Tour of Oman

[maltiv]

What a performance by Edvald! I guess he is the new Eddy Merckx, after all!

Seriously though, he has got to be the best all-rounder in the peloton. I'm a bit worried though that he is in a little too good shape too early, but we will see.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Nah, not near as explosive. Totally different types.

Indeed, although compared to other oure GC riders/climbers, he has a very good finish/sprint.

Anyway, the echelons seem to have taken out many of the climbers

 

[Ferminal]

Oh I was wrong about EBH! Nice job... Seems like Gesink is the only climber who wanted to race though.

 

[sublimit]

Hagen should turn out to be a very good classics rider, on the lines of a Boonen or a Gilbert.

Seems to have enough class for that.

 

[theyoungest]

Oh I was wrong about EBH! Nice job... Seems like Gesink is the only climber who wanted to race though.

THE LEOPARD TREK WEBSITE MENTIONS THAT FUGLSANG EXPLODED, SO I GUESS HE TRIED.

(disclaimer: I'm not sure what you have to capitalize in relation to this team, so I'll just leave caps lock on)

 

[maltiv]

I just realized this is the best mountaintop result ever by a Team Sky rider, and it was performed by their sprinter. Quite funny.

In an interview with www.procycling.no he explains that he kept his pace all the way up the climb, not responding to any attacks, and then he launched a strong sprint at the end. He also said that Gesink is terribly strong.

 

[stefrees]

Seems like stannard and arvesen shelled a few on the flat, sky seem to have taken to racing hard without radios and don't back out of working, with decentish results so far, the wins will come

 

[Jamsque]

Seriously though, he has got to be the best all-rounder in the peloton.

I wouldn't go that far, but he could be there in a few years. I don't think too much about his climbing talent can be inferred from this performance, obviously he is no slouch going uphill but this was a short climb at the end of a short stage in a race where most of the people with good form are classics riders and not climbers.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I just realized this is the best mountaintop result ever by a Team Sky rider, and it was performed by their sprinter. Quite funny.

maybe they are revolutionizing the sport ?

 

[stefrees]

I just realized this is the best mountaintop result ever by a Team Sky rider, and it was performed by their sprinter. Quite funny.

In an interview with www.procycling.no he explains that he kept his pace all the way up the climb, not responding to any attacks, and then he launched a strong sprint at the end. He also said that Gesink is terribly strong.

In the two mountain top finishes sky have been in this year, they've had 4 top 10s, more than the whole of last year? (nit far off)

 

[hektoren]

I was there last week. It's pretty blue.

pretty grey today, though.

 

[maltiv]

I wouldn't go that far, but he could be there in a few years. I don't think too much about his climbing talent can be inferred from this performance, obviously he is no slouch going uphill but this was a short climb at the end of a short stage in a race where most of the people with good form are classics riders and not climbers.

By all-round I mean being good at everything. Hills, mountains, cobbled classics, sprints and time-trials. I can't really think of anyone else who can do all that. Or well I can think of one guy who might be a better all-rounder but he's currently banned.

 

[sublimit]

maybe they are revolutionizing the sport ?

Hopefully all that BS is over from last year, I think they have learned their lesson in not coming out with such ridiculous statements. Leave that to Team Leopard...

 

[Ferminal]

THE LEOPARD TREK WEBSITE MENTIONS THAT FUGLSANG EXPLODED, SO I GUESS HE TRIED.

(disclaimer: I'm not sure what you have to capitalize in relation to this team, so I'll just leave caps lock on)

Haha!

Did he EXPLODE like ANDY SCHLECK does during any race in MARCH?

Or maybe he had a proper go which would have been nice.

 

[Christian]

THE LEOPARD TREK WEBSITE MENTIONS THAT FUGLSANG EXPLODED, SO I GUESS HE TRIED.

