Paris-Roubaix *spoiler*
Comments
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neeb wrote:I've only been watching racing for a couple of years so I've still got some things to learn. HUGELY enjoyed Paris-Roubaix yesterday, helped by placing a couple of small bets (a fiver on Devolder to win and a fiver each way on Haussler). Didn't work out, but it was worth it for the added involvement. Anyway, I've got a question for those of you with more knowledge and experience. Sorry if this is daft / obvious. When Boonen, Hushovd, and the other three went off the front, did Haussler not follow because he couldn't, or because he was working for the team and content to let the breakaway go as long as Hushovd was there? Haussler seemed so strong up until that point, especially when he attacked in the Arnberg forest, I really thought I might have been in with a chance with my 18:1 bet!
From what I saw and read I think Haussler was too far back in the group when the final selection was made when Boonen attacked. Haussler had too much ground to make up by the time the 6 leaders had broken off. Just a case of bad positioning.Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
Haussler won't admit it, but he was probably spent - he went too hard in the Arenberg and probably paid the consequence. Strong riders stick near the front in case of crashes and to cover breaks. Any rider would want a team mate in the front too, to increase the law of averages for victory. P-Rx is quite unique in that it does come down to the strongest riders in the end - the parcours is so tough - by the time you hit Carrefour, your legs, wrists, hands and backside are pretty painful. Boonen was majestic in the way that he took the race to the others - he attacked on the hardest sectors and was on first or second wheel to make sure he stayed away from trouble.Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
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I'm not a massive Pozzato fan either but it makes a difference been part of the strongest team in the race and having to ride it completely without any help from team mates . It also makes a difference getting a bit of shelter from motorbikes when you are riding alone as well .The UCI are Clowns and Fools0
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Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0
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Haussler was saying beforehand that his form was on the wane and he would devote himself to the team as he didn't think he could win. I presume his pace setting in the Arenberg was part of this.
It looked like Cervelo were working for Hushovd for most of the race.0 -
iainf72 wrote:
Excellent use of the term "spazzy"
The voice is a mixture of Lloyd Grossman & Seth MacFarlane, methinks.
Hoste was pretty good with that Flemish flag in his back wheel a couple of years ago, to be fair.0 -
Monty Dog wrote:Haussler won't admit it, but he was probably spent - he went too hard in the Arenberg and probably paid the consequence. Strong riders stick near the front in case of crashes and to cover breaks. Any rider would want a team mate in the front too, to increase the law of averages for victory. P-Rx is quite unique in that it does come down to the strongest riders in the end - the parcours is so tough - by the time you hit Carrefour, your legs, wrists, hands and backside are pretty painful. Boonen was majestic in the way that he took the race to the others - he attacked on the hardest sectors and was on first or second wheel to make sure he stayed away from trouble.
sometimes luck plays too big a role for my liking in the cobbled classics..from what I read Thor could have had it...grand tours at least offer another day unlike PR..Boonen will go quiet and I predict he'll be eclipsed by Cav the rest of the year...he's no superhero or rolemodel0 -
People make mistakes like Thor's when they're on the limit. We all know to win Paris-Roubaix you need good bike handling skills.
It wasn't luck that brought Hushovd down, it was him trying to go round a corner too fast. It also wasn't for nothing that Boonen passed Hushovd just before that corner. He always tried to ride as close to the front as possible on the cobbles and that's why!
As for Silence-Lotto - having both riders at 5th and 6th position (or was it 4th and 5th?), on approach to one of the toughest sections is asking for trouble.Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
Dave_1 wrote:Boonen will go quiet and I predict he'll be eclipsed by Cav the rest of the year...he's no superhero or rolemodel
I don't think he cares too much. He knows that age isn't on his side, and that's inevitably going to take some of his speed away. He's going for a Museeuw career rather than a Cippo career. He's a classics man foremost, sprinting comes second.
He said so himself in an interveiw a wihle back when he won green in the tour - he said it sitll ranked slightly lower to him than de ronde, the worlds and paris-roubaix.
Edit: Museeuw apparantly agrees for those who read Dutch
http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza.be/wielr ... ver_boonen Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
teagar wrote:Dave_1 wrote:Boonen will go quiet and I predict he'll be eclipsed by Cav the rest of the year...he's no superhero or rolemodel
I don't think he cares too much. He knows that age isn't on his side, and that's inevitably going to take some of his speed away. He's going for a Museeuw career rather than a Cippo career. He's a classics man foremost, sprinting comes second.
He said so himself in an interveiw a wihle back when he won green in the tour - he said it sitll ranked slightly lower to him than de ronde, the worlds and paris-roubaix.
