Tiesj Benoot thread

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Re: Re:

Fifth at E3. This Lad is talented. I'd be surprised If He does not have both PR and RVV on his palmares in 3-4 years time.

Not sure if PR is in the cards for him. He's fairly lean... but the way he's been climbing, other classics might just be more up his alley.

He is around 71kg. GvA was about 73/74kg when He won it last year. He just needs a bit of experience and maybe bulk up a little bit methinks. He clearly has the engine to do very well in this race.

Is that accurate? He seems lighter, more lean. He's fairly tall though, so my eyes may be playing tricks on me. However, i doubt he's going to bulk up, as you suggest. I think he's going the other way. He's been climbing exceptionally well, and that opens up so much more options for a guy with his class, than bulking up in order to win PR.

 

[Jspear]

Re:

Fifth at E3. This Lad is talented. I'd be surprised If He does not have both PR and RVV on his palmares in 3-4 years time.

He will add Flanders this year. Only Gilbert can stop him.

 

[Bardamu]

Re:

Fifth at E3. This Lad is talented. I'd be surprised If He does not have both PR and RVV on his palmares in 3-4 years time.

Apart from Tour de Flanders I don't think his heart lies on the cobbles. I think he prefers the Ardennes and stage races.

 

[DonEsteban]

He and Sagan will together leave the pack behind in Flanders ... and Sagan will win

 

[yaco]

My favorite for Flanders - Has to win solo but I suspect he will be given more rope by the peleton.

 

[Valanga]

Re:

My favorite for Flanders - Has to win solo but I suspect he will be given more rope by the peleton.

Who would be so stupid, after what he did in SB? ;-)

 

[red_flanders]

Re: Re:

My favorite for Flanders - Has to win solo but I suspect he will be given more rope by the peleton.

Who would be so stupid, after what he did in SB? ;-)

Would love to see him solo away in similar fashion to SB.

 

[Leinster]

Re: Re:

My favorite for Flanders - Has to win solo but I suspect he will be given more rope by the peleton.

Who would be so stupid, after what he did in SB? ;-)

I doubt anyone will give him any rope, but if he attacks like he did in SB, and everyone else looks at everyone else to chase him, like the favourites group did in SB, they won’t see him again.

 

[Blanco]

Re: Re:

My favorite for Flanders - Has to win solo but I suspect he will be given more rope by the peleton.

Who would be so stupid, after what he did in SB? ;-)

I doubt anyone will give him any rope, but if he attacks like he did in SB, and everyone else looks at everyone else to chase him, like the favourites group did in SB, they won’t see him again.

You do realize that's what "giving rope" actually means? At Strade they didn't know what he's capable of, now they do.

 

[Leinster]

I guess I’m drawing the slight distinction between letting a break go because you think it’s not worth chasing (giving him some rope), and letting a break go because you think somebody else needs to chase it (after you, Claude).

I think Bardet and Van Aert’s attack was an example of the former (“There’s 50km to go and we all have teammates here. They won’t make it”), whereas when Benoot and Serry went, it was the latter (“Hey Bora, you have 2 guys in this group. It’s your job to chase.” “Screw you, Sky, you’re the big favourite and you won last year. You chase him.” “Ummm, guys, he’s getting away...” “Shut up, Movistar, there’s no way we’re all towing you all the way to Siena...”

Worth remembering that the whole expression is “give him enough rope, and he’ll hang himself.” Which applies more to, say, a Voeckler attack with 100km to go, than a Terpstra attack after the last berg/pave.

 

[Blanco]

Yeah but when and if Benoot goes at De Ronde, he will have main guys chasing him immediately, something which wouldn't happen without his magnificent win at Strade Bianche.

 

[Netserk]

No he won't, he is still 'just' an outsider. Greg was for example still given rope in '14.

 

[Son of Amsterhammer]

Re:

No he won't, he is still 'just' an outsider. Greg was for example still given rope in '14.

Well like with anyone, it depends on the situation, but I don’t see him being allowed up the road, not in this form.

