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Hmmmmm - unless he actually had any energy left, in which case he needed to go from about 5, I'd have thought. If he didin't have the energy, WTF was he doing going with Kristoff from however far it was ?Terpstra rode that last 10km perfectly
I still think their tactics are weird (unless having the sponsor/team name at the front on TV was enough?)
I imagine that when he went he was expecting GVA or G on his wheel, not Kristoff. Once committed I bet he thought he'd drop him on the last climb, having failed at that he sat in as that was the only option left.
I would have expected Terpstra to have done even less work considering he always had Štybar looking very strong behind and if Kristoff pulled all the way to the line then he'd need everything he had to beat him in the finale. EQS seem to me to have too many riders at a similar level and no designated leader - though I expect Lefevre has rather more idea about Classics strategy than me.
Sky were really odd - seemed to ride as though it were a stage race and they were neutralising everything for one rider in a protected finish.
For mine I would have thought EQS, Sky and to an extent BMC and Astana needed to make things as hard as possible from about 100km out to try to shake Kristoff, Degenkolb and Greipel. Really whittle things down and make it selective.
Well I've just been out again for another 50k Hack and I was replaying the RVV on my way around..
So, Sky...
I want to know where on earth Berni was ? #posterboyEisel was he too busy looking into the cameras to actually do something ? I mean I watched the whole race and saw him on the front for 8k along with the rest of the squad..
And..
Bradley #ridingoutmynoticeWiggo ? where on earth was he?? bloody useless..
The only guys doing anything for Thomas was Standard, Knees, Roe... That is hardly a squad best placed to win a Monument.. Apart from Roe the rest just did''t even feature, made no difference to the race at all.
I know Standard and Knees did there bit but where the bloody hell were the rest of them?
What ever happened to burying yourself for your team mates ??
Looks like Sky have a squad of 3 maybe 4 riders, pathetic. Thomas needs protecting right to the end in this kind of race, you can not expect a blow out like last weekend in G-W, that happens once a season the rest should be a team effort to take a team mate to the end, end of.
Sagan ? Lost in his own singularity. Again another team expecting one lone rider to cope with all the pressure, I didn't have him feature at all in this race, felt he was too fat and looked lazy on the bike in the last couple of races.. my reticent attitude born out.
Etixx ? Bloody great, can't really fault their riding at least Terpstra was on form, everyone knows he's not a sprinter yet following and taking turns with Kristoff is not for the faint of heart, for once I think Etixx played a blinder, but then they had too didn't they 😆
Only other showing were BMC, at least they have GVA and Oss willing to bury themselves, you just had to watch the effort GVA put in in the last 10k and for Oss, well without Oss BMC would be left with Gilbert alone.
Lampre did Ok, not often these days you see the Pink and Blue up front.. Never really found his form has Pipo since, well "you know what" and it was nice to see the Portuguese putting some effort in when he at least had the chance.
Proper days racing that, made me want to go out on my bike again, twice in one day... Thats what it's supposed to do.. Inspire You.
Righty... Then.... P-R next weekend...
Predictions....
I reckon Bradley will throw a fit and not finish. 😛
Sky were really odd - seemed to ride as though it were a stage race and they were neutralising everything for one rider in a protected finish.
Sky are getting some stick on their FB & Twitter pages about both their tactics and their much publicised cobble-specific, marginal gains, ground-breaking, game-changing bike as hailed by Sir Bradley of Wiggins as the best thing he's ever ridden. Up until the point he fell off it and threw it into a ditch obviously.
🙄
I thought Sagan rode really well considering his was pretty much a solo opportunistic effort. Yes, he seems to be carrying a little more weight than ideal, but finishing fourth there is no mean feat. Not what we and certainly his team might have hoped for but predictions of his early demise are hugely exaggerated - he's not the FVDB of this era.
I wonder how much Sky were being saved for P-R, with Thomas's E3 win meaning today he wasn't as important as Brad's final hurrah...
