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

[tobydawq]

I just realised that this will be Sagan's final monument and that I couldn't care less about it.

How he has become SO bad is a mystery to me. I know people will point to a lack of motivation but unless he flat-out lies in interviews (including the Geraint Thomas podcast where he was a guest), where he said that he for the first time in three years had a problem-free winter and been able to train well, I don't really buy that.

One of my friends suggested that he had been purposefully riding badly the last 18 months to set himself up for one final glorious day in Northern France. I - sadly - don't really buy that either

 

[Didinho]

I just realised that this will be Sagan's final monument and that I couldn't care less about it.

How he has become SO bad is a mystery to me. I know people will point to a lack of motivation but unless he flat-out lies in interviews (including the Geraint Thomas podcast where he was a guest), where he said that he for the first time in three years had a problem-free winter and been able to train well, I don't really buy that.

One of my friends suggested that he had been purposefully riding badly the last 18 months to set himself up for one final glorious day in Northern France. I - sadly - don't really buy that either

Didn't he get affected by a couple Covid periods the last years?
I'm recently in one and haven't got energy since mid November. Haven't ridden my bike for 500km in that period, what I would've done in a week before. I've been thinking a lot about these pro riders who had Covid problems and now I know what they possibly could have. No energy, much less long capacity. I'm already dead in my normal warmup, heart beat +20 when doing nothing.
Hope Sagan gets a good race on Sunday but what we've seen the last years, I'm not so excited. Try to get in the early break is his best option.

 

[tobydawq]

Didn't he get affected by a couple Covid periods the last years?
I'm recently in one and haven't got energy since mid November. Haven't ridden my bike for 500km in that period, what I would've done in a week before. I've been thinking a lot about these pro riders who had Covid problems and now I know what they possibly could have. No energy, much less long capacity. I'm already dead in my normal warmup, heart beat +20 when doing nothing.
Hope Sagan gets a good race on Sunday but what we've seen the last years, I'm not so excited. Try to get in the early break is his best option.

Yes, and he said it destroyed his 2022 season and also affected 2021 greatly. But he also said that that was now in the past and he was again feeling really good.

But I guess we saw in Kuurne that he had one good hill in him and then he became a brick on the hills.

 

[Ricco']

Wasn't this tyre pressure innovation already used in the past?

I'm pretty sure I remember about it last year or two years ago (maybe with DSM too) but without any concrete results after.

 

[Billie]

I just realised that this will be Sagan's final monument and that I couldn't care less about it.

How he has become SO bad is a mystery to me. I know people will point to a lack of motivation but unless he flat-out lies in interviews (including the Geraint Thomas podcast where he was a guest), where he said that he for the first time in three years had a problem-free winter and been able to train well, I don't really buy that.

One of my friends suggested that he had been purposefully riding badly the last 18 months to set himself up for one final glorious day in Northern France. I - sadly - don't really buy that either

Yes real shame. He was 7th at the worlds last year and combined with a problem free winter for first time in a while i had also some hopes. shame

 

[RedheadDane]

One of my friends suggested that he had been purposefully riding badly the last 18 months to set himself up for one final glorious day in Northern France. I - sadly - don't really buy that either

Have some faith!
He'll be gloriously wheeling around the velodrome.

I'm pretty sure I remember about it last year or two years ago (maybe with DSM too) but without any concrete results after.

They'd planned on using it, but then decided not to in the last minute.

 

[tobydawq]

Have some faith!
He'll be gloriously wheeling around the velodrome.



They'd planned on using it, but then decided not to in the last minute.

That would at least be better than crashing on the velodrome like Cancellara.

 

[Lequack]

Have some faith!
He'll be gloriously wheeling around the velodrome.



They'd planned on using it, but then decided not to in the last minute.

Yes it was a good sales pitch. I expect something similar this year. I'm sure Wout be using it, even though he is being coy about it.

 

[Lequack]

Meanwhile for some reason they are trying to dry the track faster. Are they crazy?

 

[tobydawq]

Meanwhile for some reason they are trying to dry the track faster. Are they crazy?

