Ponferrada 2014 World Championships, Sep. 21st-28th

[jaylew]

Just noticed something fairly interesting. Everyone in that lead group (Valverde, Gerrans, GvA, Gallopin, Gilbert, and Breschel) has a kick and can win a sprint from a smallish group. That probably helped Kwia a bit in the finale, though Gilbert was obviously working for GvA and didn't appear to be holding much back.

 

[Jancouver]

Anyone going to comment on Italy's failure?

Did you really expect otherwise?

 

[Akuryo]

Not from today, but he rode like Superman!

 

[cocteau_ireland]

Congrats to Poland for such a year. May they never be (non-lovingly) squeezed again.

 

[Jancouver]

Condé reports on Gerrans at the press conference:

Simon Gerrans: "I wanted to cry when I crossed the line. I knew I had the legs to fight for the win."

Imo:
You did, you pleb. If you had done a turn, you wouldn't have been fighting for the win, you'd have won.

I was screaming at Gillbert to stop pulling Gerrans to the line. Luckily they didnt make it. What a relieve. Did he really think that GVA can out-sprint Gerrans?

 

[mr. tibbs]

Fantastic to see the Gerrans-Valverde excitement pact come up short.

Lol'd at that. Excitmenet pact. Good stuff.

Kwia should give Gerrans and Valverde the dirty sanchez right there on the podium.

He already gave them the DS in the race. Now they get to go back to dreaming of the wheels in front of them for the next 364 days.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Last 15-20km was ok, but the peloton was almost 100 man strong at the time. Clearly with the slow controlled pace for most of the race, action becomes mostly TV related until the very end where Kwia had the guts to attack exactly at the right time.

The Italians move was doomed before it started, but it was the only option for them.

Waiting, waiting and Kwia wins. Good man, top rider.

 

[argyllflyer]

Commentators mentioned that he was there a few times. Didnt see him myself once.

He was wearing a similar blue to the Italians with a pair of diagonal bands (red & white?) on the back. As already said by a few, was in the main peloton in the last few laps, losing ground on the leaders on the last climb.

 

[Volderke]

I was screaming at Gillbert to stop pulling Gerrans to the line. Luckily they didnt make it. What a relieve. Did he really think that GVA can out-sprint Gerrans?

of course not, but kudo's to Gilbert for trying to WIN, not trying to make another one lose or trying to ride for second...

 

[ToreBear]

Good ending. Well deserved winner. And it will be nice to have a Pole in rainbow next year.


I hope this race can reduce the team size to max 6, so that some teams can have a few more riders than they do now.

Also it will be much more interesting.

 

[Pentacycle]

of course not, but kudo's to Gilbert for trying to WIN, not trying to make another one lose or trying to ride for second...

+1 Gilbert actually made himself more likeable today. In a classic I'd never before seen him work for a teammate.

 

[SeriousSam]

Condé reports on Gerrans at the press conference:

Simon Gerrans: "I wanted to cry when I crossed the line. I knew I had the legs to fight for the win."

Unbelievable. Do a ****ing turn then at the front then.

 

[Jerkovin]

Also on the list of losers, Sagan. Haven't seen him at all?

Given how he has barely even finished races since the tour, it's difficult to lose something he wasn't really realistically in.

People are already banging the "motivation" drum and suggesting the Tinkoff money has gotten to his head, but I don't think his issue is that. Regardless, 2015 will be very interesting for him, particularly as his age rival Kwiatkowski has now beaten him and taken a big one-day race before him.

 

[theyoungest]

I was screaming at Gillbert to stop pulling Gerrans to the line. Luckily they didnt make it. What a relieve. Did he really think that GVA can out-sprint Gerrans?

The Belgians think GVA is really fast. The rest of the world knows he isn't.

Gerrans once again with zero meters on the front. What an incredibly boring rider. But hey, his racing style works in present day cycling, where it's all about the final 10 k of a race.

 

[ciranda]

Condé reports on Gerrans at the press conference:

Simon Gerrans: "I wanted to cry when I crossed the line. I knew I had the legs to fight for the win."

