Omqs

[Caruut]

In defence of OPQS;

They are the only top-level team pretty much dedicated to this part of the season.

Boonen was fantastic before, and there is evidence that he has perhaps "enjoyed his success" a little too much the past few seasons.

Their #1 rival has had rotten luck so far this season. Cancellara's E3 was terrible, and due to even worse luck in RvV, he wasn't even in Paris-Roubaix. A little more luck for Cancellara and those "dominant" stats could look so different.

In the Vlaanderen win, Boonen followed someone else, and then had a huge headwind, ensuring it came down to a sprint against two guys he was clearly a better sprinter than.

Today, the big gap was made by Pozzato and Ballan bickering over who would follow, rather than just following. Sure, he stayed away, but the group behind really didn't do much at all.

I'm sure there is some dope involved (not necessarily more than other teams), but one has to also look at the wider picture.

 

[Kwibus]

If I understand correctly .Team doctor ibarguen worked for Lotto last year, was named in the Mantua-case and worked for Saunier Duval in the past year.

I mean... COME ON. Wow I wonder why all their riders ride faster than ****ing lightning.
Also explains Gilberts super year last year. Not to mention the Saunier Duval super duper trio of Cobo, Piepoli and Ricco

You know I always avoid the Clinic, but I was going to ask what more besides the sponsor OmegaPharma was the link between Lotto last year and Quickstep this year.
Btw isn't Omegapharma an pharmaceutical company? They shouldn't even consider those companies as possible sponsors in cycling

 

[DirtyWorks]

In defence of OPQS;

They are the only top-level team pretty much dedicated to this part of the season.

Their #1 rival has had rotten luck so far this season. Cancellara's E3 was terrible, and due to even worse luck in RvV, he wasn't even in Paris-Roubaix. A little more luck for Cancellara and those "dominant" stats could look so different.

The other thing worth noting is Cancellara had no team to help him. That helped OPQS. But, as the list of wins by doctor shows, it's hard to argue there wasn't a doping angle.

....but the group behind really didn't do much at all.

I'm sure there is some dope involved (not necessarily more than other teams), but one has to also look at the wider picture.

No way. Sky was driving that chase with 4 guys(!) at one point and wasn't making a dent. When Boom went, it didn't make a dent. Boonen was unstoppable today.

 

[Kwibus]

The other thing worth noting is Cancellara had no team to help him. That helped OPQS. But, as the list of wins by doctor shows, it's hard to argue there wasn't a doping angle.



No way. Sky was driving that chase with 4 guys(!) at one point and wasn't making a dent. When Boom went, it didn't make a dent. Boonen was unstoppable today.

Boom made a small dent. He took 10 seconds back pretty fast, but then he blew up

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Man, this team is awesome

 

[Wallace]

OPQS have become the 'blue train' of 2012 and instead of the Tdf they are gonna take everything else and probably put Bottle on the podium of the TdF too for good measure. Boonen to take the green jersey if he rides the TdF.

Brailsford and the rest of the need new team doctors.

Pro cycling is once again advertising itself as a PED sport. Well done UCI!

You need to be blind or stupid to think Boonen and OPQS are doing this on evian.

Other sports are PED full too but apart from Tennis, which is so obvious and it will just take 1 big positive to make everyone say "oh yeah look at them they do looked doped to their gills, how did we not see it", cycling makes it so crystal clear to the fans.

You need to take a deep breath. Even with Ferrari, Ibarguen, a motorized bike and a bottle full of rocket fuel, ain't no way no how Levi's going to be on that podium.

 

[hiero2]

The other thing worth noting is Cancellara had no team to help him. That helped OPQS. But, as the list of wins by doctor shows, it's hard to argue there wasn't a doping angle.

No way. Sky was driving that chase with 4 guys(!) at one point and wasn't making a dent. When Boom went, it didn't make a dent. Boonen was unstoppable today.

Somebody responded that Boom made a 10 second dent - for about 10 seconds, yeah. Not a dent at all. Out of that party of 4, the Eurovision coverage made it look like 3 were working, and one was slowing down when he came to the front - but still they should have been able to make some time back.

Nope, I did not enjoy watching the end of this race. It made me sad. Sure, as others have said, Boonen was a natural to be at the front. But I've never seen Boonen naturally dominate an attack a la Merckx before. Cancellara I could believe this - Spartacus consistently give us performances like this. Boonen has not. If it is too good to be true, it probably isn't, right?