Why don't they use dragons for this when they use goats for removing grass?

 

[search]

Wasn't this tyre pressure innovation already used in the past?

I'm pretty sure I remember about it last year or two years ago (maybe with DSM too) but without any concrete results after.

DSM made an announcement about it before Roubaix last year, but didn't use it in the end. Afaik, the only one who has used it in a race so far was Affini in Dwars door Vlaanderen.

 

[Amazinmets87]

Artificially altering the parcours (drying the cobbles) should not be allowed.

 

[Lequack]

Artificially altering the parcours (drying the cobbles) should not be allowed.

Not only that, they're also clearing away any mud

 

[RedheadDane]

Not only that, they're also clearing away any mud

Clearly, only the wetness and mud that occurs during the race is allowed.

 

[Ricco']

While Jumbo guys will be the most brainy on sunday, Alpecin will have the more elegant squad. What trumps in Roubaix? Intelligence or elegance? The cooperative work of the pack can't be discarded, but as old wolves age and new ones aren't nurtured the same way as before and go now to mountain pastures, they are less and less a force to be taken into account.

 

[laarsland]

Didn't he get affected by a couple Covid periods the last years?
I'm recently in one and haven't got energy since mid November. Haven't ridden my bike for 500km in that period, what I would've done in a week before. I've been thinking a lot about these pro riders who had Covid problems and now I know what they possibly could have. No energy, much less long capacity. I'm already dead in my normal warmup, heart beat +20 when doing nothing.
Hope Sagan gets a good race on Sunday but what we've seen the last years, I'm not so excited. Try to get in the early break is his best option.

I had a period or six weeks starting four weeks after second bout of Covid where my heartbeat would go 170+ just going up stairs. 400+ hours a year bike rider in good shape.

My wife still gets those kinds of irregularities, seven months past.

Fair to say some riders also probably have gotten bad mid-to-long term consequences.

 

[Nick2413]

What trumps in Roubaix? Intelligence or elegance?

Neither. Roubaix is for gladiators. May the hardest man win.

 

[Breh]

Artificially altering the parcours (drying the cobbles) should not be allowed.

Les Amis de Paris Roubaix can do whatever they want imo.

Absolute legends.

 

[Tonton]

Like many, I would have loved to see Pogacar and all the mud...but it's Wout's race to win in the end, He can change the whole rhetoric, "how '23 is going so far".

 

[search]

Het Nieuwsblad's star rating for tomorrow:

**** * van Aert
**** van der Poel, Ganna
*** van Baarle, Küng, Pedersen
** Vermeersch, Stuyven, Asgreen, Vanmarcke
* Lampaert, Philipsen, Turgis, Mohoric, Politt

 

[SafeBet]

How is Ganna in VdP's tier?
I think he's a good outsider but surely not more than someone like Asgreen or Van Baarle.

 

[search]

don't think he is on van der Poel's level, but using the fixed system they do (one 5-star-rider, two with 4, and so on), it's not so easy, to be honest. Van Baarle's shape is a bit of an uncertainty, and Pedersen, Ganna and Asgreen together have one Top 40 in Roubaix. I'd struggle to single one out as well. Maybe Küng, but he doesn't look quite as strong as last year, so far, so 4 stars would be too much as well.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

Vanmarcke shouldn‘t be in two-star and Philipsen is questionable on this list, but it could be expected from Het Nieuwsblad.

 

[Aimar16]

How is Ganna in VdP's tier?
I think he's a good outsider but surely not more than someone like Asgreen or Van Baarle.

I would not call him an outsider. I think he's on tier 2 with Pedersen and van Baarle. I wouldn't be surprised if the winner comes out of these three.

 

[search]

Vanmarcke shouldn‘t be in two-star and Philipsen is questionable on this list, but it could be expected from Het Nieuwsblad.

unless he got sick again, which of course always is a possibility, I actually think Vanmarcke will fight for the podium tomorrow. Looked good so far this season, and Roubaix is the race which fits him best,