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It's going to be an interesting course because the finish isn't on teh lowest part of the course so the chances of someone attacking on the last climb and staying away is fairly high. Usually you see some attacks and then a group forms on the way down to the finish line but there's not much downhill after the last climb this year...Looking forward to it.
 
Mar 18, 2009
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ingsve said:
It's going to be an interesting course because the finish isn't on teh lowest part of the course so the chances of someone attacking on the last climb and staying away is fairly high. Usually you see some attacks and then a group forms on the way down to the finish line but there's not much downhill after the last climb this year...Looking forward to it.

Is it considered a very hard course? Do sprinters have a chance here or not? Thanks!!
 
Mar 10, 2009
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Karsten Kroon and Robert Gesink (with cask on his wrist) reconned the course, and I think Gesink said he found it tougher than Varese.

Should be a great course then, as I remember I enjoyed Varese's WC alot.

al_corsa_linea.jpg


2 hills and from the profile it seems to look something like:

distance: (2-4)=2km
elevation: (325-425) 100-125m
Gradient: 5%-6.25%

distance: (9.75-10.25)= 1.5km
elevation: (250-375) 125m
Gradient: 8.3%

can that be right?
 
Mar 18, 2009
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Bala Verde said:
Karsten Kroon and Robert Gesink (with cask on his wrist) reconned the course, and I think Gesink said he found it tougher than Varese.

Should be a great course then, as I remember I enjoyed Varese's WC alot.

Thanks Bala!!! Any idea who will represent the Dutch?
 
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TRDean said:
Thanks Bala!!! Any idea who will represent the Dutch?

No not yet, and given the fact that the dutch performed so poorly in the TdF, they might not have enough points to field a full team (9) so they might have to settle for 6 only...

I bet Gesink will be in it, if he is not too exhausted from the Vuelta. Kroon is usually a good bet as well. Both had a good showing at the Amstel. I don't know if Boom will be able to be competitive and depending on the team size, we could see some talented guys staying at home...

Terpstra, Tjalingi, Moerenhout, Weening..

Posthuma, Clement, Langeveld?

Westra is usually strong, I think there could be a couple of names in there that did well during the Dutch Championship, although I don't know if van Hummel could be competitive on this course.

It seems more like a "di Luca, Boogerd, Bettini" puncheur course. (Schleck perhaps ;)
 
Mar 18, 2009
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Bala Verde said:
No not yet, and given the fact that the dutch performed so poorly in the TdF, they might not have enough points to field a full team (9) so they might have to settle for 6 only...

I bet Gesink will be in it, if he is not too exhausted from the Vuelta. Kroon is usually a good bet as well. Both had a good showing at the Amstel. I don't know if Boom will be able to be competitive and depending on the team size, we could see some talented guys staying at home...

Terpstra, Tjalingi, Moerenhout, Weening..

Posthuma, Clement, Langeveld?

Westra is usually strong, I think there could be a couple of names in there that did well during the Dutch Championship, although I don't know if van Hummel could be competitive on this course.

It seems more like a "di Luca, Boogerd, Bettini" puncheur course. (Schleck perhaps ;)

I'd love to see Terpstra make it. Thanks for the info!!!
 
Cobber said:
di Luca probably won't be there, given the news earlier this week.

Lol

I'm excited about this course! Hopefuly the above predictions will come true and the race won't come back together after any attacks on the climb. Maybe a guy like Gilbert or Devolder could run away with this if he gets a gap.
 

Dr. Maserati

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uphillstruggle said:
Who are people tipping for this one then? Valverde would suit it but does this route not at least go into Italy or is it in Italy.

It is all in Switzerland - just! The course actually runs along the Italian border at its most southerly point but Valverde is safe by about 200 metres!
 
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...nor Dekker, correct? It seems like winning the World Championship is a freakin' liability though, doesn't it? Look at Ballan: No wins in '09. And Bettini before him also did poorly for two years, though he did have some wins. Cycling is so tough though. Finishing second is irrelevant, as there is no points system that matters for anything. No one cares who the ProTour champion is, so all the points (for second, etc) don't mean diddley. That's why I don't like the cycling system of crowning a world champion based on one day's performance. Ballan was '08's best rider? Come on. Nobody believes that. Sometimes the two correspond. When Tom Boonen won for a few years, he probably was the world's best one-day rider, but Lance was the best stage racer. Bettini was undoubtedly an exciting guy, but the best rider in the world? I guess I just don't like the system. We should crown the world champion based on points accumulated during the year. If we did that (listen to me, using "we" like I have some part in the process...I'm freakin' delusional), we, cycling, would have a true champion. I wonder if cycling has ever done anything like that?
 
