Rate AGR

[BigMac]

Yawn fest.
If not for Voeckler doing his impersonation of a gorilla riding a bike, rating would be lower. That guy's always good for a laugh.

I think it was funny in the beginning but I'm already a bit fed up. I wonder if he does it on purpouse just to show off or if it's really an anatomical reflection and he doesn't even realise what he's doing.

 

[The Hitch]

Didn't watch it but I hear again it was The Im'still Bored Race.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

It's pretty interesting when you're on the Cauberg and hear the names that are on the attack with 40k to go.

But then you see the difference on the 2nd last Cauberg passage and you realise they never have a chance and it's going to be a sprint up the Cauberg anyway.
It's indeed a new FW the way they are going.

But hey, even LBL has turned into a sprint up Saint Nicolas thing, the times they went from La Redoute are far behind us.

 

[karlboss]

Not a lot of love for this course and the ways you can win, relatively similar to MSR, punch and hold, or punch well enough and sprint, but then again Kreuziger won solo last year.
This years race, solid break reeled in on cue, late break from some strong riders who after the initial excitement made it look like their only objective was be a little in front, great set up by BMC and finish by Gilbert, while the other favourites fought over the scraps and let vanendert take second.
6/10. But then again I'll give 5/10 for a stock standard tour sprint so you can maybe 1 out of 5 is more accurate.

 

[greenedge]

Gave it a 9 (then sees the poll results and wonders where i went wrong...)

I thought it was a good race and had some good breakaway excitement, then the Cauberg was great

 

[movingtarget]

Give it a 7. Good to see Gilbert back in form. Nowhere near as good as Roubaix or Flanders. As good as MSR.

 

[42x16ss]

I was disappointed when the quality break went with about 40km to go, got 2-3mins then just sorta sat there. There were guys perfectly capable of driving that group in an attempt to win, or at least destroy the main bunch. The likes of Weening, Voeckler and Fuglsang should have hardened up and chanced their luck

Potential is there for it to be an amazing race but Amstel under delivers far too often.

 

[burning]

I was disappointed when the quality break went with about 40km to go, got 2-3mins then just sorta sat there. There were guys perfectly capable of driving that group in an attempt to win, or at least destroy the main bunch. The likes of Weening, Voeckler and Fuglsang should have hardened up and chanced their luck

Potential is there for it to be an amazing race but Amstel under delivers far too often.

It is very hard to attack when there are guys in your wheel and trolling you like "I have teammates behind, I can't pull"

 

[Armchair cyclist]

It is very hard to attack when there are guys in your wheel and trolling you like "I have teammates behind, I can't pull"

Is leaving most of your teammates, along with the rest of the peloton, behind not pretty much the definition of being in a break?

 

[argyllflyer]

There has been some fantastic racing this year but I wouldn't personally put AGR on that level. With no decisive GC stages, Paris-Nice was ridden like a series of accumulating one day races and was heart-in-mouth stuff. Omloop had a cracking finale. Flanders and E3 had sprints to settle them from small selections. P-R was a great race and even if the result wasn't what people wanted, Terpstra was a worthy winner on the day.

The problem for me with AGR is, as mentioned already, it's almost a certainty that any moves before the final ascent of the Cauberg are doomed. Both it and Fleche Wallonne are effectively the hilly comparison of a sprint stage in the TdF between the big hitters. There'll be drama as the break is reeled in and in most cases it will be. Then it's gloves off and who's stongest to get over the line first.

I enjoy watching the scenery pass by of the flat Tour stages but I'd probably not sit down for an hour of highlights later on. I feel a bit like that way about AGR and FW. Likely little of significance will happen before the finale but it in itself is spectacular.

Roll on the last 1km of Wednesday!

 

[Flamin]

Maybe after Stybar dropped.
GVA didn't take a single pull in the first 10 kms. Birdsong pulled for like 100 metres. The only one going full gas from the get-go was Voeckler.

Most of them were in the break with the sole purpose of sparing their teammates to chase.

GVA did his fair share of the work. You're right about Fuglsang though, but 40k is a long way against a 100-men peloton so it's understandable to stay a bit quiet in the beginning.

Can't disagree with the last sentence of course.

GVA and Fuglsang only went full after the Geulhemmerberg.

Weening went full setting up the sprint.

Weening was one of the most active from what I saw.