(disclaimer: I'm not sure what you have to capitalize in relation to this team, so I'll just leave caps lock on)

Just LEOPARD TREK is fine, I think the rest can be lower case. I'll check with the team to make sure though

Fuglsang blown off the back when Gesink attacked from what it sounds like

 

[Frosty]

Team sky's view on things

http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,20386_6759503,00.html

Apparently there were only 30 left at the bottom of the climb including all of team sky

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

By all-round I mean being good at everything. Hills, mountains, cobbled classics, sprints and time-trials. I can't really think of anyone else who can do all that. Or well I can think of one guy who might be a better all-rounder but he's currently banned.

EBH is gonna dominate short stage racing for many years to come.
He will also pick up quite a few one day races imo.

brilliant rider.

 

[hektoren]

By all-round I mean being good at everything. Hills, mountains, cobbled classics, sprints and time-trials. I can't really think of anyone else who can do all that. Or well I can think of one guy who might be a better all-rounder but he's currently banned.

Hills, cobbled classics, sprints and TT's maybe, but mountains are definitely out. Today's stage showed that he's got form, that Arvesen is a cunning runt , and that sir Edvald will lose a lot of time come the big slopes.

 

[ingsve]

I remember his performance in the Norwegian championships TT in 2009 vividly. First norwegian ever with an average speed above 50 km/h. Sure he can time-trial! He has indicated in recent interviews that he will make an effort, doing more specific training for TT's in 2011, though he still wants to be a jack-of-all-trades (don't you dare say "master of none". ;-)

Well, the full quote is "Jack of all trades, master of none, though oftentimes better than master of one" which I do find rather fitting.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Well, he hasn't become anywhere near as good as in PCM 2007, where he used to dominate the world in 2011

 

[Ferminal]

Valverde is the best allrounder, but in his absence it probably is EBH... bet let's not forgot Eddy Sagan!

 

[Captain_Cavman]

Checked the Blue Danube lately?

Without wanting to be picky, the Blue Danube is the name of the song not the river, (which just happens to start in the Black Forest and end at the Black Sea).

More interestingly the Blue Danube is also the name of the UK's first atomic weapon. They had a system of code names involving a random colour followed by a noun. My favourite is Green Cheese, a suitably rubbish anti-ship missile.

 

[ingsve]

Hills, cobbled classics, sprints and TT's maybe, but mountains are definitely out. Today's stage showed that he's got form, that Arvesen is a cunning runt , and that sir Edvald will lose a lot of time come the big slopes.

Ya, high mountains is certainly out but this result has shown that the length of climbs where he can be competitive is a little longer than previously known. And there aren't that many races that have climbs as long as 10 km. He's not going to win any GTs and not races like Dauphine, Tour de Suisse etc but it does open up a few more races where he can be competitive.

It will be interesting to see what he can do in Amstel Gold Race in the future for example. He's riding it for the first time this year but it will be his first try and it will be right after the cobbled monuments and we all know that riding Roubaix does not bode well for doing well in AGR.

 

[ingsve]

Valverde is the best allrounder, but in his absence it probably is EBH... bet let's not forgot Eddy Sagan!

Well, that depends on how you score points on allrounding. EBH is certainly a faster sprinter and a better cobbled rider and possibly a better TTer though that may depend on terrain. Valverde is a better climber both in mountains and hills but does that really tip the balance in his favour that much?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Ya, high mountains is certainly out but this result has shown that the length of climbs where he can be competitive is a little longer than previously known. And there aren't that many races that have climbs as long as 10 km. He's not going to win any GTs and not races like Dauphine, Tour de Suisse etc but it does open up a few more races where he can be competitive.

It will be interesting to see what he can do in Amstel Gold Race in the future for example. He's riding it for the first time this year but it will be his first try and it will be right after the cobbled monuments and we all know that riding Roubaix does not bode well for doing well in AGR.

There's a difference between one 5.8km climb after a (nearly) flat stage. And the Amstel Gold Race with it's 40+ short climbs and 23543253.354235 million turns.

Last year in the ENECO Tour he was promising in those same hills though. But I think with Hagen, it will take some time to get used to the Amstel.