RVV - new finale

[El Pistolero]

2011 MSR > 2010 Lombardia

2011 Lombardia will be even better!

 

[Descender]

Well, sorry, it was probably not the right thing to do, but it's beyond me, I can't help.

Kuiper was a GC contender, which Raas was not.

I agree that it's been more balanced in recent years. There are more climbs now than in the seventies, in Flanders. Even Merckx concedes it. But still those climbs are short, there are far too many turns, which gives the riders the chance to take a breather as they slow down and, most importantly, there are short descents where you can recup, freewheeling.

In Paris-Roubaix there are virtually NO descents. You cannot recup between the sections. It's as if between Flanders' climb, it was just flat. This is why Paris-Roubaix blows away everything that can be made in a single day in the modern calendar.



I do agree on this. No question. It's close, I admit.



But, Sweet Jesus, already argued, time and again. This is WHY it should be placed at 2/3rd 3/4th of the route ! Otherwise they wait for it. Patersberg and Kwaremont at the end is just stupid. Kapelmuur is softer, that's why it should be at the end !



Discussed time and again too !

One of the greatest list of past winners. Long straight roads, over 298km, which tired the sprinters out until these got access to ******** (the thing I'm not entitled to name otherwise I'd be banned).

Milan-Sanremo > Lombardy.

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=6415&highlight=Sanremo
http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=12667&highlight=Sanremo

The Paris-Roubaix is physically the hardest race of the year, that much I agree with.

But the turns and descents on the RvV, while giving the riders a physical rest, also contribute to the mental fatigue and nervousness. RvV is more hectic than PR and many other races.

 

[Echoes]

OK I see we've reached some kind of an agreement. So I won't discussed any further.

These are also my two favourite races, which is why I'm posting here. It's not because I say one is not that hard that I don't like it (though well I did like it until two days ago ).

But Scott also raises an important point, I think, namely that at the end of the day, the riders are doing the race and not the climbs (or cobbles). It all depends on them. But, on paper, Paris-Roubaix has the biggest assets for me.

 

[la.margna]

seems pretty tough...

 

[craig1985]

Yes, in the past it has had a great list of winners. But since Zabel's first win it's been a sprint practically every year. This year's edition was the first interesting one in years. The climbers and hilly classics guys no longer believe they can win, and just act as domestiques for the sprinters. As soon as Goss was named in the group of 70 or so this year, I knew he would win.

M-SR was once one of the greatest, toughest races on the calendar. But it simply isn't hard enough anymore.

It wouldn't make my list of least favourite races (Scheldeprijs has that one sewn up) but it's a long, long way from being the race it used to be.

And least favourite stage race being the Tour of Qatar?

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

No flat cobbled sections in the last 100km?

 

[la.margna]

No flat cobbled sections in the last 100km?

about 9 flat cobbles in the last 100km

 

[luckyboy]

The last one is Donderij after Steenbeekdries. None in the last 50km.

 

[la.margna]

about 9 flat cobbles in the last 100km

The last one is Donderij after Steenbeekdries. None in the last 50km.

correct, my mistake, sorry.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

OK, so 2 in the last 100, none in the last 50.

I don't think that is a good thing...

 

[Papparrazzi]

Ronde Organiser Wouter Vandenhaute says "If this succeeds, then the Ronde can be a model for all one-day races. Racing from point A to point B has had its time."
That's not what Ernesto Colnago says, he says "Tradition is the future".I don't mind the idea of 3 laps of a finishing circuit in the Ronde, but to say place to place races are dead is silly.

 

[Panda Claws]

The guy that has made the decision to remove the Muur has said some more nonsense in an interview today.

Basically he wants the season to be put in 90 days with race after race. So cycling becomes more modern and more exciting.

 

[Mellow Velo]

The guy that has made the decision to remove the Muur has said some more nonsense in an interview today.

Basically he wants the season to be put in 90 days with race after race. So cycling becomes more modern and more exciting.

Yeah, it would be great to sit out 270 days waiting.
Substitute pro for part time cycling. Just what the sponsors ordered.........
................not.

 

[El Pistolero]

Yeah, it would be great to sit out 270 days waiting.
Substitute pro for part time cycling. Just what the sponsors ordered.........
................not.

That's taken out of context though. He suggested something like what's going on in F1 right now, but with Grand Tours and classics as the most important events. But it was a bit silly to suggest only 90 racing days lol.

