Ronde Van Vlaanderen 2012

[luckyboy]

Only one rider in history has won G-W, Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix in the same season by the way. Who knows his cycling?

Van Looy in 1962.

Tommeke will be equal fifth in the all-time monument winners list if he wins Roubaix. He'll have seven, equal with Bartali. He's only 13 behind Merckx at the moment!

 

[skidmark]

He did crash you know

Did Devolder crash? It must have been when I was making coffee or something, because I saw him get dropped, come back on, and then get held up by a crashing rider and have to walk up one of the bergs (can't remember which one)... but I didn't see him crash. When was that?

 

[skidmark]

You know, Fabian only needs one arm to ride Roubaix next week... I mean, it only takes one finger to push the button that turns on the motor, right?

 

[LugHugger]

I don't see how Boonen can be stopped now. He has one leg on the top step of the podium already.

Boonen must be favourite of course. But pippo, ballan, boom, flecha, hushovdt, chavanel will all have their opportunities.

 

[luckyboy]

Did Devolder crash? It must have been when I was making coffee or something, because I saw him get dropped, come back on, and then get held up by a crashing rider and have to walk up one of the bergs (can't remember which one)... but I didn't see him crash. When was that?

I remember reading that he crashed after one of the Paterberg climbs.


Stijn Devolder, two-times winner crashed in the descent of the Paterberg #RVV

https://twitter.com/#!/TourDeJose/status/186431924879900672


DeVolder broke his bike. He's okay though but crashed #RVV

https://twitter.com/#!/TourDeJose/status/186432881663557632

 

[El Pistolero]

No reason to make fun of Devolder...

 

[BillytheKid]

Thats it. Cancellara having a crap team was all a dream.

One of Cancellera's crap teammates taking fourth at Paris Roubaix last year.

Who's talking crap today?

Hogwash!

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

I hid it rather well tbh. He didnt look like the race was hitting him as hard as some of the others.

He was the weakest of the final 3 on the last set of climbs - I expected Pozzato to be able to come over the top to be honest. Not a bad result for a weak day at the office!

 

[trevim]

Hats off to Pozzatto and Ballan. I'm not a fan of either one but they both rode very well today. Pozzato seems changed indeed.

And Boonen... Well a flandrian winnning Flanders is always something special. He suffered but then he rode tactically perfect to the finish. Do you think he would have won with Geraadsbergen+Bosberg? I think so but Pozzato looked really strong on the climbs.

Even with all the expectations, Quickstep managed to put 3 riders in the top 10 including the winner so perfect for them.

And Sagan! What a beast, I think he was the strongest on Paterberg. I think he made a small tactical mistake by going on the front on Kwaremont. Anyway great rider. Last year I had a lot of doubts about him and cobblestones but this year he's one of the best there.

EBH 19th.... He didn't sprint or he doesn't have the legs for it after 250km?

 

[thehog]

One of Cancellera's crap teammates taking fourth at Paris Roubaix last year.

Who's talking crap today?

Hogwash!

So now you're taking two separate teams from last year and pretending they're one??? Beggars belief the lengths you're going to!

Besides Fabs or related leopard-rs teams haven't won a classic since. 2010! That's a long time ago...

Meanwhile Boonen racks up 3 wins in a week....

As I said.... Scoreboard. Can't argue with that!

 

[BillytheKid]

He was the weakest of the final 3 on the last set of climbs - I expected Pozzato to be able to come over the top to be honest. Not a bad result for a weak day at the office!

Your kidding, right? You really think you can write around reality. Rast was 11th today.

A weak day at the office? That's a joke. Ha Ha.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

EBH 19th.... He didn't sprint or he doesn't have the legs for it after 250km?

Didn't sprint.

I'm hoping today could be the start of the turn of that particular narrative on this board. On the final set of climbs he was clearly a top 10 performer. In another world where Garmin could turn without crashing and he wasn't gapped as a result, Eisel, Stannard and Hayman would likely have been in the chase group at the end (having not had to use themselves up chasing Eddy back on), and in that scenario I suspect we'd have had a bunch sprint and he'd have made a top 5 at least.

