Paris-Roubaix 2023, one day monument, April 9 (men's)

[Gratemans]

I've edited my own post: I'm just rewatching, but I really have the feeling Küng and Ganna missed their chance at around 16/17kms? The problem of course is they're both there, so they're mostly eyeing eachother. But I think neither of em is sleeping very well right now... One of them could have tried to rip it and see who could try and follow? A bit of a missed opportunity, because when I watch it again, they didn't seem that drained.

 

[Cookster15]

Triathletes are smart people. Most are not good enough to pursue a career in track and fields, marathon running, swimming or cycling, but they sure are a different breed.

With respect, your post was unnecessary. You, like many cycling fans obviously underestimate the difficulty of running fast after 6+ hours of cycling at your limits. Don’t know many pro cyclists who had a career in track and field either. Same with African marathon runners who walked away with any triathlon (you also need to be able to swim fast?). It’s a different sport and it deserves respect for its specific skills and demands. It is noteworthy that Wurf, who has won Ironman races, is deemed good enough to ride for Ineos at all. Wurf just completed 6+ hours of PR and yet had enough spare energy to reel off a lazy two hour training run averaging 4 mins / km.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

What kind of imbecile "fan" creates colored smoke just inside Arenberg sector, big crash exactly at that spot, removing van Baale and Asgreen among others from the race ?!
Have anyone heard more of this somewhere, maybe he was buried as a part of the sector for next year?

Absolutely agree. Idiots who light smoke next to the riders, particularly either on 1) climbs or 2) decisive points of the race, deserve the Sarlacc pit.

 

[RobertCrawley]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1645075248763502594

View: https://twitter.com/eurosport/status/1645075248763502594?s=20


Hip check into the crowd.

 

[RobertCrawley]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1645139766734667780

View: https://twitter.com/NBCSCycling/status/1645139766734667780?s=20


Nice moment.

 

[Volderke]

I've said it, and I'll say it again:
without disc brakes (a totally worthless concept in a dry Roubaix), Laporte would have connected with the Ganna chasing group, and WvA would have had a much bigger chance chasing MvdP as he would have been at 15 seconds instead of 30 seconds. Flat tires in Roubaix were, in the good old days, a matter of 10-15 seconds (with a good mechanic and a rider shifting the chain down the cassette, ofcourse), now it's, by default, half a minute or more to change a wheel with no team cars around.

And by no means this is a critique about disc brakes, but rather the step back riders took in changing a wheel quickly. In Formula 1, the time of a pitstop is crucial, and in cycling, it can be as well. To accept a time loss of 10-15 seconds more when every second counts, isn't really progress in my book.

 

[Berniece]

I've said it, and I'll say it again:
without disc brakes (a totally worthless concept in a dry Roubaix), Laporte would have connected with the Ganna chasing group, and WvA would have had a much bigger chance chasing MvdP as he would have been at 15 seconds instead of 30 seconds. Flat tires in Roubaix were, in the good old days, a matter of 10-15 seconds (with a good mechanic and a rider shifting the chain down the cassette, ofcourse), now it's, by default, half a minute or more to change a wheel with no team cars around.

But he still would've lost in a sprint against Philipsen though

 

[Volderke]

But he still would've lost in a sprint against Philipsen though

He didn't handle that sprint well (first position, high on the banking, but forgot to be the first to go = lacking track experience it seems), but that's a separate issue.

 

[Andy262]

And Degenkolb. As other writes, unfortunately probably his last swan song with a merciless unhappy ending. His consolation, however, should be that he probably couldn't do anything against Matthieu, Jasper and Wout anyway.

Projection on your part. Degenkolb had been looking pretty strong all day. He was one of the first to go with Van Aert’s original attack and had rarely looked in any real trouble. It’s a great shame that he was taken out by the riders who ultimately benefited. I’ll grant it was a racing incident but it contributed to the race being robbed of a better finale.

 

[Aimar16]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1645088133048934405

Champions attitude

Ganna might have deserved a little more support from INEOS, instead of being almost knocked out of the race by teammates who fall left and right and the guy with a random PR ride way behind.

 

[limak_]

Seems like many people forgot that getting a flat tyre isn't purely "bad luck". It's very often also a rider's mistake and not optimal choice of tyre pressure.

 

[Volderke]

Seems like many people forgot that getting a flat tyre isn't purely "bad luck". It's very often also a rider's mistake and not optimal choice of tyre pressure.

WvA attacked on the worst part of Carrefour, and I said to myself that he would either destroy his wheels, or he would crash out of that 90 degree curve (where Hushovd crashed while trying to follow Boonen).

 

[Salvarani]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1645075248763502594

View: https://twitter.com/eurosport/status/1645075248763502594?s=20


Hip check into the crowd.

When MVDP caught up with Van Aert, who were talking on the radio, he either heard or saw that Van Aert had a flat tire. He went immediately to the front and kept checking between his legs to see Van Aert losing meter after after in the last part of the section. He didnt really have to attack. Just keep a very high pace as Van Aert could not do anymore, as he had a flat tire. He could have probably followed MVDP to the line, if not suffering a mechanical. Sprint could have gone either way. We will never know.

Van Aert had changed his bike earlier in the race. Van Baarle went down in Arenberg. Laporte flat tire. Then Van Aert flat tire. Just wasnt Jumbos day in the end.

Alpecin had their whole team up front from the first sections and controlled this race very good. Three guys making the selection. Going 1-2 in the race. It was their day.

Race was really fast. One of the fastest editions, if not the fastest? Many crashes. Absolutely chaos in the Arenberg. Drama at the end. It was a really entertaining race. MVDP very strong and had luck on his side, but definitely deserved it imo. Strong team. He attacked multiple times. Took big risks in the corners. It was enough to win his first PR, in a very trade mark fashion from his side.

