Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres 2023, one day monument, April 2 (men's)

[Krzysztof_O]

And yet Jumbo has had multiple riders in the front group of every cobble classic this year. So I wouldn't count on bad luck stopping them, although the absence of Van Baarle clearly makes the team weaker.

I'm just saying we shouldn't be 100% confident it will be a mano a mano battle among Van Aert, Pogacar and Van der Poel.

MVP and Pogacar will make sure the race is intense enough to drop almost all other guys. If Laporte is strong enough to stay with them, so be it.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

That's the problem with counting on too many riders in a single race, especially in cobbled classics.

The chances of so many riders all being in good form, avoiding bad luck and being in the right place at the right time on a given day is pretty small.

I remember that Cannondale had awesome team in 2017 with Vanmarcke, Van Baarle, Langeveld and Bettiol but there wasn't a single race that year where they could have used all of them in an optimal way.

One rider avoiding bad luck is already not an obvious scenario but at 3 or 4, the probability of all of them avodiing bad luck starts getting quite small.

It's still better to have multiple options, especially if you don't have one of the biggest favourites. Cannondale had Van Baarle finishing 4th in De Ronde, Langeveld was 3rd in Roubaix and Vanmarcke 3rd in Omloop, so I don't think you can say they underperformed as a team.

 

[Valv.Piti]

MVP and Pogacar will make sure the race is intense enough to drop almost all other guys. If Laporte is strong enough to stay with them, so be it.

I'll eat my hat if Laporte can follow Pogacar and Mathieu going 100% on Koppenberg or Taainberg. I can't imagine that happening at all. He couldn't follow Wout in GW, Wout is worse uphill than those two and that race is much, much easier.

When they go, I'd be very surprised if just one other rider than those 3 are able to follow when it gets really tough. Asgreen and Julian in peak shape, yes, but they should be happy with just one top-10 at this rate.

 

[Lequack]

 

[Pantani_lives]

It will be the individual class of Van der Poel and Pogacar against the collective strength of Jumbo-Visma.

Van der Poel can equal the record of three wins. The last time somebody won San Remo and Flanders in the same year was Eddy Merckx in 1975.

Van Aert doesn't have to do anything, but a second monument would be a splendid addition to his already impressive list of wins.

Pogacar is strong, but a lack of team support might force him to waste a lot of energy just to get to the front. To win he'll probably need to finish solo.

Outside of the Big Three the best chances are for the Jumbo secondaries. In a tactical final they can play the game of numbers and get away on a flat section.

A win by anyone else would be a surprise. Groupama and Ineos both have a strong team, but they'll probably have to settle for a place of honor.

Van der Poel, Van Aert
Pogacar, Laporte
Küng, Pidcock, Benoot
Madouas, Mohoric, Bettiol, Van Hooydonck

 

[search]

It's still better to have multiple options, especially if you don't have one of the biggest favourites.

In that regard, it'll also be interesting to see how teams approach the race this year. I wouldn't normally think it makes much sense to ride for a sole leader (like Pedersen, for example) when the best realistic result he can achieve is 4th.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Asskissing > wheelsucking

 

[Lequack]

Oude Kwaremont: Tour of Flanders Classic Climb
The Tour of Flanders climb of Oude Kwaremont has a bite worse than its bark, but is still so good they named a beer after it

https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/oude-kwaremont-tour-of-flanders

 

[BR2]

It will be the individual class of Van der Poel and Pogacar against the collective strength of Jumbo-Visma.

Van der Poel can equal the record of three wins. The last time somebody won San Remo and Flanders in the same year was Eddy Merckx in 1975.

Van Aert doesn't have to do anything, but a second monument would be a splendid addition to his already impressive list of wins.

Pogacar is strong, but a lack of team support might force him to waste a lot of energy just to get to the front. To win he'll probably need to finish solo.

Outside of the Big Three the best chances are for the Jumbo secondaries. In a tactical final they can play the game of numbers and get away on a flat section.

A win by anyone else would be a surprise. Groupama and Ineos both have a strong team, but they'll probably have to settle for a place of honor.

