Qatar, stage 6, Al Wakra - Doha Corniche, 123.5 km

[Anonymous]

I have an obsession with hating sky? look who's talking... I don't hate sky, I'm just stating facts which you are obviously failing to see. A lot of people have expressed more hate for sky more than me so why don't you get your facts right. Boonen is faster than EBh. yes EBH was catching him but that was because Boonen hit the wind earlier and other riders could use him to shelter behind for a bit.

Yeah we learnt that EBH is faster than Boonen but boonen won two individual stage compared to EBH's 0

thats because tactically boonen is more experienced, not faster.

How many of the stages did they show over there is australia anyway?

Theres some really funny australian c6 highlights from yesterday but i cant find them

 

[taiwan]

Point taken about this race, but I don't think those will be Boasson Hagen's best results in sprints. And let's not throw in Taylor Phinney and those guys. To be honest, my opinion hasn't changed much, apart from that I know why Chicchi's rated as he is by a few people.

 

[blaxland]

The fact is Chicci is the fastest in Qatar,and BOONEN is quicker than EBH.(2x stage wins proves this).....lets bring on the classics..

 

[palmerq]

I havent seen any of this season... so I am basing my thoguhts on about a year ago :S But I think Boonen is very fast when he is on form definently one of the fastest although I think he needs quite a bit of help in the mass sprints but I think he is still one of the top 5 for top speed... once he gets going. I read he was very fast for one his stages wins in qatar so maybe I am right.. but I dont think at top speed many are faster than boonen.

 

[Anonymous]

The fact is Chicci is the fastest in Qatar,and BOONEN is quicker than EBH.(2x stage wins proves this).....lets bring on the classics..

2 stage wins proves he is tactically more experienced than other riders, not that he is altogether quicker. There are many sprinters who continued getting results as they got older even if they where not the quickest..

This could go on for weeks..

Its strange how yesterday everyone was in agreement that EbH was quicker and would have overtaken boonen given another ten metres, today boonen is quicker (despite finishing behind Edvald)

 

[Ferminal]

2 stage wins proves he is tactically more experienced than other riders, not that he is altogether quicker. There are many sprinters who continued getting results as they got older even if they where not the quickest..

This could go on for weeks..

Its strange how yesterday everyone was in agreement that EbH was quicker and would have overtaken boonen given another ten metres, today boonen is quicker (despite finishing behind Edvald)

Plus he can still make mistakes (2009 P-T).

Chicchi made it look as though everyone else had stopped.

 

[auscyclefan94]

2 stage wins proves he is tactically more experienced than other riders, not that he is altogether quicker. There are many sprinters who continued getting results as they got older even if they where not the quickest..

This could go on for weeks..

Its strange how yesterday everyone was in agreement that EbH was quicker and would have overtaken boonen given another ten metres, today boonen is quicker (despite finishing behind Edvald)

Jeez, talk about Bull shyte artists. He beat him... not once but twice. Boonen is faster. Stop trying to cover this fact up with your dilusional, blind thoughts of boasson hagen. boonen is very quick. EbH is quick but not a pure sprinter like Tom. EbH i agree is the more allround rider but not a quality sprinter of Tom's calibre. Yes Ebh may of overtaken him but Tom timed his sprint better and Edvald had the advantage of drafting off boonen to then come around him. Boonen made a longer sprint. With Sky's leadout train really they should of been dominant but failed Miserably.

 

[maltiv]

Jeez, talk about Bull shyte artists. He beat him... not once but twice. Boonen is faster. Stop trying to cover this fact up with your dilusional, blind thoughts of boasson hagen. boonen is very quick. EbH is quick but not a pure sprinter like Tom. EbH i agree is the more allround rider but not a quality sprinter of Tom's calibre. Yes Ebh may of overtaken him but Tom timed his sprint better and Edvald had the advantage of drafting off boonen to then come around him. Boonen made a longer sprint. With Sky's leadout train really they should of been dominant but failed Miserably.

EBH was faster/equal to Boonen in eneco tour. And to provide some inside information: yes, EBH is faster than Hushovd in a one versus one sprint.

 

[blackcat]

EBH was faster/equal to Boonen in eneco tour. And to provide some inside information: yes, EBH is faster than Hushovd in a one versus one sprint.

Hushovd was never a sprinter. He developed the strength to win sprints at the Tour. About 2004 at Credit Agricole, he went on a tear winning about 12 times, a couple of Coupe de France races, and a bunch of other 2.1 stages. Hushovd could not outsprint many riders from 2005 thru 2008, he only won through his superior strength. Speed, he was only average for the first tier of field sprinters. Boasson is only about 73 kgs, I have not any surprise he is alot faster, both in acceleration and terminal velocity than Thor. Haussler is faster than Thor.

