showing the race? What kind of tv coverage is at it for UK & Ireland??

No they are not. Internet only im afraid

 

[theswordsman]

Saxo Bank official

Kasper Klostergaard, Matti Breschel, Anders Lund, Baden Cooke, Stuart O'Grady, Dominic Klemme, Frank Hoj and Sebastian Haedo form Saxo Bank team that played the classic Saturday Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (ex Het Volk).

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/inicio.asp

 

[sTTevie]

At those odds, Stijn's the best bet going around. Watch him soften up the break on the Wolvenberg before he drops the hammer on the Kopenberg. Big Tom won't get over the lumpy bits, especially this year. Agree with whoever said it's still "Het Volk". Always has been, always will.

Stijn will hide under the cover of the peleton only to reveal himself on April 4th

 

[L'arriviste]

That "Het" is not a very smart abbreviation. It's like referring to the Tour de France as "de". Using "Omloop" is more common.

Yeah I know, sorry, I was being a bit obtuse there!

Thanks for the advice to all so far with a special mention for il_fiammingo's extraordinarily detailed suggestions which will send me scurrying back to the satellite map this evening.

The Omloop and the K-B-K between them follow some of the same ground as the Ronde, so I guess a lot of the same advice is applicable there too.

As for the Muur; if you're early, you can park in the Pachtersstraat. Right in front of the golden jezus statue, there is a narrow alley for pedestrians (max 100m, not visible on google maps) that leads to the bottom of the 20% section of the Muur.

I know the alley you mean: it joins at the right-angle. How early do I need to be? And lastly, is it true or false that you can run down from the 't Hemelrijk to the big screen in G'bergen (assuming the pub is too crowded) in good enough time to see the finish, because that alley sounds like the best route to take!

Thanks!

 

[Mellow Velo]

BBC have just forcast a huge storm for the area, arriving from Iberia on Saturday, for the weekend.
Damaging and dangerous winds expected.

 

[Anonymous]

BBC have just forcast a huge storm for the area, arriving from Iberia on Saturday, for the weekend.
Damaging and dangerous winds expected.

which means we can expect rubbish tv pictures and intermittent feads...

not much fun for the guys watching either...

 

[sublimit]

Heavy rain and crosswinds then. should make for an interesting race.

somebody mentioned Hoogerland earlier, i reckon he will go top5, and Matt Goss - i forecast him winning something this spring but not this time.

 

[Credive]

crosswind

Big challenge for team sky ahead. Have they learned from previous mistakes?

 

[il_fiammingo]

Yeah I know, sorry, I was being a bit obtuse there!

Thanks for the advice to all so far with a special mention for il_fiammingo's extraordinarily detailed suggestions which will send me scurrying back to the satellite map this evening.

The Omloop and the K-B-K between them follow some of the same ground as the Ronde, so I guess a lot of the same advice is applicable there too.



I know the alley you mean: it joins at the right-angle. How early do I need to be? And lastly, is it true or false that you can run down from the 't Hemelrijk to the big screen in G'bergen (assuming the pub is too crowded) in good enough time to see the finish, because that alley sounds like the best route to take!

Thanks!

Are you talking about the Muur in Het Volk or the Tour of Flanders?

There will be no big screen next saturday, that's reserved for the Ronde.

You can indeed go from the Muur to "De Vesten" where the big screen will be (through this narrow alley, cross the Pachtersstraat, take the cobbled path downwards next to Jezus' statue). It's a 5 min walk. You can rehearse next Saturday . Contrary to what i said earlier, you can find it on google maps: http://maps.google.be/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Oudebergstraat&daddr=Vesten&geocode=FSa3BgMdvFM7AA%3BFVi3BgMdeEc7AA&hl=nl&mra=cc&dirflg=w&sll=50.771802,3.886607&sspn=0.001839,0.004812&ie=UTF8&ll=50.771971,3.887004&spn=0.001839,0.004812&t=h&z=18

When I went to see the Omloop on the steepest section of the Muur, i was there 30' ahead of the riders. I have never watched the Ronde on the Muur so I can't tell. But I bet 2 hours won't do.

 

[L'arriviste]

Are you talking about the Muur in Het Volk or the Tour of Flanders?

Oops, I was thinking about both races at the same time Another key difference is that the Het Nieuwsblad doesn't appear to be doing the Kapelmuur, the route shows it going past 't Hemelrijk and straight on around the crest of the hill.

That's great info, thanks, and yes I *will* be rehearsing it !

 

[theswordsman]

Radio Shack - more info at the article

Gert Steegmans and Tomas Vaitkus it played this weekend classic that opens the calendar Belgian Omloop Het Nieuwsbald and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, as confirmed by the Team RadioShack.

The team consisted of: Fumiyuki Beppu, Sam Bewley, Daryl Impey, Gregory Rast, Sébastien Rosseler, Bjorn Selander, Gert Steegmans and Tomas Vaitkus.

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=23156

And this was just on twitter, in case anyone is in the area.

@cervelotestteam
If you're interested:CTT is testing material on the cobble stones on the Lange Munte, Balegem (BEL) tomorrow at 10:30! Come by, have a look!

Gilbert will race here, but not Sunday. Team mates:

Greg Van Avermaet, Leif Hoste, Jurgen Roelandts, Michiel Elijzen, Sebastian Lang, Michael Delage and Staf Scheirlinckx

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=23161

 

[lucybears]

Van Avermaet DNS

 

[usedtobefast]

boonen......

 

[sTTevie]

Van Avermaet DNS

source????

 

[lucybears]

source????

Van Avermaet heeft buikgriep
http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=K72MN1DR

 

[sTTevie]

stomach flu indeed ... but it hasn't been confirmed that he will be a DNS!

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

In fact, he says himself, "The weekend is not in danger". All other Belgian sources also say that he is expected to start.

Susan

 

[craig1985]

Gilbert misses the recon because his flight was delayed by a strike by French Air Traffic controllers. Is there anything the French won't strike over?

 

[lucybears]

and Haussler starts also. Anybody 100% in this race ?

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

it looks like it's gonna be a ripper of a race, sucks a$s that I have practically run out of downloads

 

[Condorman]

Gilbert misses the recon because his flight was delayed by a strike by French Air Traffic controllers. Is there anything the French won't strike over?

French air traffic controllers, currently among the most well paid in Europe and required to work only 100 days a year, are angry at a proposal to consolidate air traffic control with some of their European neighbors, which they fear will lead to salary and benefit reductions.

It isn't anti-Belgian!

 

[hektoren]

Having second thoughts. Gilbert and Boonen will be tough nuts to crack in their own backyard. Personal favourite's got to be Gilbert, even though he claims to be targeting later classics. Boonen will probably make a trip down memory lane and seek out bad company. Gilbert it is, then. EBH in top five.

 

[ridley]

Based on the reports, it is going to be more of a challenge with the bad roads and if it is heavy rains as well, I can only imagine a couple of serious accidents.

Based on Stijn's comment - imagine a pool of water in the road and a big pile-up - Not good

 

[Cosette]

Be nice if people around here are asking saturday night "who the **** is Ian Stannard"

Can I get away with it if I ask you now?

And I vote Langeveld for Het Volk. I have 2 reasons.
1) Wishfull thinking.
2) I still haven't forgiven the Rabo's for what they did last year.

As for more likely options...
I have to say I would like to see Gilbert pull another one of his stunts... But as it is starting to look more and more like the weather is going to be dreadful it also makes it a lot harder to predict. Anything can happen..
But nonetheless I would vote Gilbert...