Paris - Roubaix *spoiler*
Comments
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Luckao wrote:Blazing Saddles wrote:frenchfighter wrote:Luckao wrote:frenchfighter wrote:Thor getting 2nd after sucking wheels like most sprinters. Not impressive. Well done Flecha for the attacking mentality.
Did wonder if Flecha's applauding was sarcastic...
That was my thought. Maybe Flecha will say something after although he isn't the outspoken type.
That would be the Flecha who sat on a did squat for 40kms, effectively killing any chase, then attacked the group?
Still, a greater effort than attacking on the last corner.
Who did the majority of the work for the group? Cervelo: Roger Hammond, along with Boonan and Hushovd.
Anyhow, I see Dave is on a rave again. Quelle surprise."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Blimey. Just reading the Roubaix wiki and it says Dirk Demol went on a 222km winning breakaway in 1988 :shock:
Interesting to see who have won Flanders and Roubaix in the same yaer...very few and far between:
Suter ('23), Gijssels ('32), Rebry ('34), Impanis ('54), De Bruyne ('57), van Looy ('62), De Vlaeminck ('77), Van Petegem ('03), Boonen ('05) and Cancellara ('10)
The fastest editions are pretty bloody nuts too: 28mph!!! This year was pretty slow in comparison, 39km/h (I think)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris%E2%8 ... t_editionsContador is the Greatest0 -
frenchfighter wrote:Blimey. Just reading the Roubaix wiki and it says Dirk Demol went on a 222km winning breakaway in 1988 :shock:
Interesting to see who have won Flanders and Roubaix in the same yaer...very few and far between:
Suter ('23), Gijssels ('32), Rebry ('34), Impanis ('54), De Bruyne ('57), van Looy ('62), De Vlaeminck ('77), Van Petegem ('03), Boonen ('05) and Cancellara ('10)
The fastest editions are pretty bloody nuts too: 28mph!!! This year was pretty slow in comparison, 39km/h (I think)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris%E2%8 ... t_editions
Big headwind today though..."In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
Blazing Saddles wrote:Who did the majority of the work for the group? Cervelo: Roger Hammond, along with Boonan and Hushovd.
They did work? Must have missed that bit
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Check out Fabian's bike change at Flanders :shock: :shock: :shock:
Fastest change EVER maybe
http://pavepavepave.blogspot.com/2010/0 ... video.htmlContador is the Greatest0 -
frenchfighter wrote:Check out Fabian's bike change at Flanders :shock: :shock: :shock:
Fastest change EVER maybe
http://pavepavepave.blogspot.com/2010/0 ... video.html
His change today was very well executed too."In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
Cancellara's run was amazing and a wee bit of me feels sorry for Tommeke, he got a right mugging from that chase group. Best bit of irony was Pippo pushing him up for a turn with 25k or so to go.
Saxo did everything absolutely spot on and while Riis can be a bit of a muppet GT times as a ds with the tools he has he's doing a damn good job this year in the classics. Chapeau Fabien, that was the best I've seen in a while.
I just hope the summer of GT's lives up to the Spring classics so far this year0 -
disgruntledgoat wrote:I'll stand by everything I posted above, I don't believe that ride at all. However, i'm not going to argue everyone else in the running at 45km to go is beyod doubt as pure as the driven snow.
It's a shame that nobody was willing to fight to bring him back (Boonen aside) before it was too late. Flecha especially, given the energy he found in the last 15!
I'm with you on this one.
After 200km of cobbles and headwind, he is able to put over 3 minutes on his rivals that are no slouch on races like this. Time trial after 200km? Sure...
Cancellara's ride today was as E.T. as it gets. And I like the guy.0 -
Poor the Hincapie, finished with a bunch of no ones.
I'm in the ET camp, but even with that, I feel most of the chase group fluffed their own chances and were content to try and get rid of Boonen to get 2nd. If Flecha / Thor and Hammond had really applied themselves with Boonen just after Chinny legged it and wasn't a massive amount up I reckon they could've got him back.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
Fabian Cancellara is the top topic in the UK on Twitter at the moment.
WTF? :shock:0 -
It was me who said last week that his effort at Flanders was so good and I hoped it wasnt as good as pretty much all of the great attacks of the past that have turned out to be drug fuelled.
Christ he was strong today - really the man of the moment - the chase group was a bit half hearted though - so no surprise he was putting time into them.
Dont think I saw a single crash on the cobbles today - it was all on the smooth roads - keep away from them !0 -
Well, that was the dullest Paris-Roubaix in years!Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..0
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It was a grand ExploiT - was delighted to see Boonen get 5th ahead of Leukemans and Pozatto who were particular offenders in the wheelsucking stakes.
Such daft tactics - did they really think Cancellara would have been too strong against the group of them? Taking second instead of riding for the win was ludicrous. Naive old me had assumed that Flecha was being sporting but, in retrospect, there could definitely have been some irony there...