Too many factors that point the fickle finger. Lefevre tops among them. I'm just thinking they have found some new magic doping scheme that they think is undetectable.

Oh well, I really should be out riding instead of being a spectator, anyway.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

I have had this conversation with benotti and hrotha awhile back lol

 

[Caruut]

The other thing worth noting is Cancellara had no team to help him. That helped OPQS. But, as the list of wins by doctor shows, it's hard to argue there wasn't a doping angle.

No way. Sky was driving that chase with 4 guys(!) at one point and wasn't making a dent. When Boom went, it didn't make a dent. Boonen was unstoppable today.

I thought that my first bullet point effectively covered the team angle - OPQS are the only proper northern classics team at the moment.

Sky had 4 guys, but didn't use them that well. They each did long turns and then faded away, instead of actually trying to keep the pace up. Other strong riders were just sitting behind them not doing anything.

Boom put several seconds into him at first, but he'd raced back very quickly from a puncture. He lost a minute or two on the bunch, then came back pretty quickly, he must have been exhausted.

 

[Kvinto]

If all QuickStep's wins were scored by virtue of a certain doctor who previously worked with Lotto then why did Gilbert choose BMC refusing a certain offer from the OPQS?

 

[Cancellator]

If all QuickStep's wins were scored by virtue of a certain doctor who previously worked with Lotto then why did Gilbert choose BMC refusing a certain offer from the OPQS?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$?

 

[spalco]

Oh man, I seriously cannot wait to see Bottle in July. I'm not being sarcastic either, I hope they load him up so much he's taking off at the top of the mountains. It will be a reet laugh!

lol, yeah, that would be hilarious.

 

[Roninho]

Ibarguren's wins in a span of 365 days:

Flèche brabançonne: Philippe Gilbert
Amstel Gold Race: Philippe Gilbert
Flèche wallonne: Philippe Gilbert
Liège-Bastogne-Liège: Philippe Gilbert
Gullegem kermess: Philippe Gilbert
Tour of Belgium + queen stage: Philippe Gilbert
Ster ZLN Tour + queen stage: Philippe Gilbert (even though he raced slower than Terpstra overall)
Stage at Tour of Belgium: André Greipel
Mountain stage at Giro d'Italia: Bart De Clercq
Stage at Dauphiné: Jurgen Van den Broeck
Belgian Championship RR: Philippe Gilbert
Hilly stage at Bore de France: Philippe Gilbert
Flat stage at Bore de France: Andre Greipel
Mountain stage at Bore de France: Jelle Vanendert
3 post-Bore criterium in the same week: Philippe Gilbert
Clasica San Sebastian: Philippe Gilbert
3 stages at Eneco Tour: Philippe Gilbert & Andre Greipel
Belgian Championship TT: Philippe Gilbert
Quebec GP: Philippe Gilbert
GP de Wallonie: Philippe Gilbert
Copenhagen 6-Days: Iljo Keisse
Czech Championship cyclocross: Zdenek Stybar
Middelkerke cyclocross: Zdenek Stybar
3 flat stages at the Tour of San Luis: Francesco Chicchi & Tom Boonen
Tour of San Luis (+TT & another stage): Levy Leipheimer
Tour of Qatar + 2 stages: Tom Boonen
Trofeo Palma: Andy Fenn
Trofeo Migjorn: Andy Fenn
Tour of Oman: Peter Velits
Stage at the Volta ao Algarve: Gerald Ciolek
Three-Days of West Flanders: Julien Vermote
2 stages at the Three Days of West Flanders: Francesco Chicchi & Michal Kwiatkowski
Stage at Paris-Nice: Tom Boonen
Nokere Koerse: Francesco Chicchi
Handzame Classic: Francesco Chicchi
ex-Dwars door België: Niki Terpstra
E3 Harelbeke: Tom Boonen
Ghent-Wevelgem: Tom Boonen
Three-Days of De Panne + TT: Sylvain Chavanel
Tour of Flanders: Tom Boonen
Paris-Roubaix Tom Boonen

Tom Boonen and Gilbert have shown in the past that they can win the big races. That means that if this doctor doped them they either doped before or if they didn't do it before the dope isn't that important since they then obviously don't need it to win. If you take them of the list which results are extraordinary?

I don't see something extraordinary in the # of wins, and apart from Vanenderts performances i don't see these other riders win one or two races in itsellf as something extraordinary. Although Terpstra's results (not the win, but him being this upfront in the major classics) surprised me.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Tom Boonen and Gilbert have shown in the past that they can win the big races. That means that if this doctor doped them they either doped before or if they didn't do it before the dope isn't that important since they then obviously don't need it to win. If you take them of the list which results are extraordinary?

