Amstel Gold *spoiler*
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TailWindHome wrote:How did Deignan and Roche get on?
44th and 59th respectively, about 2 1/2 minutes back'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'0 -
dougzz wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:
Given that he still won, you have to think Gilbert did race smart. He chased enough since no-one else would, but timed well enough that he wasn't burried before he got to the Cauberg.
I meant more generally, rather than today. His effort in the Ronde a couple of weeks ago for example. Another race last year that escapes me (uselessly vague I know), I remember thinking at the time he's strong but it seems too early. Sean Kelly in the Eurosport commentary was saying he thought Gilbert was doing too much work today.
I think he judges his limitations and strengths very well, he's not going to win a flat sprint against a lot of riders, so at Flanders (& the Worlds) he has to try to attack a few km out and stay away, today I thought he judged it very well.0 -
Rick Chasey wrote:dougzz wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:
Given that he still won, you have to think Gilbert did race smart. He chased enough since no-one else would, but timed well enough that he wasn't burried before he got to the Cauberg.
I meant more generally, rather than today. His effort in the Ronde a couple of weeks ago for example. Another race last year that escapes me (uselessly vague I know), I remember thinking at the time he's strong but it seems too early. Sean Kelly in the Eurosport commentary was saying he thought Gilbert was doing too much work today.
Sean's a little keen on sitting in the bunch though. He's a Freire type when it comes to tactics (prepare to lose in order to win). I remember he's quite scathing of those riders like Brut ALWAYS go into breaks where they'll never win on those sprinter fest stages.
Maybe that's why he never won Flanders
A cheap shot at Sean Kelly if i ever heard one. - NO he never won flanders but for a guy who's the 4th best cyclist of all time am sure he didnt need you to tell him how to win a race.0 -
Shame to see Cancellara taken out by Frank (Spencer) Schleck's invisible bicycle stabilisers; Cancellara and F.Schelck's riding are like chalk and cheese.
I remember an interview in Procycling once where Frank was being near a swimming pool and he managed to fall in the pool whilst being interviewed. :roll:
Nice work by Gilbert; Omega Pharma Lotto only need him and Van den Broeck for these races; the rest of tehe Team can have a day off.
-Jerry“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”- Albert Einstein
"You can't ride the Tour de France on mineral water."
-Jacques Anquetil0 -
Did Schleck take out Cancellara - looked more like Cancellara crashed in front of Schleck to me but I haven't gone back over the video.
What should Rabo have done ? 3 in the front group but nobody on the podium. Getting Gilbert to work was the right tactic if they had someone there to finish it off - he was so strong that there was no point in taking him to the line even if it turned out he was strong enough to do the work and finish it off. They must be regretting not sending one of their riders off the front of that group earlier but it's easy with hindsight.
Comparing Kelly's tactics to Friere isn't an insult - Friere's palmares stands comparison with Boonen and Cancellara - though obviously Kelly's is better than the lot of them.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
The same security guard was being an officious tw@t last year. Gilbert's teammate tried to come over and congratulate him but was blocked from the fenced off area. Gilbert had to come over and physically move his arm out of the way...ddraver wrote:Security guards not letting his Soigneur get to him...hee hee"Difficult, difficult, lemon difficult"0 -
Yes, he clipped the back wheel of Cancellara's bike with his front wheel and brought him down before going over the top.Tom Butcher wrote:Did Schleck take out Cancellara - looked more like Cancellara crashed in front of Schleck to me but I haven't gone back over the video.0 -
peterst6906 wrote:
Yes, he clipped the back wheel of Cancellara's bike with his front wheel and brought him down before going over the top.Tom Butcher wrote:Did Schleck take out Cancellara - looked more like Cancellara crashed in front of Schleck to me but I haven't gone back over the video.