Edit: Museeuw apparantly agrees for those who read Dutchhttp://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza.be/wielr ... ver_boonen
ah Boonen rode on the same team as blood doper Musseuw so that means...Boonen must surely have been doping too by the bike radar kangaroo court that LA is subject too...how can anyone be happy with a Boonen win? 
pro race section...the home of double standards? 0 -
Just before Hushhovd fell, Boonen took over cause Thor couldn't keep up the pace, he slowed down a lot hence Boonen taking over to up the pace again (Boonen said that in an interview). The pace was too high for Thor as you saw him loosing a bit of ground and going in overdrive. If you're that fatigued you make mistakes, just like hincapie did when he rode with Boonen after Museeuw.
Boonen had a lot of bad luck too, he fell in the beginning of the race and his left leg was hurting like mad the entire day. Also he was riding with a bike that was fubar for over 30km and then changed.
The most important thing in PR is making sure you're riding upfront to avoid crashes from riders in front of you. Boonen did that on all dangerous sections, and that's what champions can do. A well deserved win for Boonen, he's the king of the cobbles
I would have been gutted if anybody else won PR tbh, Boonen made the entire race and worked like mad, more then any other of the favorites.
Well deserved and on to becoming the recordholder for PR
Also, many of you think Hushhovd is faster then Boonen but i tend to disagree, Boonen has beaten Thor many times and in general he should be a bit faster then Thor. He was also more fit then Thor + if you ride away a minute from him it means Tom was still more fresh then Thor. The only one that's really too fast for Boonen is Cavendish, but well, he's really far ahead of the rest.0 -
it was a proper race and the right guy won"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0
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Watched it on video yesterday when we got back off holiday. I thought it was a good race and the right man won - agree that Boonen would probably have beaten Hushovd in a straight fight - he normally has the legs on him in a bunch sprint let alone at the end of Paris Roubaix. Shame the crash robbed us of some excitement in the last 10k but that's bike racing.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
I thought Thor looked strong enough. In the post-race interview he clearly thought he had the legs, and attributed the crash to his wrist, which he injured in Flanders.0
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Tom Butcher wrote:Watched it on video yesterday when we got back off holiday. I thought it was a good race and the right man won - agree that Boonen would probably have beaten Hushovd in a straight fight - he normally has the legs on him in a bunch sprint let alone at the end of Paris Roubaix. Shame the crash robbed us of some excitement in the last 10k but that's bike racing.
Hmm, I dunno. Don't forget Boonen was beaten by Pozzato at the E3 Prijs, and Hushovd won the sprint at Het Volk whereas Boonen only managed 10th.
In the past Boonen would have had the edge, but on current sprinting form? I would have bet on Hushovd.0 -
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0
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TakeTheHighRoad wrote:This is what a cycling forum should be like, talking about the racing, and how certain tactics worked or not.
Much better than squabbling over Texans or wondering who's juiced.
Why are you bringing him into it? Dan0 -
afx237vi wrote:Tom Butcher wrote:g.
Hmm, I dunno. Don't forget Boonen was beaten by Pozzato at the E3 Prijs, and Hushovd won the sprint at Het Volk whereas Boonen only managed 10th.
In the past Boonen would have had the edge, but on current sprinting form? I would have bet on Hushovd.
Boonen was badly positioned and found himself overgeared in that sprint. Anyway, he seemed to have enough in the tank to a) keep the bike upright and b) continue to pull alway from Hushovd+Hoste+Avermart even after the crash.
This is the first race over 210km where Hushovd has really shown himself, and even then he was too tired to keep it upright. I'd have bet on Boonen any day! (Then again, I am a big fan).Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
Dave_1 wrote:
ah Boonen rode on the same team as blood doper Musseuw so that means...Boonen must surely have been doping too by the bike radar kangaroo court that LA is subject too...how can anyone be happy with a Boonen win? pro race section...the home of double standards?
*yawn*. This thread has nothing to do with doping? Musseuw doped at the end of his career. That doesn't mean he's not allowed to have authority on a race which prior to his doping he dominated himself?
Stop looking for arguments about Lance! Paris-Roubaix has nothing to do with Lance, nor will it ever.Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
afx237vi wrote:Tom Butcher wrote:Watched it on video yesterday when we got back off holiday. I thought it was a good race and the right man won - agree that Boonen would probably have beaten Hushovd in a straight fight - he normally has the legs on him in a bunch sprint let alone at the end of Paris Roubaix. Shame the crash robbed us of some excitement in the last 10k but that's bike racing.
Hmm, I dunno. Don't forget Boonen was beaten by Pozzato at the E3 Prijs, and Hushovd won the sprint at Het Volk whereas Boonen only managed 10th.
In the past Boonen would have had the edge, but on current sprinting form? I would have bet on Hushovd.