They did seem to disappear rather quickly when the racing picked up.
As much publicity Sky would get from Bradley winning Paris-Roubaix, I'm sure they're aware that they had a better chance of Geraint winning Flanders, given his proven form. Pretty sure they'd be putting everything into it.
Sagan is no joke either. Decent ride from him. But I suppose the real question is, is he fulfilling his potential?
I'll go back to my previous 'too much too early' then, which still doesn't make much sense given the experience in the squad.
I just can't see the praise of Quickstep in previous posts aside from the fact they had riders there.
Terpstra was unlikely top beat Kristoff in a two up sprint and, by not riding, could have let Stybar bridge across to give numbers. It's not recognised as good form to chase your team mate but in this case Terpstra was up the road with a very dangerous man. So it would have interesting to see what would have happened if Geraint and Stybar had bridged across at the top of the Kwaremont when the gap was only 16". Having two in a group with 2-3k to go would have put the emphasis on Geraint and Kristof to chase down repeated attacks form Stybar and Terpstra. The same tactics worked well for Topsport in a 4 up the other week at Dwar Door Vlaanderen with Jelleys getting away with 2k to go.
I think Lefevre will be privately pissed at how things panned out, but then has a great excuse in a certain separated shoulder.
More importantly, that was a class ride from Kristof. He's been known as a sprinter, but to escape of the front of a strong field like that (and without Paolini's support) shows he's not totally reliant on the bunch sprint. Proficiat Alexander!
Quickstep will get it right next week and Stybar will win alone at Roubaix!!!! FWIW
Quickstep have got it wrong enough times recently with numbers up front (E3, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad), I wouldn't bet anything on them.
don't forget that classics are classics for a reason and that they are entertaining because of their unpredictability and the fact that you can't just turn up with the strongest riders and the right tactics and engineer a win.
True
Thing is, I'd have expected Kristoff to have a far better chance in P-R than this one
Obviously Wiggo's going to win it 🙂 but who'd bet against Kristoff coming second ?
You would have thought that, but Kristoff did say RVV was his main target for the season.
Curious to see the sky boys disappear after Eisel and Wiggins bossed the peloton at De Panne. They seemed to put in a big push to close the break around 60k to go then went missing.
Race did seem to be missing something (maybe Cancellara and Boonen.) Still kept me entertained for a few hours on the turbo!
As for Etixx, they really are missing Boonen, maybe not for the win but for the tactical options he gives them.
And what happened to Vanmarke? Looked like he was super strong at Strade Bianchi but hasn't been quite there since then. Was painful to watch him almost get back on.
Terpstra had to ride, Kristoff is smashing it, he would have won from any group.
Wiggo the head ****, he crashed and that was him.
Greipel was an absolute warrior, team should have worked for him!!
Not selective enough for Thomas I think, weather was too nice.
Surprised to see Van Marcke distanced, anyone see what happened (mechanical?) as he seemed to be chasing hard to get back on. Seen him slump and knew he was done, been there!!
Sky were on the front a lot early on, the peloton had decided they had the favourite so they were working. There was rarely another team on front. BMC and Giant had numbers in the finale but refused to chase and let Sky/Lotto try to bring it back every time. Team working on the front marshalling the peloton all day works for Cancellara because he's so strong in the finale (that and he really doesn't mind throwing the race away), Thomas def needed more team mates around him.
Cluster **** of a race, deflating airbridges, neutral service smashing the place up, far far too many camera bikes in amongst/infront of the peloton (no doubt in my mind they were aiding some of the groups at some point) and Boom getting a very healthy tow back up to the chasers in the last KM!
I wonder how much Sky were being saved for P-R, with Thomas's E3 win meaning today he wasn't as important as Brad's final hurrah...They did seem to disappear rather quickly when the racing picked up.
Luke Rowe seemed to be absolutely burying himself to work for G, and to get back into the group to be able to do so again later in the race.
