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

[dobrien]

Uggh... Phil Ligget and Bob Roll here in the states; Phil already stated that MVDP had never broken into the podiums here, to which Bob had to sheepishly remind him that MVDP has in fact podiumed, in 2021. Another who might consider retirement.

 

[RedheadDane]

Taking a big *** before a big ride is the single best predictor if you're gonna have a bad, good or great day. Everybody know that!

Yeah, but we don't need the details about how he did it!
At least, I don't...

 

[Aimar16]

Sagan is Slovak, not Slovenian. You clowns and Hayman is Australian, not New Zealander.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Looking forward to see Sam Welsford today in PR.

With his bodybuilder body, he has a clear advantage. I hope the cameras will be on him for most of the race, so we can admire his head-to-toe look: full of muscles, the born Roubaix rider. He has the power which will be needed today. He will be able to rely on his shoulders, neck and arms, which could give him the decisive advantage.

Brutal strength and brutal look on the cobbles to Roubaix. Welsford has the Robert Forstemann body, plus the endurance - I cheer for a podium for Sam today.

Sam Welsford coming out of the team bus today

 

[ChewbaccaDefense]

Uggh... Phil Ligget and Bob Roll here in the states; Phil already stated that MVDP had never broken into the podiums here, to which Bob had to sheepishly remind him that MVDP has in fact podiumed, in 2021. Another who might consider retirement.

...yeah, having to listen to Dumb and Dumber for this race, almost makes me want to not watch...ugh

 

[Orbit501]

Looking forward to see Sam Welsford today in PR.

With his bodybuilder body, he has a clear advantage. I hope the cameras will be on him for most of the race, so we can admire his head-to-toe look: full of muscles, the born Roubaix rider. He has the power which will be needed today. He will be able to rely on his shoulders, neck and arms, which could give him the decisive advantage.

Brutal strength and brutal look on the cobbles to Roubaix. Welsford has the Robert Forstemann body, plus the endurance - I cheer for a podium for Sam today.

And the moustache. You're forgetting the moustache.

 

[Mayomaniac]

La Gazzetta gave Ganna 3 stars, less than Pedersen, so everyone can relax.
3 stars to Trentin is imo a lot more optimistic.

 

[Volderke]

The best race of the year just started.

Enjoy and don't eat too much chocolate while watching!

 

[Black Betsy]

Where to vote for Matt Heyman's win as my all time favorite bike race ( obviously from those that I caught live)? Thank you in advance.

 

[Red Rick]

Damn I see the wind looks like a decent cross/tailwind later in the day, unlike predictions earlier in the week.

 

[dobrien]

...yeah, having to listen to Dumb and Dumber for this race, almost makes me want to not watch...ugh

Seriously; I'd take yesterday's team all day long. This just feels like a dumber version of the Armstrong years.

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

he came in as a late replacement two days ago, so maybe don't put your expectations too high

Where did you notice his endurance skill, though? As far as I can see, he has never really done any long or hard races, let alone both combined.

Yeah, that‘s right, he probably still lacks the endurance for these 220/250k+ races. On the other hand, his big upper body offers him additional glycogen depots, something which will be useful on the long distances…

But correct, at the moment, my biggest fear is that he will lose lots of upper body muscle - just like it happened to Soren Kragh Andersen and Kaden Groves, after few seasons spent completely at road racing.

I hope that Sam Welsford manages to keep this big upper body. I‘d advise him a high protein diet, some creatine, and daily workouts at the gym. Then add that he‘ll probably still lose some body fat, and afterwards his front thighs and middle shoulders will look like they‘re exploding…

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Sam Welsford coming out of the team bus today

Brutal look, just brutal…

You absolutely made my day - even before PR even reaches the cobbles… ;-)

Much appreciated

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

And the moustache. You're forgetting the moustache.

Yeah, though I normally don‘t like moustaches too much: in Welsford‘s case, it fits him well.

Probably pro bodybuilder Chris Bumstead serves as his role model here:

Chris Bumstead: His Gaining Diet - The Barbell

Chris Bumstead shared a day's worth of meals as he ramps up the gains. We analyze his Classic Physique Olympia gaining diet.

www.thebarbell.com

 

[red_flanders]

...yeah, having to listen to Dumb and Dumber for this race, almost makes me want to not watch...ugh

There's always a GCN subscription...

 

[Captain Sensible]

There's always a GCN subscription...

Best birthday present i got from my daughter my subscription for GCN.

 

[DNP-Old]

Alpecin seem somewhat desperate to have someone in the break today.

 

[Tobi]

We’re due for a danish result in this race it’s kinda crazy the best danish result ever is a 5th place.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Looks like we're doing this again

Dillier far too dangerous to let off

 

[Didinho]

Dillier. This means Sagan will win!

 

[Volderke]

The Eurosport commentator was talking about the tire pressure system used by DSM and Jumbo, and he said WvA didn't want to use it as he 'wants the same tire pressure'.
Actually, those that are riding tubulars with latex inner tubes, know that the tire pressure will go down during the day, e.g. if you start with 5 bar on the asphalt, it will decrease to 4.5 on the cobbles, and could be 4 by the end of the race.
The advantage of losing pressure along the way, is that the pressure will be relatively high while on the asphalt, and once the cobbles start, the pressure should be ideal for the cobbles (high enough on Arenberg, and lower and lower for the sections after). The downside is that many riders are having just a bit too little air by the time they reach Carrefour de l'arbre / Gruson, and are more prone to flat.

And that's the reason why tire pressure was always such a secret in this race: the pressure at which a rider was starting, was carefully determined based on how low they could go by the time they were in the last 20K.

It seems like these days, with tubeless etc, and especially with those inflating systems, the fine art of tire pressure could disappear.

 

[Salvarani]

Less than 50km to the first section

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Alpecin seem somewhat desperate to have someone in the break today.

All teams should be . Is always good to have a rider up the road, but of all the races, this is the one where it's most important.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Rubbish! Even if he doesn’t win Roubaix by the time he retires he’ll still finish with a brilliant palmares.

Brilliant palmares? What? For a rider of his caliber? He has the skillset and capacity to win 4 to 5 monuments at least. Now, he has one monument in one of the most strange seasons in cycling history (covid 19). Zero gold medal in olympics and WC, zero stage races (GT's), how can his palmares be a brilliant one?

 

[StryderHells]

Brilliant palmares? What? For a rider of his caliber? He has the skillset and capacity to win 4 to 5 monuments at least. Now, he has one monument in one of the most strange seasons in cycling history (covid 19). Zero gold medal in olympics and WC, zero stage races (GT's), how can his palmares be a brilliant one?

Sorry I didn’t realise that he’s retired already.