Paris-Nice losing prestige?

[Merckx]

For sure, quite the race it's turned out to be. Also, so much for all the "this will be a boring season with Contador at the helm".

 

[Merckx]

Yea, I think that was definitely a bonk.. Maybe all his counter-attacks put him over the top?

 

[Jamsque]

If he did bonk then the blame really has to go on the shoulder of whoever was driving the team car. It was also interesting to see that when the peloton caught and passed him there was not a single Astana rider in it. Maybe there is some truth to the talk in the other thread of Astana not supporting Contador properly, at least in this race.

 

[Merckx]

Thats true, I hadn't really noticed that. Their squad has been noticeably weak at P-N.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Wow, what a day!
Utterly blown.....
LA is laughing up his sleeve.
Bertie with a point to prove, so send him to the toughest
week's racing with a rubbish team.

Bonk? Blown out the back. Same as happens to all mortals.
Can't mark 4 GC men attacking you on your own.
He made a tactical mistake.
LLS asked him to work with himself and Colom.
Bertie choose to sit on the back.
Up came the others and that's where he got into difficulty.

LA's immediate response: "He still has a lot to learn."
Yes, that's what I saw, today.
That and the Astana team dynamic, which is obviously another mystery to him.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

It is a super Paris Nice this year

 

[Jamsque]

You know, I'm not certain by any means that this is the case, but if I was Lance Armstrong and I wanted to win an 8th Tour de France, this is how I would go about making sure I was the undisputed leader at Astana.

 

[Belokki]

Hope Conti learns some humility after all this and come back a better rider and person!

I think he tought he can win it all by himself and doesn't need to work toghether with the other contenders... I think this was a good lesson for him... and hes lucky he noticed his limits here, not in the Tour!

Congrats to Sanches!! He deserved the win

 

[Stani Kléber]

I think he was paying the price for yesterday's riding, he made a relatively early attack and rode very hard into a headwind up the Montagne de Lure. This isn't the reason why he blew today, but it could be a factor.

Astana sent him to the race with a very weak team and the consequences are plain to see. Contador won't have to do much explaining but the likes of Popovych and Zubeldia may now be spending July at home.

But if he ran out of energy, it's a very stupid mistake. We don't know what was going on over the race radio but from past experiences in races, up to half the comms are "drink, drink" and "don't forget to eat".

 

[Merckx]

Still a few cols in tomorrow's stage. With the way the jersey has been tossed back and forth this year, anything could happen Although a 1:50 deficit is major.

 

[lookkg386]

Thats true, I hadn't really noticed that. Their squad has been noticeably weak at P-N.

Yeah I think this squad was poor, wouldn't happen at tour.

 

[lookkg386]

Luis Leon is one of my favourite riders so I am rapt to see him win this, super talent and still young, could be a real break out season for him.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

He is the same age as Contador, 26. And, he is not a climber, in a sense that, on the real steep climbs, he breaks down. Luckily for him, this Paris Nice is a perfect fit for him, with most climbs not average above 5%. Perfect for his style.

LL Sanchez has great difficulty with steep climbs and real high mountains (2000m). He will never become a great rider for general classifications in the biggest races, but races like Paris Nice, are just perfect.

 

[lookkg386]

He is the same age as Contador, 26. And, he is not a climber, in a sense that, on the real steep climbs, he breaks down. Luckily for him, this Paris Nice is a perfect fit for him, with most climbs not average above 5%. Perfect for his style.

LL Sanchez has great difficulty with steep climbs and real high mountains (2000m). He will never become a great rider for general classifications in the biggest races, but races like Paris Nice, are just perfect.

true he won't win a three week grand tour, but not many do and he can still be a great rider, he'll certainly ride the tour and will win stages, but its the smaller stage races such as P-N and later in the season such as Tour of Germany that he can do well in. Still believe he's career is still on the up.