 

[BillytheKid]

So now you're taking two separate teams from last year and pretending they're one??? Beggars belief the lengths you're going to!

Besides Fabs or related leopard-rs teams haven't won a classic since. 2010! That's a long time ago...

Meanwhile Boonen racks up 3 wins in a week....

As I said.... Scoreboard. Can't argue with that!

Ah, the deluded one. Still laughing.

 

[El Pistolero]

Didn't sprint.

I'm hoping today could be the start of the turn of that particular narrative on this board. On the final set of climbs he was clearly a top 10 performer. In another world where Garmin could turn without crashing and he wasn't gapped as a result, Eisel, Stannard and Hayman would likely have been in the chase group at the end (having not had to use themselves up chasing Eddy back on), and in that scenario I suspect we'd have had a bunch sprint and he'd have made a top 5 at least.

There's only one place where you need to be on Flemish hills: the front.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

Your kidding, right? You really think you can write around reality. Rast was 11th today.

A weak day at the office? That's a joke. Ha Ha.

What are you on about?

Rast?

What???

 

[El Pistolero]

Your kidding, right? You really think you can write around reality. Rast was 11th today.

A weak day at the office? That's a joke. Ha Ha.

He was talking about Boonen.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

There's only one place where you need to be on Flemish hills: the front.

Yes, in this case he was ~15th. He'd have had better 'luck' if he'd have pushed further forward.

In any case, the recovery and the last set of climbs suggests he was actually one of the stronger guys today (clearly not the strongest, but not very far behind Paolini & Sagan, after taking the first 3 as a given).

 

[BillytheKid]

What are you on about?

Rast?

What???

Deleated. Misread your post.

 

[JRanton]

Didn't sprint.

I'm hoping today could be the start of the turn of that particular narrative on this board. On the final set of climbs he was clearly a top 10 performer. In another world where Garmin could turn without crashing and he wasn't gapped as a result, Eisel, Stannard and Hayman would likely have been in the chase group at the end (having not had to use themselves up chasing Eddy back on), and in that scenario I suspect we'd have had a bunch sprint and he'd have made a top 5 at least.

He had nothing left to sprint with. Completely dead at the end.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

He had nothing left to sprint with. Completely dead at the end.

Yes, once the race is over and the impulse to push was removed I'm not surprised. But he made it up the last hill quicker than most of the chase group. If there was something really worth fighting for left at the end I think he might have found 2 minutes more effort somewhere.

 

[JRanton]

Yes, once the race is over and the impulse to push was removed I'm not surprised. But he made it up the last hill quicker than most of the chase group. If there was something really worth fighting for left at the end I think he might have found 2 minutes more effort somewhere.

4th place at Flanders is definitely something worth fighting for, especially someone like EBH whose previous best result was 40th.

He had nothing left. Simple as that.

 

[Waterloo Sunrise]

4th place at Flanders is definitely something worth fighting for, especially someone like EBH whose previous best result was 40th.

He had nothing left. Simple as that.

If you're aiming at a podium, have little interest in the history of cycling and a suffcient body of word to guarentee well paid employment, 4th might not be quite so much of a draw.

I don't doubt that he was ****ed by that stage. I'm just suggesting that if he was going for 1st, he might have discovered he wasn't quite so ****ed.

 

[Trofinios]

According to EBH himself he burnt too much energy trying to chase back after the crash on Paterberg. He had nothing left in the end. He felt strong and without the crash he believes he would have done a better result.

http://www.vg.no/sport/sykkel/artikkel.php?artid=10072831

 

[JRanton]

According to EBH himself he burnt too much energy trying to chase back after the crash on Paterberg. He had nothing left in the end. He felt strong and without the crash he believes he would have done a better result.

http://www.vg.no/sport/sykkel/artikkel.php?artid=10072831

There you go. I'm not saying it was a bad performance by EBH, it was actually pretty good, but let's not pretend that he could have won the sprint for 4th or finished somewhere in the top ten if he'd wanted to.

 

[El Pistolero]

Bridie O'Donnell: that was an Andy Schleck-worthy attack

^ Laughed at that tweet made after Ballan did an "attack".