Who wants the old Ronde circuit back?

[Zam_Olyas]

I think this is the most one-sided poll I have ever seen in this site

How did the most wheelsucker poll went? i dont remember it.

 

[burning]

How did the most wheelsucker poll went? i dont remember it.

Well Bottle is the obvious answer for these polls but there are close candidates like Pozzato or Hushovd

 

[SafeBet]

I think this is the most one-sided poll I have ever seen in this site

Seriously, how can anyone prefer the current route?

 

[El Pistolero]

The problem is not the route.

 

[Netserk]

The problem is not the route.

The problem is also the route.

But Boonen and OPQS in best conditions would help ofc.

 

[Pentacycle]

Seriously, how can anyone prefer the current route?

I don't know, but I only watch Tour de France.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

The problem is not the route.

i know it was you, fredo.

 

[HiCadence]

The very exciting race i am watching now leads to my question

You do realize that they changed the route for the fans who go to this race right?

 

[The Hitch]

Old route. Definately old route.

What if they did the Oude Kwaermont Pattenberg circuit 3 times like in the new route, but 90k out, then move on to the Koppenberg and the rest of the old route. Would people not still buy VIP seats for the Oude to see the riders go by 3 times, then watch the rest of the race on a big screen?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Are you calling Devolder a favourite as well? Was Cancellara riding very smartly in 2011? In 2010 it was clear who the strongest riders were, the two favourites rode away and noone had anything left to chase them.

At least the current parcours allows the strongest riders to win, although it would be a shame if sub top-riders don't have any chance to win. Lack of possible scenarios is the only possible objection against the route change.

How about:

1) Circuits have no place in a monument
2) Both races have seen little to no action until inside 20km to go
3) Because the riders do the same climbs multiple times they just scout each other on the first times
4) Less visually appealing to see the same circuits again and again
5) Even forgetting about the Muur for a second, I miss the Molenberg, Taaienberg, Eikenberg, Berendries. At the moment their presence in the race is merely token.
6) Characterless, featureless run-in toward the finish. Oudenaarde is a lovely town, would it have killed them to have a route that went back via a more scenic route (perhaps throwing in one of those aforementioned hellingen as a late-race option the same as there was still the Bosberg after Kapelmuur)?

Really, this race has been designed not with racing but with the sale of VIP tickets in mind. People probably won't pay up unless they can guarantee they'll see some of the important action and/or will see the action multiple times, hence circuits using the same climbs again and again. And they aren't bad climbs, it's just that they don't need to be in the race 3 times while many classic Ronde climbs are relegated to irrelevances or removed entirely.

Imagine if Amstel Gold did the Cauberg about 80km in, then the last 60km were just loops around Drielandenpunt before an utterly characterless finish in Vaals. Then multiply the problem by about 1000x because this is the Ronde van Vlaanderen we're talking about.

 

[the asian]

Old route definitely. Two boring races in a row, this year even worse than last year.
Agree with LS. The circuits means the riders will always wait till the last lap for any meaningful attacks.

 

[roundabout]

Why not? Let's have a Roubaix with Cysoing, Camphin-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l’Arbre circuit.

Preferably done thrice.

 

[jens_attacks]

libertine game,set and match

 

[The Hitch]

lol, I just realized that on the Ronde thread we are on the 100th page (yes i use 10 per page)

In 2011 we were like on 110 when a certain forum member got caught live on air instructing his team to not ride and hang on for a sprint.

That was with with like 40 to go rather than 2 hours after the race.

 

[Netserk]

lol, I just realized that on the Ronde thread we are on the 100th page (yes i use 10 per page)

In 2011 we were like on 110 when a certain forum member got caught live on air instructing his team to not ride and hang on for a sprint.

That was with with like 40 to go rather than 2 hours after the race.

 

[The Hitch]

Funny that noone who uses 40 per page made that observation

 

[Roude Leiw]

You do realize that they changed the route for the fans who go to this race right?

I actually thought it was to make money.

When watching before, I never had the impression that no one was watching, actually in the Mur de Grammont there was always a sh_itload of people.

And wasn't it some kind of sport for people there to race from one spot to the other to see the race as often as possible?

 

[roundabout]

The discussion about Sagans groping habits and sartorial choices can easily go for another 100 pages (or 25).

 

[Pippo_San]

Just bring back the Grammont somehow...this **** is no Flanders anymore, just another Belgian classic

 

[Magnus]

lol, I just realized that on the Ronde thread we are on the 100th page (yes i use 10 per page)

In 2011 we were like on 110 when a certain forum member got caught live on air instructing his team to not ride and hang on for a sprint.

That was with with like 40 to go rather than 2 hours after the race.

Ah, the classical "Forum-thread-length-is-absolute-objective-measure-for-quality-argument".
A rhetorical highlight.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Just bring back the Grammont somehow...this **** is no Flanders anymore, just another Belgian classic

Plenty of other Belgian semi classics are way better than the show today. And its not just the parcours fault.

Typical placement strategies from the majority of DSs plays a very big part too.

 

[The Hitch]

Ah, the classical "Forum-thread-length-is-absolute-objective-measure-for-quality-argument".
A rhetorical highlight.

No, but it is a measure.

 

[afpm90]

Sylvain Chavanel: "The circuit is also so difficult that it blocked the race. Nobody wants to take the risk to jump before the last lap and I think that in the future things won't change a lot."

 

[roundabout]

Roelandts got a podium.

Chavanel got to complain.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

I don't need the old course back. I can even live with doing the same hills 2 times. But 3 local rounds on a classic? No!

The course needs a radical change. Old course back won't happen, but there's so much possibilities with a finish in Oudenaarde