THE ENECO TOUR!!!!! *Spoiler*

takethehighroad
takethehighroad Posts: 6,819
edited August 2009 in Pro race
It's finally here people!

http://www.rtbf.be/sport/cyclisme/autres-courses/le-prologue-de-leneco-tour-en-direct-48410

The Prologue route is OK, but a bit bland. It could be Rotterdam, or anywhere, Liverpool or Rome...

Chavanel is leader in the clunhouse at the mo.
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Comments

  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Nice find with the video. Prologue's nearly finished, though. Wiggins is off in a couple of minutes:

    4:02:00 PM Turgot, Sebastien
    4:03:00 PM Brard, Florent
    4:04:00 PM Offredo, Johann
    4:05:00 PM Krivtsov, Yuriy
    4:06:00 PM Gavazzi, Francesco
    4:07:00 PM Oroz Ugalde, Juan José
    4:08:00 PM Wiggins, Bradley
    4:09:00 PM Posthuma, Joost
    4:10:00 PM Elijzen, Michiel
    4:11:00 PM Bodrogi, Laszlo
    4:12:00 PM Nibali, Vincenzo
    4:13:00 PM Rasmussen, Alex
    4:14:00 PM Klöden, Andreas
    4:15:00 PM Martin, Tony
    4:16:00 PM Boonen, Tom
    4:17:00 PM Gutierrez Palacios, José Ivan
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Result...

    Chavanel
    Farrar +1s
    Boonen
    Wiggins +2s
    Posthuma
    Nibali +4s

    Interesting union jack helmet that Wiggo had on.
  • bikerZA
    bikerZA Posts: 314
    That's one excited post subject..
    cyclecomparison.com
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    I had a sneaky Boonen might pull his finger out for this.

    Not that it translated to my PTP pick :oops:
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,819
    bikerZA wrote:
    That's one excited post subject..

    It's 'cos I'm so frickin excited!!!
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,252
    Did they finish the prologue on a carpet in a school gym like last year? That was the Eneco wasn't it?
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Inovache
    Inovache Posts: 61
    I'm sure this was on Eurosport last year.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    RichN95 wrote:
    Did they finish the prologue on a carpet in a school gym like last year? That was the Eneco wasn't it?

    Hmm, I remember that, but it wasn't Eneco. No chance of remembering what race it was, though. Maybe De Panne or Dunkirk or something like that.
    Inovache wrote:
    I'm sure this was on Eurosport last year.

    It was. Along with loads of other races that Eurosport don't bother with any more... Gent-Wevelgem, Pais-Vasco, Catalunya, Burgos, even Poland wasn't live. But hey, we had the Tour of Turkey and I'm sure we can look forward to the Tour of Sochi when that gets going :roll:
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,252
    afx237vi wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    Did they finish the prologue on a carpet in a school gym like last year? That was the Eneco wasn't it?

    Hmm, I remember that, but it wasn't Eneco. No chance of remembering what race it was, though. Maybe De Panne or Dunkirk or something like that.

    A cycling encyclopedia as always. :D A little searching shows it was Dunkirk.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Yeah but no encyclopedia in the world can explain why the Four Days of Dunkirk lasts for 6 days! It's one of life's great mysteries.
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,852
    Do I get points for 5th then?

    So how does this tour compare with the Tour of Britain, both in terms of UCI rating and amount of street furniture?
    Half man, Half bike
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Ridgerider wrote:
    Do I get points for 5th then?

    So how does this tour compare with the Tour of Britain, both in terms of UCI rating and amount of street furniture?

    Yes, 2 points for 5th.

    I'd say Eneco has more street furniture, and both races have a roughly equal chance of being led the wrong way out of the neutral zone and into the nearest supermarket carpark. Don't forget the 1st of the Eneco Tour where the peloton got lost and everyone started looking at Rik Verbrugghe because he lived nearby and was the only person who knew where they were.

    Still, at least the roads are properly closed... when the peloton is on the right one.

    Have you finished that patio yet?
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,852
    Done what I can do with the sleepers, waiting for the man who can lay paving like a billiard table to fit us in.

    So do you think people who live in Eneco make fun of the ToB in the same way?

    2 PTP points are 2 points, whatever the race!
    Half man, Half bike
  • drenkrom
    drenkrom Posts: 1,062
    Ridgerider wrote:
    So do you think people who live in Eneco make fun of the ToB in the same way?

    Eneco is a company, not a place (http://corporateuk.eneco.nl). We basically make fun of it because it's a race created out of thin air (well, loosely around the Tour of Benelux) for the original ProTour, bland as all hell, yet immediately granted the highest level license. Kind of like the Eindhoven TTT.

    ToB is a "real" race with history that has had to attract the more popular riders and teams by its achievements alone, not because they were forced to go to keep their license.
  • Sun Dodger
    Sun Dodger Posts: 393
    drenkrom wrote:
    Ridgerider wrote:
    So do you think people who live in Eneco make fun of the ToB in the same way?

    Eneco is a company, not a place (http://corporateuk.eneco.nl). We basically make fun of it because it's a race created out of thin air (well, loosely around the Tour of Benelux) for the original ProTour, bland as all hell, yet immediately granted the highest level license. Kind of like the Eindhoven TTT.

    ToB is a "real" race with history that has had to attract the more popular riders and teams by its achievements alone, not because they were forced to go to keep their license.

    Not sure in what respect Eneco is not a "real" race? At least they bother closing the roads properly for it.