Does not mean they can beat him in a field sprint in the Tour. Ogrady was more likely to win a sprint at the Tour, he never did, but he was more likely to win, because of his strength, whereas he did not have the speed to win a 2.1 stage. He won a couple of sprints around 97 in something like Sud or Catalunya. But never won a field sprint in his life. A little like Hincapie, who was really strong, and did better at the Tour.

 

[blackcat]

Chichi beat cavendish in a fair sprint once:S so he should have a chance agaisnt him. If he is liquigas sprint leader at the giro the sprints there could be quite interesting.. Bennatti hasnt been doing much since he was injured if i remember right ..

would'a' beat Cav in de Panne if properly geared, 2008. Beat him in Missouri. Would have won 2007 Paris Tours if better positioned. Came up the outside, in the wind, and about 3 lengths quicker than Petacchi over the finish. Was 3rd or second.

Petacchi said he was faster than him in training when they were at Fassa.

 

[blackcat]

He reminds me of Blijlevens in a way.

Mcewen said Blijlevens was the best bike handler he had seen, when everyone thought Mcewen was the best bike handler in the past decade. Or was it Moncassin. Either or. I know Blijlevens has great handbag skills.

this a homage to Epicycle

from one minute, here is the handbags at ten paces
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2yUxj6P2aU

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

(from stg 5 qatar thread)
dim,
stg 2 : beaten by everyone be cause he was caught napping in the crosswinds.
stg 3: beaten by all sprinters. in the main pack.
stg 4: boasson hagen 17th... beaten by all sprinters.
stg 5: 3rd, napolitano and boonen beat him.
stg 6: beaten by goss, casper, Haedo, farrar and chicchi



How wrong was that comment. Firstly when sky did lead out their riders they were all over the place and screwed it up. Boasson hagen was caught napping in the field with the leaders jersey and lost tonnes of time.

I'll give you some guys who are faster than Boasson hagen in qatar

boonen, j.j haedo, ciolek, bennati, haussler, farrar, eisel, napolitano and chicchi

I was right about 6 out of 8 riders. Then you chuck in Cooke and Phinney who beat him twice and also matt Goss who beat him.

im not saying EBH is a bad sprinter but really comparing him to some of the other sprinters in this race is wrong.

your logic fails.
EBH has beaten heaps of these guys in the past, just look at the ToB or poland where he smashed guys like Napolitano, Haedo, davis, Bozic (he even beat his team mate greipel as lead out man lol....) And he was clearly quick the other day, Claiming there is 35 better sprinters in the world is umm... interesting.

I struggle to tolerate your dribble at times

 

[blackcat]

mate, do not deign a reply to AusCycleFan, her knowledge is straight out'a' the funny farm.

 

[blackcat]

Chicchi is fast everyone, not many know much about his ability.

But that was misleading. It was a little like some Quaranta, and Freire sprints of yesteryear, where they get the timing dialed, and only hit the wind at the last minute, accelerating, when everyone decelerates. Mcewen has that acceleration, but never used it the same way, Mcewen was willing to lose by being in the wind longer, whereas a rider like Oscar Freire, would only pop his head out in the wind later, even though Freire was strong enough to go from 200.

So there is a little visual illusion at play there. Misperception. But he is fast, can't take that away from Chicchi.

 

[stefrees]

i think its fair to say cav is the fastest?

 

[sublimit]

would'a' beat Cav in de Panne if properly geared, 2008. Beat him in Missouri. Would have won 2007 Paris Tours if better positioned. Came up the outside, in the wind, and about 3 lengths quicker than Petacchi over the finish. Was 3rd or second.

Petacchi said he was faster than him in training when they were at Fassa.

so many excuses but its about wins. Being better in training counts for nothing lets see what he does in the Tirreno - adriatico and the Giro. he's the sort of rider that has many top ten finishes in big races - but i'm just waiting for Cav v Petacchi again in the Giro for coming first and Cavendish has already stated that Petacchi, Farrar, Freire are his biggest rivals this year.

 

[blackcat]

so many excuses but its about wins. Being better in training counts for nothing lets see what he does in the Tirreno - adriatico and the Giro. he's the sort of rider that has many top ten finishes in big races - but i'm just waiting for Cav v Petacchi again in the Giro for coming first and Cavendish has already stated that Petacchi, Farrar, Freire are his biggest rivals this year.

I don't see Chicchi getting to double figure wins this year. Unless he is given alot of help. Winning is different from speed. And Chicchi has demonstrated ample speed, but a lack of strength and inability to position himself to sprint for the win. Even when Cavendish never had a train, or it broke down, he managed to sprint for the win. The only time I can recall, is about 2008 Wevelgem. He was boxed. Cavendish has a record superior to Mcewen in this respect. He always sprints for the win. He has earnt a train tho, which is self fulfilling. He cannot be stopped now.

But Chicchi, no, he is not a winner. He is fast, but he lacks the other skills. But that sprint was pure artistry tho.

 

[Arnout]

Brilliant finish. Hope we will see lots of these kind of sprints this year, with wide roads and no bends in the final kilometre. Spectacle guaranteed.