 

[Race Radio]

While Traditionalist will scream I like the new finish. It is harder and better for spectators. It will be interested to see if it changes the type of rider who wins. The finale looks brutal

 

[stainlessguy1]

The Amstel Gold Race does 3 big laps around Valkenburg... it's not new
And Montreal and Quebec are circuit races and proven to be very entertaining.

Yet in Flanders, it feels like raping a classic

Montreal and Quebec racing , are probably some big circuit races , but in general the racing in Canada is nothing but small ciruit and criterium racing and it has its own special boredom . The reason these are popular here is because its all we have , we cannot get the road approval on sanctioned races to have a real point to point race. This is not a cycling friendly nation and that is the prime reason . There are also other reasons that include road networks and our lack of major ateries , we have limited major arteries that are already clogged with traffic .

So becareful what you wish for, once you start with circuit races in lieu of real road races , then it wont be long before the entire picture of racing changes. It will be lost forever. The biggest reason will be sponsor and television dollars , that will dictate what and how you shall race.
Never mind cycling federations , sponsors will dictate it all.

All of you are posting over what hill to ride and when ,,, wait till you do it like we do ,, one hill and up it 20 to 50 times depending on the courses ...
Nothing to do with road racing anymore.

I suggest you all better fight hard to keep the traditional road race, before its gone forever.

 

[Duartista]

I wonder if this guy is influenced by the profitability of cyclocross in Flanders, and wants to emulate that on the road.

Can't imagine Paris-Roubaix, LBL or MSR following his lead even if this works. Maybe Lombardia would give it a go.

 

[CasperVg]

I wonder if this guy is influenced by the profitability of cyclocross in Flanders, and wants to emulate that on the road.

Can't imagine Paris-Roubaix, LBL or MSR following his lead even if this works. Maybe Lombardia would give it a go.

Yes, I think he mentioned the success of payed, closed-circuit cyclocross in Belgium as one of the main factors in deciding to switch to the criterium-like parcours now.

 

[Anonymous]

While Traditionalist will scream I like the new finish. It is harder and better for spectators. It will be interested to see if it changes the type of rider who wins. The finale looks brutal

This.

The finale was becoming a little to formulaic. Granted, last year was really exciting...

I think this new format will create a lot of confusion and it will be much harder.

I am open minded even though the Muur will certainly be missed.

 

[Anonymous]

I wonder if this guy is influenced by the profitability of cyclocross in Flanders, and wants to emulate that on the road.

Can't imagine Paris-Roubaix, LBL or MSR following his lead even if this works. Maybe Lombardia would give it a go.

I think the idea for Flanders is to keep the race in the hilly area.

P-R is different as there are pave sectors all over North Eastern France. Imagine if P-R only had one or two very hard pave sectors in the last 35kms? It would suck.

Again, I feel bad for legacy of the Muur, but I am looking forward to see how this new course is raced.

 

[Panda Claws]

That's taken out of context though. He suggested something like what's going on in F1 right now, but with Grand Tours and classics as the most important events. But it was a bit silly to suggest only 90 racing days lol.

Thank you. I could not remember the entire article.

 

[luckyboy]

So, now that we have seen the first edition of maybe upto 6 on the new parcours, what do people think? What could be better, etc?


I think the run-in is too wide, flat, straight. That was pretty boring, even though the rest must've helped Tommeke.

Also I think three laps of Oude Kwaremont/Paterberg is too many. Two laps would be better, with two different climbs added in at a different point.

I miss the bridge into Geraardsbergen and the right turn onto the finishing straight. Obviously the Muur + Bosberg too, but the finale didn't feel much like De Ronde.

The rest of the route seemed ok, but I guess the racing earlier on was impacted by the changes in the route later.

 

[The Cobra]

Race wasn't the same without the Muur. Just looked like any other cobbled race in Belgium, the whole icon of the race has been taken out. Was it any harder? I dont think so, Boonen Pozzato and Ballan were by far the strongest and the results would have been much the same on the old route.

I hope this is a short term experiment and they change it back.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Really dislike it. Circuits just don't sit right in a monument. OK, they don't want to go all the way over to Geraardsbergen, but they could have done a bit more with the area around Brakel and cut down to two Paterbergs/Kwaremonts, so as not to be too repetitive. The run in was very, very straight, which seemed weird. I kind of expected they'd go into the centre of Oudenaarde, which might have been a bit more interesting, but clearly not. The atmosphere was pretty lacking on that home straight, even inside the last kilometre, barely any fans. That was admittedly always something that you got with the Ronde, after the Bosberg having that quiet stretch until Ninove, but it just seemed more obvious today.

 

[FabulousCandelabra]

why change an old beauty like RVV?? makes no sense to me!