Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/02/2017 10:16 AM |
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| Great race and a great win for Gilbert.......impressive to go solo from that far out. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 04/02/2017 10:20 AM |
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At 55k I would have lost the bet on Gilbert making it stick. Chapeau.
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79pmooney
Posts:3189
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| 04/02/2017 10:35 AM |
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Hab called it. The rest is us missed.
What a day for Quick Step. Shows real focus, both all-year; building a team with both the riders and focus and in the race. All day thay had riders in key places who knew exactly what they had to do and were strong enough to do it. (OK, Terpstra couldn't pull off beating Van Avermat. I doubt anyone at Q-S F is crying too much.)
Ben |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 04/02/2017 10:59 AM |
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Damn, Hab. Maybe you should take a break from this forum... Help us keep our egos intact ; )
Good call on Gilbert! |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/02/2017 12:42 PM |
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| Even without the crash, I think Gilbert may have held it. The gap was staying consistent ~50-55" with 18K. Hard to know, but at the end of the day, the crash looks like it was Sagan's fault, so no one to blame but himself. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Habanero
Posts:257
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| 04/02/2017 02:22 PM |
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| I had a good feeling about Gilbert because he is on form and when he is he is a monster. Once he was gone I figured he would never be brought back. Even if Sagan and company didn't crash he would have stayed clear. Classy win from a great rider.
Next up - Boonen smashes all comers and arrives in the Roubaix velodrome alone and becomes Mr. Paris Roubaix. |
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huckleberry
Posts:824
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| 04/02/2017 02:26 PM |
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| I like that prediction, Hab. |
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Habanero
Posts:257
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longslowdistance
Posts:2886
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79pmooney
Posts:3189
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| 04/02/2017 07:29 PM |
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From CycingNews "Sagan: Destiny didn't want me to win the Tour of Flanders". Huh?
One of the biggest races of the year. A fact of bike racing every one knows; if you ride inches from the spectators, sooner or later you are going to buy it. To call this "destiny" is to say that Sagan was not strong enough to make inroads on the lead Gilbert had using the less desirable cobbles or (probably windier) right gutter, even knowing that Gilbert has to keep this up 'till the finish but Sagan only 'till he catches Gilbert.
The same goes for GVA and Naesen. Following someone making poor choices is leaving destiny in someone else's hands.
I didn't find Steephill until late in the race. Did Gilbert ride the same gutter?
Ben |
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zootracer
Posts:835
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| 04/03/2017 11:14 AM |
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| What happened to Boonen? I read somewhere that he crashed three times, but I can't find his name listed in DNF or anywhere else. |
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zootracer
Posts:835
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| 04/03/2017 11:54 AM |
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| Guess I over looked it. He finished in 37th place. Two mishaps with his chain on two different bikes... |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/03/2017 02:21 PM |
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Looks like it was a spectator' jacket that caused the crash....I thought Sagan clipped the feet of the barrier, but this video seems to indicate it was the jacket.
Regardless, the fault still lies on Sagan....
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sagan-has-final-word-on-tour-of-flanders-crash/ |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/03/2017 03:12 PM |
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Missed the entire thing...out skiing all day.
Few can win Lombardia, Liege and Flanders. There was at some point talk about Cancellara but I always discounted it. Next to impossible for Gilbert to capture the other two monuments (Roubaix and MSR) though so I think this will cap it for him. |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/03/2017 04:53 PM |
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Ben - I wouldn't characterize Sagan's line as poor choice. It was a strategic decision (wind) that backfired. This is top end racing. No risks no rewards. Heck, Gilbert's early attack with a slightly different turn of events might have been labelled poor choice in rearview mirror but it is what it was, a risky attack that turned out beautifully.
Good thing I threw my jacket in mud instead of over fence last year on Kwaremont. That jacket incidentally is now probably being worn by a bum in Paris; that is where I lost it. If you see someone with a jacket reading "Wesburn Soccer" on back...it's mine. |
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