    Though I grant the marshalling has been a wee bit suspect at times....
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,852
    Sun Dodger
    My best friend came over from 'Eneco' at the weekend and brougt me a 09 Rabobank jersey, but I am struggling to find some matching bibshorts in the UK. Can you direct me to any Dutch shops on the internet where I could get some from...?
    Ridge
    Half man, Half bike
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,252
    Ridgerider wrote:
    Sun Dodger
    My best friend came over from 'Eneco' at the weekend and brougt me a 09 Rabobank jersey, but I am struggling to find some matching bibshorts in the UK. Can you direct me to any Dutch shops on the internet where I could get some from...?
    Ridge

    They've got their own shop - not cheap though

    http://shop.rabosport.nl/
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    drenkrom wrote:
    Ridgerider wrote:
    So do you think people who live in Eneco make fun of the ToB in the same way?

    Eneco is a company, not a place (http://corporateuk.eneco.nl). We basically make fun of it because it's a race created out of thin air (well, loosely around the Tour of Benelux) for the original ProTour, bland as all hell, yet immediately granted the highest level license. Kind of like the Eindhoven TTT.

    ToB is a "real" race with history that has had to attract the more popular riders and teams by its achievements alone, not because they were forced to go to keep their license.

    the ToB, with its artificial region-by-region sponsorship (and hence crap course and big transfers) is no more closely related to previous stage races held in the UK than ENECO is to Benelux.

    Ridiculous that either should be considered in the top tier of stage races.
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • Sun Dodger
    Sun Dodger Posts: 393
    RichN95 wrote:
    Ridgerider wrote:
    Sun Dodger
    My best friend came over from 'Eneco' at the weekend and brougt me a 09 Rabobank jersey, but I am struggling to find some matching bibshorts in the UK. Can you direct me to any Dutch shops on the internet where I could get some from...?
    Ridge

    They've got their own shop - not cheap though

    http://shop.rabosport.nl/

    Not much cheaper, and not sure if they take credit cards, but you could try:

    http://www.mammoet.nl/store/catalog/pro ... ts_id/7733
  • deejay
    deejay Posts: 3,138
    afx237vi wrote:
    Yeah but no encyclopedia in the world can explain why the Four Days of Dunkirk lasts for 6 days! It's one of life's great mysteries.

    I was told years ago that the Indoor six's had somthing to do with it "and" the other one that it started out as a 4 jour and just got bigger.
    I seem to remember the UCI took one day off recently but their back to six again.
    Even so that race has more Hills in it than the eneco. (just ask Boardman)
    Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 1972
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Pro tip - on the RTBF stream, if you put your PC clock ahead to 2pm, you can start watching earlier. Dunno why that works, but it does!

    Also, the link changes every day, so click Cyclisme, then the big green Le Cyclisme en Direct icon.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,252
    afx237vi wrote:
    Pro tip - on the RTBF stream, if you put your PC clock ahead to 2pm, you can start watching earlier. Dunno why that works, but it does!

    Also, the link changes every day, so click Cyclisme, then the big green Le Cyclisme en Direct icon.

    An extra hour of the ENECO - what are you, some kind of masochist?
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • ridgerider
    ridgerider Posts: 2,852
    Sun Dodger wrote:
    RichN95 wrote:
    Ridgerider wrote:
    Sun Dodger
    My best friend came over from 'Eneco' at the weekend and brougt me a 09 Rabobank jersey, but I am struggling to find some matching bibshorts in the UK. Can you direct me to any Dutch shops on the internet where I could get some from...?
    Ridge

    They've got their own shop - not cheap though

    http://shop.rabosport.nl/

    Not much cheaper, and not sure if they take credit cards, but you could try:

    http://www.mammoet.nl/store/catalog/pro ... ts_id/7733
    Thanks, the best always costs :lol:
    Half man, Half bike
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    RichN95 wrote:
    afx237vi wrote:
    Pro tip - on the RTBF stream, if you put your PC clock ahead to 2pm, you can start watching earlier. Dunno why that works, but it does!

    Also, the link changes every day, so click Cyclisme, then the big green Le Cyclisme en Direct icon.

    An extra hour of the ENECO - what are you, some kind of masochist?

    Could be worse. Could be listening to U2 or something.

    Eneco Update: Looking pretty mcuh nailed on for a bunch sprint. Five escapees, including my new favourite rider Yuki Arashiro, have 2 minutes with 37 km to go. Garmin and Quick Step are sharing the pacesetting quite evenly.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Chute! Rojas goes down, but he appears to be OK. Luis Pasamontes and Wim Stroetinga also crashed earlier today and both abandoned.

    Typical Belgian racing.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Puncture for Boonen with 9 km to go :roll:

    Arashiro and Maciej Bodnar still out front.
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    Good, easy win for TF. Is Boonen even a sprinter anymore?
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Result:

    Farrar
    Boonen
    EBH
    Brown
    Forster
    Yauheni Hooter

    Seriously huge crash at the finish when Koldo Fernandez took out a Vacansoleil rider (Cooke, I think). Mass pileup with a load of riders going down. Sebastien Turgot's bike is in bits. Kinda hard to figure out who else went down... but there were a lot.
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    So is Renshaw leading out EBH now? How depressing for him!
    ___________________

    Strava is not Zen.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    calvjones wrote:
    So is Renshaw leading out EBH now? How depressing for him!

    Yeah, that was quite surprising. I thought it was Renshaw until the results came on screen. Almost as surprising as an American doing a post-race interview in a foreign language!

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