I thought Sagan rode really well considering his was pretty much a solo opportunistic effort... finishing fourth there is no mean feat
...1 place ahead of a 21yr old neo-pro who splits his time between racing and studying economics at Gent Uni.
Greipel was an absolute warrior
+1 V impressive he was clearly turning himself inside out. He's worked like that before for other team mates in the classics (and done bottle duties) and it can only earn him respect and dedication when it comes to them leading him out in sprints. Watching him wrenching the bike around trying to stay in the lead group up the steeps made MY legs ache!
And another "Wiggo petulantly throws bike" pic to add to the burgeoning album...
And if you're on twitter and into following it during races (or catching up after) @nyvelocity is excellent (and @ukcyclingexpert more generally).
Very impressive from Kristoff. If he hadn't started his sprint in MSR a tad too early he'd would've bagged both monuments so far. And he's gotta be in the mix for P-R now what with Cancellara+Boonen out, Vanmarke struggling, it seems, and Sagan blowing too.
I was disappointed that nothing much changed for the last 20km of Flanders though. As said, Etixx could've tried something to beat Kristoff.
Is Greipal riding Paris-Roubaix? I'll cheer for him if he is after that ride, could suit him a bit better than Flanders if he's on such good form.
I love how cycling does this, one impressive ride can turn you from meh about someone to rooting for 'em.
Terpstra had to ride, Kristoff is smashing it, he would have won from any group.
It's true Kristoff was on top form and would have been hard to beat in any scenario - but the chances had to be better if you've got multiple people attacking from a small group rather than going head to head. I guess they made the decision definite second and an outside chance at a win is better than a chance of nothing at all.
...1 place ahead of a 21yr old neo-pro who splits his time between racing and studying economics at Gent Uni.
That kid has definitely got it - but remember Sagan had some good results at that age as well. This game aint easy.
So as we roll up to the greatest Spring Classic of all time, eva... The damaging, brutal, rumble that it Paris - Roubaix it's time to think about what tyres you're using, double or single wrap tape, extra nappy under your bibs or three layers of arse cream, extra thick soles in your dancing shoes, to clip your toe nails or not, should you put in your contact lenses or relish the cloudy blur ?
Decisions, decisions ...
Well one blokes decided to stand alone and take aim at the establishment, the purist, the traditionalist...
Bradley's got permission from the UCI to ride a Disc version of his Pino....
I am in tears 😐
We're almost there so I guess we can have a few days of speculation towards the day it all comes down to the right turn onto the boards...
It'll be tight I reckon, a small break of VanMarke, GVA, Terpstra, Kristoff... I'm going to seek out the rosta and decide tomorrow 😀
Bradley's got permission from the UCI to ride a Disc version of his Pino..
got a source for that? Somewhat surprised to say the least
Daniel Lloyd on Twitter... 😕
wow, seems to be huge risk to me.
Every other man and his dog wields a spare wheel above their heads in hope of saving a guys race. How many are going to have a disk one?
Will Mavic have disk wheels on their neutral support bikes?
has to be a joke, as the chef suggests
(unless he's got some utterly bombproof tyre system but even then he can fall/collide and bend a wheel easy enough)
https://twitter.com/daniellloyd1/status/585702811549196288
If you actually read the whole thread and have a look at the picture, it's all a big piss-take.
Daniel Lloyd on Twitter..
really.....?!!
No access to Twitter or FB at work
[img] 
[/img]
😆
where's the pic from ? - he's well filthy !
where's the advantage ? weather forecasts looks like it will be dry and dusty and there's no hills to speak of. you can only assume it must be sponsor driven.
where's the pic from ?
Daniel Lloyd's thread on twitter...
😀
Ah - it's one of those new eccentric discs as well 😉
Pic is last year's PR - with a photoshopped in disc of course...
😆
😆
Well it shook me up I can tell you. I was just about to put my R5ca up for sale when I read what Dan Lloyd had written, I mean... discs on a road bike ?? Just the thought of it makes my spine shudder and my gut reflex skip out of beat..