Van der Poel, Van Aert
Pogacar, Laporte
Küng, Pidcock, Benoot
Madouas, Mohoric, Bettiol, Van Hooydonck

You know what hurts? Seeing van Hooydonck on this list, but not Ala.

 

[tobydawq]

You know what hurts? Seeing van Hooydonck on this list, but not Ala.

At least you can be comforted with the fact that Van Hooydonck's name doesn't have anything to do on that list.

 

[hayneplane]

Pogacar looks ominously super relaxed even by his laid back standards. It has been said that RVV is his biggest target pre Tour and he should have found a few things out from his efforts in E3 that will prime him to be even better than last year.

 

[Didinho]

Pogacar looks ominously super relaxed even by his laid back standards. It has been said that RVV is his biggest target pre Tour and he should have found a few things out from his efforts in E3 that will prime him to be even better than last year.

And Wellens said he's already on the decline, but he will help sooner when needed. Didn't expect to be in the final. Maybe an extra reason for Pogi to launch earlier.

 

[Sciatic]

Trek have made a nice poster

Meanwhile Pog is "training" his tan

Wait, tell me what I’m looking at at the far right-hand edge of that photo?

 

[Devil's Elbow]

And Wellens said he's already on the decline, but he will help sooner when needed. Didn't expect to be in the final. Maybe an extra reason for Pogi to launch earlier.

I do question why Wellens is continuing to peak for the early season rather than the big races now that he's at UAE. Unlike with Lotto, the races prior to Sanremo (except for UAE Tour, which he didn't race anyway) don't really matter to UAE and he isn't needed to win races, so you'd think he should be peaking for monument season to be of as much help to Pogacar as he can be.

 

[Lequack]

Wait, tell me what I’m looking at at the far right-hand edge of that photo?

A leg?

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Pogacar looks ominously super relaxed even by his laid back standards. It has been said that RVV is his biggest target pre Tour and he should have found a few things out from his efforts in E3 that will prime him to be even better than last year.

This could actually be the last race of Pogacar's spring peak. Maybe his best moment in this period.

 

[hayneplane]

And Wellens said he's already on the decline, but he will help sooner when needed. Didn't expect to be in the final. Maybe an extra reason for Pogi to launch earlier.

Wellens is always on the decline by this point in the year. He doesn’t have the nickname Mr February for no reason!

 

[Open Horizon]

One factor to consider: stress and negative thinking quite literally deplete energy.

Van Aert mentioned before the CX world championships that he was feeling very nervous. VdP meanwhile mentioned after his win he had been feeling amazingly calm all day. I believe this difference in mental state helps explain the difference in performance between them that day.

Van Aert mentioned today he was already starting to feel the nerves and pressure. Wonder if this could play a role Sunday, with Pogacar and Van der Poel possibly more at ease given their character & previous victories.

 

[Lequack]

Wout will play his best "oh no i'm dropped" impression but also easily catch up every time.

 

[tobydawq]

Wout will play his best "oh no i'm dropped" impression but also easily catch up every time.

Okay, he did manage to come back in E3 because the moto fell in front of the others but how often has he been doing that? You say it as if it's some sort of trademark of his.

 

[Nick2413]

Okay, he did manage to come back in E3 because the moto fell in front of the others but how often has he been doing that? You say it as if it's some sort of trademark of his.

Some of the CX races this year he looked dropped then managed to get back. Sometimes it feels like he’s a cat and has nine lives.

 

[tobydawq]

Some of the CX races this year he looked dropped then managed to get back. Sometimes it feels like he’s a cat and has nine lives.

Yeah okay, fair enough.

 

[Elos Anjos]

Is this the new Marvel movie?

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Okay, he did manage to come back in E3 because the moto fell in front of the others but how often has he been doing that? You say it as if it's some sort of trademark of his.

Don't you think he would have closed the gap anyway?

 

[tobydawq]

Don't you think he would have closed the gap anyway?

Maybe but he certainly looked like he was dropping harder than what he had just recovered from.