Is it true...
Comments
-
I assume you mean Edvald Boasson Hagen. I think I read recently that Merckx said something along the lines of EBH reminding him of himself when he was that age, or maybe it was someone else...
I wonder if it is also true that Pippo could have paid off his rivals in the Italian National Champs so that he gets to wear the white kit all year round...I would imagine he would fine the regular kit rather average.Contador is the Greatest0 -
-
Jeez Ed's looked better .... who said that, internet forum people ?0 -
To answer the question, yes it's true. :roll:
At the same age, Merckx had won the amateur world road race title, Milan-San Remo twice, Fleche Wallone and the professional world road race title, amongst other races.
Personally I think EBH will be a good rider but he's no Eddy Merckx.0 -
iainf72 wrote:That the new Procycling features Biggles-Holden on the cover saying he's the next Merckx?
Obviously not Biggles suggesting it himself as he probably thinks Merckx is a pharma company.
What do you want the front page to say? EBH - he's got some talent but we'll wait and see?
That's going to shift copies, isn't it?
This isn't the first time, but you have a really naive view of what the media are doing and what their needs are. Some of you so wet behind the ears that you take everything in the media at face value.Twitter: @RichN950 -
RichN95 wrote:
This isn't the first time, but you have a really naive view of what the media are doing and what their needs are. Some of you so wet behind the ears that you take everything in the media at face value.
I know what they're needs are (well, sort of, I'm obviously not a media demi-god like you). When have you known me to take anything at face value. If I took things at face value, wouldn't I think EBH and his team were wonderful?
No problem with EBH being on the cover of a magazine but just wondering how long this Merckx thing will carry on for.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
The actual line they use is;
"Is Edvald Boasson Hagen the best rider since Eddy Merckx?"
So they are not actually saying he is Merckx. The article compares him to Cancellara, which is probably a fairer comparison.To be fair to EBH he seems very modest about what he might achieve in the sport.
Nicole Cooke and Tyler Farrar also named on the cover. Some sort of ginger minger issue.0 -
It would have be been far more accurate if the headline had read;
"Is Edvald Boasson Hagen the best rider since Laurent Jalabert*'.
*but without the drugs
As for RichN95's comments. :roll: Do you actually read anything Iain ever posts?0 -
The Prodigy wrote:The actual line they use is;
"Is Edvald Boasson Hagen the best rider since Eddy Merckx?"
Cheers. That's a bit better.
I think EBH is a good rider, obviously talented, but I just don't see what he's done to make folks think he's some kind of Merckx. And it's not just like it's one or two people, there is a collective hysteria
Seems he suffers from a dicky stomachand they've been controlling his diet.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
One interesting theme in the background is that with the reduction in doping - you just can't manipulate your blood so easily these days - riders are once again becoming competitive all year round. And no longer can riders use extended training blocks to load up discreetly on hormones of all kinds, the whereabouts system has killed this method. Not that the sport is all clean, just that the anti-doping brigade have upped their game a lot.
But that aside, rememeber the likes of Merckx and Hinault would race all year, taking wins from February to October, including April classics, the smaller tours in May and June, the Worlds in August and then the late season classics. I just can't see a rider doing this.
Plus, could a rider win all three jerseys in the Tour, sprint to stage wins on the flat and then win mountain stages, plus points? Because Merckx did things like that. Today a rider has to choose, to be a certain body-type etc. Hinault was probably the last rider to ride with this "have it all" style.0 -
I can understand why people are getting excited about EBH when you look at his achievements and his age. He also seems to be a similar sort of all-rounder as Merckx. Headlines like this neither surprise me nor bother me.0
-
iainf72 wrote:I think EBH is a good rider, obviously talented, but I just don't see what he's done to make folks think he's some kind of Merckx. And it's not just like it's one or two people, there is a collective hysteria
Seems he suffers from a dicky stomachand they've been controlling his diet.
Oh Jebus - I bet Father Vaughters Blackberry has just gone off at that news. "Oh, another wounded lamb for my flock"'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'0 -
iainf72 wrote:The Prodigy wrote:The actual line they use is;
"Is Edvald Boasson Hagen the best rider since Eddy Merckx?"
Cheers. That's a bit better.
I think EBH is a good rider, obviously talented, but I just don't see what he's done to make folks think he's some kind of Merckx. And it's not just like it's one or two people, there is a collective hysteria
Seems he suffers from a dicky stomachand they've been controlling his diet.
There's a good answer to that in the article you linked.
"At 22 years of age he already has a palmares that many professionals will never achieve, so for Boasson Hagen, he can relax...in twelve years time he'll be Freire's age, so to say time is on his side would be, to put it mildly, an understatement."0 -
In 2 years time will the cover be 'Peter Sagan - is he the new EBH'
His P-N showing aged 20 was as impressive as winning the Tour of Britain a couple of times
0 -
It's possible that Boasson-Hagen is as physically talented as Merckx was, that his physical potential is as great. unlikely, but possible. But even if that were the case, I thinkt he chance that any team would let a rider have the schedule that Merckx did is ZERO. There's no way anyone would have the ability to try and win so many classics, grand tours, 1-week races, etc. Also, I think even merckx would have trouble winning as much today simmply because the general talent is higher (I mean the level of the average riders) so it's much harder for one rider to make as big of a difference and ride away from the group. it's still possible but harder.
I think the difference between the great riders today and the average riders today is less than than the difference was between the great and average in Merckx's day.0 -
Is it ture Cancellara said he would ride away from the bunch in the last 2km of MSR 08?
Merckx won MSR seven times.
Oscar on EBH"Boasson Hagen is very strong and has already won some good races but you've got to open your eyes and really try and understand racing. Myself, Boonen and other riders didn’t contest the final sprint at Tirreno. He [Boasson Hagen] is a great rider but the important race was today, when everybody would be going for it, including riders who weren't at Tirreno. For sure, the younger generation is coming, but there are still old riders like me around."Contador is the Greatest0 -
frenchfighter wrote:Oscar on EBH"Boasson Hagen is very strong and has already won some good races but you've got to open your eyes and really try and understand racing. Myself, Boonen and other riders didn’t contest the final sprint at Tirreno. He [Boasson Hagen] is a great rider but the important race was today, when everybody would be going for it, including riders who weren't at Tirreno. For sure, the younger generation is coming, but there are still old riders like me around."
Interesting quote from Oscar. It's along the lines of "you've got a lot to learn sonny".
It's funny how people see things differently - I look at EBH's palmares from last year and see 2 good wins in important races (GW and Giro) and then a pile of victories in lesser stage races. And if you look at the results of MSR / PR / Ronde / random Belgium semi-classic's he was basically nowhere.
Surely for Flanders and Roubaix Flecha must be the man for Sky?Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
You'd think so. Ride for Flecha and give EBH a free role to see how he does.
I think he'll be a good, maybe even great, classics rider as he has that explosiveness that you need to excel in the classics, but he needs to learn how to race them and that usually takes time.0