I don't see something extraordinary in the # of wins, and apart from Vanenderts performances i don't see these other riders win one or two races in itsellf as something extraordinary. Although Terpstra's results (not the win, but him being this upfront in the major classics) surprised me.

Yeah, Tom has always been able to TT 55km away from a pack chasing hard.

And Phil won everything he entered most seasons.

And OPQS are just having a standard start to the season, some riders in form, others out, all averaging out.

 

[maltiv]

If all QuickStep's wins were scored by virtue of a certain doctor who previously worked with Lotto then why did Gilbert choose BMC refusing a certain offer from the OPQS?

I don't know, perhaps he prefers being filthy rich over dying from cancer or embolism? 3 years with 4 million euro's a year (or whatever he is making) is more than enough to live comfortable for one's entire life!

 

[luckyboy]

Gilbert's performances were a lot more ridiculous than QuickStep have been on the cobbles.

The top tier of cobbled riders/competition this year hasn't been great for the team that was the most dominant on paper anyway.

Cancellara bad luck in E3, injured in Roubaix/Ronde.
Flecha coming back from injury.
Hushovd in terrible form, never really had a chance today.
Ballan and Pozzato have been in good form.

Who's left after those two? Boom, Van Summeren, Paolini...? There were maybe three riders apart from Boonen starting today who wouldn't have been a shock winner and one of those was in his third race back from injury.

 

[ilrumne]

Who's left after those two? Boom, Van Summeren, Paolini...? There were maybe three riders apart from Boonen starting today who wouldn't have been a shock winner and one of those was injured.

This. Apart from the solo, after Pozzato failed, there was no competition at all for Boonen. Boonen has already proven to be one of the best cobbles riders ever in the years without Ibarguren, so why would this victory prove anything? Look at the names who were chasing or riding for a top-10, those are NOT the strongest riders worldwide. The summit is very narrow in cobbles races, so if the competition is weak, you get something like this.

Moreover, if Gilbert form increases again (which should not be a miracle if the dental problems are true), the Ibarguren argument will fail.
If he is that good, why were there only 2 riders outstanding last year at OPL? Besides Vanendert and Gilbert, I saw nothing spectacular, on the contrary.

 

[Ulle Relaxes]

50ks solo? ****ing ridiculous.

 

[cyclopeon]

Sky had 4 guys, but didn't use them that well. They each did long turns and then faded away, instead of actually trying to keep the pace up. Other strong riders were just sitting behind them not doing anything.

Exactly.
Apart from poor manpower useage by Sky, it's like everyone thought "Only Cancellara could do a long break, so no point chasing hard because Boonen is sure to fail."

I think it was significant that Boonen's lead increased only on the cobbled sections (or at least so it seemed to me), not on the smooth pavement, until he had about a minute.

------------

Now then, let me see: isn't this the same clinic that was absolutely certain that Chavanel did not and never would dope (after all, the French just DON'T); so where does that fit into this whole thread?!

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Exactly.
Apart from poor manpower useage by Sky, it's like everyone thought "Only Cancellara could do a long break, so no point chasing hard because Boonen is sure to fail."

I think it was significant that Boonen's lead increased only on the cobbled sections (or at least so it seemed to me), not on the smooth pavement, until he had about a minute.

------------

Now then, let me see: isn't this the same clinic that was absolutely certain that Chavanel did not and never would dope (after all, the French just DON'T); so where does that fit into this whole thread?!

He ain't much french no more

 

[Willy_Voet]

50ks solo? ****ing ridiculous.

Reminds me of Merckx, biggest fraud ever. Obviously had the 1st gen EPO before everyone else.

Also, ditto on Chavanel. Not sure how we can condemn the whole OMQS when the French champ is obviously not doping.

 

[Ulle Relaxes]

If you're going to dope at least do it with some modesty!

 

[Ripper]

If you're going to dope at least do it with some modesty!

Why? If you're gonna dope, go big and kill everyone!

 

[TourOfSardinia]

Why? If you're gonna dope, go big and kill everyone!

Like Ricco here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34AY5epnluw&feature=related#t=2m28s

 

[Vino attacks everyone]

Why? If you're gonna dope, go big and kill everyone!

yea, why ne satisfied by winning? go for the 50k solo tting kind of doping if yoou first are going to