Ridiculous I tell you !
I'm keeping one eye on that Llyody fella.. 😆
Anyway back on topic, Scheldeprijs today, gotta love mid week races!
Can we really see anyone other than Kristoff taking this one?
No Kittel, no Cav.
Difficult to see past him on current form (inrng has an interesting article asking how he can be beaten!) Usually ends up in a sprint but maybe if a big enough group goes up the road leaving Katusha to do all the work...? Unlikely though.
Can we really see anyone other than Kristoff taking this one?
Sky seem to be bigging up Elia Viviani...
Strong team supporting him but then Sky were bigging up their new Pinarello last week and it didn't seem to do them much good...
Kristoff is probably the most obvious choice.
Will it be viewable online anywhere, do we think...? 🙂
Hurrah, thank you! Pretty quiet in the office, be nice to have a bit of something to watch... 🙂
It’s going to be interesting at PR, some of the onus should be on Etixx to make the race hard enough to hurt Kristoff but Sky always seem willing to pick up the pace early and unless the Wiggins plan is a huge bluff they’ve already shown their hand so may find themselves up front for a lot of the race.
The problem I see for Wiggins is I think he can only win one way because I don’t think he could out kick any of the Etixx lads and certainly not Sagan or Kristoff, which means gambling all his race on trying to get away inside 10k - they all know that so will sit on him for as long as possible.
The saving grace might just turn out to be Thomas, he obviously has the form to be in the front group at the end so will be able to support Wiggins into the final 10k and possibly even put in some attacks which Etixx can’t just watch, I think he will be Skys highest finisher.
I’m going for Stybar though – he’s been on good form so far this season but seems to have been playing second fiddle to Terpstra and he had a relatively easy time of it at Flanders. I think he’ll get his chance this week. That said, Sagan seems to be getting better each week and he seems to have the knack of being in the right places when winning moves go he's also one of the few who would be confident to go into the velodrome in a small group and [i]might[/i] be able to get over Kristoff, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he was involved.
And another inflatable banner collapses on the peloton!
al qaeda
Chute!
Ouchy. 🙁
I hate it when the same people win every bloody race.
bore off Kristoff.
He should watch out, they busted Pantani at madonna di campiglio for not letting anyone else win 🙂
I hope Wiggins (and sky) pull their finger out for Roubaix, I've got a whole £10 riding on them to win!
I reckon Stybar has a reasonable chance of getting on the podium as well.
Yes, I can see just how Wiggins' victory will play - with him launching attack after attack, pinging off the front like a demented hare, before delivering the decisive coup de grace on the gnarliest section of cobbles with all the panache of one of the world's great attacking cyclists... oh, wait...
No, G might be in with a chance of a podium but I've got Brad down as a DNF.
To kick the mood off, a little recon ride by BMC:
Hmm, can't link Vimeo films?
Great video by the bmc team
Well then I've studied the form, looked at outsiders and given a lot of thought to just who will enter the boards on Sunday. In homage I've completed my own "classic" today and shot my legs just enough to warrant a recovery ride tomorrow and Sofa Slob in front of the TV all day Sunday 😆
Predictions I hear you call... ??
It's a hard one, very hard this. But I've come up with a list of the typical contenders, can't see past these four I've chosen, but it's such a gamble as to who will come out winning...
I've plugged these two all over the Classic season and I'll do it again, Terpstra and Stybar from Etixx, with Lars Boom from Astana (if he has the support needed, and I think he just might) in thier too. GVA will be up there but I think he'll be edged out by a hard riding VanMarke..
As for Sky, well I think Wiggo will almost die trying but be beaten in the last 25k, Thomas will be blocked in every move he tries to make, Stannard I reckon will fade in the middle of the race.
What about Kristoff and Dekenholb ? They'll be in the top 20 along with Wiggo.
I'm so looking forward to a Dry Hot day on the cobbles 😀
So hard to call.