 

[Herman]

He is the same age as Contador, 26. And, he is not a climber, in a sense that, on the real steep climbs, he breaks down. Luckily for him, this Paris Nice is a perfect fit for him, with most climbs not average above 5%. Perfect for his style.

LL Sanchez has great difficulty with steep climbs and real high mountains (2000m). He will never become a great rider for general classifications in the biggest races, but races like Paris Nice, are just perfect.

He is not the same age as Contador he is 1 younger

the climb yesterday had 6,9% in average
He has big talent and im sure he gonna finnish on a podium in grand tour at least one time

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

The Montagne de Lure is 6,6% average, to the part they rode it (look at letour.fr). And that's not steep. It's a climb pro's do on the big gear.
I'm 100% sure LL Sanchez will never become a podium contender in grand tours. Two weeks ago, he seriously came up short in the hardest stage of the Tour de Haut-Var, finishing on...exactly, a steep climb (10%). Losing to the likes of Voeckler and Moncoutie.
Just check the facts and do the math.

 

[ElChingon]

Losing Prestige? I highly doubt it, this year has had some of the most REAL racing in years! Finally riders are attacking the leaders as they should to un-zip that jersey off! This years winner will be a deserving winner not a wheel sucker playing the odds and never winning a stage.

I hope this is the sight of all the following races this coming year! THIS IS RACING! This will move us out of the shadow of dope news to CyclingNews again!

(to the racers)
Keep it coming boys! Don't let anybody within a few minutes win because you're not willing to take a chance and lose your position to take the win!

Seeing Contador crack was a thing a beauty! I like the guy but he can't win year round, make him pay or any rider pay for trying to win by name alone.

 

[MrCoppi]

So - I sent a letter in to the staff at cyclingnews.com, and Greg informed me of the new forum, and I thought I would post the same here and see what people thought: Basically what I wrote in the letter:

I'm looking forward to following Paris-Nice starting this weekend. I was perusing the start list on Cyclingnews.com, and it seems to me that, while still committing quality riders to the event, that Paris-Nice does not have the "firepower" as far as team strength and "big name" riders that was lined up in California for the Amgen Tour of California. True, there are still some awfully big guns at this race - some of them competed in California and names like Contador, Schleck, Flecha or Quick Step's Chavanel can't be dismissed, but overall I was surprised that this big event did not seem to have the depth of talent that I have seen in year's past. Is this because of injuries, Paris-Nice not being as prestigious as in previous years, or is there some other political positioning on the team's part? Perhaps a little retribution to the organizers of some French events for their willingness to operate outside the Protour rules?

It'd be interesting to hear thoughts!

I think it is the Pro-Tour / drive for internationalism in cycling that has messed things up. The Tour of California is great for Californians, and great for people who want to sell bicycles, but give me Paris-Nice any day. Why not just race in Europe?

 

[Jamsque]

I think it is the Pro-Tour that has messed things up. The Tour of California is great for Californians, and great for people who want to sell bicycles, but it would never be as hotly contested were it not for the pro-tour status. Give me Paris-Nice any day.

The Tour of California isn't a Pro-Tour race. Its UCI classification is 2.HC, which is the highest possible classification for non-Pro Tour stage races.

Are you maybe thinking of the Tour Down Under?

 

[MrCoppi]

I stand corrected.

 

[Merckx]

Shaping up to be another exciting stage... Contador in an escape group which is ahead by 1:30 with 45k to go.

 

[Merckx]

He's definitely putting on quite a show. Everything he achieved in this edition of the P-N was done solo. If he manages a podium finish, it will have been with the entire peloton against him. GL in the final 16k

 

[Jamsque]

Evans, Schleck and Colom will catch him. He went way too early.

 

[Merckx]

yep, its inevitable with only 20s at the top.

 

[Bala Verde]

Chavanel should be set back 30s and fined a couple of 1000 euros for hanging behind the car. His directeur sportif basically drove him all the way back to the back of the chasing peloton in the descent after his chain came off... We'll probably won't hear anything about this incident anymore, we're in France after all.