Roubaix club run

nick hanson

This years Paris Roubaix was shaping up to be a classic edition.Once the leading three got a decent gap,I was expecting fireworks from Cancellara & Ballan.All we got was a high speed clubrun into the finish.On one occasion,(inside the last couple of K's) Cancellara comes off the front & Ballan goes through to the front.Boonen drops back & even has the cheek to guide Cancellara into 2nd slot with his hand.Talk about giving Boonen it on a plate!!
Were there some back handers going about,or does anyone think favours were owed to QuickStep?
Very poor end to the race

redddraggon

Ballan and Cancellara were both shattered. They had nothing left to attack, if Boonen had attacked in the final few Ks they wouldn't have been able to stick with him anyway.

But Boonen knew that the race was his, if they all got to the velodrome together, so you can understand him not attacking and saving his energy for the sprint he knew he would win.

nick hanson

If the trio only had a handfull of seconds on a chase group,I could understand going like a chaingang,but Ballan & Cancellara had enough energy to build up a three minute plus lead.
I cant imagine for one minute,that knowing I was shattered,just before the velodrome,In Cancellara's position,I would be happy with Boonen pushing me to go in front of him,when I'd just done a turn on the front.With that sort of lead on the next riders,the brakes would have been going on.Why tow the guy to the finish if you are convinced you won't beat him,& no one is in danger of catching you from behind?
Still seems strange

Monty Dog

When you're riding that hard and for that long, you know how the others are feeling by the strength of the 'pull' when they take their turn - to say that Boonen 'bought' the win is disingenious to the others - you might be able to buy a stage victory or minor race, but the value of a P-Rx victory in terms of salary/bonus would be beyond the bounds on any bung. Boonen had the race well read - he knew the others were suffering and with no threat of the following group catching them, then there was no point in going off on his own. The reason that the gap grew to 3 minutes was that Devolder and O'Grady were protecting their team leaders up front, Hoste and Van Summeren were shattered from their earlier attempts and Maskaant was just hanging-on for the ride being in such esteemed company. If you think of the finish as a 'high speed club run' get yourself to Cambronne in June and when you get to Arenberg after 180km ride at 40kph all the way to the finish!

iainf72

Cancellara did try a couple of times to get away earlier but Boonen closed him down easy. Before Boonen gave him the shove you could see he was really suffering. Ultimately what Boonen did had no effect on the race at all.

The strongest guy won.

Reminds me of when Hincapie arrived at the velodrome with Boonen and people berated him for not trying to attack and he said something like "I physically couldn't do it"

nick hanson

iainf72 wrote:

Cancellara did try a couple of times to get away earlier but Boonen closed him down easy. Before Boonen gave him the shove you could see he was really suffering. Ultimately what Boonen did had no effect on the race at all.

The strongest guy won.

Reminds me of when Hincapie arrived at the velodrome with Boonen and people berated him for not trying to attack and he said something like "I physically couldn't do it"

I do also believe the strongest guy won,just a bit puzzled as to why,once they had built a decent lead,that the other two bothered to continue to work with/for Boonen when they were so sure he would beat them in a sprint.
Just saying they might as well have sat on him & had some recovery if they were so shattered.After all,they're not his domestiques

redddraggon

nick hanson wrote:

I do also believe the strongest guy won,just a bit puzzled as to why,once they had built a decent lead,that the other two bothered to continue to work with/for Boonen when they were so sure he would beat them in a sprint.
Just saying they might as well have sat on him & had some recovery if they were so shattered.After all,they're not his domestiques

If they had just sat up and not worked I doubt it would have bothered him, he would likely have won the sprint if he'd got to the velodrome in the leading group (whoever it contained).

It's easy saying what they should have done when you are sitting in the comfort of your computer, rather than at the end of a 260Km race.

LangerDan

Easier to work at a steady pace and with a strong rider than to sit-up, let Bonnen p!ss off up the road anyway and then have to work with another tiring rider to try and keep ahead of the others to keep your podium place.

Boonen's little push of Cancellara was probably a combination of things - a friendly gesture from a decent rider plus probably a little of Race Psychology 101 "I'm so strong I can push you"

Regarding Cancellara and Ballan sitting in and "recovering" - did you read the interview with Marc Madiot in CycleSport? He made a point of the fact that in P-R, you just don't ride though a bad patch and come good again. The race is so strenuous that when you're stuffed, you're stuffed.

nick hanson

LangerDan wrote:

Regarding Cancellara and Ballan sitting in and "recovering" - did you read the interview with Marc Madiot in CycleSport? He made a point of the fact that in P-R, you just don't ride though a bad patch and come good again. The race is so strenuous that when you're stuffed, you're stuffed.

My point exactly.If they were so stuffed,they wouldn't have been able to keep working,& gain 3 plus minutes.
I'm not saying that the best man on the day didn't win,because patently he did.My thoughts were (and still are,after seeing the replay yesterday) that Cancellara & Ballan were content to race for second place

OffTheBackAdam

So, you're in a break of three, in what's arguably the most desirable classic to win. It's highly likely that you're going to be fighting for second place. Does this mean that you're going to sit up, possibly get caught by a chasing bunch and firstly, come not 2nd or 3rd, but say 10th or 11th (Or 4th, the worst position possible?) then secondly, completely piss-off the chap who knew he'd win if there were the three of you, but didn't because you wouldn't work with him? That would be forgotten very quickly and him & his team wouyldn't hold a grudge against you would they?
Ballan and Cancellara tried to put in attacks, Boonen got them back fairly easily, he also attacked and they got back up to him. I'd suggest that they all knew that one of them couldn't get away, there's always the chance of a puncture, other mechanical or a fall on the penultimate stretch of pave too.

Bronzie

Still, gotta say the last 20km (the only bit I actually got to see) was a bit of an anti-climax this year. Not enough mud if you ask me.

Saw them roll through the infamous level crossing with 10km to go and I did think "Even the SNCF aren't going to stop Boonen winning this one" :P