Paris - Roubaix 2024, one day monument, April 7

[jmdirt]

Kind funny how Mads Pedersen gets hyped when the absolute best riders in the biggest one day races time and time proves to be not one, but two levels above him. He's just the second best bet which speaks more of the rest of the field with depleted rosters everywhere. He's a great rider, don't get me wrong - and I love how he race etc. - he just doesn't have the god given talent of riders like Mathieu, Pogacar and Van Aert.

That excludes his race in Glasgow in 2023 which I found highly impressive, much more so than his win in 2019 which was in a weird transition phase with bad weather and bonking Mathieu.

He is definitely not 'two levels below' any of the top guys, but you are likely right that he picked the wrong parents.

 

[Ricco']

No, Lidl rode like idiots. Again.

It's all about marketing.

Lidl wants to be seen as a budget supermarket, subconsciously marketing themselves as giving things away with a big discount.

 

[staubsauger]

You mean leading every pavé section wasting energy until you can't even respond in the slightest when Van der Poel makes his first attack after Van der Poel has done every secteur in 10th wheel?

He seems to like to attack and anticipate but it gets really dumb when you're the 2nd favorite and nobody is gonna gift you an advantage.

Maybe Pedersen read about Kirsipuu the sprinter winning Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne solo with a surprise attack and is even more obsessed with it than me?

 

[Mayomaniac]

So what was the point of sending Pidcock to this race?

Don't get me wrong, considering his size he did outstanding, but 1 week ago he had a crash that didn't allow him to start Itzulia and in one week his main early season goal, the Ardennes classics, start.

 

[Devil's Elbow]

So what was the point of sending Pidcock to this race?

Don't get me wrong, considering his size he did outstanding, but 1 week ago he had a crash that didn't allow him to start Itzulia and in one week his main early season goal, the Ardennes classics, start.

Had he not raced today, he would have gone into Amstel not having raced for five weeks, and he usually needs a bit of race rhythm to find his best legs. So it wouldn't even shock me if it was his own call.

 

[DNP-Old]

So what was the point of sending Pidcock to this race?

Don't get me wrong, considering his size he did outstanding, but 1 week ago he had a crash that didn't allow him to start Itzulia and in one week his main early season goal, the Ardennes classics, start.

Race toughness? Idk, INEOS selection protocol continues to not make sense, with their complete mismanaging of Tarling as the pinnacle. Though I am pleasantly surprised to see their act of cycling terrorism by bringing AJ to Roubaix almost pay off, as he unfortunately was only just OTL.

 

[Volderke]

So what was the point of sending Pidcock to this race?

Pidcock asked for it.

 

[Valv.Piti]

He is definitely not 'two levels below' any of the top guys, but you are likely right that he picked the wrong parents.

I really do think he is in a straight up race. In Flanders he definitely is, but the way VDP handled him today on this course makes me believe thats the case in a race which on paper actually suits Mads better than MVP IMO.

 

[yaf]

Everyone saying pog will easily run away with liege🤔 if oude qwarmont is 2km climb with harder cobbles and vanderpoel was smashing everyone bar pog i dont see the pidcokes,healys and skjelmose dropping matheu in 1.5km 9% climbs. We will have a race in liege at least🤞

 

[King Of The Wolds]

So what was the point of sending Pidcock to this race?

Don't get me wrong, considering his size he did outstanding, but 1 week ago he had a crash that didn't allow him to start Itzulia and in one week his main early season goal, the Ardennes classics, start.

Ineos are an utter shambles. They don't seem to have any plan at all, for any of their riders. They just seem to throw s*** at a wall and see what sticks.

 

[Danskebjerge]

For me, this years race was very underwhelming compared to last year. But just a personal opinion.

Only the ten biggest van der Poel fans think this was a good race.

 

[Salvarani]

Pidcock asked for it.

Probably more for prep than anything else after he missed Basque and it still made sense to test him in this race. He did alright.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Probably more for prep than anything else after he missed Basque and it still made sense to test him in this race. He did alright.

I'm not a Pidcock fan at all, but there's probably not a lot of guys who could essentially roll out of bed and say "I think I'll race Paris-Roubaix today" and finish in the top 20.

 

[EddyMazzoleni]

Only the ten biggest van der Poel fans think this was a good race.

Want some fries mate?
Would be a shame to let all that salt go to waste

 

[Wyndbrook]

Chicanes or no chicanes, I don't care!
For the first time ever I am just setting off for a weekend watching Paris Poubaix by the roadside.

Well I made it, a really great couple of days.
Watched at Carrefour de l'Arbre today, sheer speed of the riders was amazing. (even the espoirs were flying).
Most of my previous roadside viewing has centred on spots going up uphill . Today it was just so fast, how any rider could even see anything, least of all pick a line, I have no idea. Speed, narrowness of road ( I was brushed by at least two cars) and spectators leaning in with arms everywhere.

 

[LookProGoSlow]

Is the hat-thrower arrested yet for intent on grave bodily harm?

 

[proffate]

"The team asked me this time to communicate when I was going to attack and I did, so they were aware of it"

 

[Escarabajo]

This is over. Congratulations to MVDP for such a great victory.

From a competitive standpoint, I just witnessed the two worst Monuments in a long time. They were just terrible. I even suggested to my wife that she should walk the dogs early, and she asked me if the race hadn't finished yet. I explained to her that the race effectively ended 60 kilometers before the actual finish line, and in reality, it was over even before that. There was hardly any competition at all. It was so uneventful that two Alpecin riders got bored and attacked their respective groups. This is just disappointing.

On a brighter note, I finally watched the Women's Tour of Flanders, and it was a fantastic competition. I also caught the last kilometers of Paris-Roubaix, which was very interesting as well. It seems that men's cycling competition is deteriorating. It's odd how, after so many years of having bunch sprints even in mountain stages. To be honest, it's quite strange. I hope it's just a coincidence.

 

[pastronef]

2016 keeps being one of the best editions ever

 

[tobydawq]

2016 keeps being one of the best editions ever

How would that change?

 

[jmdirt]

I really do think he is in a straight up race. In Flanders he definitely is, but the way VDP handled him today on this course makes me believe thats the case in a race which on paper actually suits Mads better than MVP IMO.

Your paper is wrong...

 

[Valv.Piti]

Your paper is wrong...

How so? Mathieu is just so much, much more talented so it isn't a contest regardless on completely flat terrain either, but there can be no questions about the fact that RVV suits Mathieu even more than PR

 

[Hugh Januss]

Want some fries mate?
Would be a shame to let all that salt go to waste

He's not wrong.

 

[pastronef]

51.9 kmh after 2 hours. watching the replay, they're at 143 km to go and Alpecin is driving it so fast, break caught. the speed they went even on the very early sectors wow
wtf I'm at 134km to go, Alpecin kept driving it high speed even after the sector. HIGH FECKING SPEED
Alpecin lead the race until sector 20 Haveluy (then Trek started to ride) they did 150 km on the front at almost 50 kmh

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Ineos are an utter shambles. They don't seem to have any plan at all, for any of their riders. They just seem to throw s*** at a wall and see what sticks.

It's almost as though that "marginal gains" stuff was just bollocks to be consumed by credulous fanboys.