 

[Salvarani]

Ganna might have deserved a little more support from INEOS, instead of being almost knocked out of the race by teammates who fall left and right and the guy with a random PR ride way behind.

They could have definitely been stronger with Turner and Pidcock in the team. Maybe Narvaez, as well, who is a really underrated rider.

Sheffield is great. He went down a couple of times but got back to the front of the peloton again and again. He put in a massive performance in the first part of the race.

A bit of a "disappointment" has to be Connor Swift. He has not been able to take the next step, so far, after joining Ineos. Maybe needs some more time to race with the team. Perhaps next year we will see more from him in the classics.

 

[Red Rick]

To come back to mechanicals being skills issue, the Jumbo DS is saying they have the same tire setup as Alpecin, and they only flatted 4 times in total as a team.

 

[limak_]

WvA attacked on the worst part of Carrefour, and I said to myself that he would either destroy his wheels, or he would crash out of that 90 degree curve (where Hushovd crashed while trying to follow Boonen).

https://twitter.com/x/status/1645075248763502594

View: https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1645075248763502594


And he probably punctured while riding behind Mathieu (1:14 on this video from twitter - his back wheel slips and I'm almost sure that was the moment).

It's always safer to be at the front on the toughest sections, cause then you can choose your own line and do your best to avoid puncturing. If you're behind it's much more of a lottery. MvdP must have known that and that's why he almost immediately overtook Wout when he caught him after the incident with Degenkolb.

EDIT Okay I rewatched it and Wout was already on the radio before the moment I was talking about so he probably punctured earlier, just after he attacked.

 

[CyclistAbi]

Congratulations to Mathieu van der Poel for winning Paris–Roubaix.

Was a good race to watch. Personally i would enjoy it a bit more if mechanical wouldn't spoil the finale. If we would have something like van der Poel and Philipsen vs van Aert and Laporte on the velodrome. But OK. JV in my opinion had some issues with the equipment and likely it makes sense to investigate this more in depth. To not repeat the same mistake in the future. Regarding tires. As for disc brakes. They are now part of the peloton and this won't change. Said that current tech is not suitable for pro peloton. This hence needs to improve in the future. Amateur level of solutions in pro peloton are just not something to tolerate for long.

 

[Volderke]

Yes, I think he punctured somewhere between 20s and 27s in the twitter video, that section is one of the worst in the whole race, about the same as Arenberg.

 

[Rackham]

Congratulations to Mathieu van der Poel for winning Paris–Roubaix.

Was a good race to watch. Personally i would enjoy it a bit more if mechanical wouldn't spoil the finale. If we would have something like van der Poel and Philipsen vs van Aert and Laporte on the velodrome. But OK. JV in my opinion had some issues with the equipment and likely it makes sense to investigate this more in depth. To not repeat the same mistake in the future. Regarding tires. As for disc brakes. They are now part of the peloton and this won't change. Said that current tech is not suitable for pro peloton. This hence needs to improve in the future. Amateur level of solutions in pro peloton are just not something to tolerate for long.

With punctures taking so long to repair as a result of disc brakes, the UCI could relax the rules a little & allow for strategically placed spare bikes after the worst cobbled sections like Arenberg.

It's that intransigence which grates a little, i.e. "we change the technology so punctures are more punishing... but we don't change the rules to accommodate this".

Seems like many people forgot that getting a flat tyre isn't purely "bad luck". It's very often also a rider's mistake and not optimal choice of tyre pressure.

This is like a new level of fanboy flexing for their favorite rider, i.e. "punctures are your own fault you scrub!" (words to that effect).

It wasn't WvA's fault, evidently. The day Van der Poel gets a sh*t dose of misfortune with a badly times mechanical, you might change your mind. It's racing & it sucks. But it's also what makes this sport crazy unpredictable (& fun).

 

[Bolder]

With quick release through axles, I think it’s about the same time, maybe a few seconds slower? I wouldn’t blame disc brakes at this point, especially given their advantages in wet weather, wheel design and tire clearance.

 

[CyclistAbi]

@Rackham

They could but the technology involved itself needs to mature further.

@Bolder

I agree that disc brake itself shouldn't be blamed. As that part it's not a real factor in regards to a wheel change. But the rest of the current tech involved is still ***. Maybe appropriate for some amateur farmer equipment. Like lets say wheelbarrow.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Seems like many people forgot that getting a flat tyre isn't purely "bad luck". It's very often also a rider's mistake and not optimal choice of tyre pressure.

Yes. Something never mentioned by road commentators/journalists. However, it's part and parcel of CX/MTB racing...Yes, it might be 'bad luck' but quite often poor tyre pressure/equipment or bad line choices.......

 

[Boes]

Together with Van der Poel, Van Aert wins! Yay!

Would love to see the look on Masnada fanboy if that would have happened.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

With respect, your post was unnecessary. You, like many cycling fans obviously underestimate the difficulty of running fast after 6+ hours of cycling at your limits. Don’t know many pro cyclists who had a career in track and field either. Same with African marathon runners who walked away with any triathlon (you also need to be able to swim fast?). It’s a different sport and it deserves respect for its specific skills and demands. It is noteworthy that Wurf, who has won Ironman races, is deemed good enough to ride for Ineos at all. Wurf just completed 6+ hours of PR and yet had enough spare energy to reel off a lazy two hour training run averaging 4 mins / km.

Spot on!! I'm afraid that poster, like a few on here seems to not understand anything non road cycling; his attitude towards MTB racing is disrespectful as well.

 

[Carrick-On-Seine]

It was a rare time I wanted Van Aert to win a sprint. Had a little money on 1 MvdP 2 Van Aert cos the odds of 18/1 were just too do ignore. Close!