This seems to me like some myth making. A rear wheel is usually much more stable than a front wheel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyNPZQCjZKU
Watching the overhead footage, as far as I can tell, Cancellara swerves and then falls just as F Schleck comes up behind him, due to some slowing in the peloton about four rows in front.0 -
Ok, it does look like Cancellara goes in to the back of the rider in front when they are all squeezed against the side of the road but Frank does seem to find himself in the wars. I know Cancellara was trying to get Frank near the front but if any top rider comes off then it's usually Frank. Poor chap.
-Jerry“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”- Albert Einstein
"You can't ride the Tour de France on mineral water."
-Jacques Anquetil0 -
Gazzetta67 wrote:A cheap shot at Sean Kelly if i ever heard one. - NO he never won flanders but for a guy who's the 4th best cyclist of all time am sure he didnt need you to tell him how to win a race.
Look - I wasn't really putting him down. It was more just a reflection on his tactics.
From what I've seen and heard he was quite happy to play hide and seek and gamble a fair bit, especially in the one-dayers.
It's not a criticism. He's a different rider tactically to, say, Boonen or Gilbert.
After all, the palmares rarely lies.0 -
When you think about it, it's quite amazing that you still get such a big group arriving at the Cauberg after 260km of racing.
260km is a looong way, especially over the kind of roads there are in Amstel, brake, turn, accelerate, sharp uphill, sharp downhill which is a series of nasty turns, etc tetc.0 -
Hard to tell without watching it in HD with a slo mo and I've deleted it now but my initial reaction was it was Canc who must have clipped a wheel and gone down in front of Frank. As Skut says in a touch of wheels it's not normally a problem to have your back wheel clipped.
it's a hard life if you don't weaken.0 -
It was slightly different for Gilbert to chase Schleck down from a few kilometres out with a steep uphill finish to Cancellara being expected to tow the break back 30km out on the flat roads of Roubaix. Still an excellent performance though and so glad he managed to pass Rodriguez. Good riding by Gerrans too, he was my initial choice for PTP before I decided it was about time Roche won me something!0
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Rick Chasey wrote:
Look - I wasn't really putting him down. It was more just a reflection on his tactics.
From what I've seen and heard he was quite happy to play hide and seek and gamble a fair bit, especially in the one-dayers.
It's not a criticism. He's a different rider tactically to, say, Boonen or Gilbert.
After all, the palmares rarely lies.
Most of Kelly's monument wins came in a sprint from a small group of 3 or 4 so he wasn't one to sit in and wait, rather he'd get away with the right group, i.e. of riders from strong teams who'd block behind, then beat them in the sprint.
For most of his career he rode for relatively weak teams where he was the sole leader, so he had to take the initiative to beat stronger teams. It was only really late in his career, when he was at PDM, that he could take advantage of having a strong team to help him win races.0 -
Getty
Contador is the Greatest0 -
Contador is the Greatest0 -
Gazzetta67 wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:dougzz wrote:Rick Chasey wrote:
Given that he still won, you have to think Gilbert did race smart. He chased enough since no-one else would, but timed well enough that he wasn't burried before he got to the Cauberg.
I meant more generally, rather than today. His effort in the Ronde a couple of weeks ago for example. Another race last year that escapes me (uselessly vague I know), I remember thinking at the time he's strong but it seems too early. Sean Kelly in the Eurosport commentary was saying he thought Gilbert was doing too much work today.
Sean's a little keen on sitting in the bunch though. He's a Freire type when it comes to tactics (prepare to lose in order to win). I remember he's quite scathing of those riders like Brut ALWAYS go into breaks where they'll never win on those sprinter fest stages.
Maybe that's why he never won Flanders
A cheap shot at Sean Kelly if i ever heard one. - NO he never won flanders but for a guy who's the 4th best cyclist of all time am sure he didnt need you to tell him how to win a race.
Whats the criteria for him being 4th best cyclist of all time ?Gasping - but somehow still alive !0 -
This photo from Pez is amazing. The crowds are quite something too.
Contador is the Greatest0
