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Cavendish dropped. 🙁
It's getting very attritional now.
Ouch that's nasty.
Unprotected / unmarked road furniture.
😢
OK, that was a cracking finish!
I'm still not convinced by MSR, it does seem to be a whole load of really really slow burn followed by 10 minutes of excitement.
Edit; WTAF is Adam Blythe wearing?! (EuroSport studio). That has to have been some sort of dare, surely?
Ganna sand-bagging on the chase so he could ‘win’ second 🤔
I love the last 30 km of MSR. The first 260 km are just to soften up the legs and get rid of some me domestiques, there's no need to watch them.
WTAF is Adam Blythe wearing
Can't say I'd noticed. I may have been distracted 🤔
Tell you what, holding off that trio of racers is a heck of a feat
What a ride that was
Ganna sand-bagging on the chase so he could ‘win’ second
(he may have actually shat himself on the DH, and...) I think they'd have been "lucky" to close that gap if they'd been all-out, so maybe he was just cleverer. "Surprisingly" good sprint though, I'd agree
Bit of a relief that Pog’s usual attack was not successful- it was getting boring for him to win all the time !! Gives hope for the rest of the season.
😂
Just caught up with the highlights because apparently seeing granny for the first time in a year is more important for the kids than watching the peloton soft pedal through the Po valley.
Anyway, cracking race as always. Love the fact that Pog and Wellens gave it mega-beans up the Poggio. Love the fact that Ganna was there. Love the fact that the vans' rivalry is still alive and well. And love the fact that MvdP won in such superb style.
And just look at this:
Next week: KöBBELS
Good article from Inner Ring about how Milan-SanRemo played out:
https://inrng.com/2023/03/milan-sanremo-review-2023/
Next week: KöBBELS
Yep, back to Belgium for the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday and Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday!
That Inner Ring article seems to miss the 'moment' when Pogacar and Ganba gapped WvA and MvdP on the Poggio and WvA put in a pretty drawn out effort to close the gap, dragging MvdP up behind him. That must have emptied him before he then put in that massive chase down the other side.
MvdP showing his better racing instinct again, WvA just seems to find himself chasing and on the wrong side of breaks too often!
Horrendous crash in the Volta Catalunya this afternoon. Makes you worry about getting on your bike!!
https://twitter.com/benjinaesen/status/1637901249935814661?s=46&t=0EdQH2VaJpSkNmaw8CsUvg
Horrendous crash in the Volta Catalunya this afternoon.
Just seen it on the catch up, that was horrific. Could see how bad Cataldo was, he was unable to move. Hit that kerb hard. 🙁
It just seemed like a routine spill!!
It's the Four* Days of De Panne tomorrow. Used to be the kind of race that you'd see someone from Wanty Groupe-Gobert take a surprisingly good result but Wanty are good now and so is the line-up:
https://www.procyclingstats.com/race/oxyclean-classic-brugge-de-panne/2023/result/startlist
It's a sprtinty kind of race these days. Looks like there'll be a shootout from some big guns.
*One**
**OK, they renamed the race, but it did spend a few years being called the 4 days when it was only 2 days long.
Jeepers, that's every fast guy on the planet!
looks like a crazy day of racing!
Looks like LOVELY weather. Have had to turn the heating up just to watch.
There's a front group of about 20 riders but I wouldn't bet on all 20 making it to the finish in these conditions.
qst team bus is going to be a tad tense at this rate !
That was quite a race!
Philipsen is proving to be quite a versatile chap. Sure, he was one of the favourites to win, but not in a race like that.
A lot of DNF! Didn't see any of the race, just been reading the reports.
it was pretty brutal the peloton was about 70-80 with 80kish to go (when it had just come together again) only to be smashed to pieces within a couple of minutes.
That was some heroic racing worth watching for those who missed it. Seeing in the chase group big guys like Demare and Groenewegen fight for a couple of K's to get back on, get unhinged on a speed bump(bridge) repeat chase get back bridge repeat and that was only the chase group.
Impressive from Jasper thought he might be digging his own grave but he seemed to have near endless energy today, well done chap?
Brilliant race, a proper Belgian spring classic. As someone said above, there'll have been some choice language on the Quick Step bus after.
It’s the Four* Days of De Panne tomorrow.
It's part of the charm of this part of the season, isn't it. Races that you've watched for decades but they change their names so regularly that they make no sense or you've forgotten what it's called this year. 😀
Jeepers, that’s every fast guy on the planet!
But it's NOT the unofficial Sprinters World Champs. Despite the fact that the first sprinter interviewed - and Robbie McEwan - referred to it in exactly that way. 😀
To my shame, I wasn't aware that there was a Women's Brugge de Panne race (yesterday) but the results popped up in my news feed.
Won by British rider Pfeiffer Georgi, her first World Tour win!
https://www.bicycling.com/racing/a43401196/classic-brugge-de-panne-2023-womens-results/
E3 Saxo Classic later today, a warm up for Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday which I'll be unable to watch because I'm working on the UK answer to a Belgian Classic, the CiCLE Classic in Rutland (Junior Men's race in the morning, Women's Race in the afternoon, both British Cycling National Series events).
https://www.cyclingstage.com/e3-saxo-classic-2023/route-e3-2023/
Bit gutted this weekend. This time last year we were there and watching it from the finish line (bar) and enjoying chips and beers. Then cycling back to Wevelgem via the river and a few more bars 😀
The weather looks a lot less friendly than last year which is the only saving grace for that.