Part of me thinks that as the two bigs guys are out of action the other leaders will mark each other out the game and the winner will come from a breakaway, rather like Van Summerman a few years ago.
Can't find a start list on cyclingnews website to check for suitable lieutenants, but someone like Haussler could well benefit.
Obviously it's written in the stars that Wiggins will win it, but really?
BMC have to win something as well this Spring, so Oss?
Who the hell knows?
that's what makes it so great. no-one knows.
I predict for Sunday afternoon that I wish I'd bought more Westmalle and Rochefort.
Seriously, Kristoff is (again 🙄 ) the big favourite in our house
Thanks for the link to the start list, great to see a couple of Brits racing for lower level teams being picked.
Can't see Kristoff doing it Sunday, although there is no pressure on him now, but he's going to be so heavily marked.
Admit he'll be marked tight, but he doesn't need to get away though - bound to be the fastest sprinter if he's in the final group (unless maybe Degenkolb is around and on form). Needs a "good" breakaway without him but if he & his team can mark the other favourites, ...
Don't forget Rapha's guess the finishing time competition
http://pages.rapha.cc/monumental-competition-3-paris-roubaix
Going to be a quick one this year I feel
[url= http://inrng.com/2015/04/paris-roubaix-preview-2015/ ]Inrng preview[/url]. He also has a good general piece on PR [url= http://inrng.com/2015/04/the-exceptional-paris-roubaix/ ]here[/url].
If the wind doesn't change direction then there's some decent head and side winds after the Arenberg (which was very greasy today).
It rained this morning and this afternoon although its dry now, most of the sectors are dry but the Arenberg is unlikely to dry out overnight I'd have thought.
G then for me.
aP did you ride it today ?
Yup. Was good if damp to start with and damp at the end, much stronger winds than the last two years. Arenberg was treacherous - there were at least 3 big crashes when we went through.
Probably heading to either 4 or 2 tomorrow.
Excellent, some kind of experience that. Well done.
8)
And we rode on 35mm gravel tyres! Tough on the road, but great on the sectors - shame my fitness isn't up to it at the moment...
There's noticeably been a lot of reconstruction work done on the cobbles in the last two years.
Yes, start of Arenberg was super greasy - will be some carnage there tomorrow.
Oh and 28mm gravel king tyres here - perfect for the job, couldn't have improved on them.
How long does it take for a normal human to do?
Finished PR on my own, the others I was with were ahead, mud clogged tyres front and rear and caused rear mech to snap. Some kind folks helped me out by converting it to a single speed, and then the chain snapped 20km from the finish. Got picked up by the broom wagon who dropped me off at the mechanic who managed to shorten the chain so I could finish. I had to do the last 16km at a max of 15mph as the earring was so low!!!
Blimey, ^^, thats hard.. but you'll never forget it. And not wanting to diminish your efforts isn't P-R all about the experience ?
Got to say well done to all who completed/took part. I've done it 3 times so far and in one I broke my elbow 😐
I remember the corner to this day 😆
So, with all that in mind I'm going to say a great Bon Courage to all the racers today, surely some will be wishing they never got picked for the squad and some will be new to it and feeling very nervous. Even some seasoned racers will be forcing down bowls of sticky porridge supplemented with 3ltrs of black coffee and rushing off to the loo as I type.
The word Suffer will obliterate the columns today.
Stybar or Terpstra FTW.
8)
It's SUNDAY!!!! Finally.
Kudos to those who rode yesterday, it's high up on my bucket list.
Have the kids most of the day so avoiding this thread now! Have a long catch up on the turbo planned with both Roubaix and a WC DH 🙂
A woke up from a very vivid dream knowing Stannard had won, around two last night. This might have been down to too much craft IPA however I've had to put ten pounds on him to win as I'd never forgive myself if I didn't and he did do it.
Am I doing something wrong? The race has started but my Eurosport player app is streaming some Greg Lemond promo nonsense? Do they not show it from the start?
live @ 11.45