 

[The Barb]

Bad weather forecast for Dwars Door Vlaanderen. I think he'll be marked too closely in Flanders at the weekend to win solo (and he won't win a reduced sprint) but this could be a good race for him.

 

[SKSemtex]

Re:

No he won't, he is still 'just' an outsider. Greg was for example still given rope in '14.

Sagan in 2016 was the best example of given rope.

Everybody looked at Cance and they let him go. They were sure that Cance knew exactly how big rope he could afford to give him in his last rvv.

 

[SKSemtex]

Re: Re:

No he won't, he is still 'just' an outsider. Greg was for example still given rope in '14.

Sagan in 2016 was the best example of given rope.

Everybody looked at Cance and they let him go. They were sure that Cance knew exactly how big rope he could afford to give him in his last rvv.

Gilbert 2017 is probably even better example. Too big rope

 

[Samamba]

Again really strong today. Maybe even too strong. His move on the Trieu would've been decisive if two or three riders more (with atleast one QS rider) could've followed him.

I'm still not convinced about his chances in the Ronde though. He's world class on paved climbs where he can climb out of the saddle like the Trieu but he still has problems on cobbled clims where you need to stay in the saddle (like the Taaienberg today). So I don't think he can follow the best on climbs like the Paterberg.

 

[Bardamu]

I give him a chance to win Flanders and Amstel this year. He looks very very good.

 

[Velolover2]

Re:

I give him a chance to win Flanders and Amstel this year. He looks very very good.

Or animating Liege. Imagine Wellens, Nibali and Benoot forming a trio on Côte de la Redoute.

 

[Eli]

Re: Re:

I give him a chance to win Flanders and Amstel this year. He looks very very good.

Or animating Liege. Imagine Wellens, Nibali and Benoot forming a trio on Côte de la Redoute.

My Dream scenario. I'm really sick to death of riders waiting til to last 1km to kick things off

 

[Velolover2]

Re: Re:

I give him a chance to win Flanders and Amstel this year. He looks very very good.

Or animating Liege. Imagine Wellens, Nibali and Benoot forming a trio on Côte de la Redoute.

My Dream scenario. I'm really sick to death of riders waiting til to last 1km to kick things off

Yeah and La Redoute was once considered a Alpe D'Huez of the Ardennes. Now it's just some random climb they soft pedal through because it's too far away from the finish. It's not pretty to look at.

 

[Bardamu]

Re: Re:

I give him a chance to win Flanders and Amstel this year. He looks very very good.

Or animating Liege. Imagine Wellens, Nibali and Benoot forming a trio on Côte de la Redoute.

My Dream scenario. I'm really sick to death of riders waiting til to last 1km to kick things off

Add Dumoulin and you have a legendary break. A legendary rider, a Flemish youngster and two Limburgian training buddies.

 

[hfer07]

I became a fan with his magnificent win at Strade Bianche, and now that he's got all the weaponry to challenge the best, I cannot wait for RVW and see what is he going to deliver then....

 

[drebelo]

I do not agree with people saying that he should focus on the ardenne classics over the cobbled ones. First of all, yes of course he is a a really great puncher/climber but looking at the recent editions of liege and fleche the guy as simply no way of beating the likes of a valverde/allaphilippe/martin (and others) in a reduced bunch sprint uphill, being his only shot a long range attack that seems really hard to pull off if the race hasn't being hard enough. Amstel is different but I think he would need a lot of luck to first get in front with a reduced group with lack of strong finishers and then of course beat them, this in a race that I think we cant caller her much selective.On the cobbles I think he was the best shot. Hard races like flandres where the selection is mucher bigger and races like harelbeke strade ddv where he really showed monstrous performances are the best races suited for him. I think although his not a bad finisher the guy doesnt stand any chance against relatively big bunches so is only way to get the win is through long range attacks or outsprinting small reduced groups.

 

[Bardamu]

http://sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozone/sporten/v-wielrennen/1.3170586

Benoot cracks a good joke here.