Tour de Belgique - Tour of Belgium 2012 (2.HC) May 23 - May 27

[Libertine Seguros]

Well we all know that you guys have run out of arguments when you start throwing around your personal insults.
Anyway, the field is really weak i realized. Even ****ing Bayrernrundfahrt might have a stronger one.

It's better to have a field of decent names who really fight to win, than a field of big names who roll around without a care in the world.

The Tour of Belgium is a much better race than the Tour Down Under, for example, for this reason, although the TDU has objectively more star power in its startlist. It's not about how many names are there, it's about how many names are there to make a difference.

 

[greenedge]

This year though the TDU was good because it had more hills/ a hilltop finish and it is still adapting. I thought the GC battle was good ( Gerrans/ Valverde ).

Greipel was dropped even before Wilunga- on Menglers hill the previous stage.

 

[Fetisoff]

So, stage 1 today. Any predictions?
I will go with
1. Greipel
2. Van Hummel
3. Boy Van Poppel

 

[greenedge]

I will go Van Hummel to pip Greipel.

 

[CobbleStoner]

I'm afraid they changed the leaders jersey this year. If I remember correctly it's a red one now.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! how could they do that? I hope this is not true

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

1. Greipel
2. Napolitano
3. Van Hummel

 

[Fetisoff]

1. Greipel
2. Napolitano
3. Van Hummel

Well. I wasn't too far off. Too bad Boy Van Poppel disappointed today

 

[Panda Claws]

Lol Napolitano thought he won.

 

[Gloin22]

Well it was quite a close sprint

 

[Fetisoff]

Wow, that is close.

Anyway, top-10 is like this:

1. André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) 3:33:11 Palmarés completo
2. Danilo Napolitano (Acqua&Sapone) m.t.
3. Kenny Van Hummel (Vacansoleil) m.t.
4. Jacopo Guarnieri (Astana) m.t.
5. Adam Blythe (BMC) m.t.
6. Michael Van Staeyen (Topsport Vlaanderen) m.t.
7. Stefan Van Dijk (Accent Jobs) m.t.
8. Baptiste Planckaert (Landbouwkrediet) m.t.
9. Robin Stenuit (Wallonie Bruxelles) m.t.
10. Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) m.t.

 

[search]

I love that picture, Napolitano's celebratiion looks a lot like Donkey Kong's in Mario Kart

 

[dlwssonic]

uphill sprint today??

 

[boomcie]

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! how could they do that? I hope this is not true

 

[greenedge]

Greipel to repeat.

 

[dlwssonic]

the profile may be deceiving me, but it looks a bit too hard for greipel.

 

[Fetisoff]

So, break of 5 has just under 4 minutes with 42 km to go.

Break - Pim Ligthart, Aleksei Saramontis, McNally, Jay Thomson, Ramon Sinkeldam (?)

 

[El Pistolero]

the profile may be deceiving me, but it looks a bit too hard for greipel.

Lol no.


Pretty sure he won here last year

 

[Fetisoff]

A & S driving pretty hard. Hoping for another Napolitano "win"?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Lol no.


Pretty sure he won here last year

Didn't Van Hummel win on this finish? And Bozic in the past?

 

[burning]

I love that picture, Napolitano's celebratiion looks a lot like Donkey Kong's in Mario Kart

This reminds me this:

 

[dlwssonic]

what BMC pushing the pace? with gilbert working?

 

[dlwssonic]

Lol no.


Pretty sure he won here last year

lol ok thanks.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

what BMC pushing the pace? with gilbert working?

something called wind

 

[Fetisoff]

Gonna be close. I think the break just might make it

 

[dlwssonic]

haha I can imagine eurosport going on about that 10km for 1 min breakaway rule.