Men's Road Race *SPOILER*

afx237vi

frenchfighter wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

MSR is a race that sprinters sometimes win, and sometimes don't.

9 out of the last 10 were won by sprinters.

Pozzato is not a sprinter. Neither is Cancellara. So that's 2 out of the last 4 not won by sprinters. But as redddragon rightly points out: so what?

A race is a race. 200 people enter, there is no rule to say who can or can't win. If a race is exciting, who cares what type of rider wins?

frenchfighter

iainf72 wrote:

Since Madrid the Worlds haven't been won by a "sprinter" - Agreed? They've been tough, selective courses which tended to favour a rouler / hilly classics man, agreed?

I originally said the last ten years, so we would have to go from then.

I would agree with you if you wouldn't consider Bettini and Freire sprinters. Maybe the point of contention is what we would each consider a sprinter. I don't exclusively mean someone like Griepel.

iainf72

frenchfighter wrote:

If the parcours was hard enough that the sprinters had no chance of getting to the finish such as in a mountain stage or a stage like this year's Worlds then it isn't a sprinter's race.

So, no "sprinters" in the top 20 last year, for example?

However this year Friere managed to come in 15'th.

I can't even believe I'm bothering with this - You must be the only person on earth who thinks the 06 / 07 and 08 Worlds were sprinters races.

disgruntledgoat

Glad we've sorted that... Roubaix: Sprinters race, Flanders:Sprinters race, everything not on a mountaintop finish: sprinters race.

iainf72

frenchfighter wrote:

I would agree with you if you wouldn't consider Bettini and Freire sprinters. Maybe the point of contention is what we would each consider a sprinter. I don't exclusively mean someone like Griepel.

Bettini wasn't a sprinter. He had a fierce sprint on him but I don't think you could call him a sprinter. Same as Valverde or Cunego. Good sprint on 'em but not a "sprinter" in a Cavendish mould.

frenchfighter

So how is Zabel able to come in 2nd?

I am not saying they ALL are pure sprinters races, I am saying they could be GENERALISED as sprinters races in the last 10 years or so.

frenchfighter

Also add McEwen and Boonen to top ten in 2006.

Pokerface

I'm confused. Was Bettini a sprinter? Is Ballan a sprinter? Isn't Freire an all-rounder?

And in the year's when a "sprinter" won - like Boonen in 2005 - how can you say it's a sprinter's race when Valverde came second? In fact - Valverde has come second twice to "sprinters" - does that make HIM a sprinter too?


Can someone please explain?

redddraggon

Why do you like such pointless arguments FF?

What you are arguing this time really is a bit silly.

disgruntledgoat

Hinault won from bunch sprints... does that mean everything he won was a sprinters race?

Anonymous

Paris-Roubaix is a sprinter's race. Tom Boonen has won it 3 times.

frenchfighter

Ok, tell me what you would categorise the Worlds as?

redddraggon

frenchfighter wrote:

Ok, tell me what you would categorise the Worlds as?

It's the "Worlds", it's different every year, because the course is different every year.

disgruntledgoat

frenchfighter wrote:

Ok, tell me what you would categorise the Worlds as?

A generally excellent one day race, run over varying courses suiting different types of riders in any given year.

Why put it in a box?

jimycooper

surely a sprinters race is a race that finishes in a bunch sprint?

afx237vi

frenchfighter wrote:

Ok, tell me what you would categorise the Worlds as?

Why does it need to be categorised as anything?!

frenchfighter

Let me re-phrase that question. What would you consider a sprinters race to be?

redddraggon

frenchfighter wrote:

Let me re-phrase that question. What would you consider a sprinters race to be?

A sprinters race is one which the sprinters teams are up for.

andyp

Paris-Tours.

disgruntledgoat

frenchfighter wrote:

Let me re-phrase that question. What would you consider a sprinters race to be?

Champs elysee every year, any of those 1st week of a grand tour stages 150-180km long, 1 or 2 4th cat climbs flat run in. The length of an MSR or Worlds makes them a greater challenge.

Anonymous

frenchfighter wrote:

Let me re-phrase that question. What would you consider a sprinters race to be?

One that ends in a bunch sprint, where designated sprinters are led out by their team mates...

Pokerface

Any pan-flat stage of a GT where the break gets pulled in before the finish.

frenchfighter

redddraggon wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Let me re-phrase that question. What would you consider a sprinters race to be?

A sprinters race is one which the sprinters teams are up for.

By this logic every race is a sprinters race: 'a sprinters team' (how vague is this) can be loosely defined as a team with a sprinter, and as every race will include at least one team that has a sprinter, it follows that all races are sprinters races.

I think you need to be more precise.

andyp

It's like arguing with a three year old.

afx237vi

frenchfighter wrote:

redddraggon wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Let me re-phrase that question. What would you consider a sprinters race to be?

A sprinters race is one which the sprinters teams are up for.

By this logic every race is a sprinters race: 'a sprinters team' (how vague is this) can be loosely defined as a team with a sprinter, and as every race will include at least one team that has a sprinter, it follows that all races are sprinters races.

I think you need to be more precise.

You're the one banging on about "sprinters races". Everyone else just watches "races".

I wouldn't call Paris-Tours a sprinters race either, btw.

Anonymous

frenchfighter wrote:

redddraggon wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Let me re-phrase that question. What would you consider a sprinters race to be?

A sprinters race is one which the sprinters teams are up for.

By this logic every race is a sprinters race: 'a sprinters team' (how vague is this) can be loosely defined as a team with a sprinter, and as every race will include at least one team that has a sprinter, it follows that all races are sprinters races.

I think you need to be more precise.

redddraggon

frenchfighter wrote:

redddraggon wrote:

frenchfighter wrote:

Let me re-phrase that question. What would you consider a sprinters race to be?

A sprinters race is one which the sprinters teams are up for.

By this logic every race is a sprinters race: 'a sprinters team' (how vague is this) can be loosely defined as a team with a sprinter, and as every race will include at least one team that has a sprinter, it follows that all races are sprinters races.

I think you need to be more precise.

Nah I don't need to be more precise. I'm going to take my own advice:

frenchfighter

I think the contention lies in what I consider to be a sprinters race, which is one that could potentially be won by a sprinter, who in turn I consider to be someone who has mostly sprint wins to their palmares.

I think I will leave it here, we can agree to differ and move on to other discussions. At the end of the day, whether I consider the Worlds typically a sprinters race shouldn't bother you enough to create page after page of discussion.

blazing_saddles

If, in 2008, there weren't enough riders left to contest this, "sprinter's race", then it wasn't a sprinter's race, but a war of attrition.
Ergo, the world's aren't a bleeding sprinter's race, but a strongman/alrounder's race.

Gent-Wevelgem or KBL may be sprinter's races, but I'm pretty sure Flanders and Het Volk aren't.
Sprinters......strong alrounders......

RichN95.

The Keirin - that's a sprinter's race