Cancellara did a great ride - an almost carbon copy of last Sunday - I just felt the way that the chasing group behaved robbed everyone of a really classic race0 -
Well - not only has he won this race before - but has shown many times in the past (when on form) that he is capable of riding this way. Not sure why it's such a big surprise that he won or even that he won the WAY he won.
I say well done. And I did say after Flanders last week - was anyone willing to bet against him this week!0 -
disgruntledgoat wrote:I'll stand by everything I posted above, I don't believe that ride at all. However, i'm not going to argue everyone else in the running at 45km to go is beyod doubt as pure as the driven snow.
It's a shame that nobody was willing to fight to bring him back (Boonen aside) before it was too late. Flecha especially, given the energy he found in the last 15!
well i think i used the term "is that humanly possible" for his Flanders ride.
...... I think its a different thread thou"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 -
Pokerface wrote:Well - not only has he won this race before - but has shown many times in the past (when on form) that he is capable of riding this way. Not sure why it's such a big surprise that he won or even that he won the WAY he won.
I say well done. And I did say after Flanders last week - was anyone willing to bet against him this week!
I was I thought tactically it would be neutralised with a sizable bunch sprint from upto 10 or so guys...
the problem for Tom was guys like hushovd were not 100% and didn't really get there guys to push the pace to ditch saxo and control the front of the race because they didn't feel that great either... sky did so some credit there thou flecha wasn't prepared to help tow anybody back to cancellara and if he had he would have missed the podium IMO"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 -
Or they could all have got to 10 to go and Flecha could have attacked, Boonen and Cancellara followed and he still ends up on the bottom step of the podium. There are an infinite number of ways it could have played out but, to have sat on Bonnen's wheel and refused to chase because, what? they might have won or they might have been on the podium or they might have missed it altogether? Instead we had settling for 2nd best and no attempt to win the thing. That's just cowardly percentage riding. And then all the ironic handclapping because Hushovd wheelsucked you like you wheelsucked Boonen at the crucial moment of the race? No sympathy for that at all.0
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Looking at the live ticker on Cycling News (which admittedly isn't exactly precision timing), Cancellara did the last 40km in 1 hour 4 minutes and the first 32km of that 40 in 52 minutes. Maybe I'm misguided but I don't see that as particularly 'unbelievable'.Twitter: @RichN950
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Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0
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micron wrote:Or they could all have got to 10 to go and Flecha could have attacked, Boonen and Cancellara followed and he still ends up on the bottom step of the podium. There are an infinite number of ways it could have played out but, to have sat on Bonnen's wheel and refused to chase because, what? they might have won or they might have been on the podium or they might have missed it altogether? Instead we had settling for 2nd best and no attempt to win the thing. That's just cowardly percentage riding. And then all the ironic handclapping because Hushovd wheelsucked you like you wheelsucked Boonen at the crucial moment of the race? No sympathy for that at all.
Can't disagree with that... There's no GC to ride for, it's not an amateur race with license points on the line, it's one of the worlds great one day races and eithe ryou want to win it and believe you can and take it on (witness Cancellara and Boonen), you're working for someone else (Hammond) or you know deep down you cannot do better than top 10 and ride for that (Pippo, Flecha, Hushovd)."In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
Flecha was not sucking Boonen's wheel when Fab went, Boonen was at the back of the bunch having a rest and some drink, it was his fault he missed the break no one elses.micron wrote:Or they could all have got to 10 to go and Flecha could have attacked, Boonen and Cancellara followed and he still ends up on the bottom step of the podium. There are an infinite number of ways it could have played out but, to have sat on Bonnen's wheel and refused to chase because, what? they might have won or they might have been on the podium or they might have missed it altogether? Instead we had settling for 2nd best and no attempt to win the thing. That's just cowardly percentage riding. And then all the ironic handclapping because Hushovd wheelsucked you like you wheelsucked Boonen at the crucial moment of the race? No sympathy for that at all.
I van't believe some of the comments on here when it was a vry good ride by Fab. He attacked at the perfect time.
Boonen attacked many times and was going to tire attacking so many times, Thor and Hammond were hedging thier bets and some of the others looked and probably were knackered so when Fab went, they were beaten psychologically. Why was Boonen so far back from his main opponent wheel when he attacked? He was at least 30m back.
As for Flecha I do not blame him for his tactics as he was never going to compete with the rest in a sprint so think he did what was best for him as he would have ended up last in the bunch !!0 -
micron wrote:Or they could all have got to 10 to go and Flecha could have attacked, Boonen and Cancellara followed and he still ends up on the bottom step of the podium. There are an infinite number of ways it could have played out but, to have sat on Bonnen's wheel and refused to chase because, what? they might have won or they might have been on the podium or they might have missed it altogether? Instead we had settling for 2nd best and no attempt to win the thing. That's just cowardly percentage riding. And then all the ironic handclapping because Hushovd wheelsucked you like you wheelsucked Boonen at the crucial moment of the race? No sympathy for that at all.