E3 Harelbeke today (or whatever it's called now)
E3 Harelbeke today (or whatever it’s called now)
You missed my link just above...?!
https://www.cyclingstage.com/e3-saxo-classic-2023/route-e3-2023/
Great win by Georgi, horrible heavy looking crash for Alice Barnes and Julie De Wilde. Fractured radius for Alice, scapula for Julie.
You missed my link just above…?!
I did...
should be a fun watch (possible not so much for the riders 😀 ) 20mph SW gusting to 40+
The weather is looking suitably grim isn't it...
good support out even with the weather!
game on !!!
He’s a machine.
Genuinely did not know that Pogacar was in there!
I've been up there, recognise the top junction.
It probably only took me 3 or 4 times longer than these guys to ride up the cobbles.
fascinating tactical to & fro 🙂
ooooft thats going to smart!
Been over that level crossing several times as well. Think I've only ever descended this section though, never climbed it as they are.
Pog dishing out the pain!
Proper race this
From a fan point of view I don’t think you could ask for a better trio to have at the front of a spring classic.
You can hear the wind in the microphones, it's blowing a gale. Just little hints like the marshal vests blowing around.
That's not allowed!
UCI rules put a stop to on-the-move chain lube a while ago!
To be fair, the on the move lubing is nowhere near the offence that MVP’s socks are!!
The hilarious thing now would be these three messing around so much that the chasers come right back to them!
Good day for Jumbo Visma!!
Man. What a race.
Races like this really outline what an exciting racer pog is. When he dominates it’s boring but when he’s got rivals who can beat him it just shows how much ge loves to race.
I didn’t really watch the classics much when boonen and cancellara were in their prime. Is this how good it was?
Preview of tomorrow.
https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/gent-wevelgem-preview
I'm working on a road race so won't get to see any of it. ☹️
watched E3 this afternoon - van der poel seemed to do a lot more work on the front and was sort of squeezed out as pog came to the front with him behind. Pog closed over in front of Wout as he passed him lots of times, leaving VdP in the wind even before his pull. Clever from either Pog of Wout (or both), bit dozy from VdP
Also caught up with E3 today,was an excellent race but the moto crash looked horrendous, lucky no one was seriously injured.
Yikes!
Feel like I'm witnessing more Moto crashes in bike races in the last couple of years. Had it always been a thing and they're just being caught on camera more?
jeez, I didn't see that - just the rider lifting it up
hopefully nobody badly hurt
☹
I didn’t really watch the classics much when boonen and cancellara were in their prime. Is this how good it was?
I’ve been watching the classics for over 30 years -it was rarely Mano et Mano like it is with WvA and MVdP and now with Pog plus I don’t remember racing being of such consistently high quality either - when they’re both in the race everyone else needs to bring their A+ game if they want a chance.
E3 was an interesting race, clearly Pog and MVdP don't want to take Wout to a sprint but the fact that on these shorter climbs Pog cannot drop MVdP is playing into Wouts hands. Neither Pog or MVdP want to go all in to drop everyone as they keep getting neutralised by the other so Wout can hang in. Or would they have got rid of him without the Moro crash and does Pog think he can beat MVdP in a two up sprint?
Answers at Flanders....
a day for the hard men 😀
I feel cold and miserable just watching it
looks like a local is enjoying it, right i'm off. and wtf is Jakobsen doing with his own team chasing him down 😕
also a day for a reliable bike.
Gruppo compatto!
boom! WvA wattage bazooka
Is it my signal, or is this buffering like a b*stard?
is this buffering like a b*stard?
it is for me too
he's an absolute beast!
you wouldn't want to be another DS watching the video of van aert. he looks crazy strong
Laporte has had mostly free ride and he's still struggling to hold the Beasts wheel
lovely
Bit of a yawn fest tbh
I'm old enough now to remember a time when Jumbo Visma didn't win the bike race.
Women's race was equally attritional. How Pfeiffer Georgi managed to come back so often and still be competitive I don't know. But Marlen Rousser is a machine once she gets a gap
Just reading the race reports now, sounds like a pretty grim day out.
I was working on the CiCLE Classic race in Melton Mowbray; it's a round of the British Cycling National Junior Men's Series in the morning and the BC National Women's Series in the afternoon.
The course is renowned for its really narrow roads and convoluted course which includes a dozen sectors of farm tracks and very broken roads so not dissimilar to a Spring Classic. Some stretches were really muddy after the rain yesterday and this morning. Was more like a CX race at times.
Both races were properly attritional - out of about 100-120 starters in both races, only about 25 finished in very fragmented groups. Good racing though, a fun day out.
Tour of Flanders next weekend!
Tour of Flanders next weekend!
So who’s going?
Heading over with friends for the sportive and some beers.
It means I can guarantee the weather will be bad…
Heading over with friends for the sportive and some beers.
Good luck, it's a great day
Dwars door Vlaanderen today. Warm up for Tour of Flanders at the weekend...
https://www.cyclingnews.com/dwars-door-vlaanderen/
https://www.cyclingnews.com/dwars-door-vlaanderen-women/
No vans and no pog at DdV today so will be interesting to see how it pans out. The list of potential winners get much longer when those guys aren't there.