Boonen hasn't bothered sprinting a lot cause he doesn't want to take the risk to fall prior to the tour of flanders and PR, that are the races he cares about. What happened in the E3 prijs whas that his gear was broken, so he couldn't change in to his gear for sprinting. In the omloop, there was a crash and boonen had to break or he would have gone down aswell. In pure head to head sprints Boonen has pretty much all the time beaten Hushhovd. And he probably would have done so in PR, espescially since he was more fresh then Hushovd. Hushovd lost over a minute on Boonen, says enough imo.0 -
zormik wrote:Boonen hasn't bothered sprinting a lot cause he doesn't want to take the risk to fall prior to the tour of flanders and PR, that are the races he cares about. What happened in the E3 prijs whas that his gear was broken, so he couldn't change in to his gear for sprinting. In the omloop, there was a crash and boonen had to break or he would have gone down aswell. In pure head to head sprints Boonen has pretty much all the time beaten Hushhovd. And he probably would have done so in PR, espescially since he was more fresh then Hushovd. Hushovd lost over a minute on Boonen, says enough imo.
Hushovd lost over a minute because he crashed and then got stuck towing the Chuckle Brothers from Silence-Lotto. He was looking good up until that point.0 -
afx237vi wrote:
Hushovd lost over a minute because he crashed and then got stuck towing the Chuckle Brothers from Silence-Lotto. He was looking good up until that point.
...he went into the red and overcooked the corner..
it was pretty cool he actually attacked hard from 16km out... IE he wasn't banking on the velodrome finish.."If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
afx237vi wrote:
Hushovd lost over a minute because he crashed and then got stuck towing the Chuckle Brothers from Silence-Lotto. He was looking good up until that point.
He shared the work with the Lotto boys. Avermaet was doing a lot of pulling, since Lotto had two guys in that group!Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
teagar wrote:afx237vi wrote:
Hushovd lost over a minute because he crashed and then got stuck towing the Chuckle Brothers from Silence-Lotto. He was looking good up until that point.
He shared the work with the Lotto boys. Avermaet was doing a lot of pulling, since Lotto had two guys in that group!
You mean Vansummeren. Maybe he took some turns, he seems like a good worker (and a good all-rounder )
However, I flat-out refuse to believe Hoste did anything. That guy would get a nosebleed if he ever went to front end of a bike race. I think he must be agoraphobic or something.0 -
Yeah, sorry.
Why would Hoste need to, if Vansummeren was?
My point is, even with a combined effort, Boonen still put decent time into them.
He clearly had more in the tank than Hushovd, crash aside. He said it himself in that interview on bikeradar.... 8)Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.0 -
teagar wrote:Yeah, sorry.
Why would Hoste need to, if Vansummeren was?
My point is, even with a combined effort, Boonen still put decent time into them.
He clearly had more in the tank than Hushovd, crash aside. He said it himself in that interview on bikeradar.... 8)
Because 3 sets of legs are better than 2, and presumably he actually wanted to win. Although with Hoste you can never be certain... he's always there at the end of Flanders/Roubaix, but he never actually does anything (apart from crash or get flags stuck in his wheel). It's harsh, but he annoys me.
My final assessment: Boonen was clearly the strongest and cleverest rider and he deserves his win. I hope he goes on to equal and maybe even beat De Vlaemick's record. That said, if the six had stayed together, I don't think the result would have been a foregone conclusion in his favour. He might have won it, he might not; at the end of the day, we'll never find out.0 -
afx237vi wrote:teagar wrote:Yeah, sorry.
Why would Hoste need to, if Vansummeren was?
My point is, even with a combined effort, Boonen still put decent time into them.
He clearly had more in the tank than Hushovd, crash aside. He said it himself in that interview on bikeradar.... 8)
Because 3 sets of legs are better than 2, and presumably he actually wanted to win. Although with Hoste you can never be certain... he's always there at the end of Flanders/Roubaix, but he never actually does anything (apart from crash or get flags stuck in his wheel). It's harsh, but he annoys me.
My final assessment: Boonen was clearly the strongest and cleverest rider and he deserves his win. I hope he goes on to equal and maybe even beat De Vlaemick's record. That said, if the six had stayed together, I don't think the result would have been a foregone conclusion in his favour. He might have won it, he might not; at the end of the day, we'll never find out.
the thor has a chance at this race but hoste is underpowered.... ever so slightly 2nd rate
feel slightly sorry for him... but i don't think he is ever going to crack it"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Van Summeren won't put up with Hoste next year. He'll be back next year as a captain. Definitely a potential Flanders or Roubaix champion.
I agree with the monkey. Hoste is just shy of quality and has the wrong attitude.It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.0 -
Anyone know if ITV4 are gonna show highlights this year?Usquequaque in Ventus
Just once I would like to be called "Sir", without someone adding "You\'re making a scene".0