fair enough BUT
hard to see how he could have won unless boonen and cancellara cancelled each other out... Boonen burying himself until he was unable to follow cancellara worked against flecha in a way as there was no foil left but himself.. the lesser guys were not helped by Boonen buring himself with repeated attacks from 70k out
I don't really balme anybody for the race as it panned out... the fact is a lot of guys are going to blame each other for why cancellara was allowed to ride off but at the end of the day was anybody flecha included able to hold cancellaras wheel when he went?
even given optimum postioning.... Boonen drifted down the paceline and hoste and hinault were riding off the front signaling Tom was basically spent
KERWAMMMO!
he just rode off and buried them all...
when flecha did attack solo later he hardly made a dent in the gap to cancellara and wasn't able to hold on anyway and this was after cancellara had been soloing for 20km+
replaying the way it panned out its hard to see what anyone could do unless they wished to sacrifice themselves ...the only guy willing to do that was Boonen
there was a lot of sick looking faces suffering in that lead group
the guy was stronger than at Flanders...."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 -
Riis is trying to get Chinny to ride Amstel and LBL as he's got the form.
Chinny ain't convinced.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
Micron isn't talking about when Canc attacked, but the attitude of the chasing group over the next 30kms.
Boonan:
"I'm obviously disappointed. But if Cancellara attacks and I can't follow him that's fair enough. But I'm angry with the other guys. At no time did any of them try to race and some of them, including (Juan Antonio) Flecha, had already resigned themselves to racing for second."
Skyfans must have been watching a different race.
Cancellara to do the hillies? I reckon he could give the AGR a go, but LBL might be a bridge too far."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Blazing Saddles wrote:"I'm obviously disappointed. But if Cancellara attacks and I can't follow him that's fair enough. But I'm angry with the other guys. At no time did any of them try to race and some of them, including (Juan Antonio) Flecha, had already resigned themselves to racing for second."
I think thats right but realistically Flecha et al needed Boonen able to follow... Boonen rode himself out of it and with it everyone elses incentive to ride for anything other than second..
emotionally I get the complaints about the other guys in the group but tactically he neutralised the chase himself!
once cancellara went Flecha's options disappeared as well
the only other option was some sort of deal.. but really that should have been in place and sky did the damage to saxo not QS
they can all look at each other but ATEOFTD he buried them fair and square
I'm a Boonen fan...but there you go."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 -
Dave_1 wrote:he's pulled out such a huge gap in the space of 10 miles back there and then now they are near the finish and mechanicals can't affect his win so the DS has said slow back down. I find the dropping time gap a little insulting...ride on Fab
Yeah keep going fab.You got the juice so use it to the max!
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Boonen burying himself until he was unable to follow cancellara worked against flecha in a way as there was no foil left but himself.. the lesser guys were not helped by Boonen buring himself with repeated attacks from 70k out
I'm new to watching this sort of race so I may be missing something obvious, but what are everyone's thoughts on why Boonen attacked so much? I can imagine a few reasons but I don't know which is most likely to be right:
1) he was genuinely hoping to make a solo break and win from 70k out. This seems the most unlikely to me as surely Flanders would have shown him that making it a long-distance time trial versus Cancellara was not the best move.
2) rather than genuinely trying to escape, he was deliberately targeting Cancellara, who would be forced to chase him down each time and therefore not have enough left to attack in the way he did.
3) he was just trying to put the hurt on the rest of the race in general and force a selection, weeding out some competition to see what happened with the side benefit that it would probably be Cancellara who had to chase him down.
From what I've read about the type of rider Boonen is, am I right in thinking he would be most likely to win in either a sprint from a small group (say a dozen or so) or by making a solo break within about the last 5k? If so then option 2) seems most likely to me as his chances of winning are best if at the end he's part of a small-to-medium-sized lead group in which everyone else is knackered. However it still doesn't seem terrifically clever to base a race plan on "Fabian getting tired".
And he seems to have a point about the chase group racing for second, too. Weren't there 3 or 4 in that group who could have beaten Cancellara in a sprint had it stayed together?"We're not holding up traffic. We are traffic."0 -
C'mon, Boonen was always going to moan that the group didn't pull.
Not sure why that should carry much weight.
Cancellara showed that when he is at the top of his game, he is untouchable in the cobbled classics. Totally.
And insinuations of doping?
C'mon guys.
You're just irritated that he made Roubaix an anti-climax.0 -
You probably have it there. Following an attack on the cobbles takes as much out of the chaser as it does the attacker. For one you can't follow wheels as closely as on smooth tarmac, having to lave a gap big enough in order to give you a chance of picking one's way through the potholes and ruts. Also, often it is the chasers who seem to flat when the hammer goes down, as the man in front is able to 'jump' over that potholes he can see coming up ahead, whilst that those behind and hanging on to a wheel for dear life often have no chance of avoiding them.msw wrote:... what are everyone's thoughts on why Boonen attacked so much? I can imagine a few reasons but I don't know which is most likely to be right:
3) he was just trying to put the hurt on the rest of the race in general and force a selection...0