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Hammerhead, cycling simply isn't contusive to having a whole season system in the manner you described - that's why people didn't care about the ProTour. Everyone is busy racing for a bunch of different goals, and the different charateristics of riders vary so much that it would make more sense to have a whole bunch of classifications based on different rider types, but then the pool of races for each classification would be so limited that they would be irrlevant. Do you see my point?

In any case, there are many other sports that confer "world championships" in a single event, even when the world rankings suggest a different picture.
 
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Dr. Maserati said:
It is all in Switzerland - just! The course actually runs along the Italian border at its most southerly point but Valverde is safe by about 200 metres!

I read somewhere that Mendrisio is just a stone's throw away from Varese?
 
Hammerhed said:
That's why I don't like the cycling system of crowning a world champion based on one day's performance. Ballan was '08's best rider? Come on. Nobody believes that. Sometimes the two correspond. When Tom Boonen won for a few years, he probably was the world's best one-day rider, but Lance was the best stage racer. Bettini was undoubtedly an exciting guy, but the best rider in the world? I guess I just don't like the system. We should crown the world champion based on points accumulated during the year. If we did that (listen to me, using "we" like I have some part in the process...I'm freakin' delusional), we, cycling, would have a true champion. I wonder if cycling has ever done anything like that?

The velo d'or is the prize given to the best cyclist in any given year. Boonen won it in 2005 when he was world champ and won Roubiax and Flanders, Contador has won it in the last two years. Lance won it a good few times as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vélo_d'Or
 
Jun 22, 2009
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Bala Verde said:
No not yet, and given the fact that the dutch performed so poorly in the TdF, they might not have enough points to field a full team (9) so they might have to settle for 6 only...

I bet Gesink will be in it, if he is not too exhausted from the Vuelta. Kroon is usually a good bet as well. Both had a good showing at the Amstel. I don't know if Boom will be able to be competitive and depending on the team size, we could see some talented guys staying at home...

Terpstra, Tjalingi, Moerenhout, Weening..

Posthuma, Clement, Langeveld?

Westra is usually strong, I think there could be a couple of names in there that did well during the Dutch Championship, although I don't know if van Hummel could be competitive on this course.

It seems more like a "di Luca, Boogerd, Bettini" puncheur course. (Schleck perhaps ;)

I was convinced di luca would own here :D guess not...!

I think (if he isn't too tired) gesink could do really well here!
For sure krron will be in the 6/9
Think we will see Boom ride the ITT not the RR. I'd like to see him ride it tho.
Weening, Tankink, Morenout(dutch champion surely included?), Langeveld should repersent Rabo too...
Kenny has no chance here.
Tepstra desereves a spot too.
 
Jun 22, 2009
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Amsterhammer said:
Gesink has already been riding the course - with his broken wrist!

Go Gesink :D Him and kroon will be co-leaders i feel. Maybe a Amstel like attack, minus Ivanov ;)

PS: Bella, How many nations recieve the right to field 9 riders?
 
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Timmy-loves-Rabo said:
Go Gesink :D Him and kroon will be co-leaders i feel. Maybe a Amstel like attack, minus Ivanov ;)

PS: Bella, How many nations recieve the right to field 9 riders?

From what I read, Kroon and Gesink are going to be the captains, given their ability to do well on this course. That means most of the others (4-7) are going to be domestiques.

If they start with only 6 riders, that does not necesarrily have to be a disadvantage, because it means you don't have to make the race. Lead, chase, etc, while you could still target the major contenders. I think it's mainly a reputation issue, a fall from grace.

van Vliet about the 6-9

Angstvallig houdt Van Vliet iedere dag de landenranking van de UCI in de gaten. Nederland staat nu op een negende plaats, de eerste tien posities geven recht op deelname van negen renners. Hierna valt het aantal deelnemers terug naar zes. Landen als Noorwegen en Engeland zijn Nederland tijdens de eerste 11 dagen van de Tour gepasseerd. Luxemburg, Zwitserland, Frankrijk en de Verenigde Staten staan vlak achter Oranje, terwijl het zeker is dat deze landen nog heel wat punten gaan pakken in de tweede helft van Tour.

World Ranking by nation
 
Jul 3, 2009
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"Hammerhead, cycling simply isn't contusive to having a whole season system in the manner you described - that's why people didn't care about the ProTour"

Not True, anyone who remembers the Super Pernod will remember it was a season long scoring system which worked. Kelly won it 4 times afair.:)
 

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