De Panne stage 1 *spoiler*

afx237vi
afx237vi Posts: 12,630
edited March 2010 in Pro race
Last 10km here now: http://www.vshare.tv/live/258524/DAVE2/1

Millar's made a front group of 16... Bennati there too.

Comments

  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Amorison in the lead, with Eeckhout, Gasparotto and Paolini also in the big group.
  • Philip S
    Philip S Posts: 398
    Millar's doing an awful lot of the work on the front...
  • Philip S
    Philip S Posts: 398
    Presume Millar's got his eye on the overall? He went out the back as soon as the sprint started.
  • stfc1
    stfc1 Posts: 505
    Philip S wrote:
    Millar's doing an awful lot of the work on the front...

    Too much :(
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Chainel wins. Millar seemed happyto lead out the sprint, but got gapped a bit in the end. TT on thursday though, so it was a good move by him. Big gap to the rest of the field... he only has to beat 6 riders.
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,471
    What was Millar doing? He just led them out - may as well have gone for it as he did all the work in the last 2kms. At least the guy in red didn't win after doing nothing towards the end!
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    Pross wrote:
    What was Millar doing? He just led them out - may as well have gone for it as he did all the work in the last 2kms. At least the guy in red didn't win after doing nothing towards the end!

    I'd imagine that if he's going for overall, that he wanted to keep the break moving and away from the chasers and stop them playing cat and mouse.
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  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    Pross wrote:
    What was Millar doing? He just led them out - may as well have gone for it as he did all the work in the last 2kms. At least the guy in red didn't win after doing nothing towards the end!

    He said he's targetting the overall. The other guys in that group are rubbish in the TT.
  • Neil McC
    Neil McC Posts: 625
    Yeah, I'd be surprised if Millar wasn't just thinking about getting them all to the line asap for the overall. 19th onwards were just over 2 minutes behind Millar.
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    edited March 2010
    Bennati can do a decent short tt. Are there time bonuses for the sprinters?

    http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/200 ... s/giro0821
    (Would expect Millar to do better than that normally)
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,471
    Was a good move by him to get in there, didn't have too many chances to see who else was in the lead group, still thought he may have had a go from 1km though as he did all the work anyway.
  • greeny12
    greeny12 Posts: 759
    Yep - Millar knows exactly what he's doing there. Great move for him, just hope he doesn't get on the wrong end of any echelon breaks in the next couple of days. If he stays at the front he'd be a shoo-in to win overall in a TT against today's other breakaway guys.

    Particularly pleased that the Italian wheelsuckers, of whom Paolini was by far the worst, didn't win the sprint.

    Good racing, bit like a mini-classic, probably because Cav's not here this year so Columbia are not killing the racing for a bunch sprint...
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  • greeny12
    greeny12 Posts: 759
    Bennati can do a decent short tt. Are there time bonuses for the sprinters?

    http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/200 ... s/giro0821
    (Would expect Millar to do better than that normally)

    Bennati wasn't in the front group though - t'was another Liquigas wheelsucker...
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  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 21,812
    Somebody mentioned that Westra picked up 3 bonus second somewhere. :?
    If he did, he's 6 seconds up and finished 9 seconds down in Corsica.
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  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,103
    Westra was second to Wiggins in the De Panne TT last year, he's no slouch in a TT. Still, Millar is in a very good position after day one.
  • greeny12
    greeny12 Posts: 759
    Somebody mentioned that Westra picked up 3 bonus second somewhere. :?
    If he did, he's 6 seconds up and finished 9 seconds down in Corsica.

    De Panne TT is twice as long as CI - dunno if that helps Millar but I'd have thought it would?
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  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,471
    How long's the TT? I noticed on the CI that Millar made up all his time on the flat section at the end after being slightly down on the uphill start. I haven't seen any stage information but a slightly longer and flatter route may increase his advantage.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,149
    Pross wrote:
    How long's the TT? I noticed on the CI that Millar made up all his time on the flat section at the end after being slightly down on the uphill start. I haven't seen any stage information but a slightly longer and flatter route may increase his advantage.

    Just over 14km if I remember correctly.
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  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    greeny12 wrote:
    Bennati can do a decent short tt. Are there time bonuses for the sprinters?

    http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/200 ... s/giro0821
    (Would expect Millar to do better than that normally)

    Bennati wasn't in the front group though - t'was another Liquigas wheelsucker...

    Ah, ok, hopefully thats good news for Millar, he's in good form at the moment :)
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,149
    afx237vi wrote:

    He said he's targetting the overall. The other guys in that group are rubbish in the TT.

    Westra is a good TTer. In good form too.
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  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    Another win for BBox, its not just Millar on form at the moment.
    Pross wrote:
    How long's the TT? I noticed on the CI that Millar made up all his time on the flat section at the end after being slightly down on the uphill start. I haven't seen any stage information but a slightly longer and flatter route may increase his advantage.

    http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/kbc-dr ... -hc/stages

    14.75km on thursday to be exact.
  • Cumulonimbus
    Cumulonimbus Posts: 1,730
    Its a windy one tomorrow and the wind will often be a cross wind. Could be an interesting day's racing