Imo:
You did, you pleb. If you had done a turn, you wouldn't have been fighting for the win, you'd have won.

Idk if it's necessary to say this, but not so simple of course. The five others were going all out so it's not like Gerrans' added effort would cancel the advantage alone. Kwiatkowski cruised for the last 200m as well. And if he had been caught it would have been a different situation: Breschel would not have started the sprint so early and he or Gallopin or one of the Belgians would surely have attacked.

The quote is telling, I guess, about how Gerrans sees races as something that happens around him without any need for him to participate until he can see the line.

 

[Jagartrott]

The Belgians think GVA is really fast. The rest of the world knows he isn't.

It was the only way to *maybe* win. Gilbert and GVA raced to win, so they should get credited for that. Without Valverde swerving, I think GVA could've gotten 3rd, by the way. Not that 3rd means anything on a WC - only gold matters.

 

[Pentacycle]

The Belgians think GVA is really fast. The rest of the world knows he isn't.

Gerrans once again with zero meters on the front. What an incredibly boring rider. But hey, his racing style works in present day cycling, where it's all about the final 10 k of a race.

GVA used to be a fast guy, when he became pro. So he has potential. But since he's been targeting classics that has gone downhill, he's better off having more endurance and puncheur/climbing ability.

 

[Arredondo]

Watching the final again, i saw Kristoff riding on the front of the group with 300 meters to go, and still won the sprint with ease.

How ****ing strong are you then? That's insane. What a rider.

 

[trevim]

Dumoulin found it very easy to explain "we rode a bad race, not in 1 move. Bauke and I had to wait until the final lap, but the rest should have covered the other moves. It was bad."

Lol that's brutally honest. He could have said "I don't know what those suckers came to Spain for" Seriously, I think/hope Dumoulin will be a hilly classics contender soon.
Regarding Valverde, although Spain's tactics were a fail (not making the race hard enough from far out, should have helped out Italy there) in the end he rode like a champion to win, instead of waiting for someone to drag him to the sprint like he did last year. So that's a positive in my book.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Talking about anonymous, aside from Kennaugh, who rode a great race, I think GB was notably absent as well.

Why do they keep selecting Froome anyway?

 

[Angliru]

Go eat **** Gerrans and valverde only gilbert rode like a man in the chase group

Did you even watch the race? Valverde was pulling the group at some point. How can you in any seriousness, lump him in with Gerrans who contributed jack to the chase?

 

[Andy262]

Winners for me, chapeau:

- Poland and Kwiatkowski - had a plan and executed it perfectly
- Gilbert - gave it the lot
- Di Marchi - great attack and really tried to motivate the break with a circuit to go; he and Andersen gave it the lot; could have just done with another strong rider as Kiriyenka was knackered after getting across.
- Kennaugh - will win a classic
- Quintero - best of the original break
- Albasini - hard man

Losers:
- GB - still not really getting the worlds
- Spain - no real plan
- Holland - absent
- Gautier - you could have contributed to that break, which had a chance; might have been 20-1 but was yours and France's only chance.
- Cancellara - too old now, and couldn't capitalise on Albasini's tremendous work.

 

[Andy262]

Talking about anonymous, aside from Kennaugh, who rode a great race, I think GB was notably absent as well.

Why do they keep selecting Froome anyway?

Hadn't seen your post when I posted mine below, but glad we agree

 

[theyoungest]

Dumoulin found it very easy to explain "we rode a bad race, not in 1 move. Bauke and I had to wait until the final lap, but the rest should have covered the other moves. It was bad."

Dumoulin also said that he wanted to attack on the longer climb, but that the front group was too far ahead... luckily Kwiatkowski didn't get the memo.

GVA used to be a fast guy, when he became pro. So he has potential. But since he's been targeting classics that has gone downhill, he's better off having more endurance and puncheur/climbing ability.

He has become a more entertaining rider, sure. But if he's in a break with any serious opposition, you know he isn't going to win.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Dumoulin lacks the same descending skills Kwiatkowski has. He would've been swallowed up on the second climb.

But yeah, it would've been nice if one of them at least TRIED to make the race report lol. Now they might have well all not started. Same effect